Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019 After a veto threat, Newport fought for dam money The governor shifted after hearing concerns By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer was driving back from a confer- ence of mayors in Medford when he got the call. State Rep. David Gomberg, D-Central Coast, had bad news. Gov. Kate Brown wanted to veto $4 million in state money to help replace two critical dams in Newport . It was Sunday night, but Sawyer and other city offi - cials acted. “We all kind of contacted everybody that we thought might have some input with the governor or her staff,” Sawyer said. “And encour- aged everybody to send let- ters or emails.” Encouraged by local leg- islators, city offi cials ral- lied key supporters, ranging from the chamber of com- merce to the hospital to the manager of a radio station. The Lincoln County com- missioners penned a letter in support. Subsequently, after the governor and her staff met with city offi cials and leg- islators representing New- port, Brown changed her mind. Newport could have the $4 million after all. In a moment in Ore- gon politics where ques- tions about how state policy impacts rural communities are constantly in the back- ground, the Newport dam saga illustrates how a small city stood up to the gover- nor’s veto pen. Problems at the dams For nearly a decade, local offi cials had been working to tackle problems with the Big Creek Dams. The city discovered the issues in 2011 while making plans for a new water treat- ment plant. Water is seep- ing through the dam and an earthquake could liquefy soils underneath it. “The long and short of it is neither one of those dams would … survive even a very moderate earthquake,” said Tim Gross, the city’s public works director and city engineer. “Depend- ing on location and depth, a 3.5 (magnitude earthquake) would do it. ” The reservoirs created by the dams provide a criti- cal water supply for the city, which has a fi sh processing industry, a Rogue brewery and thriving tourism. About 7,500 people com- mute into the city daily and thousands more come to the area for vacations and recre- ation every year. After years of analysis, offi cials want to build a new dam to replace the two old dams. That is expected to cost nearly $70 million. But the town didn’t think its 7,000 property taxpayers could alone foot the bill. “There is no way that we could go for a bond of $70 million,” Sawyer said. “It would kill the property own- ers here.” And so the city looked to the federal and state govern- ments for help. Where there is money at higher levels of govern- ment, Sawyer says, there’s not enough allocated for repairing or replacing dams. “The problem for us on a local level is, there’s very little money set aside for any dam projects,” Sawyer said. The city has spent more than $2 million on the proj- ect so far. To round up more, the city approached Gomberg and Sen. Arnie Roblan, Anna Reed/Statesman Journal Residents in Newport are worried two old dams could fail. D-Coos Bay. Local offi cials were happy when, at the end of June, state lawmakers approved $4 million to pay for design, permitting and environmental assessments for replacing the dams. But then came word that the governor didn’t want to sign that part of the bill into law. “All of a sudden, one day, we got the rug pulled on us,” Sawyer said. Sawyer, who describes his initial reaction as “shock,” wondered why the governor signaled she might veto the money. ‘Most dangerous’ Late last year, Brown said she had wanted the state to study the state’s “most dan- gerous” dams and prioritize them by condition and risk. The state regulates about 900 dams, and 72 of them are considered “high haz- ard,” which means that if they were to fail, people could die and property could be severely damaged. But the Legislature didn’t fund the nearly $2 million Brown proposed for that study, or for a dam safety task force to come up with “rules and plans to help communities fi nance dam replacement and repairs.” Brown keyed in on that in a required message ahead of an actual veto . “Oregon currently has no fi nancial plan or rules to help communities with fail- ing dams that pose safety risks,” the governor said. “I intend to line-item veto this project because we need to study all of Ore- gon’s dams, prioritize them for repair, and develop fund- ing