A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 IN BRIEF Sixth positive virus case reported at Seaside High School IN FLIGHT SEASIDE — Three students and three staff mem- bers or volunteers have tested positive for the corona- virus at Seaside High School within the past 28 days, according to the Oregon Health Authority The most recent virus case, a staff member, was reported on March 25, according to the health author- ity’s weekly outbreak report. A staff er or volunteer at Warrenton Grade School also tested positive for the virus. In March, Seaside High School Principal Jeff Rob- erts disclosed two confi rmed virus cases among stu- dent-athletes, resulting in a canceled game for the Sea- side football team against Banks. Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian A bald eagle fl ies over Clatsop Spit on Friday morning. County moves through vaccine priority groups Clatsop County is vaccinating the remaining priority groups against the coronavirus before eligibility opens to all Oregonians 16 and older by April 19. As of Friday, 20,090 doses have been administered in the county, and 6,650 people are fully vaccinated. The county’s goal to reach herd immunity against the virus is vaccinating 27,533 people. Warrenton community development director resigns WARRENTON — Scott Hess, Warrenton’s commu- nity development director, will leave the post by the end of the month. The city hired Hess, a former director of commu- nity and economic development with the Wasatch Front Regional Council in Salt Lake City, in October. He replaced Kevin Cronin, who left the city in June to become city manager of Mount Angel. “I’m sorry for my short stay here,” Hess said during a Planning Commission meeting Thursday night. “It has been really interesting and challenging. And we’ve had some really, really challenging projects come from the Planning Commission. “I’m in awe at you all and the work that you do in what I fi gured was going to be a sleepy little coastal community, and is every bit as bustling as the one and a half million people across the Wasatch Front, and the cities that I’ve worked for before. So you know, diffi cult challenges to overcome — excellent people. The city is wonderful. The people that we work with here are won- derful. And you guys are great planning commission.” Hess’ last day with the city is April 23. He said he plans to return to Utah. Hess said the city has hired William Caplinger, a for- mer planning manager for Clatsop County, to work on projects remotely. The city is also planning to hire a con- tractor to focus on day-to-day duties a few days a week. Both will help serve in the interim as the city conducts a search for a new community development director. Coast Guard cutter Alert returns after patrol The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert returned to Astoria on Wednesday following a 63-day counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacifi c Ocean. The crew helped prevent more than 2,100 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $41 million wholesale, from entering the United States, according to the Coast Guard. While on patrol, a maritime patrol aircraft spot- ted a suspected smuggling vessel and the Alert’s crew pursued it, helping Mexican law enforcement appre- hend the smugglers and seize 1,600 pounds of illegal narcotics. The Alert’s crew also interdicted about 550 pounds of cocaine from another vessel and apprehended six suspected narcotraffi ckers for prosecution in the United States, the Coast Guard said. — The Astorian ON THE RECORD Assault Washington, was arrested On the Record • Brandon Joseph Tuesday at Walmart in Albright, 34, of Asto- ria, was arrested Tues- day on W. Marine Drive in Astoria for assault in the fourth degree and strangulation. Theft • Nicholas Thomas Riippi, 41, of Tacoma, Warrenton for unau- thorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, identity theft, theft in the second degree, criminal trespass in the fi rst degree and criminal mischief in the third degree. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., (elec- tronic meeting). Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board, 5:15 p.m., workshop, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., (electronic meeting). PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 County reports eighth death from virus The Astorian An eighth Clatsop County resi- dent has died from the coronavirus. The county described the per- son as a 62-year-old man from the southern part of the county. The man tested positive on March 25 and died on Monday at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Port- land, according to the Oregon Health Authority. He had underlying conditions. The county has also reported 10 new coronavirus cases over the past few days. On Friday, the county reported six cases. The cases include a woman in her 30s living in the northern part of the county. The others live in the southern part of the county and involve two males between 10 and 19, a man in his 20s, a man in his 30s and a man in his 40s. On Thursday, the county reported four cases. The cases involve a woman in her 20s and a woman in her 30s living in the northern part of the county. The others live in the southern part of the county and involve a woman in her 30s and a man in his 70s. All four were recovering at home. The county has reported 859 cases since the start of the pandemic. According to the county, 20 were hospitalized and eight have died. Library: Several improvements planned Continued from Page A1 minimally impacted by a future renovation project,” Wark said. “We don’t want to spend money on some- thing now and tear it out later, so we’ll have some long-term thinking going into which of these options that we implement.” The initial work could include several additional improvements, such as a new roof, ventilation sys- tem, carpeting, landscap- ing and exterior clean- ing, if more funding comes through. Estes said the city is working with state and fed- eral offi cials to see if stimu- lus funding might help. The City Council sup- ported creating a scope of work for the initial steps . A majority of councilors also supported research- ing whether the city can tap into around $1 million from a memorial fund donated in 1998 by the family of for- mer Mayor W.C. Logan for a new library. “I think it would really transform the space, espe- cially in terms of access,” City Councilor Joan Her- man said of the renovation. “In a sense, we will be get- ting a new library.” Jimmy Pearson, the library director, said trans- Edward Stratton/The Astorian The 1960s-era Astoria Library, designed using a Brutalist-style architecture by prominent local architects Ernest and Ebba Wicks Brown, has largely been untouched since its construction. forming the existing library into a more useful, equitable space would still honor the late mayor and his family. “Plus, it would also rename the library the min- ute we touch $1 of it — according to the judge — to the Logan Memo- rial Library,” Pearson said. “And so they’ve waited 23 years, or 24 years, for us to do something with that.” The 1960s-era, con- crete-sheathed library has remained largely untouched since its construction. The building was designed by prominent Astoria archi- tects Ernest and Ebba Wicks Brown in a Brutalist-style architecture named after the French term for raw concrete — “beton brut” — popular in the mid-20th century. The city looked at build- ing a new library at Her- itage Square as part of a mixed-use residential and commercial development, but went back to renovat- ing the existing building. The City Council supported a full $7 million renovation, including public access to the basement, provided the library’s foundation could raise $5 million to go with the Logan fund and carbon credit proceeds. The foundation has raised around $112,000 in cash and $70,000 in pledges. It secured a $500,000 grant from the National Endow- ment for the Humanities that requires a $1.5 million match be raised within fi ve years. The pandemic then halted most fundraising. Estes said the initial work can substantially improve the library during the pan- demic and build excitement for future phases when fund- raising can restart. The city hopes to one day use the endowment grant to gain public access to the base- ment, he said. “This is, again, a fi rst step to be able to realize some successes in the library remodel, and to be able to develop some excitement and see some changes in meeting the library renova- tion project study,” he said. “And this can be done while the pandemic is continuing, and then starting to hope- fully wind down.” Please ADOPT A PET! TAZ 8 month old Aussie Blend Fre e Est Fast ima tes Call me ti Any Jeff Hale Painting • • • • Residential Commercial Cedar Roof Treatments Exterior Repaint Specialist Over 25 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 Who’s a good boy? This boy: a comfort in sadness, a giver of joy, a certainty in uncertain times. 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