Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2020)
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2020 148TH YEAR, NO. 17 $1.50 High school football season won’t kick off until March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Landmark outdoors law boosts Arch Cape Efforts to conserve the watershed By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Local efforts to conserve the Arch Cape watershed received a crucial boost this week from the Great American Outdoors Act . The landmark measure, signed into law Tuesday by President Donald Trump, gained bipartisan support and will put funds toward deferred maintenance at national parks and other projects in Oregon and across the United States . The Arch Cape Water District is set to receive $1 million this year and — with the law fully and permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund — appears to be on solid footing for a request for $2.5 million next year. Phil Chick, the district manager, esti- mates it will cost around $5.5 million to pur- chase 1,521 acres of commercial timberland around the source of Arch Cape’s drinking water. But this week’s news was huge. “This was the whole project,” Chick said. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot that’s in our way for doing it now. … It defi nitely opens up the door for optimism.” The Great American Outdoors Act is the most signifi cant investment in decades for national parks and public lands, according to Oregon Outdoors, an advocacy coalition representing the outdoor recreation indus- try, nonprofi t recreation groups and conser- vation organizations. The Arch Cape Water District is in a due diligence period with property owner Onion Peak LLC to purchase the acreage by 2023, but they do not have a purchase price yet. The information the water district is col- lecting now all seems to be pointing to go, Chick said. Like many coastal communities , Arch Cape does not have full control of its water- shed and residents have worried about how to ensure water quality long term while commercial logging is still a possibility on the land. The Arch Cape Water District oversees 290 water connections. The water district hopes to create a com- munity forest on the acreage, managing the forest for both social and ecological benefi ts. See Arch Cape, Page A3 CORONAVIRUS OFF SEASON Astoria declines to extend hotel permits Fall sports postponed by pandemic en-week regular season followed by an OSAA playoffs “culminating week.” Specifi c plans for the playoffs will be thletes, coaches and fans of high developed with member schools in the school sports have been waiting for coming months to align with large group this news the p ast two months: No gathering guidelines issued by the state. games this fall because of the coro- OSAA also said that “shifting the sea- navirus pandemic. son calendar later in the school year pro- The Oregon School Activ- vides additional time for more ities Association will try to schools to return to a hybrid or fi t the fall, winter and spring on-site learning format, while MORE sports seasons into a six -month providing fl exibility for local INSIDE span starting in January. school districts to make deci- The move was announced sions this fall that are best for County Wednesday by the OSAA after their school communities. ” reports most schools decided to start new virus ‘A really good plan’ the year with distance learning case • A3 “Overall, it’s a really good because of the virus. plan,” Howard Rub, Winter sports like Astoria’s athletic direc- basketball, swim- ‘WE ARE SO tor and football coach, ming and wrestling said. “It gives a lot of are scheduled to begin LUCKY TO fl exibility for kids to competition in January. play their sports. And Sports usually EVEN BE for the (returning) ath- played in the fall like GETTING letes who missed out football, volleyball, last spring, at least this soccer and cross-coun- SHORTENED gives us some hope.” try will start in March. “I’m excited,” Rub The spring sports SPORTS added. “I’m just glad season of track and SEASONS. that they were able to fi eld, baseball, softball come up with a plan and golf will take place I THINK IT that keeps kids healthy the fi rst week of May IS A LIGHT AT and allows them to through late June. play.” T rying to fi t 10 Athletes can prac- THE END OF A to 12 sports into a six- tice or work out with their teams beginning DARK TUNNEL.’ month span also cre- ates some serious over- in late August. Avyree Miethe | Warrenton lapping seasons. “Today’s deci- junior who plays volleyball, Winter sports run sions by the executive basketball and softball through the fi rst week board provide a frame- of March with prac- work to maximize the tices set to begin in late potential opportunity February for sports normally played in for students in Oregon to participate in the fall. three seasons during the 2020-21 school The quick turnaround could create year,” Peter Weber, the executive direc- problems for coaches trying to prepare tor of OSAA, said in a statement. “The their teams with many of the same ath- board recognized that a ‘one-size-fi ts letes coming off the physical wear and all’ approach isn’t what’s best for stu- tear of a basketball or wrestling season to dents across the state. By waiving pol- play football or soccer a week later. icy to allow regional participation this And football teams could be playing fall, local school districts will have the through early May, after the season has discretion for participation in those areas already started for baseball. that are able to do so safely, per state directives.” See Sports, Page A6 Each season will feature a sev- Project planned for riverfront By GARY HENLEY The Astorian A By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian T he Astoria City Council on Thurs- day denied an appeal by developer Mark Hollander for more time to build a contro- versial four-story Fairfi eld Inn and Suites along the Columbia River. The developer’s request for a one- year extension of building permits, which expire in December, had been denied by city staff before he appealed to the City Council. The c ouncil’s decision forces Hol- lander to either appeal the denial to the state, fi nish a substantial portion of con- struction by late December, or conform the project to new, more restrictive build- ing standards that would shrink the hotel by two stories to protect surrounding views. Hollander and his representatives could not immediately be reached for comment about how they intend to proceed. After being denied several times by city commissions, Hollander appealed to and ultimately won approval from the City Council in 2018 to build a Marri- ott-brand hotel at The Ship Inn and Steph- anie’s Cabin, two former restaurants on waterfront lots off Second Street . But since the approval, the site has sat largely untouched, the restaurants vacant, the parking lots overgrown with weeds and surrounded by fences. Hollander would need to show substantial construc- tion progress by late December for his project to be vested. The approval of the hotel was vehe- mently opposed by many residents wor- ried about development crowding out views . The project inspired the city to revisit development rules in the River- front Vision Plan. Changes to the Bridge Vista Overlay, a section of the plan between Portway and Second streets, reduced allowed build- ing heights from 45 to 28 feet, essentially lowering development from four to two stories. The changes also limited build- ing mass and required north-south orien- tations to provide view corridors to the river . See Hotel, Page A6 Steele crowned Astoria Regatta queen A tradition modifi ed by the pandemic By MORGAN GRINDY The Astorian Mitch Eckhardt Last year’s Astoria Regatta queen, Mara Dowaliby, passed her crown on Wednesday to this year’s queen, Annalyse Steele. In another tradition disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Annal- yse Steele, a senior at Astoria High School, was crowned Asto- ria Regatta queen on Wednesday evening at a small coronation at the Loft at the Red Building . The event, which usually takes place at the Liberty Theatre, was limited to the Regatta C ourt, judges and a photographer due to virus precautions. Families of the prin- cesses watched remotely via Zoom. “It was defi nitely very differ- ent. W e were all very far apart from each other,” Steele said. Mitch Eckhardt Astoria High School’s Annalyse Steele was crowned as this year’s Astoria Regatta queen. The pandemic was the fourth time the Regatta festival has been modifi ed in its 126-year history, after World War I, the Astoria fi re in 1922 and World War II. “I felt truly grateful for this opportunity and I honestly did not expect it to be me,” Steele said. “I think all of the girls did amaz- ing with their speeches and their on-stage questions.” Steele, along with princesses Zoey Alexander, of Seaside; Mia McFadden, of Warrenton and Gabrielle Morrill , of Knappa; delivered speeches that focused on life in the 1920s in Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon and the West . Steele said the Regatta Court was given a few speaking opportu- nities and attended a reverse parade in Tillamook earlier this year despite virus restrictions. See Queen, Page A3
