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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2021)
A6 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021 Knappa to develop public preschool Superintendent describes program as an equity issue By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Public preschool is coming to Knappa in the fall. The Knappa School District is in the mid- dle of gathering feedback from the commu- nity to gauge interest and is awaiting news on grants that could boost funding , but Superin- tendent Bill Fritz said the district is prepared to move forward . Given the community response so far, he no longer worries about not having enough students to make it an economically viable venture. “I’m now more worried that we’re not going to have enough capacity,” Fritz said. While Knappa does have some private pre- school options, it does not have any public- ly-funded preschool. A few students who qual- ify for Head Start must travel to Astoria and families are responsible for their transportation . Meanwhile, Clatsop County — like every county in Oregon — is considered a child care desert, meaning there are not enough pre- school and day care slots available to children who need them. School d istrict leaders hope a public pre- school in Knappa will go a long way to help- ing families with child care needs, while also providing a solid educational foundation to carry children through school in the years to come. For Fritz, it is an equity issue as well. “There are students that come to k inder- garten ready for school,” he said . Some may already know their ABCs or have other pre- reading skills. “Other children come to k in- dergarten and they’re much more like a blank slate, ” he said. As state standards become increasingly more complex at younger and younger grade levels, “those children who start further behind are even further, further behind,” he said. Also, for some students struggling with certain learn- ing disabilities, early intervention through a preschool program may address these issues and make it so the students do not need spe- cial services when they get to k indergarten and higher grades. Studies have shown early childhood devel- A new public preschool program in Knappa could help better prepare students. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOT INTERESTED IN TURNING A PROFIT OFF OF THE PRESCHOOL. IT JUST NEEDS TO COVER THE COST OF RUNNING THE PRESCHOOL. opment programs like preschool that blend play and learning can go a long way to closing educational, emotional and social gaps, said Dan Gaff ney, a longtime educator who has worked to develop preschool and other early learning options on the North Coast, includ- ing this most recent venture with the Knappa School District. He noted that in 2019, only 30% of the dis- trict’s third grade students met the state’s read- ing benchmark — an issue that a preschool program could help address. Third grade read- ing fl uency is the primary predictor of high school graduation, he told school board mem- bers at a recent meeting. As the school district continues to collect information from interested parents — more than 30 families, representing around 50 kids, have responded to a community survey so far —it still needs to determine other details . Right now, for instance, the district does not have any room on its campus to accommo- date a preschool and is looking to community partners to provide space. OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER Cost to families is also unknown. The dis- trict has not fi gured out yet what the price of admission will be. The amount of outside funding the district is able to secure could be a factor. The school district is not interested in turn- ing a profi t off of the preschool, Fritz said. It just needs to cover the cost of running the preschool. District leaders are also discussing a poten- tial bond to go on the ballot in November. The scope of this bond has not been fi nalized , but it could include capital needs for preschool programs. Fritz and Gaff ney ask that parents inter- ested in having their children attend the pre- school fi ll out a survey available on the school district’s website. We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! SPRING BREAK KID SAFETY The Astoria Riverwalk Inn overlooks the West Mooring Basin. Sponsored by: Your local janitorial and paper supply...and much more! Edward Stratton/ The Astorian Astoria Riverwalk Inn wants clarity before fi xing structure By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Ganesh Sonpatki, who runs a network of properties in the Portland area through Param Hotel Corp, tried for years to lease the Asto- ria Riverwalk Inn from the Port of Astoria. He was spurned repeatedly before suing the Port and forcing a seven-year lease in 2018. With less than fi ve years left on his lease and structural issues piling up, Sonpatki wants to know his and the hotel’s long-term future before deciding how much to invest. The Riverwalk Inn, opened as the Thun- derbird Inn in the 1960s, wraps around the West Mooring Basin. Rooms and decks jut out over the basin , off ering a bird’s-eye view of the boats below. But the picturesque loca- tion along the water also means greater main- tenance costs and battering by wind and rain. Lenny Cheyney has managed the hotel through the past several operators. He recently described to the Port Commission a raft of dry rot, roof and other structural issues facing the hotel. “This last January, when we had that huge storm with the landslides that happened on … Highway 30, we had well over 20 leaks throughout the entire property,” Cheyney said . Since lodging restrictions tied to the coro- navirus pandemic were lifted, the hotel is sell- ing out the 90 or so rooms it off ers, Cheyney said. But one room was closed after part of the ceiling fell from leaking water with guests inside, he said, while he restricts even his staff from entering another where rot has caused a hole in the fl oor. Cheyney showed the commission numer- ous photos where support beams and walk- ways are failing because of rot. The structural issues come as Param has been spending to improve the experience at the hotel, including refurbished rooms and new furniture. Cheyney said Param plans to further improve amenities, including an expanded gym and a lounge in the hotel’s breakfast area overlooking the water. Commissioners appeared supportive of helping Sonpatki, but voiced concern that some parts of the hotel represent immediate safety concerns and could need to be closed. Sonpatki said the hotel would not rent dan- gerous rooms to guests and is working with a local architect to assess the level of damage throughout the property. But Sonpatki tied the feasibility of lon- ger-term structural improvements to the length of his lease and the future of the hotel, which the Port has contemplated selling. “Where do you see this building?” the hotelier asked the Port Commission. “How does it go in your plans for the future? “I know there’s a lot of talk about redevel- opment,” he said. “How likely is that, and are we looking for a fi ve-year or 10-year, 20-year plan? I know there was also talk about the building being sold. But the way the condi- tion is, by the time somebody walks in there, they’d have to do all this work anyways to make it better.” Commissioner Robert Stevens said the Port would like to see the Riverwalk Inn become the crown jewel of Sonpatki’s holdings. But some of the issues with the hotel seem imme- diately unsafe to the public and recall past instances when Port properties were restricted or closed, he said. “That should strike some fear into us,” Ste- vens said. Hanging over any possible investment in the building is whether the Port will sell the hotel and lease the land . The hotel was val- ued at more than $5 million in a previous appraisal. An analysis showed the agency could make up to $4 million more over the next decade by selling the building and leas- ing the land. Will Isom, the Port’s executive director , said many of the questions about the future of the hotel could be answered by the mas- ter plan Astoria agreed to pay for using urban renewal money. The plan is expected to be ready in the fall. “I do think, at least from my perspective, it likely makes more sense for the Port to sell the facility and just maintain a land lease,” he said. “… This maintenance-repair issue would be a lot simpler if the building was actually owned by a private entity, and therefore they have a built-in business incentive to make sure that repairs and upkeep are done on the building.” r your helmet. Don’t forget to wea Stop, listen and look both ways while c Always use c rossing stree rosswalks wh ts. en available. er, get into their ng ra st a ith w re he Never go anyw ything from them. vehicle or accept an Stay in familiar public places. Go with friends or family. 2240 Commercial Street Astoria, Oregon 503.325.6362 www.WalterENelson.com Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm