Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2020)
COAST WEEKEND: DIVE INTO NATURAL DYE »INSIDE THURSDAY JAN. 16 2020 MADDER, WELD, INDIGO AND MORE DIVE INTO NATURAL DYE ARO A LAUNCH THE WORLD P ASTORIA SOU DAY PACIFIC AN FOR EVERY UND NEW: Y STOR SLAM PAGE 4 PAGE 8 PAGE 12 PAGE 2 FREE PLAY DRAWIN GS! DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 147TH YEAR, NO. 86 $1.50 Log exporter wants out of Port Accuses agency of elder abuse Astoria Forest Products has accused the Port of Astoria of elder abuse against 82-year- old owner Dennis Murphy, left. Murphy received an economic impact award from Clatsop Economic Development Resources in 2018 for his company’s impact on the regional economy. MORE INSIDE U.S., China reach trade deal Page A7 By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Astoria Forest Products is trying to get out of leases with the Port of Astoria without termination costs, accusing the agency of elder abuse against its 82-year-old owner, Den- nis Murphy. The company’s log exports have evaporated amid a prolonged trade war between the U.S. and China. Prior to the trade war, the owners had been trying to sell the business . Luke Whittaker Chinook Observer Clatsop Care offers free nursing course Matthew Colley, an attorney for Astoria Forest Products, sent a 120-day notice of termination to the Port in late December notifying the agency the company would not renew any of its leases . The company leases much of Pier 3, where it processed raw logs into timber, through this year; Pier 1, where longshoreme n loaded the cargo onto ships destined for China, AMCCO cleanup imminent, future still unclear through April; and in the Taggart Building on Pier 1, where the com- pany has offi ces, through January 2021. “If the Port will agree to a straight-forward termination of the leases and waive its right to any additional payments to which it may be entitled under the terms of the leases, Astoria Forest Products and Mr. Murphy will agree to release any claims they might have against the Port, including Astoria Forest Prod- ucts’ right to compensation for any capital improvements it made on the leased premises,” Colley wrote. See Port, Page A6 Library renovation gets boost $500,000 grant for project A response to a shortage By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian By NICOLE BALES The Astorian Clatsop Care Health District is addressing the shortage of certifi ed nurs- ing assistants by offering a tuition-free course. The health district has collaborated with Clatsop Community College for years to provide scholarships and clinical job training to nursing students. “Up to this point, we’ve been rely- ing on three to four classes coming out of the college every year and that seems to be almost enough to feed the employ- ment needs in the community, but just barely squeaking by,” said David Miller, the administrator for Clatsop Care Health and Rehabilitation . “There is a mutual need in this com- munity because everybody needs to worry about the shortage, and where’s the next generation of caregivers going to come from. ” The health district includes Clatsop Care Health and Rehabilitation, Clatsop Care In-Home Services, Clatsop Care Memory Community and Clatsop Care Retirement Village. To increase the number of certifi ed nursing assistants , Clatsop Care is offer- ing a free six week, in-house certifi ed course to 10 local applicants beginning in late February. Clatsop Care will cover the cost of all class materials, including scrubs and required license fees. Students will be employed by Clatsop Care as part of the class and receive paid compensation during their clinical period. Students who successfully complete the course will be offered permanent employment at Clatsop Care. “To take 10 weeks off, to pay to take a class can be a really big cost burden,” said Clarissa Johnson, the health district’s community outreach director. B y eliminating barriers, Johnson said, they hope to attract locals who other- wise would not fi nd it feasible to pursue a career in health care. Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian ABOVE: Astoria Marine Construction Co. will undergo a signifi cant cleanup this year. BELOW: In the shipyard, Tim Fastabend is usually found with his hands covered in grease and dressed in his best rubber rain gear while running from ship to ship doing repairs. Troubled by pollution near Lewis and Clark River By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian T he cleanup of pollution at Asto- ria Marine Construction Co. along the Lewis and Clark River is slated to begin this summer after more than 30 years of studies, permit- ting and planning. The work will take about four months to complete, said owner Tim Fastabend, after which he doesn’t know whether his company will continue. Clatsop County recently approved a fl ood plain development permit for Astoria Marine, clearing the way for the cleanup to begin. Fastabend said the company has already started demolishing parts of its sprawling campus, expanded during World War II and the Korean War when it was a preferred contractor to build wooden minesweepers for the U.S. Navy. Environmental investigators, who started looking into the shipyard in the mid-1990s, knocked the company for spills and sandblasting of paint con- taining hazardous materials like cop- per, lead, chromium, arsenic and other chemicals. They also pointed to leaks and spills from oil storage tanks and engines, resulting in petroleum con- tamination around the property. The company also burned lumber, debris, excess solvents, fuel and oil on-site. See AMCCO, Page A6 See Clatsop Care, Page A6 The f oundation raising money for the Astoria Library has received $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities toward the building’s renovation. The g rant requires the foundation to raise at least $1.5 million in local matches over the next fi ve years. But the award is a shot in the arm for MORE the foundation, which INSIDE since 2014 has raised Astoria about $100,000 after Armory expenses, along with OK’d for another $80,000 in window pledges, toward a ren- repairs ovation estimated to cost nearly $7 million. Page A3 The renovation would modernize the building on 10th Street with larger win- dows and spaces for meetings, reading, teens and families. It would open pub- lic access to the basement and include an expanded Flag Room for meetings, along with a training kitchen, gallery, media lab, collaboration and archival areas. Arline LaMear, the foundation’s presi- dent and a former mayor , thanked consul- tant Ruth Metz for writing the grant and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici for writing a letter of support. “This grant gives us a much-needed boost in fund raising and will be a catalyst for further grants,” LaMear said. “Our needs assessment asked our citizens what they wanted from their library. With this grant, we are much closer to the goal of renovating our 52-year-old library and making it a source of pride for the whole community.” The city has set aside $750,000 in car- bon sequestration credits to support the renovation, along with $900,000 in a memorial fund from former Mayor W.C. Logan, who the renovated library will be named after. City councilors last year supported a full renovation, provided the library foundation could raise another $5 million. See Library, Page A6 A note, a safe and a rediscovered history Cannon Beach man left code with his estate By KYLE SPURR Bend Bulletin Before his death in 2018 , Can- non Beach resident Alfred Aya Jr. left a curious note in his estate. The note read “La Pine” and included a combination code to a safe in a storage unit. The 94-year- old Aya, who never married or had children, left charge of his affairs and the note to his best friend’s son, George Hawley, an attorney in Los Angeles. Hawley traveled to Cannon Beach, opened the safe and found hundreds of fi les, photos and let- ters that detailed the founding of La Pine. The materials belonged to Alfred Aya Sr., who was one of the founders of La Pine and is credited with naming the city for its abun- dance of pine trees. “I came across what is obvi- ously a treasure trove of records in a safe,” Hawley said, “and I sent them off to the museum.” The rare documents were an unexpected surprise for the staff at the Deschutes Historical Museum in Bend. Kelly Cannon-Miller, director of the museum, said the materials are the fi rst offi cial proof of how La Pine was founded. The collec- tion includes articles of incorpora- tion for the La Pine Townsite Co. , the business that came in and cre- ated the town in 1910. The museum doesn’t have any immediate plans to put the items on display, but anyone interested in La Pine history is welcome to sift Ryan Brennecke/Bend Bulletin See History, Page A6 A photo of Grace Honeyman sits in a box with dozens of other historic photos, along with the dozens of letters she wrote to her husband, Alfred Aya.
