A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020
Moratorium placed on businesses in rights of way
IN BRIEF
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Man dies after jumping
from Astoria Bridge
A 27 year-old man from Lacey, Washington, died Sat-
urday night after jumping from the Astoria Bridge.
Police were called at about 8 p.m. after Desmond
Jovan Brown jumped and landed on Marine Drive near
the Triangle Tavern.
Authorities investigating
death behind Costco
Authorities are investigating a dead body that was
found Saturday at homeless camps behind Costco in
Warrenton.
The identity of the person has not been publicly
released.
The Clatsop County Major Crimes Team is investigat-
ing the cause and manner of death.
Three injured in crash
on Highway 30
Three people were injured Friday in a crash on U.S.
Highway 30.
Offi cials say a driver heading westbound near milepost
73 crossed into the eastbound lane, crashing into the side
of an oncoming vehicle.
Both drivers and a passenger were taken to Peace-
Health St. John Medical Center in Longview, Washington.
Suspicious device
brought to Astoria police
Authorities investigated a possible explosive device left
Sunday morning outside the Astoria Police Department.
Offi cials say someone located the device in Pacifi c
County, Washington, and brought it to the Astoria Police
Department at about 11:30 a.m.
The building — shared by the Astoria Police Depart-
ment and Astoria Fire Department — and 30th Street and
Log Bronc Way were closed until the Oregon State Police
Bomb Squad arrived from Salem.
The streets reopened Sunday afternoon after the bomb
squad removed the device.
Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spalding recommended
that people who fi nd possible explosive devices to leave
the devices in place and call police.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
Oct. 3, 2020
In BROWN,
Brief
Desmond,
27, of Lacey, Wash-
ington,
died in Astoria.
Deaths
Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
CANAVAN, Michael,
68, of Boise, Idaho, died
in Seaside. Hughes-Ran-
som Mortuary is in charge
of the arrangements.
Oct. 1, 2020
HANSETH, Donald,
54, of Astoria, died in
Astoria. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
MEMORIAL
Thursday, Oct. 8
Memorial
LARSON, Yvonne Joanne — Graveside service at
2 p.m., Greenwood Cemetery, 91569 Oregon High-
way 202.
ON THE RECORD
Menacing
Criminal trespass
On
the Record
• Jonathan
Rich-
• Thai Clappe, 38, was
ard Rausch, 32, of Sea-
side, was arrested Fri-
day on Cow Creek Road
in Jewell for three counts
of menacing in the fi rst
degree and disorderly
conduct.
arrested Saturday at Fred
Meyer in Warrenton for
criminal trespass in the
second degree.
• Whitney Obad, 26,
was arrested Saturday at
Fred Meyer in Warren-
ton for criminal trespass
in the second degree.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Clatsop County has placed
a moratorium on permits for
businesses operating within
county rights of way after a
neighborhood dispute over a
fi rewood stand in Warrenton.
Following guidance from
the county Board of Commis-
sioners during a September
work session, the moratorium
took effect on Monday and
could be in place until March.
County staff will draft a
policy and commissioners
will determine whether to set
more rules or potentially ban
businesses in county rights of
way .
“Historically, county right
of way is used for transporta-
tion, access to property, util-
ity, drainage and things such
as this that has to do with
county roads,” Ted McLean,
the county’s public works
director, said during the work
session. “We historically
have not allowed a business
venture in the county right of
way.”
The moratorium affects
two fi rewood stands along
Ridge Road in Warrenton.
O ngoing complaints about
one of the stands prompted
the county to take action.
Allen Berry has been
operating the fi rewood stand
for about three years in front
PUBLIC MEETINGS
of his home, which sits next
to the county right of way.
Neighbors say the busi-
ness draws a lot of traffi c to
the residential area, as it is
conveniently located near
Fort Stevens State Park and
the KOA.
Complaints to the city
and county include exces-
sive noise from chainsaws all
hours of the day. Some neigh-
bors say communicating their
concerns with Berry has not
helped. One neighbor is mov-
ing as a result.
The county recently
required the businesses to
apply for a right-of- way per-
mit to better monitor and
enforce activity and alleviate
the complaints. But neighbors
say tensions have escalated.
