A2
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
IN BRIEF
New round of virus relief
business grants available
Another round of coronavirus business relief grants
with expanded eligibility has been made available by
Clatsop Economic Development Resources.
State grants worth $5,000 and more are now available
to small businesses that have received less than $100,000
in federal relief through programs like the Paycheck Pro-
tection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
Businesses with 25 or fewer employees are eligible if
they were either forced to shut down by a state order or
can demonstrate a 25% drop in gross revenue in a given
month between March and August, compared to the
same month in 2019.
Recipients of previous state relief grants are also eli-
gible for the same amount, subject to a random selection
process, and can fi ll out a short-form application.
The grant application is online at clatsopcc.edu/cedr
and due by 5 p.m. on Friday. If the total amount of grant
funds requested exceeds the available funds, a random
selection process will be used.
For more information, contact cedr@clatsopcc.edu
Crash delayed traffi c on
Highway 101 near Gearhart
Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returns
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returned to
Astoria on Sunday after a 57-day counternarcotics patrol
to the eastern Pacifi c Ocean.
The crew boarded fi ve suspected smuggling ves-
sels, detained eight suspected drug traffi ckers and seized
3,905 pounds of pure cocaine, worth about $67 million,
according to the Coast Guard.
Astoria police officer promoted to sergeant
Astoria police offi cer Thomas Litwin was promoted
to sergeant, replacing Brian Aydt, who retired in August.
Litwin has been with the Astoria Police Department
for a decade, and has served as an offi cer and as a detec-
tive. He also represents the Astoria Police Department
on the major crimes team.
— The Astorian
ON THE RECORD
Assault
of theft in the fi rst degree,
On
the
• Monica
Lynn Record
Terrell, 14 counts of identity theft,
nine counts of theft in the
second degree and fi ve
counts of forgery in the
second degree.
Meth possession
•
William
Berk-
ley Waddell, 51, was
arraigned Wednesday for
unlawful possession of
methamphetamine.
Disorderly conduct
• James Robert Kieweg,
29, was arrested Thursday
on Ninth and Astor Street
in Astoria for disorderly
conduct in the second
degree.
• Kevin Coats, 55, was
arrested Wednesday on the
New Youngs Bay Bridge
for disorderly conduct and
giving a false name to a
police offi cer.
Unlawful entry
• Olavi Nauha, 25,
of Astoria, was arrested
Wednesday on Eighth
Street and Astor Street in
Astoria for unlawful entry
into a motor vehicle.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m.,
34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., (elec-
tronic meeting).
Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave.
Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re
station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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2020 by The Astorian.
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Park district to buy Broadway Middle School
Potential for
recreation and
community events
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
Traffi c was delayed Thursday afternoon on U.S.
Highway 101 near Gearhart due to a crash.
Offi cials say a Jeep Cherokee was rear-ended by the
driver of a Chevy Tahoe while stopped on the highway
southbound waiting to turn left onto Dellmoor Loop.
The Jeep Cherokee spun out into the northbound lane
and caught on fi re. The driver was able to get out and
away from the fi re.
The driver of a Toyota Sienna was heading north-
bound on the highway and reportedly swerved to try to
avoid the Jeep Cherokee, but they still collided.
The drivers of the Chevy Tahoe and Jeep Cherokee
were taken to local hospitals.
58, was arraigned Wednes-
day for assault in the fourth
degree and harassment.
Attempted assault
• Scott Martin Laforce,
40, of Warrenton, was
arraigned Wednesday for
attempted assault in the
second degree, unlawful
use of a weapon, criminal
mischief in the fi rst degree,
two counts of menacing
and disorderly conduct in
the second degree.
Robbery
• Timothy Tylor Sco-
vill, 27, of Astoria, was
arraigned Wednesday for
robbery in the third degree,
interfering with a police
offi cer, escape in the third
degree and theft in the sec-
ond degree.
Computer crime
• Anthony James Wag-
ner, 26, was arraigned
Wednesday for 14 counts
of computer crime, fi ve
counts of forgery in the
fi rst degree, fi ve counts
Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District
Broadway Middle School in Seaside.
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SEASIDE — The Sunset
Empire Park and Recreation
District will purchase Broad-
way Middle School from the
Seaside School District.
While the purchase price
is undisclosed, park district
board members approved a
resolution to seek fi nancing
for up to $2.5 million in a spe-
cial meeting on Thursday.
“I think this is a really
good opportunity and hope-
fully we’ll be able to program
recreational and community
opportunities for people that
live here,” Skyler Archibald,
the executive director of the
park district, said. “It comes at
a much more affordable price
tag than the previous bond and
(the cost of) new construction
would be at any point.”
Broadway Middle School,
located off of U.S. Highway
101 and Broadway, is among
school properties relocating
this fall to a new Spruce Drive
location outside of the tsu-
nami inundation zone.
WHILE THE PURCHASE PRICE IS
UNDISCLOSED, PARK DISTRICT
BOARD MEMBERS APPROVED A
RESOLUTION TO SEEK FINANCING
FOR UP TO $2.5 MILLION IN A
SPECIAL MEETING ON THURSDAY.
Marketed at $2.9 million, 3
acres are zoned residential and
2.4 acres are zoned for com-
mercial use of the 5.4-acre
property. The 73,000-square-
foot building includes the
school with two gyms, cafete-
ria and kitchen.
In seeking tax-exempt debt
fi nancing, the park district is
represented by a member of
the Special Districts Associ-
ation of Oregon, Archibald
said, using fi nancing options
the district has used in the past
to expand the Sunset Pool and
acquire park district property.
A portion of funds will
cover an undisclosed amount
of earnest money to the school
district and inspection costs,
which are already underway.