mechanisms before ded- icating funds and planning work on any specifi c dam,” Brown said. Brown continued: “Big Creek Dams are only two of what could be several dams across the state that may need critical repair.” Gross, though, saw the proposed veto as a political gesture. “The governor’s pro- Coast Guardsmen charged in rape case are sentenced By ALYSSA EVANS Chinook Observer SOUTH BEND, Wash. — T wo Coast Guardsmen charged with sex offenses have been sentenced. Salvador Zamora and Guillermo Gutierrez were suspected of sex crimes after a house party in Sep- tember 2017. A video from the party showed an uncon- scious woman being raped. The video was shared with Coast Guard members from Gutierrez’ Snapchat account. Zamora, 25, was found guilty of third-degree rape and fi rst-degree voyeurism. Gutierrez, 27, was found guilty of fi rst-degree voy- eurism. A rape charge was dropped against Gutierrez in September . Zamora was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Guti- errez was sentenced to 90 days in Pacifi c County Jail . During court proceed- ings, Gutierrez asked for a shorter sentence so he could continue providing for his 3-year-old daughter and soon-to-be baby. Gutier- rez is serving his sentence in three-day increments through late April . Both men will have to complete sex offender treat- ment and register as sex offenders, Pacifi c County Prosecutor Mark McClain said. Zamora and Gutierrez, who were stationed at Cape Disappointment, went to a house party to celebrate a co-worker’s upcoming move in 2017. The house was located on Sandridge Road in Ilwaco. After the party, Zamora’s wife found text messages between the two men where Zamora asked if “the girl” was going to say he raped her. Gutierrez told him she wouldn’t remember. Zamora’s wife reported her fi ndings to the Coast Guard. The woman didn’t know she was being fi lmed and was unconscious during the assault, according to court documents. The men were arrested in December 2017. After their arrests, Zamora was reassigned to Base Seattle, and Gutierrez to Sector Columbia River in Warrenton. The two continued to INSIDER Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! PROFESSIONAL you charge to look at my computer? LEO FINZI Our diagnostic fee is $29.99, if A: a disassembly is required, $54.99. These fees are waived if you purchase our recommended service or We match all purchase some equipment equal to or online prices! greater than those fees. We stock hun- dreds of parts to repair your computer Support for Windows 7 and (laptop or desktop) quickly and profes- Server 2008 ends Jan. 2020. sionally. I earned 3 college credits for Get your upgrade now. computer diagnosis and repair and data recovery back in 1989 and have gained Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 11-4 77 11th Street, Suite H a lot of experience since. Astoria’s Best, Astoria, OR • 503-325-2300 Computer Sales and Service. We strive to Astoria’s Best.com live up to that. does sensitive Q: How toothpaste work? one of your teeth . It has A: Imagine two main sections: the crown above the gum line and the root below. Spectacular view, scrumptious food, awesome music! SUNDAY AUGUST 18 th JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD L E I NA S S A R DENTAL EXCELLENCE North Shelter ~ Cullaby Lake Beans, Corn on the Cob, Salads Hamburgers, Hot Dogs & Des serts (Bring your favorite dessert) FREE To All Members and Guests $ 5 Parking Fee Regular Bingo at the Picnic BRING YOUR DOBBERS! 50/50 Raffle 12PM ILWACO HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND SAT • AUG 17 12-7PM • $25 1PM NORTH Gates open at 11:30am COAST BIG BAND 3PM GOOD CO JAZZ 5PM EUGENIE JONES Available at Post 12. Salmon Fishing Reel & Pole on display at Post 12 1132 Exchange Street • 325-5771 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com MAJOR SPONSORS Taylor Shellfish Farms Port of Peninsula Toyota/Lum’s Auto Center Bank of the Pacific TICKETS & INFO • WATERMUSICSOCIETY.COM A WATER MUSIC EVENT A WATER MUSIC SOCIETY SOCIETY EVENT Proceeds Proceeds benefit benefit Ocean Ocean Beach Beach School School District District Music Music Programs. Programs People with sensitive teeth experience pain when their teeth are exposed to something hot, cold or when pressure is applied. The layer of enamel may be thinner and the gum line may have receded, exposing more dentin. Therefore, the