Berry, who is running for
Hess relocates
from Utah
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
WARRENTON — It took
Astoria more than two years
to fi nd a new community
development director after
the departure of Kevin Cro-
nin, who took a similar posi-
tion with Warrenton.
Now only three months
after Cronin’s departure to
become city manager of
Mount Angel, Warrenton
has found a new community
development director in Utah.
Scott Hess, 36, will start at
the end of October. He is the
director of community and
economic development with
the Wasatch Front Regional
Council, an association of fi ve
counties in and around the
Salt Lake City metro region.
Hess has held other plan-
ning positions in cities and
counties around northern
Utah. He earned a master’s
of public administration and
bachelor’s of urban planning
from the University of Utah.
missions, that type of work,”
For the past 20 years, Engbretson said. “I think he
Hess has been visiting a fam- can be a real assistance and
ily friend’s Gearhart home. help to our volunteer board.”
He proposed to his wife 14
Hess steps into a quickly
years ago near the Del Re y growing city with a gov-
B each access. The two have ernment that has put more
three young daughters — emphasis in recent years on
twin 4-year-olds and
smarter growth.
a 1-year-old.
Warrenton
has
“I would watch
translated an urban
jobs in Oregon, and
renewal fund into
randomly over the
several projects to
last 13, 14 years
improve downtown,
applied for jobs and
building the new
saw that one,” Hess
Warrenton Memo-
Scott Hess
said. “And it felt like
rial Plaza, improving
it was applying some-
sidewalks and land-
where that felt like home scaping and providing grants
that’s also 750 miles away for building owners to spruce
from Utah.”
up their facades.
City Manager Linda Eng-
The city created a master
bretson said the city inter- plan for Chelsea Gardens, a
viewed fi ve candidates for the central triangular neighbor-
position . The experience Hess hood in between older War-
has with city and county gov- renton and the North Coast
ernment and transportation Retail C enter where it hopes
planning stood out, she said.
to attract a mix of commercial
“I think that transporta- and higher-density housing
tion planning will just be a without exacerbating nearby
tremendous asset to Warren- traffi c backups.
ton, as well as he’s had lots
Hess said Warrenton seems
of experience in facilitating more like a real city than
and training planning com- nearby second-home vacation
(USPS 035-000)
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Powered by
Helping Hands
Bybee Lakes Hope Cen-
ter, the building formerly
known as the Wapato Jail,
opened its doors for the fi rst
time Friday, in advance of its
offi cial opening to residents
on Oct. 12.
The 57,000-square-foot
north Portland shelter will
have 84 open beds during
its fi rst phase of opening,
with around 400 more beds
for longer-term housing
expected to become avail-
able in December.
Wapato Jail sat empty
for 16 years, after costing
about $58 million of tax-
payer money to build. Mult-
nomah County sold it for $5
million in 2018 to developer
Marty Kehoe. It was then
purchased by developer Jor-
dan Schnitzer.
Schnitzer has attempted
to turn the unused jail into
a shelter since he acquired
the property. On Friday, he
achieved that goal.
“To all the doomsayers,”
Schnitzer said at a press con-
ference in front of Bybee
Lakes Hope Center, “this
is really a testament to a
dream.”
THE ASTORIA FINNISH
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Thursday, October 15 from 11:30-1:30
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Eff ective May 1, 2019
MAIL (IN COUNTY)
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drive behind
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DIGITAL
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emergency access is located,
so are we going to be block-
ing an emergency access to
a neighborhood? ” he said.
“Those kinds of things,
I think, need to be really
addressed.
“And a lot of jurisdictions
have right-of -way permit
ordinances where they have
thought through all of the
conditions for when a permit
would be issued and under
what circumstances.
“And I think that’s what
we need to do, is to really
kind of review if this is some-
thing that we want to try to
accommodate in the future, or
is it something we just don’t
want to get into because we
want to reserve those for the
public use, for roads, for util-
ities, for other public needs.”
spots, with an already vibrant
regional business hub at the
r etail c enter.
“My thinking and focus
is on how do you help the
community, the public and
the local businesses continue
to invest or reinvest into the
downtowns of Warrenton and
Hammond to the n orth,” he
said.
