»INSIDE
2020 Readers’ ds
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THURSDAY
MARCH 18
2021
MANZANITA
TES
ARTIST CREA
ONE-OF-A-KIND
PIECES
PAGE 24
ENJOY E
HOMEMAD
OTCH
BUTTERSC
PUDDING
WINNERS, RUNN
ER-UPS, HONO
RABLE MENTIONS
AND MORE | INSID
E
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EXPLORE
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OREGON’S VISTA
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148TH YEAR, NO. 112
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
Cannon
Beach eyes
new tax for
fi re district
From salmon to beer,
cans return
to Astoria
Warehousing
Food and beverage tax
aimed at tourists
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
CANNON BEACH — For years, the
Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection Dis-
trict has looked at ways to get tourists to
pay their share for emergency services.
Now city leaders say they may go to
voters in November with a tax on food and
beverages as a way to target spending by
tourists and direct that money back to the
fi re district. Increasingly, emergency calls
from visitors make up the bulk of the fi re
district’s call load while residents continue
to foot the bill.
Fire Chief Marc Reckmann fl oated the
idea of a 2% food and beverage tax for the
next three years, with most of the reve-
nue going to pay for fi re district personnel.
The district has only three paid employees.
Another position, a staff member tasked
with volunteer recruitment and retention
who also serves as a fi refi ghter herself, is
funded through a grant set to run out in
December 2022.
The fi re district relies on volunteer fi re-
fi ghters who, because of work or other
issues, may not always be available when
See Tax, Page A6
MORE INSIDE
County reports new virus cases • A6
Seaside student-athlete tests positive
for virus • A6
Fishhawk
Lake fi ghts
fi sh kill fi ne
Attorneys blame state
for a lack of follow-up
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Fresh cans of Fort George’s City of Dreams pale ale travel down the line to be packaged.
Fort George expands on the waterfront
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
W
orkers at Astoria Warehousing once labeled millions
of cans of salmon shipped to seafood companies in
Seattle and distributed around the world.
When the plant closed in 2018, locals feared the expan-
sive campus overlooking the Astoria Bridge and Colum-
bia River would continue the region’s transition from man-
ufacturing toward a more service-sector economy in the
form of another hotel.
Instead, the main warehouse along Marine Drive has fi lled
with large steel brewing and conditioning tanks, a new high-
speed canning line, cold storage and several million cans as
Fort George Brewery’s new commercial production hub .
Chris Nemlowill, who started Fort George with Jack
Harris 14 years ago, called the transformation of Astoria
Warehousing a minor miracle, given the coronavirus pan-
demic and all the things that came together to make the
new brewery a reality.
“This property has really always been our dream prop-
erty for distribution and production,” Nemlowill said. “It’s
got a loading dock, beautiful views of the waterfront. And
we get to stay in Astoria.”
Fort George’s expansion comes at a watershed moment
for Astoria’s burgeoning alcohol sector .
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
The Fishhawk Lake Reserve and
Community is fi ghting a $439,2 00 pen-
alty from the state for allegedly killing
more than 30,000 fi sh after draining the
reservoir in 2019.
The lake, considered state waters, is
held back by an earthen dam built along
Fishhawk Creek in the 1960s for a private
community on the border of Clatsop and
Columbia counties. A drainpipe through
the dam feeds into the creek and eventu-
ally the Nehalem River. The homeown-
ers association argues that the state man-
dated a repair of the drainpipe and was
kept informed of the entire process.
See Fort George, Page A6
See Fishhawk Lake, Page A6
Astoria OKs residential auto-detailing business
Some neighbors
had complained
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
The Astoria City Council on
Monday approved an auto-detail-
ing business on 34th Street after
neighbors appealed over noise and
traffi c concerns.
Will Gutierrez, who runs Van-
guard Auto Detailing, had initially
been denied by city staff to operate
out of his Uppertown garage. Staff
later recommended approval after
Gutierrez agreed to limit his busi-
ness to three customers per week,
work inside a closed garage and
operate between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
He also switched from gas to elec-
tric equipment to limit noise.
On city staff ’s recommenda-
tion, the P lanning C ommission
approved his home occupation.
But Seattle resident Sara Orr
and her brother, Stephen Fulton,
who lives in a home across 34th
Street owned by the family’s trust,
appealed the approval, along with
next-door neighbor Don Heiner.
The neighbors argued that there
was still noise from Gutierrez’s
garage in violation of home occu-
pation ordinances, and that auto
detailing should be included in auto
repair businesses prohibited from
residential areas. They also argued
that limiting customers, and not
vehicles, provided a loophole that
could signifi cantly increase traffi c
on the dead-end gravel street.
“On Feb. 28 at 4 p.m., I was sit-
ting in my living room, and I heard
a car being power-washed in front
the garage … loud (and) clear,”
Fulton said. “I could hear it inside
of my home. That said, my sister
and I have proposed we can live
See Business, Page A6
City of Astoria
Will Gutierrez was approved by the Astoria City Council to run an auto-
detailing business out of his Uppertown home after an appeal by neighbors
concerned about noise and traffi c.