recession makes teeth more sensitive. Sensitive toothpaste works by blocking the tubules in the dentine usually containing a chemical called strontium chloride. Repeated use builds up a strong carrier by plugging the tubules more and more, leading to less-sensitive teeth. Q: How do I get a story about my event in Coast Weekend? NAHCOTTA BOAT BASIN OCEAN PARK, WA Prize Raffle 100% Patriotic Quilt & Salmon Fishing Reel/Pole Raffle Tickets: $1 each or 6 For $5 ‘Small but mighty’ Sawyer stressed that he appreciated that the gover- nor listened and was willing to change her mind. “Sometimes, when peo- ple say ‘I’m going to veto it,’ they make up their mind and they’re done,” Sawyer said. “But we were appre- ciative that she listened to our concerns.” “It’s a community out to save itself, really,” said Gross, the city engineer. “I’m super proud of New- port and how quickly they rallied to this cause, within a matter of three, four days. That was all that we had.” For local leaders, that powerful grassroots support is nothing new. “We’re really good at that,” said Kaety Jacob- son, a county commissioner. “Lincoln County — we’re small but mighty.” And their work with the state isn’t over. Sawyer, at the governor’s request, is the fi rst member of a new task force on dam safety. The Oregon Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. Consult a Annual Picnic BBQ Chicken had real conversations with her, helped her see that this would, in fact, be encour- aging her policy of trying to come up with a ratio- nal approach of doing dam safety across the state.” Sawyer, who along with city offi cials and consul- tants, met with two of the governor’s policy advise rs, believes Brown didn’t know the extent of the problem and how long the commu- nity had been working on the issue. “We feel that, for some reason, the governor did not have the full picture of how critical our dam is,” said Sawyer. Q: How much do a & zz OREGON CAPITAL AMERICAN LEGION CLATSOP POST 12 work for the Coast Guard during the majority of their case proceedings. posed veto had less to do with this particular project and more to do with her try- ing to prove a point to the Legislature, that they need to look at dams comprehen- sively, and not just one at a time,” Gross said. Gross, Roblan and Gomberg all said the fi rst they knew the project was at risk was when the gov- ernor’s staff reached out to the legislators directly just before announcing the veto publicly. The city already received some state money to study the dam, and the governor’s offi ce did know about the project, Gross said. “The governor’s offi ce is well aware of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, and it was shocking to us to see a proposed veto,” Gross said. “We didn’t understand it at all, because we spent a lot of time reach- ing out both to the Legisla- ture and to the governor’s offi ce through the regional task force trying to keep them apprised of what we’re doing and why.” It’s not clear why the governor relented. A spokesman said in a text message that the offi ce did not have much to add beyond an offi cial letter last week, where Brown back- tracked on the veto, saying it could compromise federal funding that the city is try- ing to get for a new dam. “Did I walk out of there with a sense that I had changed her mind? No,” Gomberg said of his half- hour meeting with Brown. “But I did have the clear sense that she was listening very carefully and trying to evaluate the big picture.” “Why it fi nally came for- ward, I don’t know,” Roblan said, “But I am convinced that conversations with peo- ple who stayed calm and didn’t get all uptight, but Weekend plans feature stories A: Coast usually a month to two weeks ahead of Jonathan Williams Coast Weekend Editor 503-325-3211 www.dailyastorian.com 949 Exchange St., Astoria, OR time, so let us know early if you have something going on you think would make a good feature. For smaller stories, the deadline for getting press releases and photos to us is 5 p.m. Tuesday, one week and two days prior to publication of that week’s Coast Weekend. Email your information to jwilliams@ dailyastorian.com or call 971-704-1720. Be sure to include a contact name, email and phone number. If you want to post an event in the calendar, click on the “Send Us Your News” button on Coast Weekend’s website, coastweekend.com, or email Jonathan.