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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, MARcH 12, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
GUEST COLUMN
A regressive step for a progressive community
rior to 2019, for 25 years, Ore-
gon prohibited the construc-
tion of essential facilities such as
police and fire stations, schools, med-
ical facilities and jails within the tsu-
nami zones.
This came after the devastating
earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia
and Japan, and detailed studies done in
Oregon, including a pioneering effort
in Cannon Beach that demonstrated the
number and range of tsunamis on the
Oregon Coast.
Over the objection of emergency
preparedness professionals, committees
and scientists, the Oregon Legislature
passed House Bill 3309 in 2019. This
allows essential facilities to be built in
the tsunami zone without restrictions.
The Cannon Beach City Council has
apparently decided to build the new $16
million City Hall at the present loca-
tion on Gower Street — one of the most
vulnerable locations in the city. Gower
Street’s low elevation invites the full
impact of a tsunami to rush eastward,
crushing everything in its way. It is also
on liquifiable soil, which amplifies the
damage to buildings from earthquakes.
There is no way to protect the police
station or emergency operations cen-
ter from the force of this wave at Gower
Street. Scientists have determined that
19 out of the last 19 tsunamis gener-
ated by magnitude 9 earthquakes over
the last 10,000 years have washed over
this area with waves of 20 feet or more.
That is 100% probability.
By comparison, the Elk Land Drive
site has been inundated five times in
the last 10,000 years. It’s only a little
bit higher, but it is far less likely to be
inundated.
One idea is to put the police and
emergency operations center facili-
ties at the Southwind site, and a smaller
administrative office at Elk Land Drive.
The separation of administrative and
police and fire facilities in different but
safer locations is a smart, prudent and
resilient strategy. It puts eggs in differ-
ent baskets, and creates official com-
munication and leadership nodes at the
midpoint and south ends of the city.
P
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Cannon Beach has plans for a new City
Hall and police station.
MIKE
MORGAN
RAINMAR
BARTL
We applaud the Seaside School Dis-
trict for their extraordinary effort to
keep children safe by building the new
school complex above the tsunami
zone, as well as the city emergency ser-
vices departments for the recent deci-
PATRICK
CORCORAN
TOM
HORNING
sion to move the emergency center
above that level as well.
The City Council may feel that they
have a mandate to build a new City Hall
at Gower Street. We invite the Cannon
Beach City Council to rethink its deci-
sion to build a new City Hall in such a
vulnerable location just because they
can.
Cannon Beach has a reputation of
taking the Cascadia Subduction Zone
threat seriously. Rebuilding City Hall at
its present location would be a regres-
sive step in a progressive community.
Mike Morgan is a former mayor of
cannon Beach. Rainmar Bartl is a for-
mer city planner in cannon Beach. Pat-
rick corcoran is a retired Oregon State
university coastal hazards educator.
Tom Horning is an engineering geol-
ogist who serves on the Seaside city
council.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Take exception
take exception to comments made
by Dixie Gainer regarding Gov. Kate
Brown in the letter “Object strongly”
(March 3).
Firstly, she objects to the Legislature
granting themselves a pay raise, justified
by saying they are doing a terrible job.
She offers no examples of the “terrible”
job the Legislature is doing.
Second, she claims Gov. Brown is
doing a terrible job and, yet again, offers
no facts to support this claim.
Thirdly, she mentions job, home
and business losses due to COVID-
19 restrictions, while Oregon has had
some of the lowest numbers of cases and
deaths. This seems to support the gover-
nor’s controls.
If we’re to have an open discussion in
a public forum, facts and data are a basic
part of that.
RICHARD McINTOSH
Astoria
I
Serious thought
s a member of Gearhart’s Commu-
nity Emergency Response Team and
a retired physician assistant, one of my
operating beliefs is to be as prepared as I
am able for emergencies.
Toward that end, I have extra food,
a go-bag in my car, medical supplies
and have become a ham radio opera-
tor. Having done some mountaineer-
ing in my younger years, I also realize
that a person must rely on themself first
in an emergency. It is only afterward
that they can hope for some help from
professionals.
We in Gearhart are underprepared for
what will most likely be an event of cat-
astrophic proportions. Our present fire-
house will probably be rubble, and most
certainly be underwater should we have
even a medium grade earthquake and
tsunami. The equipment will be ruined.
In my mind, this is not being pre-
pared. It is crazy and shortsighted. I
would urge all Gearhart residents to give
this serious thought. Our city is growing
quickly, with many more residents who
may require help in the near future.
A new firehouse in a safer location is
necessary. Please join me in voting to
make this happen.
SHARON KLOEPFER
Gearhart
A
LETTERS WELCOME
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month. Letters written in response
Boils down
egarding the Heritage Square
dilemma: I have been diligently fol-
lowing the debate going on in The Asto-
rian for several weeks now, reading many
articles and the recent interview of Neal
Rotman, housing services manager at
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare (Feb. 26).
R
to other letter writers should address
the issue at hand and should refer to
the headline and date the letter was
published. Discourse should be civil.
Send via email to editor@dailyasto-
rian.com, online at bit.ly/astorianlet-
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Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
The debate centers on whether or
not Heritage Square is the best site to
provide low-cost housing, including a
mental health component and limited
parking.
I see the arguments from both sides.
There is no question additional housing
is needed for those making 30% of the
area median income and, hopefully, to
reduce the homeless problem.
On the other hand, it will have a neg-
ative impact on the Astoria Sunday Mar-
ket and do nothing to improve the short-
age of public parking in downtown
Astoria.
From my perspective, it boils down to
the fact that Astoria is hemmed in on all
sides and has very little buildable land.
Surely the community is creative enough
to come up with a solution that achieves
the most important goals of both sides.
At one point, as I recall, consider-
ation was given to building low-income
housing on land along Youngs River. It
was rejected because it was thought this
would remove the residents from work
opportunities or services they needed.
What if residents had free hourly trans-
portation to downtown Astoria? Of course,
the cost of providing this service would
need to be factored into the overall cost of
the project, but that might be reasonable
if it helps achieve important goals of both
sides.
CAROLYN EADY
Astoria