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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, SEpTEmbER 18, 2021
Virus: ‘Vaccinations work, masks work’ RVs: Police
are doing
everything
they can
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“These capacity levels are not sustain-
able. Our health system remains under sig-
nificant stress,” Sidelinger said.
Many counties, including Clatsop, are still
seeing significant numbers of new virus cases.
The Oregon Health Authority reported
47 new virus cases for Clatsop County on
Thursday and 21 new cases on Wednesday.
Since the pandemic began, the county had
recorded 2,091 virus cases and 25 deaths as
of Thursday.
The health authority, in a weekly outbreak
report, also revised the virus case count for
an outbreak over the summer at Columbia
Memorial Hospital in Astoria. The count is at
11 virus cases.
Despite the recent sharp rise in deaths,
Oregon’s overall per capita death rate ranks
46th among the 50 states.
COVID-19 trend forecasts from Oregon
Health & Science University last month held
out the possibility that after dropping through
September and October, COVID-19 levels
could fall to levels not seen since the very
beginning of the pandemic.
But the latest forecasts show a later and
slower decline. Hospitalizations are projected
to be below 200 per day by Thanksgiving.
Oregon residents should hope for the best,
but prepare for the virus to once again impede
holiday cheer.
“We’re not fortune-tellers,” Sidelinger
said. “We will probably all be considering cel-
ebrating differently. We may shiver a bit out in
the cold.”
The rebound could slow or stall amid chal-
lenges from several factors, including Labor
Day holiday weekend socializing, K-12
schools reopening to in-class instruction, the
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Erick Bengel/The Astorian
Teresita Sellers, far left, a Columbia Memorial Hospital employee, works in the hospital’s clean
laundry room, while, from left, the Oregon National Guard’s William Jensen, noncommissioned
officer in charge of sites in Astoria, Seaside and Tillamook; Adam Fodge, noncommissioned
officer in charge for Task Force Northwest; Molly Bodrato, a logistics officer; Scott Bushbaum,
Oregon National Guard Task Force Northwest commander; and Hannah Kuk, a personnel
officer, check out the work being done by their fellow soldiers.
return of college students and major events
such as the Pendleton Round-Up and college
football games.
“Every opportunity that brings people
together is an opportunity for the disease to
spread,” Sidelinger said.
The severity of the flu season and the level
of wet and cold weather that may cause peo-
ple to congregate indoors more could also
contribute to infection levels.
All are occurring as the state experiences
its highest infection rates of the entire crisis,
which is now into its 19th month since the
first case in Oregon was reported at the end of
February 2020.
Following masking and social-distance
protocols and encouraging anyone who has
not been vaccinated to get their shots is the
best counterattack.
Those who remain unvaccinated, go
unmasked and gather in groups are being self-
ish because their decisions put others at risk,
Sidelinger said.
“Come together as a community,” he
urged. “Vaccinations work, masks work.”
The Oregon Capital bureau is a collabora-
tion between EO media Group and pamplin
media Group.
Mural: ‘It really was an unplug for me’
Continued from page A1
extra courage during long hospital stays.
That led to communitywide efforts to cre-
ate as many bots as possible. Cities com-
missioned him to create murals. Since 2010,
he’s created more than 20 large-scale Botjoy
murals in cities like London, Phoenix, Boul-
der and New Orleans.
But there was more to changing a build-
ing’s exterior in Astoria than Yiu realized.
Due to its location in a historic district,
she had to apply to the city’s Historic Land-
marks Commission for permission to alter
the building’s appearance. Undeterred, she
pushed forward and collected 75 signa-
tures and held her breath as she nervously
appeared at the public hearing in July.
“I prepared myself that someone would
come up and say, ‘I don’t like it,’” Yiu said.
“But everyone was positive. I was very sur-
prised. It made me almost cry.”
Volunteers
Yiu and Hirsch provided renderings of
the art, and got city approval to do the job.
Committed to making this a community
project, Yiu called for volunteers to help
out. The pair, plus a group of about a dozen
volunteers, painted 73 bots onto the wall the
last week of August.
