A2
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021
IN BRIEF
Gearhart woman dies in crash on
Highway 101 south of Warrenton
A Gearhart woman died Thursday afternoon in a
two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 between War-
renton and Gearhart.
Police say Sandra Harrington, 68, was heading south-
bound when she crossed into the northbound lane and
collided into another vehicle.
Harrington sustained fatal injuries and was pro-
nounced dead. The driver of the other vehicle had minor
injuries.
The highway closed while law enforcement investi-
gated and reconstructed the crash.
SKIMMING
ALONG
Brigham Davis leaps on his skimboard
at Short Sand Beach on Tuesday.
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Lifeguards rescue girl
from sea off Cannon Beach
A girl was taken to the hospital Sunday evening after
she was unable to swim back to shore between The Nee-
dles and Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.
Offi cials say two men had entered the water to try and
rescue the girl, but both also ended up needing help get-
ting back to shore.
Cannon Beach lifeguards and the Seaside water res-
cue team brought all three back to shore.
The girl was treated for hypothermia and taken to the
hospital.
Man sentenced to prison for sex crimes
A man was sentenced in April to more than three
years in prison for sex crimes against a child.
Nicholas Henry Chavera, 52, pleaded guilty to
attempted sexual abuse in the fi rst degree, attempted
sodomy in the fi rst degree and attempted rape in the fi rst
degree.
The crimes were committed between 2003 and 2009,
according to court fi lings. Chavera was arraigned on the
charges in July 2020.
Rainier teenager sentenced to youth
correctional facility for manslaughter
A Rainier teenager who drove his vehicle through
a crowd of people during a gathering near Nicolai
Mountain last July that left one person dead was sen-
tenced to MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in
Woodburn.
Kyle Snook, 18, was sentenced in May on charges
of manslaughter in the fi rst degree, assault in the sec-
ond degree, four counts of assault in the third degree and
driving under the infl uence of intoxicants. He will be
lodged at MacLaren until he is 25 years old.
Three people were seriously injured during the hit-
and-run at the Hunt Creek rock pit off of U.S. Highway
30. Robert Betschart, of Rainier, died.
Transit district seeking
candidates for board vacancy
The Sunset Empire Transportation District is accept-
ing applications to fi ll a vacancy on its board.
The position, with a term ending in June 2023, is one
of seven seats on the board. Members are elected by vot-
ers to serve four-year terms.
Visit the transportation district’s website for more
information and to apply. Application packets can also
be picked up at the Astoria Transit Center on Marine
Drive or the Seaside Transit Offi ce on N. Holladay
Drive.
Applications must be summited by 5 p.m. on July 14.
State imposes fi shing regulations
due to drought
Emergency fi shing regulations are in eff ect across
Oregon because of severe drought and the Nehalem
River upstream of the Miami-Foley Bridge is now
closed to all angling through September.
Elsewhere, fi shing for salmon, steelhead, stur-
geon and trout is closed during the hotter parts of the
day, from 2 p.m. until one hour before sunrise, in some
streams across the state.
— The Astorian
ON THE RECORD
DUII
• Ricky Clarence Barendse, 49, of Portland, was
arrested Wednesday on W. Marine Drive in Astoria for
driving under the infl uence of intoxicants.
On the Record
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, noon, work
session, (electronic meeting).
Warrenton Marinas Advisory Committee, 2 p.m., 501
N.E. Harbor Place.
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., (electronic
meeting).
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
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Seaside considers wastewater investment
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — A new, $3.1
million press and drying sys-
tem for the city’s wastewa-
ter treatment plant could
increase capacity and lower
costs .
The proposal was pre-
sented by Dale McDow-
ell, the city’s public works
director, and Tony Biamont,
the treatment plant operator,
at Monday’s City Council
meeting.
Public works is seeking a
better solution for the treat-
ment plant as the drying and
processing plant has seen
better days, McDowell said.
The proposal he and
Biamont presented could
also provide U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency
Class A biosolid product
suitable for agriculture pur-
poses, which the city could
turn a profi t from.
Class A designates dewa-
tered and heated sewage
sludge that meets the fed-
eral agency’s guidelines for
land application with no
restrictions.
“This stuff is super absor-
bent of water,” Biamont said.
“It pulls the water out of the
ground. It’s far better than we
could have ever imagined.”
The city’s wastewater
drying system faces frequent
The City Council has discussed a sludge press and dryer unit
designed by Centrisys.
downtime, McDowell said.
“The used dryer has worked
great for a few years. But
we’re spending more time
working on it, repairing it,”
he said. “Parts are no longer
available and staff are strug-
gling to keep it clean. Now
it’s time to look beyond this
dryer.”
The city’s Fenton Fenix
dryer, purchased in 2012
when it was already 10 years
old, could be sold for $50,000
to $60,000, because it’s very
sought after, McDowell
added. The dryer may have
some parts that are of value
to someone that has the same
unit.
The system processes
365,000 gallons a week.
The proposed Centrisys sys-
tem does that in three days,
Biamont said.
