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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2019 Speak no evil ... IN BRIEF Fire destroys home in Knappa A home on Simonsen Road in Knappa was destroyed by fi re on Thursday morning. No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported. In the afternoon, the fi re fl ared up again, but fi refi ght- ers were able to put it out. The cause of the fi re is under investigation. Sunset Beach parking lot, trail to close for controlled burn A day-use parking lot at Sunset Beach and a portion of the Fort-to-Sea Trail will close this week for a con- trolled burn. Beach access for pedestrians and vehicles via Sunset Beach Road will remain open. The portion of the trail that will close is between the Camp Rilea bridge and the beach. The day of the controlled burn will depend on weather conditions. The burn will target brush piles, which offi cials say are prime fuel for wildfi res. — The Astorian Man killed in St. Helens police chase ID’d ST. HELENS — Police have identifi ed the man in Wednesday’s police pursuit that ended with police using deadly force in St. Helens. Oregon State Police Capt. Tim Fox confi rmed Thurs- day that the deceased was 32-year-old Michael Veatch of Longview, Washington. The Oregonian reported Veatch allegedly used a gun to threaten someone at a St. Helens Chevron gas station around 5:30 a.m. Police said he then fl ed the scene in his vehicle and his vehicle became disabled. He then fl ed on foot. A St. Helens police offi - cer used force against Veatch, offi cials said, and he died. Veatch’s partner, Savannah Eastman, said he died after being hit by a car. Police have not confi rmed how Veatch died. Veatch was connected to an April incident in which Brian Butts shot and killed Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin DeRosier. At the time, police also arrested Veatch and questioned him. — Associated Press DEATHS Oct. 9, 2019 VAUGHN, Ann Marie (Schultz), 66, of Asto- ria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. LOFGREN, Joanna Lee, 73, of Seaside, died in Portland. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Burglary • Steven Michael Wolf, 42, was arrested off Alternative U.S. Highway 101 on Thurs- day for violating a restraining order, inter- fering with a police offi - cer, burglary in the sec- ond degree and escape in the third degree. Strangulation • Tyler James Rich- ards, 21, of Warrenton, was arrested Thursday at Sunset Beach Lane in Warrenton for strangula- tion and harassment. Criminal trespass • Spencer Alan Wil- liams, 29, of Fresno, California, was arrested Thursday for crimi- nal trespass in the fi rst degree, disorderly con- duct in the second degree and resist- ing arrest. Police said he walking on Astoria Bridge and disrupting traffi c. Disorderly conduct • Quinlan Eric Kualii Hundley, 23, of Astoria, was arrested Wednesday in the Goodwill park- ing lot in Warrenton for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Gary Henley/The Astorian Referees Teena Toyas, Zdravko Barbic and Ben Sago appear to do a variation on the ‘three wise monkeys’ as they walk off the fi eld at the end of the fi rst half of an Astoria vs. Seaside boys soccer game at CMH Field. Warrenton chooses Bergerson for Hammond dredging By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian WARRENTON — The City Commission approved a nearly $750,000 contract with Bergerson Construc- tion to dredge the Ham- mond Marina, dismissing a complaint fi led by a rival bidder. The city put out bids to dredge 70,000 cubic yards of sediment from 10 acres in the marina, which it recently took ownership of from the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers. Bergerson Construc- tion, a pile-driving and dock-building company that invested in a dredge, came back with a bid of $748,560 to dredge most of the marina. Underwater Earth Mov- ers, from Vancouver, Wash- ington, came back with a bid of more than $1.6 million, but protested that Berger- Bergerson Construction Bergerson Construction recently purchased a hydraulic dredge, attaching it to an excavator that is then parked on a barge and fl oated into small marinas and harbors. son’s bid omitted informa- tion about its equipment, schedule, impact on the marina and other challenges . “Bergerson met all of the criteria in the bid,” City Manager Linda Engbretson said Tuesday. “We did not specify a type of dredge.” The city has heard noth- ing further since respond- ing to the complaint letter, she said. Bergerson, located at North Tongue Point in Astoria, routinely beats out competition for work in the lower Columbia River region because of its lack of mobilization costs. City c ommissioners also appre- ciated that the money from the contract would stay locally with Bergerson’s employees. Greg Morrill, the presi- dent of Bergerson, said the dredging project will prob- ably take two seasons to complete. The company will dispose of dredge spoils in the shipping channel and can only do so on an outgo- ing tide. Bergerson’s dredge, working in Westport, Wash- ington, has completed a cou- ple of projects in the region as the company grows into a new market servicing small ports. “It seems like small mari- nas are the types of facilities that are underserved,” Mor- rill said. “We’ve crafted our dredging program around that need.” PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Cannon Beach Rural Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., Fire-Rescue Main Station, 188 Sunset Ave. Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broad- way. TUESDAY Astoria Historic Land- marks Commission, 5:15 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Lewis & Clark Fire De- partment Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Seaside School District Board of Directors, 7 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin. Seaside Planning Com- mission, 7 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. Shoreline Sanitary Dis- trict Board, 7 p.m., Gear- hart Hertig Station, 33496 West Lake Lane, Warrenton. Oregon Coast Aquarium plans $18 million renovation A rendering of the Oregon Coast Aquarium. 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 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 By JAMIE HALE The Oregonian The Oregon Coast Aquarium is already one of the biggest attractions in the state, but now it aims to get even bigger. The Newport aquar- ium announced a fundrais- ing campaign Wednesday for an $18 million renova- tion, which would remodel existing facilities and add a marine rehabilitation center, as well as an outdoor play area. According to the aquar- ium, this would be the fi rst major remodel since open- ing to the public in 1992. In that time, the attraction has drawn some 15 million vis- itors, offi cials said. “When the a quarium opened more than 25 years ago, it was never built to see the number of people that come through our doors,” Carrie Lewis, CEO of the Oregon Coast Aquarium, said in a news release. “It’s time to update our exhibits. It’s time to improve the vis- itor experience. It’s time to provide a true facility for the animal rehabilitation that we do behind the scenes.” Aquarium workers use an old, repurposed ware- house to care for endangered marine life, and haven’t been able to offer the kind of intensive medical care they’d like to provide for animals like sea turtles, seals and snowy plovers, offi cials said. The renovation would include a building designed for that purpose. In its present state, the Oregon Coast Aquarium remains a popular attraction, drawing more than 420,000 visitors each year, accord- ing to aquarium numbers. Its indoor tanks of jellyfi sh, rays, sharks and sea stars are comple mented by outdoor exhibits that hold sea lions, birds and an octopus. The original 40,000-square-foot facil- ity was built on 23 acres of land, and gained inter- national attention in 1996 when it hosted “Keiko,” the orca who was featured in “Free Willy,” before he was shipped to Iceland for release into the wild. It sits on the south- ern shore of Yaquina Bay and neighbors the Hat- fi eld Marine Science Center and Rogue Brewer’s on the Bay — a fi tting place for an establishment that bridges the worlds of tourism and science.
