A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022 IN BRIEF Port hires consultant for airport master plan The Port of Astoria Commission has unanimously approved hiring Mead & Hunt, a planning, design and construction services consultant from Portland, to update the master plan for the Astoria Regional Airport. The plan will look at a number of aspects concern- ing the airport, as well as developing a wildlife hazard management plan. The consultant will cost $486,717, with the major- ity of the funding coming from the Federal Avia- tion Administration and the Oregon Department of Aviation. Matt McGrath, the Port’s deputy director, said he expects the plan to be wrapped up by the end of 2023. NORDIC LIGHT County seeks feedback on comprehensive plan Clatsop County is asking residents to weigh in on the county’s comprehensive plan as the process of updating the document draws to a close. Public meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on May 19 at the Knappa High School Library and 6 p.m. on June 2 at the Jewell School Library. A virtual meeting is slated for 6:30 to 8 p.m. on June 14. In addition, the county said it will off er a survey online and in paper form. A Spanish version will be available. The feedback will be discussed at the Board of Commissioners’ June 22 meeting. Remains of Svensen woman found The skeletal remains of a Svensen woman who dis- appeared more than three years ago were found last month on an island in the Columbia River, the Ore- gon State Police Medical Examiner’s Offi ce has determined. On March 12, 2019, Maya Sanders went missing. Investigators said the 29-year-old was last seen in the vicinity of North Tongue Point. Last month, Sanders’ body was found on Lois Island, just east of Tongue Point. Law enforcement had long suspected Sanders went into the water. Video footage showed her walk- ing out onto a pier, leaving the camera’s view, and not returning. No criminal activity is suspected, police said. — The Astorian CORRECTION Incorrect day — The 4-H Association is holding a In Family Brief Bingo Night fundraiser Saturday on the third fl oor at the Astoria Elks Lodge. The doors will open at 6 p.m. An item on B8 on Thursday incorrectly said the Correction event would be on Friday. ON THE RECORD Assault fraudulent use of a credit On the • Dustin Ryan Record Aman- card and two counts of sec, 40, of Hoquiam, Washington, was arraigned on Wednesday for fourth-degree assault constituting domestic vio- lence. The crime is alleged to have occurred in Clat- sop County in July 2019. Aggravated harassment • Michael Wade Ham- mond, 34, of Portland, was indicted on Tuesday for aggravated harass- ment. The crime is alleged to have occurred in April. Robbery • Gretchen Beth Brooks, 45, of Seaside, was indicted on March 3 for third-degree robbery, harassment and third-de- gree theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in March 2020. Computer crime • Jason Allan Carley, 46, of Warrenton, was arraigned on Monday for two counts of com- puter crime, two counts of third-degree theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in November 2020. Theft • Derrick Ray Max- himer, 33, of Seaside, was arrested on Wednesday at Walmart in Warrenton for second-degree theft and fi rst-degree criminal trespass. • Michael Keith Mul- vania, 32, of Portland, was indicted on Thursday for fi rst-degree theft, fi rst-de- gree criminal mischief, fi rst-degree attempted theft and second-de- gree criminal mischief. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Clatsop County in April 2021. • Casandra May McCalip, 39, of Ilwaco, Washington, was indicted on Thursday for fi rst-de- gree theft. The crime is alleged to have occurred in Clatsop County in August 2021. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. TUESDAY Clatsop County Planning Commission, Countywide Advisory Committee, 9 a.m., (virtual meeting). Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2022 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Lloyd Bowler The fi rst night of lights at the Astoria Nordic Heritage Park, which is under construction off Marine Drive. Arch Cape: Water district expects to close on the property by June Continued from Page A1 Astoria oversees a similar system at its 3,700-acre Bear Creek watershed, which pro- vides the city’s drinking water. However, there is no public access or recreation on the site. Few coastal communi- ties have full control of their watershed. W hile the con- cept of community forestry is still somewhat uncommon in the Pacifi c Northwest, Phil Chick, Arch Cape’s water district manager, believes people will start to see more in the future. “It’s a very proactive approach to drinking water protection and our board should be commended for having that sort of fore- sight,” Chick told The Asto- rian. “This is really, at its core, a natural infrastructure project for water quality and water quantity for the future. “And that’s a big part of how we received our fund- ing for this and received legislative support, because this is more than just a con- servation project. This is an investment in natural infra- structure and green infra- structure ... to ensure we have enough water and enough quality water for the future.” The property will tie into an additional 3,500 acres the North Coast Land Conser- vancy acquired for its Rain- forest Reserve project above Arch Cape and adjacent to Oswald West State Park. Chick expects the water district to close on the prop- erty by June. Dan Seifer, the water dis- trict’s board president, said the board is grateful to the DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 forest beginning in May, a public process that will last several months. The dis- trict will work with the l and c onservancy, Lewis and Clark Timberlands and the National Park Service to complete the plan. Chick said the recre- ation component has been concerning for some in the community, which resulted in some opposition to the project. “Just by the way it’s set up here and Highway 101 and the access points, this can’t be a Yellowstone National Park,” Chick said. “I don’t think anyone has any wor- ries that anything like that is