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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021
IN BRIEF
TRAIN UP
High temperatures increase fi re risks
An excessive heat warning is in eff ect for the North
Coast on Sunday.
People should expect temperatures in the upper 90s
inland from the beaches and temperatures in the mid-80s
at the beaches.
Offi cials warn people to use extreme caution to avoid
heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The heat will also
increase the risk of wildfi res.
People are advised to drink plenty of fl uids, stay
out of the heat and sun and check up on relatives and
neighbors.
A countywide burn ban is in eff ect and industrial for-
ests on the North Coast will be in the moderate fi re dan-
ger level.
Recreational fi res are only allowed at designated
sites. Burn barrels require a burn permit, which can be
obtained through the Oregon Department of Forestry or
local fi re departments.
Maj. Gen. Michael E. Stencel, the adjutant general of the
Oregon National Guard, talked with soldiers Tuesday at a
wildland fi refi ghter training at Camp Rilea in Warrenton.
Aaron Perkins/Oregon Military Department
County unemployment rate declines
Clatsop County’s unemployment rate declined to
6.6% in May.
The seasonally adjusted rate was down from 6.9% in
April and from 19.6% in May 2020, when many busi-
nesses laid off workers because of government restric-
tions tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
The statewide rate was 5.9% in May, according to the
Oregon Employment Department, compared to 5.8%
nationwide.
County commissioners support
tribal recognition for Chinook
Clatsop County commissioners on Wednesday
approved a proclamation supporting tribal recognition
for the Chinook Indian Nation.
The Chinook Indian Nation represents the Clatsop,
Cathlamet, Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa
tribes.
The proclamation supports the Chinook’s eff orts to
solidify their federal status.
Dolphin Road to close at bridge
WARRENTON — Dolphin Road will close beginning
July 12 at the Dolphin Road Bridge for a repair project.
The project is expected to take about four weeks.
— The Astorian
Ballots postmarked on Election Day
will count in Oregon
SALEM — Oregon, the fi rst state to conduct all elec-
tions by mail, would join the ranks of states accepting
ballots postmarked by Election Day under a bill that is
headed to Gov. Kate Brown.
House Bill 3291 was approved by the state Senate on
a 16-13 vote Thursday. The key vote was cast by state
Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfi eld, who hung back until it
was clear his would be the deciding vote.
Beyer said afterward his concern was that in close
elections, voters might question the validity of mail bal-
lots counted days after the election date itself. The bill
requires ballots to be received by county elections offi -
cials no later than seven days after an election.
Brown, in her State of the State remarks earlier this
year, endorsed Election Day postmarks. She is a former
secretary of state.
Seventeen other states — including California, Wash-
ington and Nevada — allow ballots to count if post-
marked by Election Day. Four others count ballots if
postmarked no later than the day before an election.
States that allow Election Day postmarks vary widely,
from three to 20 days after an election.
The bill would take eff ect starting with the 2022
elections.
— Oregon Capital Bureau
CDC extends eviction moratorium
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on
Thursday extended the nationwide ban on evictions for
a month to help millions of tenants unable to make rent
payments during the coronavirus pandemic, but said this
is the last time it plans to do so.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the federal Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention, extended the
evictions moratorium from June 30 until July 31. The
CDC said “this is intended to be the fi nal extension of
the moratorium.”
— Associated Press
DEATHS
In Brief
Death
June 22, 2021
MILLER, Richard, 77, of Astoria, died in Asto-
ria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY
Gearhart City Council, 6:30 p.m., work session, (electronic
meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Park district authorizes lease at rec center
Education group
will use a portion
of the building
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — The North-
west Regional Education
Service District will lease
almost 7,400 square feet
in the Sunset Recreation
Center.
The Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District
Board voted unanimously to
give executive director Sky-
ler Archibald authorization
to sign the deal. The park
district acquired the former
Broadway Middle School in
January.
“Things have moved right
along with working with
Northwest Regional since our
last meeting and discussion,”
Archibald said at Tuesday’s
park district meeting. “I think
we’re in a really good place,
having negotiated some of
the fi ner details of the agree-
ment, as well as the tim-
ing and cost per square foot.
From the staff ’s perspective,
we feel very comfortable
moving forward and work-
ing with this organization. It
seems that our common mis-
sions and service district sta-
tus are a good fi t.”