According to product
specifi cations, the unit works
Offi ces close for
Independence Day
The Astorian
In observance of the
Fourth of July on Monday,
all federal, state, county
and city offi ces and ser-
vices, including Astoria,
Warrenton, Gearhart, Sea-
side and Cannon Beach
city halls, are closed.
All U.S. post offi ces are
closed, and there is no mail
delivery.
Astoria,
Jewell,
Knappa, Warrenton/Ham-
mond and Seaside (includ-
ing Cannon Beach and
Gearhart) school district
schools are closed. Clat-
sop Community College is
open .
The Astoria Library,
Seaside Library and War-
renton Library are closed.
The Port of Astoria
offi ces and services are
closed.
Garbage
collection
through Recology West-
ern Oregon and the city of
Warrenton garbage collec-
tion are not aff ected by the
holiday. Recology Western
Oregon’s transfer station is
open until 2 p.m.
The Sunset Pool in Sea-
side is open from 11 a.m. to
5 p.m. The Astoria Aquatic
Center is open from 7 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
The Clatsop County
Heritage Museum, Ore-
gon Film Museum and Fla-
vel House are open from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the
Carriage House is open
from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Uppertown Firefi ght-
ers’ Museum is closed.
Lil’ Sprouts is open
from
7:30 a.m.
to
5:30 p.m. Fort Clatsop is
open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Columbia River Mari-
time Museum is open from
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
Seaside Museum is closed.
Sunset Empire Trans-
portation (“The Bus”) is
running.
using centrifugal force to
push
heavier
particles
through the liquid collected
on the inner wall of the bowl.
The high-speed rotation of
the bowl separates the solid
and liquid materials to create
biosolids.
Low-temperature drying
reduces potential injuries and
fi re hazards, McDowell said.
Parts are readily available
from the company, based in
Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The $3.1 million cost
includes the dryer and cen-
trifuge, Biamont said, with
an additional $300,000 to
$400,000 for construction.
After processing, the
sludge can be sold for agri-
cultural purposes. Seaside’s
biosolids are so rich in nutri-
ents that it would not require
watering or nitrogen pellets
to produce higher yields.
While the city doesn’t
charge for biosolids now, the
sewer plant has the potential
to create a revenue stream,
Biamont said, with custom-
ers throughout the region
bringing their own sewage
to Seaside for processing at a
price lower than alternatives
for disposal.
The city has not evaluated
how the equipment might be
paid for, City Manager Mark
Winstanley said. Monday’s
presentation was a prelude to
possible action later this year.
“One of the reasons why
it’s a little bit fl uid is because
we’re in a period where our
ability to access funds that
we normally would not be
able to get is a little bit greater
than it has been in the past,”
Winstanley said. “Certainly,
one of the things that we’re
looking at is the federal gov-
ernment’s interest in an infra-
structure bill and whether
that is a source of funding we
would be able to use. I hate
to get in front of that bill, but
I’d like to be able to see what
that looks like.”
“Clearly, from my opin-
ion, this is a no-brainer,”
Mayor Jay Barber said. “It’s
got to be done. And we want
our workers to remain safe
on the job and we want to
furnish a good product for
the agricultural commu-
nity. ... I think it’s got to be
done.”
Events mark the
Fourth of July
Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday at
Pier 12 in Astoria.
The Astorian
Great Puffi n Watch (part
of Cannon Beach’s Fire-
works-Free Fourth of July):
8 to 11 a.m. Saturday and
Sunday at Haystack Rock.
Live music, ax throwing and
games at the Seaside Out-
lets: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday in
the outlets parking lot.
Warrenton Fourth of July
parade: 3 p.m. Sunday along
Main Avenue to the U.S. Post
Offi ce off Ninth Street.
Ocean Park Fourth of July
photos: Saturday and Sunday
throughout Ocean Park,
Washington.
Fort George Brewery party
featuring live music by The
Hackles, Bart Budwig and
The Sam Stoners: 5 to 10 p.m.
Sunday at the Astoria Riverwalk.
Firecracker 5K Walk/Run:
9 a.m. Saturday at the Port of
Ilwaco (race-day registration
begins at 7:30 a.m. and costs
$35 per person ages 15 and
older).
Fourth of July Astoria fi re-
works: 10 p.m. Sunday at the
Astoria Riverwalk.
Port of Ilwaco “Feel the
Thunder” fi reworks show:
Starts at dusk on Saturday at
the Port of Ilwaco.
Grassroots Garbage Gang
cleanup: 9:30 a.m. Monday
at Long Beach, Washington,
beach approaches.
Gearhart Fourth of July
parade: 11 a.m. Sunday along
Marion Way to Pacifi c Way.
F-15 Eagle fl yover: 11:15 a.m.
Sunday over Warrenton.
Live music and food trucks
at The SEA Crab House:
15th annual Treasure the
Beach Seaside Cleanup:
8 to 11 a.m. Monday at the
Seaside turnarounds off the
Promenade at 12th Avenue
and Avenue U.
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