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DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
148TH YEAR, NO. 144
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
Merkley
seeks more
federal help
for wildfi res
Senator takes lead
on key subcommittee
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said he’s hoping
to use his new subcommittee chairmanship
to direct federal money toward protect-
ing and improving the nation’s vast public
forests.
Given the Labor Day wildfi res that rav-
aged Oregon, and the future prospect of
a drier climate in the Northwest and else-
where, Merkley said there’s plenty of work
to be funded.
“We know that these more aggressively
destructive fi re seasons are going to keep
coming our way,” the Oregon Democrat
told reporters on a conference call Thurs-
day . “Fire seasons are getting longer, for-
ests are getting drier, so we have to do a
lot more at the front end to try to reduce
the ferocity of those blazes. That means a
lot more forest management and prescribed
burns — and a lot of good jobs.”
Merkley spoke the day after he con-
vened a hearing of the Senate A ppropria-
tions Committee subcommittee that over-
sees budgets for the Department of the
Interior Department and related agencies,
including the U.S. Forest Service, which is
part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture .
See Merkley, Page A6
Seaside plans
a summer of
programs
for students
Funded partly through
grants from the state
County looks at future of
North Coast Business Park
The property in Warrenton has proven diffi cult to develop
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
W
ARRENTON — After
years of false starts and
frustration, Clatsop County
is exploring new options to develop
the North Coast Business Park .
The county hired Mackenzie, a
consulting fi rm in Portland, to assess
the condition of 140 acres the county
owns at the business park and create
a development feasibility report .
The county Board of Commis-
sioners discussed Mackenzie’s
report during a work session in late
May, along with two options the
consultant identifi ed for potential
development.
Brent Nielsen, of Mackenzie, said
one option would be to consolidate
the section best suited for develop-
ment into a 30-acre block, which
could be attractive to investors look-
ing for bigger buildings.
The second o ption would involve
three parcels that range from 6.5
acres to 11.6 acres, which could
draw businesses interested in smaller
footprints .
Both options would concentrate
development on the corner of 19th
Street and Ensign Lane. The county
estimates the real market value of the
options at about $40 million. If the
property is developed, the options
could generate about $400,000 in tax
revenue in the fi rst year.
It would take about $6 million in
infrastructure investment to move
forward , with a timeline of about
two years. The county estimates that
in addition to tax revenue from the
business park, the new projects could
bring more than 400 jobs.
Brad Carnese, the county’s real
estate broker , said he preferred the
fi rst option. “ I think the costs focused
on one parcel are going to outweigh
multiple parcels if we focus on option
one within the package, ” he said.
By KATHERINE LACAZE
For The Astorian
Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
A consultant for Clatsop County has outlined options for the North Coast Business
Park in Warrenton.
Marketing
A commercial real estate sign is
posted on the corner of 19th Street
and Ensign Lane, but Carnese said he
has not marketed the property online
as the county weighs the decision .
The business park had been identi-
fi ed as a potential site to relocate the
county’s public works facility. How-
ever, the county has said it would pre-
fer to sell the property and get it back
on the tax rolls.
“I was brought on to discuss dis-
posing of the property, and at the end
of the day we said, ‘Time out. We
need to learn as much as we can’”
Carnese said. “This is a signifi cant
economic future benefi t to the com-
munity. And we don’t have too many
answers. We need to get all the facts,
fi gures, et cetera.
“So we’ve taken some time, and a
couple steps backwards and probably
have a little bit more work to do.”
T he county has grappled with
what to do with the property next to
Costco for years.
In the 1960s, portions were cleared
and graded for a proposed aluminum
plant, but the plant was never built.
The county gained ownership
in 1991 and designed a plan to sell
about 70 acres adjacent to U.S. High-
way 101 for commercial develop-
ment. The proceeds were to be used
for infrastructure improvement on the
rest of the land.
Over the years, the business
park has sat undeveloped, attract-
ing homeless camps and off -road-
ing . Meanwhile, the wetlands have
spread, leaving about 30 develop-
able acres of the 140 acres the county
owns. Columbia Memorial Hospital
and Fort George Brewery also own
portions of the site.
Along with wetlands, there are
other
development
constraints,
including city water, pump station
and wastewater limitations . The
business park is generally fl at, but
there are steep slopes in the north-
east corner, making it impractical for
industrial development or use as wet-
land mitigation.
See Park, Page A6
SEASIDE — The Seaside School
District plans to off er a variety of pro-
grams this summer for students, includ-
ing enrichment camps, summer school,
a bookmobile, credit recovery and wrap-
around child care.
“The overarching intent of summer
programming is to complete unfi nished
learning, to continue allowing students to
make connections with friends, to bolster
social-emotional learning and to make
school a positive environment,” instruc-
tional coach and summer programs coor-
dinator Cate Blakesley said at a school
board meeting in May .
According to her estimate, 590 stu-
dents — or roughly 35% of the stu-
dent body — will be served this sum-
mer through academic and enrichment
opportunities. Registration will be open
through mid-June.
See Seaside, Page A6
New boatyard manager sees promising future
Stock hopes for an
expansion at the Port
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
rendon Stock remembers in
2015 when the maritime com-
munity packed a Port of Asto-
ria Commission meeting, plead-
ing for the agency not to close the
boatyard on Pier 3 in favor of log
exports.
With log exports gone, the Port
has a renewed focus on expanding
the boatyard Stock now manages .
B
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
Brendon Stock is the new manager of the Port of Astoria’s Pier 3 boatyard.
Originally from Seaside, Stock
worked in the oil fi elds of Alaska
in summers during high school.
He served in the U.S. Air Force
after graduation, returned in
2005 and worked in forestry and
construction.
The Great Recession dried up
the construction market. Stock got
a job at the Fred Meyer gas sta-
tion in Warrenton to make ends
meet for his wife and their chil-
dren. Someone from the Port rec-
ognized Stock and asked if he
wanted a job.
“As far as marine industry, I
was actually pretty blind to it,” he
said. “I didn’t even know boats had
to come out of the water.”
See Stock, Page A5