A6
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021
Brown extends pandemic emergency
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
Gov. Kate Brown has
extended a declaration of
emergency as the omicron
variant emerges in the corona-
virus pandemic.
The latest order will remain
in eff ect through June 30 —
more than two years after the
fi rst one, at the onset of the
pandemic in March 2020 —
unless rescinded or extended.
Brown said in a state-
ment released Tuesday that
the extension was necessary
to allow for fl exibility in the
response to a surge of cases
and hospitalizations. But she
said the potential surge need
not be as severe if people get
vaccinated, get a booster shot
and wear masks.
“As Oregon prepares for
what could be our worst surge
in hospitalizations during this
pandemic, I know that this is
not the beginning of the new
year any of us had hoped for,”
the governor said.
“Time and again over
the last two years, Orego-
nians have proven that we
will stand with each other in
our most diffi cult times. Your
actions have saved lives, and
it is because we have worked
together to keep each other
safe that Oregon still has some
of the lowest infection and
mortality rates in the nation.”
The declaration will enable
the state to use SERV-OR vol-
unteer medical providers in
hospitals, provide fl exibil-
ity in state licensing of health
professionals, and ensure
access to federal disaster
relief funds, such as enhanced
food benefi ts under the Sup-
plemental Nutrition Assis-
THE LATEST ORDER WILL REMAIN
IN EFFECT THROUGH JUNE 30 —
MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER
THE FIRST ONE, AT THE ONSET OF
THE PANDEMIC IN MARCH 2020 —
UNLESS RESCINDED OR EXTENDED.
tance Program.
Brown had rescinded most
of her other COVID-related
emergency declarations at the
end of June .
Some measures aimed
at thwarting the spread of
COVID-19 and its variants do
not rely on emergency decla-
rations, such as the wearing of
masks and mandatory vacci-
nations for public school staff
and health care workers. They
are covered by agency admin-
istrative rules issued under
existing state laws.
An
agreement
with
unions extended the time
for state workers to obtain
vaccinations.
Brown did invoke other
authority for Oregon National
Guard members to support
hospital workers, and for the
Oregon Health Authority to
bring in skilled health care
workers to help hospitals and
long-term care centers.
The health authority,
meanwhile, reported fi ve
new virus cases for Clatsop
County on Tuesday, 21 new
cases over the weekend and
three new cases on Friday.
Since the pandemic began,
the county had recorded 2,771
virus cases as of Tuesday.
Fighting the omicron vari-
ant surging through the coun-
try, President Joe Biden
announced the government
will provide 500 million
free rapid home-testing kits,
increase support for hospitals
under strain and redouble vac-
cination and boosting eff orts.
At the White House on
Tuesday, Biden detailed major
changes to his COVID-19
winter plan, his hand forced
by the fast-spreading variant,
whose properties are not yet
fully understood by scientists.
Yet his message was clear that
the winter holidays could be
close to normal for the vacci-
nated while potentially dan-
gerous for the unvaccinated.
His pleas are not politi-
cal, he emphasized. He noted
that former President Donald
Trump has gotten his booster
shot, and he said it’s Ameri-
cans’ “patriotic duty” to get
vaccinated.
“It’s the only responsi-
ble thing to do,” the president
said. “Omicron is serious and
potentially deadly business
for unvaccinated people.”
Biden chastised social
media and people on cable TV
who have made misleading
statements to discourage peo-
ple from getting vaccinated.
The Oregon Capital
Bureau is a collaboration
between EO Media Group
and Pamplin Media Group.
The Astorian and the Associ-
ated Press contributed to this
report.
Boat lift: Expected to be operational for over 50 years
Continued from Page A1
The alternative method
that Hyak has presented is a
travel lift, which places slings
underneath a ship to hoist it
from the water, and wheels to
take it to an on-site inspection
and repair area.
There are two operational
travel lifts nearby, in Newport
and Reedsport, that can lift up
to 750 tons.
Hyak hopes to bring in
larger boats in need of service
by building a lift that can hoist
up to 1,500 tons.
The
projected
costs
include the lift’s design and
build by Bergerson Construc-
tion, along with associated
expenses, including upgrad-
ing the pavement at Tongue
Point so it can bear greater
loads.
The cost is around $21
million. Dorn is seeking a
$13.9 million grant from
Connect Oregon.
Hyak intends to cover
some of the remaining costs
with additional public funds:
$350,000 from the Gov-
ernor’s Strategic Reserve
Fund and $7 million in fed-
eral funds from the American
Rescue Plan Act.
Hyak, WCT Marine &
Construction and Bergerson
Construction will also be con-
tributing construction costs .
Dorn said public funding
is needed to get the project
going and to keep operating
costs low for boat operators.
“The infrastructure and
this giant travel lift was about
$22 million,” Dorn said.
“Without public support, I
will never make a return on
that. I would have to charge
people enormous amounts of
money to come in because
these are expensive machines
to maintain.”
The lift is expected to be
operational for over 50 years,
given regular maintenance
from Hyak.
Dorn said the return to
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The Elton, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessel, is under
repair by WCT Marine & Construction.
the community will be the
creation of 100 new jobs at
WCT Marine & Construc-
tion and subcontractors, pay-
ing an annual average salary
of $70,000 a year. At the time
of the application, WCT had
15 full-time employees.
“The metric is job cre-
ation,” Dorn said. “We antic-
ipate it would have $7 mil-
lion a year immediately here
in salaries and wages, and that
creates a huge tax benefi t to
everybody.”
‘Skilled blue-collar
jobs’
Mayor Bruce Jones,
who wrote a letter of sup-
port for the project, said the
jobs in the maritime sector
would be a benefi cial coun-
terbalance to the increasing
importance of tourism-re-
lated jobs locally.
“(They
are)
skilled
blue-collar jobs that pay
good money, living wage
jobs, and also are tied
directly to the maritime her-
itage of Astoria,” he said.
“To me, it’s just probably
the most exciting potential
economic development in
the community for many,
many years.”
The mayor said addi-
tional benefi ts would come
from the site’s relationship
with the Marine and Envi-
ronmental Research and
Training Station — Clatsop
Community College’s mar-
itime career training pro-
gram, as well as Tongue
Point Job Corps Center’s
s eaman program.
In October, the Port’s let-
ter of support stated that the
project would be mutually
benefi cial.
“Such capacity will com-
plement the Port’s existing
capability to lift out smaller
vessels for routine mainte-
nance and minor repair (and
with the future expansion of
the boatyard, the Port will
be able to lift out heavier
vessels for maintenance and
minor repair, thereby ampli-
fying the complementary
eff ect ),” wrote Will Isom,
the Port’s executive director.
Hyak believes it will
be the fi rst all-electric,
zero-emission mobile lift
in the country. The project
plans include updated fi l-
tration systems to prevent
waste and particles from
entering the river.
Along with funding
applications, Hyak has
begun the permit process
for the project, including for
environmental impact .
Pending permit and grant
approval, the project is pro-
jected to be completed by
the s pring of 2024.