A6
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
Boat lift: Money comes
from state’s share of
the federal American
Rescue Plan Act
Continued from Page A1
current, great opportunity
for creating a shipyard that
can help the industry main-
tain their fl eets.”
The $7 million for Hyak
comes from the state’s
share of the federal Amer-
ican Rescue Plan Act ,
part of which was allo-
cated to local governments
and organizations for
water-related infrastruc-
ture projects.
The state package also
included over $360,000 to
Garibaldi for over 600 new
wireless water meters and
the creation of a wastewa-
ter master plan.
“All of these projects
are in line with my prior-
ity of supporting improve-
ment of infrastructure and
economic development in
rural Northwest Oregon,”
s tate Rep. Suzanne Weber,
R-Tillamook, said in a
statement. “I’ve worked as
hard as possible to ensure
that our communities and
our needs aren’t forgotten
when budgeting occurs.”
Dorn said that Hyak
has also secured a com-
mitment from the U.S.
Army Corp of Engineers to
spend $9 million to dredge
the 2-mile Cathlamet
Bay channel approach to
Tongue Point’s piers.
Hyak is still waiting for
approval on a $13.9 mil-
lion grant from Connect
Oregon, which the Oregon
Transportation Commis-
sion will be reviewing for
the next few months.
“If we’re successful
in Connect, we’re fully
funded,” Dorn said, add-
ing that Hyak has already
submitted applications for
the necessary environmen-
tal and water permits and
has engineered the piers to
support the lift.
“So we’re optimistic on
the Connect g rant being
the fi nal piece of the puz-
zle,” he said.
Dorn said he views
the $7 million grant as a
loan that Hyak will repay
through jobs created, pay-
roll taxes and property
taxes.
An independent eco-
nomic
impact
study
by the Columbia-Pa-
cifi c Economic Devel-
opment District, or Col-
Pac, included fi gures for
Hyak’s future spending
and contributions.
The study estimates
the project will create 51
full-time jobs at Hyak
upon installation, with an
average salary of around
$78,000.
It also projects an addi-
tional 50 jobs fi ve years
after installation, bringing
the total to over 100 full-
time jobs.
The Col-Pac study pre-
dicts that the lift will add
$400,000 in annual local
and state tax revenue by
2025, and $700,000 annu-
ally by 2030.
Dorn said that the lift
project will also support
U.S. Coast Guard ves-
sels at the incoming f ast
r esponse c utter base,
expected to be constructed
next to Hyak.
Landslides: Work could begin this summer, fall
Continued from Page A1
Steep slopes and poor
soil make the north side of
Astoria particularly vulner-
able to sliding. Last year, a
landslide uprooted an entire
house and left it sitting on
the sidewalk.
But the city recently
landed more than $600,000
in federal aid to upgrade
drainage systems at land-
slide-prone sites.
The money is part of a
larger omnibus spending
package that will fund proj-
ects throughout Northwest
Oregon. U.S. Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici, an Oregon Dem-
ocrat, had advocated for the
inclusion of the projects .
In Astoria, the money will
help fund upgrades to dewa-
tering systems at two prior-
ity sites, one near Columbia
Memorial Hospital on the
east end of town and another
at First and Commercial
streets . These systems were
constructed in the 1950s
after three major slides hit
and displaced many homes.
Astoria has 120 identifi ed
landslide deposits within
city limits.
City leaders like Mayor
Bruce Jones hope this initial
fl ush of federal funding will
lead to even more opportu-
nities to address landslide
areas in the future.
“In the scheme of things,
when you consider how
many landslide areas there
are in Astoria, it’s a relatively
small amount of money,”
Jones said. “It’s going to
make a big improvement in
those areas, but there’s a lot
more to be done.”
“Certainly,” he added,
“we don’t want to give any
false sense of security that it
eliminates any risk of land-
slides, but it does mitigate
it and we think it’s a signif-
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Astoria is at risk from landslides.
icant mitigation and we’re
very appreciative of the
funding.”
Jeff Harrington, Asto-
ria’s public works director,
echoed Jones’ comments.
“This is in no way going
to prevent all landslides
from happening,” Har-
rington said. “It’s just a step
in the right direction.”
He said work at the two
sites will include replac-
ing storm inlet structures,
storm piping and utilizing
other types of dewatering
techniques to try to capture
as much water as possible
during wet weather .
“We’ve learned that 5
inches of rain in a 48-hour
period … tends to be what
triggers some of our land-
slides in our area,” Har-
rington said.
