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.
See more on
Petfinder.com
CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS
1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm
www.dogsncats.org
THIS SPACE SPONSORED BY BAY BREEZE BOARDING