A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021
AT THE
DRIVE-IN
IN BRIEF
Crab boats begin fi shing
off southern Oregon
Commercial crab boats farther south fi nally hit the
water.
But the area from Cape Falcon near Arch Cape north
to the Canada border remains closed to the West Coast
Dungeness crab fi shery. With Washington state waiting
on the next round of testing results to see if levels of the
marine toxin domoic acid have dipped in crabs, the clo-
sure is expected to remain in place until at least Feb. 1.
County’s community health project
manager leaves for service trip
Ellen Heinitz, Clatsop County’s community health
project manager, fi nished her last day in the role on Fri-
day before returning to Guatemala for a yearlong med-
ical service trip.
The naturopathic doctor practiced primary care in
Grants Pass and Medford for 14 years before volun-
teering in Guatemala in 2017 through Casa Colibri, a
humanitarian organization serving indigenous Mayan
villagers in the country’s northwestern region.
She has been in her role for Clatsop County since
2018, and played a leading part in the county’s response
to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have really appreciated working for Clatsop
County Public Health during this unprecedented time,”
Heinitz said in an email. “The team here is full of com-
passionate, fearless, dedicated folks who have tire-
lessly worked to support their community through
this pandemic. They will continue to do their amazing
work. I am honored to have been part of this team.”
Weber sworn in to state House
SALEM — Suzanne Weber was sworn in on Mon-
day to represent state House District 32 in the state
Legislature.
The Republican, a former Tillamook mayor,
defeated Democrat Debbie Boothe-Schmidt in the
November election. The seat was open after Tiffi ny
Mitchell, an Astoria Democrat elected in 2018, chose
not to run for reelection.
— The Astorian
DEATH
Jan. 7, 2021
Death
DUNN, Barbara Ann, 86, of Ocean Park, Washing-
ton, died in Ocean Park. Penttila’s Chapel by the Sea
is in charge of the arrangements.
BIRTH
Jan. 7, 2021
Birth
HUMPHRIES, Car-
rie and Seth, of Asto-
ria, a boy, Bentley Mat-
thew Humphries, born at
Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital in Astoria. Older sib-
lings are Carson, Baylee,
Parker and Bryson Hum-
phries. Grandparents are
Lori Wangen, Robert Fla-
vin and Tammy and Rob-
ert Humphries, all of
Astoria.
ON THE RECORD
DUII
Texas, was arrested Satur-
On
the
Record
• Danielle
Leslie day on U.S. Highway 101
Brown, 34, of Warrenton,
was arrested Monday on
U.S. Highway 101 near
Sunset Beach Lane for
driving under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants.
• Robert Tristan Ibarra,
48, of Friendswood,
near Sunset Beach Lane
for DUII and reckless
driving following a crash.
• John Robert Sashko,
59, of Lakewood, Wash-
ington, was arrested Friday
on U.S. Highway 30 for
DUII and reckless driving.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Sunset Empire Transportation District Board, 9 a.m., spe-
cial meeting, (electronic meeting).
Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., (electronic
meeting).
Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission, 5:30 p.m., City
Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., Warrenton Community
Center, 170 S.W. Third Ave.
Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., (electronic
meeting).
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District Board,
10 a.m., (electronic meeting).
Warrenton-Hammond School District Finance Commit-
tee, noon, (electronic meeting).
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (electronic
meeting).
Warrenton-Hammond School District Board, 7 p.m., (elec-
tronic meeting).
Astoria School District Board, 7 p.m., (electronic meeting).
THURSDAY
Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer
The debut of the newly-constructed drive-in at Neptune Theater drew a near-capacity crowd on New Year’s Day in Long Beach.
Culling rises to the top of elk population control
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
GEARHART — A plan to
reduce the local elk popula-
tion relies on hunting outside
city limits to stem the birth
rate of elk calves.
“No doors should be con-
sidered closed, especially
when you’re looking at cre-
ative solutions for manag-
ing an urban elk herd,” Man-
uel Padilla, project manager
for Oregon Solutions, said at
a City Council workshop in
late December .
“You’re going to start
seeing very quickly a situa-
tion in which you are going
to have very few, if any,
options left to be able to start
to bring down the herd to a
manageable level,” he said.
“That’s precisely why cull-
ing, although a tough deci-
sion, has been put forward
and is strongly, strongly
recommended.”
The elk population in Clat-
sop County is exponentially
higher than a decade ago,
said Paul Atwood, a biologist
with the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife.
Growth is expected to
be substantial in the years
ahead.
AN INITIAL NUMBER TO BE
CULLED CAN ONLY BE REACHED
AFTER GEARHART PASSES A
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
CULLING TO TAKE PLACE AND A
PERMIT SOUGHT FROM THE STATE .
ALL MEAT WOULD BE DONATED TO
LOCAL FOOD BANKS.
In 2019, Gov. Kate Brown
designated the Clatsop Plains
Elk Collaborative an Oregon
Solutions p roject, bringing
together businesses, govern-
ment and nonprofi t organi-
zations. Warrenton Mayor
Henry Balensifer and Sea-
side Mayor Jay Barber are
co-conveners, with a project
team of 26 members.
No one tool will serve as
a magic bullet to solve the
problem, Padilla said.
