The daily Astorian., November 21, 2019, Page 29, Image 29

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THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019
Astoria Ferry: ‘The boat is where it’s supposed to be’
Continued from Page A1
proclaiming the initial phase of restoration
on the vessel complete. The group secured
state and nonprofi t grants to weatherize the
boat and fi x its electrical systems, while
striking a month-to-month lease with Floyd
Holcom to park the vessel on the east side
of Pier 39.
The second phase “will bring in a highly
professional team of fundraisers and a new
board to purchase the ferry from Captain
Lint, and raise the $2.5 million necessary for
full restoration and Coast Guard certifi cation
of the Tourist No. 2 as a commercial vessel,”
the group’s news release said.
The ferry group hoped to raise $250,000
in a capital campaign by the end of the year,
another $250,000 next year and take passen-
gers out on the river by next summer. But
the group has so far raised $160,000. Cindy
Price, the group’s board president, acknowl-
edged there will likely be no cruises next
year.
One of the challenges has been deter-
mining the cost of restoring the vessel and
getting it certifi ed by the U.S. Coast Guard,
a requirement to take passengers out on
cruises. Estimates have have ranged between
$500,000 quoted by Lint to between $2 mil-
lion and $3 million quoted by Sam Shogren,
a maritime heritage consultant who created a
preservation plan for the ferry.
The ferry group recently contracted Haven
Boatworks, a shipwright in Port Townsend,
Washington, that works on wooden-hulled
vessels, to create an estimate for the neces-
sary work. The company estimated between
$1 million and $2 million for work on the
deck and hull, not including the cost of tak-
ing it to Port Townsend and out of the water.
Price called it the fi rst professional esti-
mate by a company capable of doing the
work. “That took us a lot of time this year, so
the capital campaign never started,” she said.
After getting the estimate, the board sat
down and decided they had completed their
portion of the project, and that a new group
of volunteers with fundraising expertise was
needed to take the project forward, Price
said. How that new group will be formed is
to be determined, she said.
“Christian is going to mostly be in charge
of it from now on,” she said.
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Three boats — the Tourist No. 2, the El Primero and a small tug boat — are docked at Pier 39.
‘Historical reminder’
Cold water
Lint threw cold water on the notion of
taking the boat to Port Townsend and spend-
ing millions on restoration.
“There is no logic to that at all, unless
you want to dump money down the drain,”
he said.
He estimated it would cost $420,000 to
replace about 20 planks on the ferry’s hull
a ferry between Astoria and Megler, Wash-
ington, before being commandeered by the
U.S. Navy to lay mines at the mouth of the
Columbia.
After the Astoria Bridge opened in 1966,
the ferry was enlarged and went into ser-
vice for the Washington state ferry system.
The vessel was later purchased, modifi ed,
renamed the Kirkland and leased to Seat-
tle-based Argosy Cruises for taking people
around Lake Washington.
A fi re in 2010 took the vessel out of ser-
vice. Argosy deemed it too expensive to fi x
and sold the vessel to Lint, who put it up for
sale in 2015. The late Robert “Jake” Jacob
noticed the vessel for sale and struck up a
relationship with Lint, resulting in it coming
to Astoria.
“My recommendations were to really to
take her back to what she looked like in the
1930s,” Shogren said. “Keeping the car deck
enclosed in glass is something that needs to
stay.”
Fundraising to fully restore the vessel
will take a mix of nonprofi t, grant and pri-
vate funding streams, Shogren said. There
could be money available from the National
Park Service’s m aritime h eritage g rant pro-
gram. For example, t he National Steinbeck
Center, honoring author John Steinbeck,
received nearly $200,000 toward its efforts
to have Haven Boatworks restore the sardine
boat Western Flyer into a research platform.
Sam Shogren, a maritime heritage consultant, created a preservation plan for the Tourist No. 2
and argues the boat could be hauled out on
air pads and worked on at North Tongue
Point. Shogren agreed Lint’s estimate might
be what it takes to get the vessel certifi ed for
passengers, but said a full restoration to the
vessel’s historic look is more likely in the
ballpark of his or Haven Boatwork s’ fi gure.
Part of the issue is deciding which iter-
ation of the vessel to restore , said Lucien
Swerdloff, a historic preservation instructor
at Clatsop Community College who serves
on the group’s board. The vessel started as
Lint said he has reached out to possi-
ble fundraising partners about how to move
forward fi nancing the Tourist No. 2’s res-
toration. The ferry group will lose its fi s-
cal sponsor, the Astoria Downtown Historic
District Association, by the end of the year,
and by extension its nonprofi t status.
“I’m toying right now on whether it
should be a nonprofi t or a private entity,”
Lint said.
Lint is also restoring the El Primero, a
yacht built in 1893 that he docked just west
of the Pier 39 causeway. He hopes to eventu-
ally put it on display at the end of a pier near
Josephson’s Smokehouse. He also has an old
tug docked at Pier 39.