going to happen. He said the goal with the process is to maintain the character of the land and its traditional local uses and gather community feedback. Candidates: Both spoke of how government can fail to take local needs into account Continued from Page A1 Parents Organization, a group with culturally conservative views that has challenged the Knappa School District’s cur- riculum and approach to pan- demic response. Javadi and Gaither are competing in the May pri- mary to replace state Rep. Suzanne Weber, a Tillamook Republican who is giving up her state House seat to cam- paign in Betsy Johnson’s former state Senate District 16. Johnson, a former Dem- ocratic state senator from Scappoose, is running for governor as an independent. Logan Laity, a community organizer and small-business owner in Tillamook, is unop- posed in the Democratic pri- mary for state House. Both Javadi and Gaither spoke of how government can fail to take local needs into account. “I think sometimes gov- ernment plays an important role,” Javadi said, “but we need to, over time, look at the ways that the government maybe has become more of an obstacle than a help.” The state’s land use laws contribute to the housing cri- sis, he said. In some zones, laws pre- vent property owners from splitting their lots, where roads and utilities are already on hand, into smaller lots. There are people, he said, who own large lots and wish they could sell off a couple of acres for housing develop- ment but are unable . Javadi said he has spo- ken with mayors who believe that, if not for land use laws, they could devise ways to use existing land, or swap land with the state, to have more sites to build housing of vary- ing densities. He said that, regardless of political party, he wants to “just be available for individ- uals in the district who have a problem they need help solving.” Javadi recalled a time he applied for a permit to con- nect a commercial property to U.S. Highway 101. After a many-month delay, Javadi reached out to Johnson. “We gave her a call and just asked if there’s any way we could work within the system to get that permitting,” he said. “Within a couple of days, we had a permit.” Gaither said that the prev- alence of substance abuse is among his top concerns. “We have a major epidemic of addiction in this state,” he said. “We don’t have the resources to treat those individuals.” He pointed to the short- comings of Measure 110, passed by voters in 2020, which decriminalized hard drugs in Oregon, traded drug arrests for tickets and off ered a voluntary path to treatment. But few off enders have availed themselves of services. “It didn’t do what they said it was going to do,” he said. “Those people are suff ering.” Gaither, who has worked with inmates, believes that people with severe sub- stance use disorders need to be placed where they have to address their addiction. Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 project partners and funding agencies. “On a personal level, it’s kind of heartwarming in this era of political discord to have a collaborative eff ort actually come together and do something good,” he said. “It’s been a long and diffi cult process, but the end result is, as I said, heartwarming.” Katie Voelke, the exec- utive director of the North Coast Land Conservancy, said the nonprofi t is excited to see the water district pur- sue the purchase. “Arch Cape forest is a great example for all the small communities on the coast,” she said. “Showing there is a way to secure a clean, clear abundant water future for our towns.” The water district will begin developing a recre- ation and access plan for the WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 “We can’t continue to just put people on the sidewalk to sleep at night, say that’s OK, and not treat their issues,” he said. “We have to get them into an area … where there’s going to have to be accountability.” Gaither, who ran unsuc- cessfully as an independent for the Washington House of Representatives in 2012, has called himself a “Constitu- tionalist.” He aligns himself on social media with right- wing views around guns and mask and vaccination man- dates. On Facebook, he has alluded to a “RINO (Repub- lican in Name Only) virus” and does not support “middle of the road” politicians like Weber, Javadi and Johnson. As of Thursday, Javadi had received more than $16,000 in campaign contri- butions, many from business groups. Intisar Strategies, a Salem- based company that provides political consulting, is helping with Javadi’s campaign . The fi rm, which advocates for the political center-right, worked on Weber’s campaign, as well as the campaigns of Clat- sop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs and Com- missioner John Toyooka. Gaither’s campaign com- mittee had so far listed no contributions. Asked who should be the Republican presidential nom- inee in 2024, Gaither said he would support U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz , a Texas Republi- can, and is aware that former President Donald Trump may run again. “Whoever’s going to be ahead and try to get the ideas and the policies to go in the right direction, that’s who I’m going to vote for,” he said. Asked the same question, Javadi said, “Since I don’t know who’s running on the Republican side, I hope it’s somebody diff erent than Donald Trump.” He said the Republican Party has “let identity politics and characters that don’t nec- essarily represent some of the more conservative values to kind of run amok a little bit.” Javadi said he doesn’t care too much about who occu- pies the White House. “I care a lot more about what’s hap- pening here on the Oregon Coast, and if we can eff ect a little bit of change in Salem, then that’s where I want to go to do it.” Please ADOPT A PET! DALLAS American shorthair male Tuxedo Dallas is cool, calm and a whole collection of fine feline qualities, aka a real smooth operator. See more on the Clatsop Animal Assistance Facebook and Instagram CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS 1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm www.dogsncats.org This space sponsored by CLATSOP ANIMAL ASSISTANCE