He hopes work can
begin this summer and fall.
But these types of projects
require extensive review by
various agencies. Work may
not begin until next year.
The federal money will
fund a large portion of the
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Heritage Square: ‘Astoria needs housing’
Continued from Page A1
Edlen & Co. and the
city plan to share summa-
ries of the feedback and
the responses at each sta-
tion during the second open
house on March 24.
The open houses will
serve as a way for the devel-
oper to fi nalize the basic out-
line before the City Council
decides whether to take the
next step on the project in
April.
Muschi
Mayfl ower,
a longtime resident, was
one of the many people
who examined the poten-
tial design on Monday. She
is concerned the process is
being rushed.
Mayfl ower would like to
see a compromise. She sug-
gested reducing the number
of proposed housing units
and dedicating the rest of the
block to a public square.
“That is the central square
to this very, very special and
unique town,” Mayfl ower
said. “It shouldn’t have a big
block of housing that fi ts in
with nothing there. If we had
a square it would change the
entire town. It would change
the entire town’s opinion of
downtown.”
Maggie Gazdagh echoed
Mayfl ower’s
comments,
drawing a parallel to Pio-
neer Courthouse Square in
downtown Portland, which
is referred to as the city’s
living room. “It really does
bring people together,” she
said.
Gazdagh said that while
she is supportive of low-
er-income housing and help-
ing people who are home-
less, she does not think all
the housing and services
should be concentrated
downtown.
Janeen Phillips, who
lives near Heritage Square
on 12th Street, is concerned
about the impacts a loss of
parking will have on the
neighborhood and down-
town businesses.
“That parking lot is fi lled
every day, and it’s fi lled on
the weekends. Where are
these people going to park? ”
Phillips said of the large
parking lot along 12th. “If
that’s all taken away, I know
where they’re going to park,
and that is front of people’s
homes.”
The most recent out-
line for the project would
involve a single building for
housing on the east side of
the block, sparing a smaller
parking lot off 11th Street
next to the American Legion
and across from the Astoria
Senior Center.
Martha Van Dyke, a
member of the s enior c enter,
took issue with the critical
letters sent from the senior
center in response to the
project, adding that seniors
have access to other nearby
parking lots.
“Astoria is changing,”
Van Dyke said. She said jobs
in tourism pay less and that
she has spoken with many
younger people who say
they would qualify for the
housing.
“They like the town.
T hey like coming here. B ut
they can’t aff ord the rents,”
she said.
As for the supportive
housing units, Van Dyke
said, “I think people who
are trying to transition, try-
ing to change, they need to
be in society, in town, mix-
ing with real people, becom-
ing accepted.
“They’re real, these peo-
ple are real. I’m real — hey,
it’s OK ,” Van Dyke said.
“Maybe we can all adjust
here. You know, all this fear
... how do we get past all this
fear?”
Renée Barasch, the owner
of Simply Human Art, a tat-
too studio in the Van Dusen
B uilding at 10th and Duane
streets, is also supportive of
the project.
“Astoria needs housing
for people who aren’t going
to buy a house,” said Bar-
asch, who lives at the Mer-
wyn Apartments, a lower-in-
come housing project next
to City Hall on Duane that
opened last year. “We need
housing. We need access
to mental health care. The
Merwyn is an awesome
opportunity, and I think it’s
also an example of what is
not working or what the city
needs to look out for.”
Barasch said that while
many of the behavioral
issues early on at the Mer-
wyn have improved, it
showed the need for the type
of support Clatsop Behav-
ioral Healthcare staff would
provide for tenants at Heri-
tage Square.
“There’s nothing bad. It’s
all just lessons and looking
at like, how do you provide
housing for a variety of peo-
ple — people who are work-
ing minimum wage jobs and
people who are also tran-
sitioning out of homeless-
ness? ” Barasch said. “And
that’s a lot to cover in one
project. So just the fact
we’re having a conversation
about it gives me peace of
mind.”
Autumn Eve Montgom-
ery Hurd, who works part
time at Columbia River Cof-
fee Roaster and has an art
studio downtown, said hous-
ing should be prioritized
over parking.
Hurd said that while the
concept at Heritage Square
may not be everyone’s ideal
choice, it’s what the city
needs.
“We need more than just
the top percent of Asto-
ria that’s out here talking
about it — the eldest gen-
eration that’s here,” Hurd
said. “People that are actu-
ally going to need the hous-
ing should be here and part
of the conversation.”
‘Beat the Wave’: Reports could lead to more funding
Continued from Page A1
“Beat the Wave” goes a
step further.