Lint said he has had offers on the Tourist
No. 2 for everything from a fl oating casino
in Washington state to someone in Astoria
wanting to make it a fl oating condominium.
The vessel includes 6,000 square feet over
two stories with a kitchen, bathrooms and
bars.
But however the ferry group gets the
money, Lint said he wants to see the boat
kept as a fl oating museum to the history of
Astoria. “The boat is where it’s supposed
to be, providing a historical reminder, ” he
said.
OBITUARIES
Orocia ‘Rosie’ Ordaniel Foss
Astoria
May 22, 1936 — Nov. 12, 2019
On Nov. 12, 2019, Rosie Foss passed ciation c hapter in Astoria and the Filipino
away peacefully in her sleep after a long Association.
battle with pulmonary fi brosis and cardiac
After she retired, she continued to gar-
disease.
den, spend time with her grand-
She was born on May 22, 1936,
children, and her special friends,
in Nabas Aklan, Philippines. She
Kitty Carr, Gloria Coffee, Vi Tor-
graduated from high school and
res, Armie Rasgo, Ludy Crane
moved to Manila, Philippines, to
and Celina Bowley. She enjoyed
pursue fashion design and cos-
being a member of Bethany Free
metology. She often told stories
Lutheran Church.
that she “walked a 100 miles all
She loved her children and
over the villages to give new hair
grandchildren — they were her
styles.”
world. She taught them the tradi-
She worked hard as a child to
tions of the Philippines and family
help provide for her family in the Orocia ‘Rosie’ Foss values .
Philippines. She sewed, designed
Rosie was preceded in death
clothes and was a hairstylist. She was her by her parents; husband, Colby Foss Sr.;
family’s provider since she was 10 years old. her brothers, Mansing Ordaniel and Lucring
She married Colby Hooper Foss Sr. on Ordaniel; and her sister, Angelina Sumanting.
June 19, 1967, in Manila, Philippines. Soon
She leaves behind, her daughters, Roseby
after she married, they relocated to Merizo, Foss and Cati Foss; sons Colin Foss, John
Guam, where her husband supervised Piti Foss and Colby Foss Jr.; grandchildren Addi-
Power for the Navy. They owned a retail son Foss, Cadence Foss, Thomas Foss and
store in Guam where she was able to bring in Colby Foss; sister Melody Gumboc; brother
fashion from all over Asia as well as grocer- Billy Ordaniel; cousins Celina, Ed, Glen and
ies and fi shing equipment.
Michelle Bowley and Shirley Felton; nieces
She enjoyed the Chomorro and Filipino Nimfa Andrews, Melisa Pajes, Gail Endrina
culture, celebrating fi estas and many social (Richard), Lena Jimenez (Jimmy), Mare-
gatherings. She loved going to the beach, itta, Sharolyn and Radford Salas, Michelle
having barbecues, fi shing and learning about Sanchez, Mericris Ordaniel, Mike Bali-
the culture of Guam.
dio, Clementia Autentcio and Teresa, Sarah,
Soon after her husband retired from Piti Cody and Kolyn Lachica; and many more
Power, they relocated to the Pacifi c North- cousins and nieces.
west in 1977, moving to Appleton, Wash-
Visitation will be held Friday from 9 a.m.
ington. They bought a farm and began to to 6 p.m. at Hughes-Ransom Mortuary in
raise animals, grow a garden and raise their Astoria.
three children. She became involved with the
A funeral service will be held on Saturday
farming community, gardening and the Lyle, at 10 a.m. at Bethany Free Lutheran Church
Washington, w omen’s c lub.
in Astoria, with a visitation starting one hour
On Dec. 6, 2006, she retired from Born- prior at 9 a.m.
stein Seafoods. She was part of the National
Please visit hughes-ransom.com to sign
Active and Retired Federal Employees Asso- the online guest book.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26th
EVENT BEGINS AT 6pm
AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT AT 8pm
Join Fort George and twelve noble participants and help us
select the winner of this year's Magnanimous Mug.
All donations will go directly to local nonprofits.
Holly Mae Coontz
Oakridge
July 2, 1987 — Nov. 15, 2019
Holly Mae Coontz died in a car
accident on Nov. 15, 2019.
She is survived by her husband,
Phillip Coontz; her two children,
Lilly and Ryder; and her mother,
Sharon J. Boring.
Holly grew up in Astoria.
She loved music, dance and the
outdoors. She moved to Eugene to
attend school, and she and her hus-
band eventually settled in nearby
Holly Coontz
Oakridge.
Holly worked as a caregiver
and spent all of her free time with
her kids.
A memorial service will be held
at the First Baptist Church in Asto-
ria on Saturday at 1 p.m.
A GoF undM e page has been
set up at gofundme.com/f/v7srs
to help her family with fi nal
expenses.
FORT GEORGE MATCHING DONATION OF UP TO $10,000
1483 Duane St., Astoria, OR
fortgeorgebrewery.com
503.325.PINT