The service district is in
DIGITAL
EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25
includes exclusive use of
the counseling offi ces, three
classrooms and the com-
puter lab as well as a jani-
tor closet nearby. It includes
shared space of hallways
and a men’s and women’s
restroom.
Prior to occupancy, the
park district will lease the ser-
vice district one of the class-
rooms for storage.
The service district plans
to contract out an environ-
mental study of the space,
looking at the possibility of
mold or other environmen-
tal contaminants as well as
asbestos.
“That is the last hurdle to
cross,” Archibald said.
Owners mull uses of former Gearhart school
Housing, art space
and health center
considered
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
GEARHART — At the
north entrance of the for-
mer Gearhart Elementary
School, the curious can peer
through a fence to see a
fl owering garden with raised
planters fi lled with perenni-
als, roses and vegetables.
“A primary goal has been
to save it so it’s a pretty
entrance to town,” said Rob-
ert Morey, who with his wife,
Timi, purchased the build-
ing from the Seaside School
District in November.
The garden includes
96 roses planted in honor
of Morey’s wife’s mother,
Nadine Clark, an avid gar-
dener who died at 96.
The Moreys have yet to
decide on how to use the
main school building, which
was originally constructed
in 1948 and added on to in
1968.
Morey said he is open to
a variety of potential uses,
which may include work-
force housing, art studios,
performing arts space or a
community health center.
Because of security and
liability issues, the prop-
erty is closed to the public.
A 20-foot gate closes off the
access driveway on the far
western part of the property.
The manufactured por-
table trailers once used as
classroom space are gone.
“If you left them, what
would they look like in 20
years?” Morey asked. “We
spent thousands with dia-
grams to try and save them.
It made no sense.”
Inside the main building,
all unnecessary phone, elec-
trical and cable wires are
gone. The steam heat boiler
is decommissioned and will
be replaced.
People in the commu-
nity have an attachment to
the school and the tradition
it represents, Morey said.
“We’re keeping the feeling
of the old school, we’re not
Photos by R.J. Marx/The Astorian
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Owners removed the trailers formerly used as classroom space at
Gearhart Elementary School. Timi Morey planted 96 roses on the campus garden to honor her
mother who died at 96 and was an avid gardener throughout her life. Potential uses of the
building include apartments, art lofts or meeting spaces.
buying it trying to make it a
2021 building,” he said. “It’s
a 73-year-old building we
want to bring up to date.”
Any proposals would be
contingent on city review
and approvals.
“People want to know
what you’re going to do,”
Morey said. “We’ve always
said we have no idea until
we get in there. It’s too early
to know what we can do
mechanically.”
The covered playground
will stay for the time being
but is expected to be gone
next year, Morey said.
Because of labor shortages,
exterior painting will also be
delayed.
Crews are doing septic
analysis to help determine
what type of housing can be
supported on the remainder
of the site. Three septic tanks
are being decommissioned
and two will remain. New
homes will be supported by
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
the process of selling their
29,000-square-foot Clatsop
Service Center location in
Astoria. The space the ser-
vice district has requested is
not being used by the park
district, Archibald said.
The lease begins Aug. 1
and runs until July 31, 2023.
The annual rent is $73,840,
payable in quarterly install-
ments. After the fi rst year of
the agreement, the annual
rental income will increase
by 1.5% from the previous
year’s amount. The lease
agreement includes a cost
per square foot and a stipula-
tion for the service district to
cover their portion of utilities.
The lease agreement
bottomless sand fi lter sys-
tems, which while more
expensive, use less land and
make it easier to fi ll Gear-
hart’s housing needs.
The Moreys have off ered
the city use of parking areas
during an August concert,
and have fl oated the idea
that the site could be used as
a temporary facility during
potential construction of a
new fi rehouse.
The couple is seeking a
conditional use permit from
the Planning Commission
for a caretaker unit in the
northern part of the main
building.
The area will be sepa-
rated from the rest of the
main building and have
its own exterior entrance,
Morey said. The unit will
have two bedrooms sepa-
rated by a breezeway from
a shared kitchen and shower
areas.
“The plan is to have two
caretaker teams that will
make 24/7 coverage,” he
said.
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