A6
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021
Vista Ridge II: ‘Many
questions to be addressed’
by one of the original developers.
“Broadway was built to han-
Morin claimed the geotech- dle a lot of traffi c up there,” Mead
nical report is outdated and said said. “This piece was originally
the property is prone to landslides part of the Phillips’ property, which
with “unsatisfactory geotechnical was part of Sunset Hills origi-
hazards.”
nally. So that’s why the streets are
Mike Haner, a neighbor, talked so wide up there, to allow for that
about water running down the development.”
He said topographical maps are
street, underneath the ground and
through the property. “It’s raging still valid and lot lines unchanged.
constantly,” he said. “To build on The owners plan to meet any build-
property that’s got that much water ing codes, which are “a lot more
running through it all the time is strict” than any houses that have
been built nearby.
irresponsible.”
While the nearby northern
Su Coddington, a neighbor, said
there has always been a water issue stream is salmon habitat, there was
in the Sunset Hills area. “Nature no sign of spawning fi sh, Mead
said.
always wins,” she said.
In a letter to the Planning Com-
As a leader of the city’s Commu-
mission, mem-
nity Emergency
bers of Sun-
Response
COMMISSIONERS set Ridge LLC
Team,
she
wrote they are
questioned
UNANIMOUSLY
working with
the addition of
local contrac-
more homes off
APPROVED THE
tors with expe-
Broadway.
CONTINUANCE.
rience in the
“I’m a nurse
area for many
and safety is
THE APPLICATION years.
always
my
“These
fi rst priority,”
RETURNS AT THE
profession-
said Codding-
COMMISSION’S
als will use all
ton, who also
the
technol-
serves on the
JAN. 4 MEETING.
ogy and tech-
Sunset Empire
niques required
Park and Rec-
reation District Board . “I look at the to preserve and protect the stream
fact that the one way in and out with and any other sensitive areas in the
the traffi c pattern to Sunset Hills is process of their work,” they wrote.
only Broadway. And now you’re “All work will be done as required
going to add more traffi c to that. I by approved plans and inspected by
am so concerned that we’re look- the appropriate local offi cials and
ing at a person building a house inspectors.”
Robin Montero, the chairwoman
on an unsafe spot that will deteri-
orate with the Cascadia subduction of the Planning Commission, pro-
event and we will have loss of life posed a continuance.
“There are many questions to
for Seaside.
“Please say ‘no’ to this concern- be addressed,” she said. “I think I’d
roll it into January because I don’t
ing development.”
The site had always been want to rush anybody because this
intended for development, engineer is not something you can just run
Mark Mead said on behalf of the through.”
Commissioners unanimously
owners, Sunset Ridge LLC.
The lots were originally included approved the continuance. The
in the Vista Ridge development application returns at the commis-
until that property was sold this year sion’s Jan. 4 meeting.
Continued from Page A1
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Dungeness crab landings arrive at Hallmark Fisheries’ processing plant in Newport.
Crab season: Industry almost starting from scratch
Continued from Page A1
of Thursday. And the crab, as Cotte
can attest, is beautiful and full.
Cotte has heard some confusion
from buyers about why they can’t
get exactly what they want now
that the season has opened. They
see pictures on social media of crab
landings at local ports: Boats com-
ing in, the decks loaded with crab.
However, processors up and
down the Oregon Coast continue to
report a shortage of workers. Boats
have also struggled to fi nd crew.
The shortages have slowed what
has otherwise been a fantastic start
to the season, said Tim Novotny,
spokesman for the Oregon Dunge-
ness C rab Commission.
“But,” Novotny cautioned, “it’s
week one.”
The industry was almost starting
from scratch this season.
“Even in the best of
circumstances, it might have
taken a while to get crab some-
where,” Novotny said.
Everything else appears to have
fallen into place.
Some in the industry theo-
rized the scarcity of crab last sea-
son could put fi shermen in a strong
position to negotiate a good start-
ing price per pound this season.
Last season, already delayed
by marine toxins and low meat
fi ll results, fi shermen fought for
a starting price of around $3 per
pound. This season, buyers arrived
at the bargaining table with off ers
between $4.75 and $5 per pound
— the highest opening price per
pound on record for the fi shery,
according to the state.
The fi shery had already received
an encouraging go-ahead from the
state in November after presea-
son testing showed high meat yield
in crabs across the region and the
marine toxin domoic acid was
nowhere to be seen.
Even a feared ocean “dead
zone” appears to have cleared for
now. Over the summer, research-
ers warned of an extended sea-
son of low-oxygen levels in waters
off Oregon and Washington state .
Such zones can be deadly for crab.
The Pacifi c Northwest has reg-
ularly experienced these hypoxia
seasons for two decades. But the
event that began in the spring hit
earlier and lasted far longer than
any other hypoxic event recorded
on the West Coast in the last 35
years. Sensors were still picking up
low-oxygen levels into October.