Hess is the second com-
munity development director
to leave an urban area in the
Mountain region for the North
Coast. Megan Leatherman,
Astoria’s community devel-
opment director, who is also
in her 30s, came from Ida-
ho’s Ada County, where she
oversaw development rules
around the Boise metro area.
“For us, it’s going to be a
great adventure,” Hess said
of his family’s move. “It’s
going to be totally different.
I’m coming up there with a
young family. Our kids aren’t
in school yet. It feels like this
perfect kind of Goldilocks
time to bring them somewhere
new, and let them experience
something that my wife and I
have experienced for years.”
Bybee Lakes homeless shelter opens in Portland
presents
Established July 1, 1873
the Warrenton City Commis-
sion in the November elec-
tion, called it a neighbor-
hood issue and believes he
is being personally targeted
by the county. He said he
and his wife live off of S ocial
S ecurity and that fi rewood
sales are how he pays for his
medications.
“It’s not a county issue,”
he said. “(County offi cials)
made it a county issue.”
Commissioner
Mark
Kujala, who lives nearby,
said neighbors who feel the
stand is a disruption brought
the issue to him about a year
and a half ago .
Kujala questioned whether
right-of-way permits should
be issued in residential areas
where there is a lot of traffi c .
“That wood stand is where
Warrenton hires new community development director
By LIZZY ACKER
The Oregonian
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, noon, work session,
(electronic meeting).
Port of Astoria, 4 p.m., workshop, (electronic meeting).
Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., 1131 Broadway.
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Astoria Planning Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Flag Room, 450 10th Street.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway.
Miles Crossing Sanitary Sewer District Board, 6 p.m., 34583
U.S. Highway 101 Business.
WEDNESDAY
Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., 698 Pacifi c Way.
THURSDAY
Warrenton Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main
Ave.
Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., Gearhart fi rehouse,
670 Pacifi c Way.
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Allen Berry points to the fi rewood stand in the front yard of his home off of Ridge Road in Warrenton.
Pre order by calling 503-440-9002
The facility will be run by
Helping Hands, a nonprofi t
that does outreach with the
homeless and other low-in-
come people struggling
with housing. Bybee Lakes
will be the group’s fourth
homeless reentry center in
the state, including Clatsop
County.
Alan Evans, CEO of Help-
ing Hands, said his company
had created a “data-driven,
trauma-informed
home-
less reentry program” that it
will use at the Bybee Lakes
facility.
“This is a tad bit surreal
for me,” Evans said as he
took the mic at the press con-
ference, “because 20 years
ago I was sleeping under
the Burnside Bridge where
I nearly froze to death one
night.”
Evans said during his
time on the streets, it was dif-
fi cult to get all his needs met
in place.
“If you want to get some-
thing that you need, you have
to go to multiple places in
multiple directions,” he said,
“and when your life is falling
apart that’s impossible.”
The new center will work
to address the needs of peo-
ple experiencing homeless-
ness on many levels, he
said, using an individualized
approach to everyone who
walks through the door.
Some doubted the project
would ever come to fruition,
said Raven Russell, director
of data and major projects for
Helping Hands.
“Sometimes you have to
prove people wrong,” she
continued, “and we have.”
On concern with the site
was a lack of public transit
access, Russell said.
“TriMet called us,” she
said. “We said we need a bus
stop to make this happen.”
She told the gathered
group, “You guys drove past
it on your way here.”
Russell said the timeline
of the center was sped up
in an effort to help people
affected by coronavirus.
Several offi cials were on
hand for the ribbon-cutting
ceremony, including Port-
land Mayor Ted Wheeler,
and state Sen. Lew Frederick,
Sen. Betsy Johnson and Sen.
Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward.
“We had many years
where this incredible pub-
lic asset was just sitting
vacant,” Wheeler said. “It
really took the leadership of
the community.”
“Government
couldn’t
do it alone, he added, “Here
we now stand together and
we’re seeing the best of what
this community has to offer.”
Frederick said he was
“incredibly pleased” about
the opening of the center.
He said in a two-block
walk earlier in the morning,
he saw six tents with people
living in them.
“These are folks I would
like to be able to say, here’s
an opportunity, here’s a place
where you can go,” Freder-
ick said. “It’s not just a pro-
gram, it’s not just a facility,
it’s a basic concept that we
do care.”