The maps show the min-
imum speed a person must
move, over pavement and
trails, from particular loca-
tions to avoid a watery
death. “Some of (the loca-
tions) are dire,” Brown said.
Color-coded pathways
show where to slow-walk
(up to 1.4 mph ), where to
sprint (6.8 to 10 mph ), and
a range of paces in between.
Illustrations in the reports
show where water may end
up once the ground stops
shaking. In Astoria, for
example, waves could touch
the Columbia River Mari-
time Museum within 38 to
42 minutes after an extra-ex-
tra-large earthquake begins,
reaching Columbia Memo-
rial Hospital by 44 minutes.
In Cannon Beach, a route
that the agency used to rec-
ommend — which takes
pedestrians east on Second
Street to U.S. Highway 101,
then south to higher ground
— is not ideal, according to
Laura Gabel, a coastal geol-
ogist with the agency.
The agency decided that a
more effi cient route out of the
low-lying Ecola Creek valley
runs south on Spruce Street
to the same high ground,
Gabel said in an email.
“We also pointed out the
risk associated with having
a key evacuation route adja-
cent to the water treatment
plant ; this route is likely to
be compromised due to sig-
nifi cant damage of the plant
from the earthquake and a
high likelihood of liquefac-
tion,” she wrote.
Rick Hudson, Cannon
Beach’s emergency man-
ager, said the maps also show
the need to reinforce the Fir
Street Bridge. The struc-
ture crosses Ecola Creek and
links downtown to the city’s
north end, which rises above
the inundation zone.
The city has been trying
to get funding for the project
through the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency.
“We’re hopeful this report
will help us get those grants
in the future,” he said.
Hudson got a preview of
the report several months
ago. He said the city may
post “Beat the Wave” evac-
uation maps as signage at
places, like parking lots,
where visitors gather.
The city plans to use the
Department of Geology and
Mineral Industries’ informa-
tion, Hudson said, to com-
plete the task for which the
science was done. “It has
helped us guide — working
together — how we actually
improve our routes,” he said.
work and the city will pay
for the rest.
This story is part of a
collaboration between The
Astorian and Coast Commu-
nity Radio.
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Spring Cleaning
Phones and Displays
Lightly dampen a microfiber cloth
with distilled water. For tough
smudges, apply 90% isopropyl
alcohol to your cloth and clean
with that. DO NOT APPLY LIQUIDS
DIRECTLY TO THE SCREEN
Use compressed air to blow out dust,
etc. in charging ports of your device-
avoid toothpicks, paperclips etc.
Avoid Windex or other window
cleaners. They contain ammonia and
Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat/Sun Closed can damage your screen.
77 11th Street, Suite H
Astoria, OR
503-325-2300
AstoriasBest.com
Avoid paper towels or tissues. They
are too rough and can scratch your
screen.
Q: Does the Oregon
Health Plan
(OHP) cover
chiropractic
care?
ASTORIA
CHIROPRACTIC
Alicia M. Smith, DC
Owner
A: Yes! OHP does cover
chiropractic and
503-325-3311 massage in our office. Just
call us with your info and
2935 Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon we will get you scheduled.
Q: What causes
bad breath?
A:
JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR
DMD, FAGD
L E I NA S S A R
DENTAL EXCELLENCE
503/325-0310
1414 MARINE DRIVE,
ASTORIA
www.smileastoria.com
Basically, all food eaten
begins to be broken down
in your mouth. Bacteria, which
accumulate with food, form a sticky
film called plaque which leads to
gum disease. This process creates
what is known as volatile sulfur
compounds resulting in bad breath.
Poor brushing habits, a coated
tongue, strong-odor foods, smoking
and heavy alcohol drinking all
contribute to bad breath. If this
is you, do something about it by
calling your dentist to schedule an
evaluation.
Q: What are some simple
ways I can maintain
mental health?
A:
Delores Sullivan
MSW, LCSW
503-741-5923
564 Pacific Way
Creating a daily routine of self care
helps you locate good mental health:
Here are some suggestions:
1. Maintain a consistent sleep and
wake schedule
2. Eat regular healthy meals to fortify
brain chemistry
3. Take a walk, listen to music, watch
something funny
Coffee Shoppe)
4. Stay connected to those you love
and who encourage you
Gearhart OR 97138
5. Avoid abusing substances such as
alcohol/other drugs
(inside By The Way
www.deloressullivantherapy.com
6. Practice self compassion, and daily
affirmations