“I was painting every day and my mus-
cles were hurting every day, but it really was
an unplug for me,” Yiu said.
Nikki Davidson/The Astorian
Candy Yiu inspects the finished Botjoy mural on the building she purchased on 11th Street.
“The enthusiasm was exceptional, people
were so invested in having something that
would bring joy to Astoria,” Hirsch said. “I
got zero negative comments on this mural
— that’s unusual. We got nothing but grati-
tude, excitement and participation.”
Now that the mural is completed, Yiu
has plans to incorporate the community in
her next revitalization mission. She’s made
pieces of textiles and markers available in
the lot. She asks people to come write what
gives them joy. She plans to string them
under coverings she will be adding to the lot
to give the picnic tables shelter in the win-
ter months.
Yiu said her new property continues to
evolve into a community space. Artist Con-
nie Shea has opened an art gallery in the
building. Permits for a restaurant and bar on
the other side of the structure are awaiting
city approval.
“I just want people to be able to enjoy
good food, chill out and be part of the com-
munity,” Yiu said. “Remember to smile.”
most of the vehicles are unlicensed or
have licenses that are expired. “Those
living in the vehicles are dumping sew-
age on property and streams,” he said,
“as well as using the bathroom in the
park.”
“Obviously the word is out,” Sea-
side’s Pamela Schwenzer wrote. “‘Free
camping in Seaside with a river view.’
There are no facilities for dumping
waste or dirty water. I’m concerned
about our river. This is adjacent to a
playground and public restroom.
“Having fled Portland four years ago,
I have seen how such a setup can attract
problems, causing a deterioration in liv-
ability in a neighborhood. We left Lau-
relhurst — I suspect you’ve heard of it.”
City Councilor Tita Montero said
there is a lack of clarity between local
ordinances, state law and a federal court
ruling on homeless camping. The 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which
covers Oregon, has ruled that ordi-
nances against sleeping outdoors on
public property when there are no shel-
ters available are unconstitutional.
“We’re also working on pulling
information and strategies together so
that the council can look at what can we
implement, what is going to be legal —
first of all — and for the benefit of the
whole community,” Montero said.
City Attorney Dan Van Thiel has said
police are doing everything they can by
creating a constant presence in the area.
He said issuing citations is of limited
value if people do not show up for court
or pay fines. The city has not yet moved
to tow vehicles, which he said would
come at city expense and could subject
the city to litigation.
While trash and unsanitary condi-
tions have been concerns for neighbors,
trash has not been an issue among those
parked at the city lot, Public Works
Director Dale McDowell said. “I have
handed out trash bags, and they are
picked up several times a week by the
Public Works Street Department,” he
said.
At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Jay
Barber said homelessness is the issue
that “kept him awake at night.”
A new state law approved this year
requires that local regulations on sit-
ting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm
and dry in outdoor public spaces be
objectively reasonable for the home-
less. The law aims to protect the home-
less from fines or arrest for camping on
public property when there are no other
options. Cities and counties must com-
ply by July 2023.
“If we do not do that, or are unable to
do that, then, as I understand this, they
are permitted to lie asleep in any public
property in our city,” Barber said. “That
is truly a challenge.”
Hood to Coast: One of Seaside’s largest yearly events
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But city councilors questioned whether
the complaints are unique to this year’s
Hood to Coast or are being driven on
social media by residents with long-stand-
ing objections. Hospital administrators also
said they have not detected an increase in
local virus cases linked to the event.
“They are not a good fit for the city
of Seaside,” Jeff Jarrett, a resident,
wrote in a letter to the City Council. “I
lived on 14th Avenue for eight years
watching these runners go by. I received
hostile flak from them each year trying
to get my vehicle in and out of the street.
Eventually, I just leave town each time they
do this event. I was not the only one.”
Runners “just run into town, eat their
own food on the beach, have their own party
and then go home,” he said. “They have no
interest in engaging in any coastal activ-
ity. No interest in seeing the sights. They
are not here to be tourists, they are here to
run and go right back home because most
of them are only an hour away. ... Enough
is enough. Hood to Coast should host their
event elsewhere.”