The park district has 45
days to conduct due dili-
gence, at which point the ear-
nest money would become
nonrefundable.
Inspection begins next
week, and the park district
could close on the property by
Dec. 17.
“In the agreement, there is
an opportunity for us or the
school district to adjust the
offer,” Archibald said. “We
don’t anticipate doing that.
We are hopeful we won’t fi nd
anything that really changes
our mind. But we wanted this
longer due diligence so we
can see the building with fresh
eyes and get into some of the
places we haven’t been able
to get into and see the condi-
tion of those spaces. We know
it’s an older building. We still
don’t want to fi nd any big hid-
den surprises.”
A $20 million bond for a
renovation and expansion of
the Sunset Pool was rejected
by voters in 2018.
A business plan for the
purchase of the middle school
by the park district was pre-
sented last November.
In June, the park district
board rejected pursuit of the
project, citing potential reme-
diation costs, rejection of
the 2018 bond and a weak
economy.
The board reversed its
decision last month.
Potential partners going
forward include the city,
which leases portions of the
property from the school
district.
“The city has expressed
an interest in maintaining that
part of the property for the vis-
itors bureau, chamber of com-
merce building as well as the
public restrooms,” Archibald
said.
The school district has also
shown interest in leasing part
of the property as gym over-
fl ow and locker rooms for
sporting events at Broadway
Field.
Board members saw
potential for commercial ten-
ants on the property.
“There could be dance stu-
dios in there,” board member
Michael Hinton said. “There
could be a doggie day care.
I’m looking forward to seeing
this develop. It’s more than a
landmark endeavor.”
Some Oregon pumpkin patches almost got shut down
Johnson intervenes
to save hayrides
By SIERRA DAWN
McCLAIN
Capital Press
SAUVIE ISLAND —
Farmers say a lack of com-
munication between gov-
ernment
agencies
and
confl icting last-minute guid-
ance issued to farms nearly
shut down some Oregon
pumpkin patch activities.
Farm advocates say vis-
itors to Oregon pumpkin
patches last weekend prob-
ably had little idea of the
“crazy scramble” that hap-
pened behind the scenes to
keep fall agritourism open.
Since spring, farmers
have called the state Depart-
ment of Agriculture and
other agencies to ask how
to safely operate pumpkin
patches this fall.
Then at around 5 p.m.
on Oct. 1, less than 48
hours before many pumpkin
patches were set to open, the
Oregon Health Authority
issued a last-minute change
to the Department of Agri-
culture ’s guidelines to some
farms via email.
The health authority’s
rule, as interpreted by the
Oregon Occupational Safety
and Health Administration,
which enforces workplace
safety, would have disal-
lowed hayrides, corn mazes,
tractor rides and similar
interactive activities for any
county still in p hase one of
reopening from coronavi-
rus restrictions. Washington,
Multnomah and Clackamas
Kari Egger
Pumpkins at The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island.
counties in the Portland area
are in p hase one , as is Mal-
heur County in southeastern
Oregon.
“ODA’s previous guide
for U-pick and pumpkin
patch operations came out
early this summer. So this
OHA document came com-
pletely out of the blue,”
said Samantha Bayer, pol-
icy counsel at the Oregon
Farm Bureau. “Why weren’t
the agencies coordinated on
this?”
Emails obtained by the
Capital Press show the
new guidance was based
on a chart from Gov. Kate
Brown’s offi ce that farm
groups say had never been
released to the public.
Aaron Corvin, a spokes-
man for OSHA, told the
Capital Press his agency
has overall been nimble and
worked hard to communi-
cate clearly, but there have
been a few minor hiccups.
“Every now and then,
like this case demonstrates,
you do … you get a situa-
tion where there needs to be
some clarifi cation. But from
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our end, you know, we’re
able to pretty quickly get
things ironed out and move
forward,” said Corvin, who
noted that the agencies cor-
rected the miscommunica-
tion the next day.
Jonathan
Modie,
a
spokesman for the Oregon
Health Authority , told the
Capital Press his agency
works “really closely” with
the Department of Agri-
culture and OSHA and that
communication is “very
fl uid and collaborative.”
“Oh gosh, we’re work-
ing so hard to communi-
cate clearly and listen to
businesses. We defi nitely
want to support our farming
industries,” Modie said.
The Pumpkin Patch on
Sauvie Island, founded
in 1967, was one of the
farms that would have been
impacted.
Kari Egger, who co-owns
the farm with her husband,
Bob, said without a hay-
ride option, the farm’s prof-
its would have been hurt
because the pumpkin patch
lies a third of a mile from
the main entrance, and the
pumpkins are huge and
would be diffi cult for some
visitors to carry.
The pumpkin patch
brings in about half of the
farm’s annual sales.
The Eggers had pre-
pared for months to open
their pumpkin patch with
new safety measures. They
ditched a tractor-pulled ride
for kids. They scrapped the
hay maze and hay pyramid.
They set up hand sanitizer
stations, pre picked pumpkin
displays and signs remind-
ing visitors that masks are
required. They even set up
online ticket sales.
“We felt like we went
over the top,” Egger said.
So when Egger got the
unexpected guidance on
Oct. 1 , she called state Sen.
Betsy Johnson, D-Scap-
poose , who took up the
farmers’ cause.
Because of Johnson’s
help, just in time for the
weekend, the Oregon Farm
Bureau and the agencies
crafted new rules for pump-
kin patches that farmers say
are simpler and more fair.
“Betsy Johnson and
the f arm b ureau saved our
hineys,” said Egger, “and
they saved Halloween.”
THE ASTORIA FINNISH
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