Winter storms seemed to have
helped clear the water for now.
“We get to take a breather until
the spring when the risk of hypoxia
starts up again,” said Francis Chan,
a marine ecologist with Oregon
State University.
Chan distributed several dozen
dissolved oxygen sensors to com-
mercial crab fi shermen last year
to expand tracking of low oxygen
areas. He expects to deploy these
sensors again closer to spring.
Bus drivers: Hazen is ready to defend concept
Continued from Page A1
In order to reinstate the bus routes
that were cut in August, Hazen said,
the transit district would need about
eight new drivers. But there is no
guarantee the r eturning c itizen p ro-
gram will bring him any.
People released from prison
return to the counties were their
criminal cases were adjudicated .
Hazen is prepared to work with
transit agencies across the state to
help trainees land jobs .
While the program has not accel-
erated as quickly in Iowa, Castillo
said, she and Hazen have held meet-
ings with transit agencies through-
out the country to explain the oppor-
tunity . Word is traveling fast.
“This is an opportunity and we
need to do something that helps the
people that we serve, our commu-
nities become safer by employing
people and it helps us fi ll a need,”
she said.
With guidance from Castillo’s
original concept, Sunset Empire plans
to focus on recent information from
background checks that is primarily
occupation-related during the inter-
view process for potential trainees.
Job security is essential to re en-
tering the community after incarcer-
ation, Castillo said in her blog post,
and off ers a better chance to avoid
reoff ending.
“I would be very excited to
see the success of this, because it
really would move all of us forward
nationwide,” said Rebecca Read,
a transit district board member ,
during Thursday’s meeting. “Maybe
it’s the transportation industry that is
going to crack the code.”
‘I dare anybody to say that I
am wrong on that’
Hazen and Castillo know that
some negative reaction is inevitable.
“The way that I approach it and
what I have been telling people
is every hire that you do, whether
they have something on their back-
ground check or not, is a risk,”
Castillo said. “We have all hired
somebody that has not been a stel-
lar employee, so is it really based
on their background and their his-
tory because that isn’t who they are
today. That whole mindset needs to
change.”
Some former prisoners , like
sex off enders and people with seri-
ous assault convictions, would be
ineligible for the returning citizen
program.
Hazen is ready to defend the
concept .
“I am more than willing to go
before any elected board and talk
about this because I would chal-
lenge them, ‘What would you rather
do?’” he said. “Have someone come
out of prison, work at a fast-food
place, fl ipping burgers for mini-
mum wage, getting back into their
old routine of doing things and reof-
fending … or would you rather sup-
port the training and get them into
a good job with your agency and
help them be successful and not be
part of that vicious turnstile — that
rotating door — where they are just
going back into prison all the time?
“I dare anybody to say that I am
wrong on that.”
ZIP code: Since the 1960s,
Gearhart mail has been routed
through the Seaside Post Offi ce
Continued from Page A1
Those already getting home
delivery could face delays or even
elimination of the service. “It’s
more about the bean counters that
are already trying to cut the ser-
vices in spots that will be termi-
nated and save a fair amount of
money by not delivering to Gear-
hart anymore,” Jesse said. “When
you say there’s wide support for
this, my guess is you’re not see-
ing wide support for it in places
that are getting mail delivery.”
Since the 1960s, Gearhart
mail has been routed through the
Seaside Post Offi ce to the Gear-
hart Post Offi ce.
The Gearhart Post Offi ce
became a contract satellite
offi ce of Seaside Post Offi ce in
1961. The change was made as
a cost-saving measure, how-
ever, the Postal Service agreed
that Gearhart would continue to
receive mail addressed to “Gear-
hart, Oregon.”
“As far as I am able to deter-
mine, Gearhart has never made
a formal request and has never
solicited assistance from its con-
gressional delegation to achieve
this goal,” Warren said.
City Attorney Peter Watts said
during the ZIP code request pro-
cess the post offi ce will look at
the overall impact on local cus-
tomers, conducting surveys to see
if the majority of residents favor
the new ZIP.
One of the things that they’d
be looking for is community sup-
port, Watts said.
Should the potential nega-
tives outweigh the benefi ts, there
are multiple off -ramps the City
C ouncil could take in order to
step back from the process . “As
I understand it, if the service is
diminished as a result of this, it
wouldn’t happen, ” he said.
City c ouncilors approved the
r esolution in a 4-1 vote . Jesse
voted against it.
“It will be long, deliberative,
and we probably will have to do a
Survey Monkey and get commu-
nity input and demonstrate broad
support,” Warren said. “But, so
far, it looks like we have broad
support, so we have to start the
process somewhere and this is the
way to start it.”
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