To be effective, a culling
strategy needs to be used in
conjunction with no feed-
ing laws, hazing, fencing,
increased hunting opportu-
nities, better road signs and
rumble strips in strategic
areas, he wrote in an exec-
utive summary delivered to
c ity c ouncilors.
Educational
programs,
wildlife corridors, elk behav-
ior modifi cation plans and
land use tools would also be
utilized to increase and pre-
serve land for elk.
There is no precise num-
ber that can be predetermined
that will mark “success” or
“mission
accomplished,”
Atwood said. “To eliminate
an entire group is not feasi-
ble, ” he said.
A culling plan would pro-
vide details on best methods
and locations for culling out-
side of the city limits.
“It’s a very tight space,
very urban,” Padilla said.
“There are probably not
many, if any, areas for cull-
ing within the city limits of
Gearhart.”
An initial number to be
culled can only be reached
after Gearhart passes a res-
olution authorizing culling
to take place and a permit
sought from the state .
All meat would be
donated to local food banks.
Project team members
aim for approval of a decla-
ration of cooperation among
partners by the end of Febru-
ary, Padilla said.
After the declaration
has been signed, the proj-
ect team will plan a more
detailed timeline and imple-
ment the work outlined in the
declaration.
Mayor Paulina Cockrum
said she anticipates schedul-
ing a town hall concerning
the elk.
“All of the factors pointed
out during the work session
are important for the public to
hear,” she said. “Particularly
the rich food source the urban
setting provides for the Gear-
hart elk herd and safety fac-
tors when living near in their
midst, how to keep humans
and elk at safe distances from
one another, and the coordi-
nated approach we will need
to take to manage the shared
environment going forward.”
Broadway Middle School inspection reports alarm residents
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — Critics of
t he Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District’s pur-
chase of Broadway Middle
School have warned that up
to $5 million is needed for
repairs and upgrades .
“This is a building that
has mold, rot, asbestos,
cracks, sinking, water within
the structure and a roof that
inspection reports show has
needed total replacement
for quite some years,” said
Seaside City Councilor Tita
Montero, a member of Tax-
payers for SEPRD Transpar-
ency, a Facebook group that
has organized against the
$2.15 million purchase .
The s chool had asbes-
tos inspections performed
in 2016 and 2019 with no
reduction in asbestos con-
taining building material,
Patrick Duhachek, a resident,
wrote.
“Nothing has been done
since 2016,” he wrote.
“Should we even be using
this building and putting chil-
dren in it?”
Duhachek cited a 2013
report showing the building
had “moderate to high” col-
lapse potential.
Seaside City Councilor
Randy Frank, who, like Mon-
tero, said he was speaking as
a private citizen, said $4 mil-
lion to $5 million needs to be
spent just to keep the build-
ing watertight by replacing
the roof and all west-facing
windows.
The building, on the mar-
ket after the Seaside School
District moved to a new cam-
pus on Spruce Drive out of
the tsunami inundation zone,
“has served its useful life
span,” Montero said.
Montero, who acquired
school inspection records
back to 1988, said the school
district has long known the
middle school comes with
many hazards and high reme-
diation costs.
The building is “the pro-
verbial albatross,” she said.
“Given the cost of remedia-
tion and the probable impos-
sibility of correcting all defi -
ciencies, is BMS, in fact, a
worthless building?”
“There are times when one
just needs to walk away from
what appears to be a dream
and not because it was a bad
idea but because it just won’t
‘pencil out,’” Frank said. “In
my opinion, this does not
necessarily end the desire to
acquire the property but may
be an opportunity to regroup
and explore other ideas.”
‘Reopen the Coast’ hits back at coronavirus restrictions
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — About 50
people gathered in the park-
ing lot of Seaside City Hall
on Sunday, drawn by an invi-
tation to “Reopen the Coast”
by lifting coronavirus restric-
tions throughout the state.
Warrenton’s Brandon Wil-
liams said people “aren’t
buying” the need for the
state’s COVID-19 shutdown
measures.
“I think people will see the
businesses aren’t scared to
operate and exercise the free-
dom of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness,” said
Williams, who ran unsuc-
cessfully for Warrenton City
Commission in November .
“Masks should be up to the
individual.”
The event opened with
a prayer and included a
moment of remembrance for
those killed in the Washing-
ton, D.C., insurrection last
State Rep. Mike Nearman appeared at the Seaside
demonstration.
week.
Some passing drivers
honked their horns in sup-
port of the rally, while oth-
ers shouted their dissent from
their cars or from across the
street.
Under a tent, T-shirts and
bumper stickers celebrat-
ing the Second Amendment
and President Donald Trump
were offered for sale.
State Rep. Mike Near-
man, R-Independence, who
allegedly helped right-wing
protesters enter the Ore-
gon S tate Capitol building
during a Dec. 21 special ses-
sion after a “Reopen Oregon”
rally in Salem, attended the
Seaside event.
“I’m really happy to sup-
port businesses opening,”
Nearman told the crowd.
“We need to get the econ-
omy going, especially on the
c oast. COVID is a serious
virus, but the cure is worse
than the disease. We need to
think about that.”
Nearman congratulated
the audience on the election of
Republican Suzanne Weber,
who defeated her Democratic
opponent, Debbie Boothe-
Schmidt, in state House Dis-
trict 32 in November.
Nearman declined to
speak about his role in the
events in Salem in Decem-
ber, which are under
investigation .