The complaints appeared on Facebook
and other social media during the event and
grew in intensity over the past few weeks.
“We are all aware that there are a variety
of opinions about the event, and all things
having to do with the event,” City Coun-
cilor Tita Montero said at a council meeting
Monday. “There are a lot of things that peo-
ple purported to be true, that I knew were
not true. So that puts that in the realm of
rumors.”
While new virus cases were surging in
late August, Seaside was not in a state of
emergency, City Councilor David Posal-
ski said. “There’s no reason for us to have
added additional regulations beyond what
the state had put into place for Hood to
Coast,” he said.
R.J. Marx/The Astorian
People on the beach at this year’s Hood to Coast in Seaside.
Dogged by complaints
Hood to Coast first moved the finish to
Seaside in the late 1980s. Throughout the
years, the event has been dogged by com-
plaints about the impacts on residents. In
2015, concerns from residents and busi-
nesses about unruly behavior, traffic and poor
organization brought angry crowds to City
Council meetings and threatened to end the
relationship.
In 2018, the city and Hood to Coast renewed
the agreement, with an initial payment of
$25,000 to the city that increases each year
through 2022, when the relay will pay more
than $30,000. The city provides police, fire
and public works services for the event, which
raises funds for the Providence Cancer Institute.
Despite the changes, Sandy Rea, a resident
and longtime critic of the event, said prob-
lems linger.
“Although Hood to Coast offered lip ser-
vice regarding wearing masks and social dis-
tancing, they made no effort to enforce either,
while claiming on television to have done
so,” Rea said.
Dan Floyd, Hood to Coast’s chief operat-
ing officer, said the relay followed state out-
door mask requirements.
“People not wearing masks were either
running/walking, eating, drinking, speaking
onstage, or performing,” he said after the City
Council meeting. “Others not wearing masks
were not within the fenced area of our party.
That does leave a small group of individuals,
or teams, that were not in compliance.”
Floyd said this resulted in the disqualifica-
tion and 2022 ban of 12 teams.
Jason Plamondon, the chief nursing officer
at Providence Seaside Hospital, said he didn’t
see a big increase in virus cases after Hood
to Coast.
“We were tracking our ER pretty carefully
and I didn’t see it,” he said. “We didn’t see a
bump in that.”
Judy Geiger, the vice president of patient
care services at Columbia Memorial Hospi-
tal in Astoria, said the virus caseload “stayed
steady” for the week to 10 days following the
event.
While there had been discussions earlier
this year of canceling the party at the finish,
Floyd said, organizers met with the city in
advance to get approval for a modified party.
“Traffic was the smoothest it has been in
39 years of Hood to Coast,” he said. “Our
post-event participant survey indicated the
97% of respondents would like to participate
in Hood to Coast in future years. However,
we did have some delays on Highway 30. We
identified the problem immediately. Although
it took a couple hours to resolve, we are con-
fident that our 2021 remedy will mitigate traf-
fic in future years.”
Montero said, “I don’t care how you feel,
positive or negative, about Hood to Coast.
This is actually a world-class event, as world
class as the Boston Marathon, as the New
York Marathon, as any of those other large
races throughout the world. We know that
wherever we go, 5 to 10% of the people don’t
follow through, and don’t do what they’re
supposed to do. But that’s not a reason to con-
demn everything.”
‘Keyboard warriors’
This week, Rea started a Facebook group
called Cancel Hood to Coast at Seaside. By
Thursday, they had 286 members. “Amazing
response so far,” she said.
Seaside’s Tiffany Pedersen sees a need for
improvement in outreach and traffic manage-
ment from Hood to Coast organizers. But she
supported the relay.
“It was almost embarrassing to see our
locals on social media going onto the Hood
to Coast page and making all of the tourists
feel unwelcome,” she wrote in a letter to the
City Council. “With tourism being our high-
est industry for Seaside, we don’t want to
become the town that made an entire event of
people feel unwelcome.
“Keyboard warriors would much rather
complain about debris left behind by Hood to
Coast than pick up a phone and call Hood to
Coast headquarters, or better yet, go outside
and just pick it up.”