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DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021
149TH YEAR, NO. 76
$1.50
CANNON BEACH
Restaurant
owners
challenge
election
Contest alleges violations
of election law
Hyak Maritime
pursues grant for
critical boat lift
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
CANNON BEACH — The own-
ers of a restaurant are asking the Cir-
cuit C ourt to order a new election for a
food tax narrowly approved by voters in
November.
The controversial tax, designed to
raise money for emergency services and
city infrastructure, survived a recount
earlier this month .
But opponents of the tax have contin-
ued to question the integrity of the elec-
tion, voicing concerns about ballot drop
boxes and how ballots were counted.
In an election contest fi led in C ir-
cuit C ourt last week against the Clatsop
County Elections Division and County
Clerk Tracie Krevanko, Megan Miller
and Josh Tuckman, the owners of Cast-
aways Global Cuisine & Wine Bar,
alleged violations of election law and
fraud.
Miller told The Astorian that while
they were disappointed with the election
results , their main concern is the integ-
rity of the election process.
See Food tax, Page A3
Seaside
fi reworks
ban shot
down
City Council votes 4-2
against the idea
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — The city has put to rest a
call to ban fi reworks.
At last week’s City C ouncil meet-
ing, city councilors voted 4-2 against a
motion that would have banned the sale
of legal fi reworks .
“If we ban fi reworks, they’re just
going to go someplace else and bring
them back in,” City Councilor Dana Phil-
lips said. “And you know what? This is
America. The thought of a little child not
being able to have a sparkler forever? The
illegal fi reworks are what we want to get
rid of.”
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Robert Dorn, the CEO of Hyak Maritime, gestures to a ramp that boats use to enter and exit the water at Tongue Point.
Project could off er local repairs, create jobs
By ABBEY McDONALD
The Astorian
f a driver in Astoria gets a fl at tire,
they can fi nd solace in the fact that
they won’t need to hitchhike to
Seattle to get it fi xed.
Large boats don’t have that luxury.
When harsh weather damages a
Columbia River Bar Pilots boat, for
example, there isn’t a repair shop on
the shore. The service instead hauls
the pilot boat onto another boat,
which carries it to the Puget Sound for
repairs.
I n recent years, federal regulations
for boat inspections have also tight-
ened. Boats now must be taken out of
the water every 2 1/2 years to be eval-
uated. Such inspections require special
equipment, but after a dozen shipyards
in the Pacifi c Northwest closed in the
p ast two decades, there are few places
for operators to go.
Those are the two main factors that
Hyak Maritime CEO Robert Dorn
says demonstrate the need for a $21
million, publicly funded boat lift at
Tongue Point .
“We have many coastal tugs and
barges, many big commercial fi sh-
ing boats, but very limited options of
places to go. We’ve seen this com-
ing over 20 years, and now it’s in cri-
sis mode. It’s a fl at-out crisis and that’s
what I’m trying to convey with my ask
to the state of Oregon for a grant,” he
said.
Dorn has applied for nearly $14
I
The Sea Horse is being refurbished by WCT Marine & Construction.
million from Connect Oregon, the
state’s funding program for non high-
way transportation projects. His appli-
cation was backed by 20 letters of sup-
port from boat operators throughout
the West Coast, s tate Rep. Suzanne
Weber, former s tate Sen. Betsy John-
son, the Port of Astoria and other
stakeholders.
“Everyone I asked — up and down
the coast, up and down the river —
off ered a letter of support: ‘Yes, this is
critical, we need someone to do that.
Because we’re all in line, hoping noth-
ing breaks before we get into our dry-
dock slot in Portland or Seattle. Or
more and more, up in Vancouver, B.C.
“We’re leaving the country to go fi x
our boats, which is kind of preposter-
ous,’” he said .
Alternative method
The common technique to get boats
out of the water for inspections is
dry-docking, which involves draining
the water from a section of the port.
Dorn said that the process is slow, out-
dated and ecologically damaging.
See Boat lift, Page A6
ROBERT DORN HAS APPLIED FOR NEARLY $14 MILLION FROM CONNECT
OREGON, THE STATE’S FUNDING PROGRAM FOR NON HIGHWAY
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. HIS APPLICATION WAS BACKED BY 20
LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM BOAT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE
WEST COAST, S TATE REP. SUZANNE WEBER, FORMER S TATE SEN. BETSY
JOHNSON, THE PORT OF ASTORIA AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
See Fireworks, Page A3
Port fi les lawsuit against log exporter
Alleges damage
to asphalt on piers
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
The Port of Astoria has
fi led a lawsuit against Asto-
ria Forest Products, a log
exporter , for breach of
contract.
The suit alleges that the
asphalt on Pier 1 and Pier 3
became worn after a decade
of log operations and Asto-
ria Forest Products was con-
tractually responsible for
Colin Murphey/The Astorian
Log exports at the Port of Astoria declined during a U.S. trade
war with China.
repairs . The Port is seeking
more than $1 million.
“We’ve got to the point
where we feel like this is
our only option in terms of
recovering some of the cost
it would take to restore the
facilities as was outlined in
their lease agreement,” said
Will Isom, the Port’s execu-
tive director.
The Port and Westerlund
Log Handlers LLC entered
into a lease agreement for
the spaces on Pier 1 and
Pier 3 in 2010. In March
2014, Astoria Forest Prod-
ucts — a local subsidiary of
Murphy Overseas USA —
became a sublessee of the
space, soon acquiring most
of Westerlund’s operation
and employees.
The suit claims that the
company also inherited the
leases of its predecessor,
which included an obliga-
tion to make any repairs
to the premises. Astoria
See Port, Page A3
Da Yang Seafood fi ned
for wastewater violations
A $105,000
penalty for the
seafood processor
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
The state Department
of Environmental Quality
has fi ned Da Yang Seafood
$105,000 for improperly
discharging
wastewater
into the Columbia River .
The violations occurred
32 times between June
2018 and last June from
the seafood processor’s
facility at Pier 2 at the Port
of Astoria, according to the
state. When the wastewater
was dumped, the state said,
Da Yang failed to comply
with the permitting limits
for effl uent.
“Pollutant effl uent lim-
its in the permit are set at
levels necessary to protect
human health and the envi-
ronment,” Kieran O’Don-
nell, manager for the
Department of Environ-
mental Quality’s Offi ce of
Compliance and Enforce-
ment, said in a letter to Da
Yang. “By exceeding these
levels, Da Yang created a
risk that its effl uent would
harm water quality and
aquatic life.”
See Da Yang Seafood, Page A2