WEEKEND EDITION // Saturday, March 13, 2021
148th yEar, NO. 110
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
Commercial
activity in
rights of way
under review
From firewood to flower stands
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Clatsop County may soon ban flower
stands, firewood sales and other commer-
cial activity in county rights of way.
A moratorium on permits for businesses
operating within rights of way has been in
effect since October after a neighborhood
dispute over a firewood stand in Warrenton.
County staff have since drafted a pol-
icy to prohibit commercial use in rights of
way. County commissioners on Wednes-
day conducted the first public hearing on
the amendment to the ordinance. The board
is expected to adopt the policy by the end
of the month.
Complaints about a firewood stand
along Ridge Road in Warrenton prompted
the county to take action. Allen Berry has
been operating the firewood stand for
about three years in the right of way, which
runs in front of his home.
INSIDE THE
MERWYN
See Rights of way, Page A6
County hires
lobbying firm
to help in Salem
TOP: A room on the fourth floor of the Merwyn
Apartments features a view of Astoria. The workforce
housing project downtown hopes to welcome
residents soon. RIGHT: Innovative Housing Inc. held
tours this week. BELOW: A Merwyn Hotel sign hangs
in the lobby. The building next to City Hall was also
known as the Waldorf Hotel.
Pac/West Communications
to work on priority issues
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Photos by hailey hoffman/the astorian
Clatsop County has hired a lobbying
firm to help protect and advance policy
interests in Salem.
The county Board of Commission-
ers approved a $45,000 contract with Pac/
West Communications in October to pro-
vide legislative consulting services in 2021
and 2022.
The board endorsed a legislative agenda
guide earlier this year to give Pac/West a
reference for goals, strategies and priorities.
Among the goals, the county prioritized
coronavirus-related expenses, the county
jail and juvenile corrections, workforce
development, affordable housing, home-
less services, rural broadband initiatives,
child care, public health and mental health.
See County, Page A6
Local businesses support each Gimre building signs
other through difficult economy woodworkers, Thai eatery
Target opening
for early spring
Finding partnerships on coast
By EMILY LINDBLOM
The Astorian
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
Several businesses and organizations on
the North Coast aim to lift each other up by
choosing to sell each other’s products.
Short Wave is one shop in downtown
Astoria with the goal of supporting other
local entrepreneurs. Owner Ari Freitag took
on the model of selling consignment goods
from local makers when she bought Lode-
star Goods from Emily Geddes in 2019.
“It was always built in that there would
be a focus on locally-made things,” Freitag
said. Short Wave sells a variety of items,
including waxed canvas bags from Shift +
Wheeler, which has its own showroom a
short walk away.
“I can point out their stuff and refer custom-
ers to their showroom, and Shift + Wheeler
promotes my business too,” Freitag said.
See Businesses, Page A6
hailey hoffman/the astorian
Bob Neroni pours tamari into a pan of fried
rice, which incorporates vegetables from
local farms.
Curry & CoCo Thai Eat-
ery and Ashriver Wood-
works are splitting the build-
ing next to Gimre’s Shoes,
vacant since the closure of
the restaurant Albatross in
the fall. Both hope to open
in early spring.
Delaney Mahncke and
his brother-in-law, Chris
Bjorkman, moved with
their family of 15 over the
summer from Castle Rock,
Washington, to a historic
homestead in Svensen. They
established a workspace for
the company in the home’s
barn and began trying to get
their name out.
Ashriver evokes the
Toutle River, a sedi-
ment-heavy waterway flow-
ing from the volcanic cra-
Emily Lindblom/For the astorian
From left, Chris Bjorkman, Naomi Mahncke, Amy Mahncke
and Delaney Mahncke are behind Ashriver Woodworks.
ter of Mount St. Helens.
The partners specialize in
reclaimed wood turned into
tables imbued in the mid-
dle with a river of color-
ful epoxy resin, along with
other custom furniture.
“We’ve been always kind
of looking for a retail space
when we were in Washing-
ton,” Mahncke said. “And
just kind of the draw to the
beach was the major reason
we moved over here.”
The partners said they
liked the darker, reclaimed
look of Albatross they saw
on the restaurant’s Yelp page
and plan to make it their
new showroom. There are
See Gimre building, Page A6