148TH YEAR, NO. 143
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021
ORIGINS
$1.50
FORMER YMCA, RESTORED BUNGALOW WIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDS
Historic blueprints of the former YMCA in Astoria were used to help guide a restoration project • A2
CORONAVIRUS
Brown gets pushback on
vaccination requirement
Policy raises issues
of privacy and
personal choice
Housing pitched at
former middle school
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — With
many businesses strug-
gling to hire staff and
workers unable to fi nd
aff ordable housing , busi-
ness owners David Pos-
alski and Andrew Mer-
cer want to turn a portion
of the former Broad-
way Middle School into
dorms .
“Very simply, we want
to use the north end of the
building to build dorm or
hostel-style living space,”
Posalski, a c ity c ouncilor
and owner of Tsunami
Sandwich Co., told the
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District B oard
at Tuesday’s meeting.
By GARY WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown
is getting blowback from politi-
cal opponents who are leverag-
ing the actions of her allies in
Washington state and California
in an attempt to derail a new state
policy requiring Oregon resi-
dents to show proof of vaccina-
tion against the coronavirus at
some venues and businesses .
While Brown has framed the
issue as one of public health,
opponents say it’s about privacy
and personal choice.
State House Republicans
called on Brown to reverse plans
for what they describe as a “vac-
cine passport” — a term popular
among conservatives to describe
the COVID-19 inoculation cer-
tifi cates approved by the federal
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
House Minority Leader Chris-
tine Drazan, R-Canby, and the
rest of the caucus invoked recent
decisions by two Brown allies:
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and
California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Inslee and Newsom admin-
istration offi cials have said they
will not require residents of their
states to produce proof of inoc-
ulation in circumstances where
entry to a venue or building
requires the person be vaccinated
against COVID-19.
The House Republican let-
ter said Oregon should be in step
with its neighbors, as it has been
on many — though not all —
COVID-19 policies.
“Oregon’s
response
to
COVID-19 should not be an
outlier on the West Coast,” the
Republicans wrote. “We are
reaching the end of the pandemic
and should be lifting mandates,
not adding new ones. It is time
to place our trust in Oregonians
Dorms for workers
proposed in Seaside
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Civics could soon be a
high school graduation requirement
across Oregon.
Senate Bill 513, which would add a
semester of civics education to the cred-
See Dorms, Page A6
R.J. Marx/The Astorian
People waited in line to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus in
Seaside in April.
‘OREGON’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
SHOULD NOT BE AN OUTLIER ON THE
WEST COAST. WE ARE REACHING THE
END OF THE PANDEMIC AND SHOULD
BE LIFTING MANDATES, NOT ADDING
NEW ONES. IT IS TIME TO PLACE OUR
TRUST IN OREGONIANS AGAIN. THEY
HAVE EARNED IT.’
House Republican letter
again. They have earned it.”
Brown has said showing certi-
fi cation is a small inconvenience
to ensure that someone who
might spread a disease that has
killed over 590,000 Americans
doesn’t get close to people they
might infect.
The salvo from House Repub-
licans, including Rep. Suzanne
Weber, R-Tillamook, was part of
a barrage fi red at Brown’s plans
over the past week.
Warrenton Mayor Henry Bal-
ensifer and Clatsop County Com-
missioner Courtney Bangs were
among local critics of the policy.
Balensifer said he has heard
of service industry workers leav-
ing their jobs because they are
See Pushback, Page A6
Schools shed some mask
rules for vaccinated staff
A slow transition
toward normalcy
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
More North Coast
teachers and school district
staff who are fully vacci-
nated against the coronavi-
rus are allowed to go mask-
less in certain situations.
The change in masking
policies at several school
districts comes on the heels
of updated guidelines from
the state.
At a special meet-
ing Thursday, the Knappa
School District board
signed a new memoran-
dum of understanding with
the Knappa Education
Association that allows
vaccinated employees to
forgo masks when they are
in a workspace alone or
when they are around other
vaccinated staff when stu-
dents are not present. They
still must stay socially dis-
tanced and the school will
check their vaccination
status.
The Astoria School Dis-
trict also updated its pol-
icy, allowing vaccinated
staff to go maskless when
students are not present
or mingle, maskless, with
unvaccinated — masked
— coworkers.
Thursday was the fi rst
day of the updated policy.
Not everyone was ready.
“The change is weird,”
said Craig Hoppes, the
Astoria superintendent .
See Schools, Page A6
INSIDE
Civics education ‘a call to arms’
Bill would make civics a
graduation requirement
“Space could conceivably
house 50 to 60 workers
for the summer months
with living area, kitchen/
dining space, bathroom
and shower facilities and
recreational facilities.”
At a business leaders
forum this month, business
owners said workers have
been priced out of local
housing options or are
unable to fi nd temporary
housing during the sum-
mer. Staffi ng, they said, is
their greatest need.
The business owners
put together a plan and
estimated budget of about
$100,000 to $125,000 to
retrofi t the former middle
school to be able to accom-
modate workers over the
summer. The space would
be fully funded by busi-
nesses and would provide
its necessary for a diploma starting in
the 2025-26 school year, is before Gov.
Kate Brown for review.
“It is a bill that begins the process
of holding our schools accountable for
teaching the next generation of Ore-
gonians how to operate the most com-
plex, complicated and often confound-
ing form of self-governance in human
history,” said state Rep. Paul Evans,
D-Monmouth, the chief House sponsor .
“This is a call to arms for all good
people to come to the aid of our u nion.”
Evans is a speech communication
instructor at Chemeketa Community
Pamplin Media Group
See Civics, Page A6
A bill before Gov. Kate Brown would make civics a high school
graduation requirement starting in the 2025-26 school year.
NORTH COAST
REAL ESTATE
IN JUNE 2021