The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, August 08, 2019, Image 21

The daily Astorian., August 08, 2019, Page 21, Image 21

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Newspaper Page TextA2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 Planners discuss Uniontown options IN BRIEF Trafﬁ c disruption expected for Regatta parade on Saturday The Astoria Regatta Association Grand Land Parade begins at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Trafﬁ c will be disrupted through the downtown core beginning at about 8 a.m. until the parade ends and streets have been swept. At 8:30 a.m. Exchange Street will be closed between 23rd and 16th streets. Columbia Memorial Hospital, urgent care and the Park Medical Building will be acces- sible from Marine Drive at 20th, 21st, and 23rd streets. Exchange Street and Duane Street between 17th and Ninth streets will have no on street parking on Saturday until the parade ends. Any vehicles parked there will be towed. Seaside High added to sales block SEASIDE — In mid-July, the Seaside School Dis- trict’s real estate representative Norris & Stevens posted sales listings for two of three school district properties on the market, Broadway Middle School and Gearhart Elementary School, at $3.6 million and $1.9 million . This week, Norris & Stevens posted a $5.2 million asking price for the third property, Seaside High School, relocating from the tsunami zone to a new site in the city’s Southeast Hills. The total asking price of all three schools combined reaches $10.7 million. A fourth district school, the for- mer Cannon Beach Elementary School, which closed in 2013, is on the market at an estimated $400,000. Coast Guard rescues four on Long Beach Peninsula WILLAPA BAY, Wash. — Coast Guard crews res- cued three stranded canoers from Long Island in Wash- ington’s Willapa Bay on Monday, along with an injured ﬁ sherman near Chinook. Three people were stranded on Long Island after their canoe capsized. One of the stranded people called 911. Dispatchers notiﬁ ed the Coast Guard. The command center at Air Station Astoria in Warrenton diverted an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew already in the air for training. The Jayhawk lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the condition of the three people before they were hoisted off the island and taken to emergency medical personnel at an airport near Ilwaco. In a separate rescue, the Coast Guard launched a Jayhawk from Astoria and a 29-foot fast-response boat from Station Cape Disappointment in response to a ﬁ sh- erman who suffered a head injury after his boat ran aground near Chinook. Astoria hires new planner Astoria has hired a new city planner. Barbara Fryer, a former planner for Beaverton, replaces Nancy Ferber, who left for another job earlier this year. Fryer’s ﬁ rst day will be Monday. Fryer has more than 15 years of experience in land use planning and a background in urban renewal, his- toric preservation and economic development. She has also worked on affordable housing as a program man- ager with Community and Shelter Assistance of Oregon and as an intern at Innovative Housing Inc., in Portland. — The Astorian DEATHS Aug. 6, 2019 DAVIS, Virginia “Gin- ger,” 69, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Hughes-Ran- som Mortuary & Crema- torium is in charge of the arrangements. STARR, Martine, 84, of Gearhart, died in Sea- side. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Cremato- rium is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 5, 2019 DEAN, Dan Scott, 73, of Warrenton, died in Portland. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. LEWIS, Susan, 81, of Astoria, died in Asto- ria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Cremato- rium is in charge of the arrangements. RANNEY, Ardith, 86, of Nehalem, died in Sea- side. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Cremato- rium is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 4, 2019 ISQUIERDO, Veron- ica, 40, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Hughes-Ran- som Mortuary & Crema- torium is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 3, 2019 HANSEN, Nellie, 87, of Warrenton, died in Warrenton. Hughes-Ran- som Mortuary & Crema- torium is in charge of the arrangements. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Astoria City Council, 1 p.m., work session, City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Seaside Civic and Conven- tion Center Commission, Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com 5 p.m., Seaside Civic and Convention Center, 415 First Ave. Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m., board meeting, 3781 S. Hemlock St. By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Pull a thread in Union- town and there’s a chance the whole tapestry of new and historic businesses and homes that form the city’s western gateway will start to unravel, some property owners warn. Chief among people’s concerns are what a new draft master plan could do to the area’s parking . The Astoria Planning Commission took its ﬁ rst stab at establishing a long- term vision for Uniontown on Tuesday night, scrutiniz- ing a draft master plan that attempts to integrate trans- portation and land use goals. The plan outlines a num- ber of proposals and goals, including major lane recon- ﬁ gurations, a new over- lay zone to guide design and development decisions, lighting improvements and the addition of sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Business and property owners who attended the meeting said they felt their concerns have been heard throughout the process, but they say they’re entering a new phase now: The “what can we afford to lose” phase, where beneﬁ ts to one side of the equation could create issues on the other side. “No matter what, you kind of have to lose some stuff to gain something else,” said Diana Kirk, who owns Workers Tavern, as well as housing, in Uniontown. Some road changes could diminish available park- ing along Marine Drive. Remove these parking spots and there’s a ripple effect , said Nancy Montgomery, the owner of the building that houses Columbia River Coffee Roaster and 3 Cups C offee H ouse under the Astoria Bridge. “The load on exist- ing parking down there is already overtaxed,” Mont- gomery said. Some busi- nesses rely entirely on off- street parking and have no lots of their own. The plan identiﬁ es the need to create public parking areas in unused or underuti- lized lots On Tuesday, City Man- ager Brett Estes asked to continue the public hear- ing on the draft master plan until a future meeting. Staff wanted time to clar- ify aspects of the plan and accompanying code lan- guage to address questions and concerns brought up by commissioners and residents and businesses. Gov. Brown could veto several rural measures One bill was backed by Johnson By AUBREY WIEBER and CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau Gov. Kate Brown is con- sidering using her veto power to kill proposals championed by rural law- makers of both parties. Her staff said the veto threat was not political revenge but over sincere con- cerns about the legislation . Brown is considering axing policies to make it eas- ier to remove and ﬁ ll ground from wetlands, move for- ward on the retroﬁ t of two dams in Newport and pro- vide money to help E astern Oregon counties plan larger urban growth boundaries. Some of the proposed action goes against Demo- crats who opposed her cor- nerstone environmental pol- icy that would have created a carbon pricing system. When asked if she plans to use veto power for retribu- tion, Brown told a Polit- ico reporter that “revenge is a dish best served cold and slowly.” However, Brown’s spokeswoman said the veto consideration is a policy move, not a political game. Brown’s deadline to veto comes Friday, and she has to give ﬁ ve days notice before making the decision. Several people who support propos- als Brown is looking to kill said they hope to meet with the governor and overcome her veto threat. House Bill 2437 would increase the amount of mate- rial commercial develop- ers can remove from a wet- land without a permit by 60 times what is now allowed, going from 50 cubic yards to 3,000. It also would increase the amount of dredged mate- rial that can be dumped in a wetland without a permit. Brown’s announcement was cheered by environmen- tal group WaterWatch. Mary Anne Cooper, vice president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said the state classiﬁ es a lot of farmland as wetlands, so to clear an agri- cultural ditch under current regulation, a farmer needs a permit which can be expen- sive and complex. Often it includes hiring an environ- mental consultant, and is a process that can happen every one to ﬁ ve years. Cooper said the state is regulating farmers under a law that’s designed for new development, not exist- ing farms. Rather than fully exempt farms, the bill pro- vided middle ground where the state maintains some Gov. Kate Brown Betsy Johnson oversight. Cooper said she believes the decision to veto the bill is based on misinformation. It passed easily, get- ting two-thirds support in the Senate and House. But Brown said it goes too far, cutting out the wildlife man- agement community. “Collectively, these changes could have a sig- niﬁ cant impact on our wild- life populations and wetland habitats, including poten- tially adverse effects on our native salmon populations,” Brown’s statement said. The proposal was cham- pioned by state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, who was an early opponent of the environmental legisla- tion. Johnson did not return a request for comment. In her proposed budget this fall, Brown asked law- makers to approve $2 mil- lion to study the dams and prioritize repairs. Brown’s proposal would have also created a task force to over- see the state’s assistance to local government working to repair dams. The Legislature didn’t approve her plan. The dams are tiered, Gross said, and hold back up to 381 million gallons of water. If the top dam fails, the bottom one goes with it. He said seepage is already a problem and it’s now a race against the clock, he said. “If they fail before we ﬁ x them, our community is gone,” Gross said. Further, Gross was using the $4 million to get federal matching dollars, so the cut is actually twice as deep. Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, who represents Newport in the Senate, said he was disappointed by the governor’s announcement. Roblan was one of three Senate Democrats who pub- licly opposed Brown’s cap- and-trade program. Rep. David Gomberg, D-Central Coast, who rep- resents Newport , said that the dams have been ranked the second- and third-high- est risk dams in the state by the Oregon Water Resources Department. Gomberg doesn’t think the governor is exacting revenge for the fate of House Bill 2020, which Gomberg supported. “I think the governor is above that kind of retribu- tion,” Gomberg said. “This is a serious project, and delays could potentially put lives in jeopardy. I want to sit down and chat with her about that. I understand her desire to evaluate priori- ties, but I think it’s clear that Newport is a priority and we can begin to address it now.” Brown was not above that retribution in 2017, when she vetoed about $4 million in funding for projects in former Republican Rep. Sal Esquivel’s southern Oregon district after he broke a polit- ical deal with her. Brown at the time acknowledged her act was political revenge. Local projects Additionally, Brown is considering vetoing money for local projects approved by the Legislature. Brown may cut $4 mil- lion designated for Newport to plan for the replacement of two dams on Big Creek. According to the New- port News-Times, the city fears the dams could fail in an earthquake, shutting res- idents off from water and trapping some communities due to ﬂ ooding. “I intend to line-item veto this project because we need to study all of Oregon’s dams, prioritize them for repair, and develop funding mechanisms before dedicat- ing funds and planning work on any speciﬁ c dam,” Brown said in her statement. The city wants to rebuild the dams before a breach, and estimates it would cost $60 million to $75 million. If it had all the resources, it could break ground in about two years, with construction taking another three, said Public Works Director Tim- othy Gross. Gross said he’s worked for nine years to get funding for this project, and during the legislative session was in Salem a couple of times per week lobbying lawmakers. But Brown says the appropriation puts the Big Creek dams ahead of other vulnerable dams. Accord- ing to the governor’s ofﬁ ce, 72 state-controlled dams are rated as high hazard. Urban growth Brown is also considering revoking $500,000 appro- priated to the Association of Oregon Counties for urban growth boundary planning grants for E astern Oregon counties. The funding was tied to Senate Bill 2, which allowed for new adjustments of urban growth boundaries. The money would fund the planning of such efforts. “We’re very, very disap- pointed,” said Mike Elia- son, interim executive direc- tor of the association. “This is kind of another hit to rural Oregon, and we feel like this is an opportunity to support rural economies.” In Brown’s announce- ment, she said the Depart- ment of Land Conservation and Development already oversees the grant process and is must meet contract- ing standards. The current system gives the state more oversight than the associa- tion of counties would, her statement said. The real issue, Elia- son said, is the move takes money that was supposed to go directly to counties and instead ﬁ lters funding for E astern Oregon through a Portland bureaucracy that “can’t pick them out on a map.” “None of that really squares with us,” Eliason said. The bill was sponsored by Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, but Eliason said many lawmak- ers helped see it through. Finally, the governor is considering stopping a $5 million transfer in fee reve- nue from the Oregon Med- ical Board to the general fund. The $5 million makes up 55% of the board’s reserves, and operates as a rainy day fund. The result, according to Brown’s ofﬁ ce, would be large increases in license fees to make up for the lost revenue. “Large fee increases cre- ate barriers to practicing medicine in Oregon and fos- ter distrust between the b oard and our licensed physicians, physician assistants and acu- puncturists,” Brown’s state- ment said. “With reduced funds, the board may have to consider eliminating or reducing funding for the Oregon Wellness Program, an independent program promoting the health and well-being of Oregon health care professionals.” The $5 million transfer is part of a bigger bill that moves $171 million from various accounts into the general fund as a way to bal- ance the budget. It was spon- sored by Roblan, Rep. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, and Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay. 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