149TH YEAR, NO. 145
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022
$1.50
Cannon
Beach
considers
increase to
utility rates
Water and wastewater
rates could go up
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By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
CANNON BEACH — With improve-
ment projects underway and infl ated
costs, the City Council is evaluating how
much to increase utility rates to keep up
with water and wastewater needs.
The i nitial recommendations by city
staff were to increase water rates by 15%
and wastewater rates by 9% in order to
raise the contingencies to the water and
wastewater reserve funds, but the city
will likely pursue smaller rate hikes.
During a special City Council meet-
ing Tuesday , city staff presented other
options to reduce the burden on ratepay-
ers while also keeping
the city on track to pay
for improvements and
MORE
other expenses.
INSIDE
“We’re doing a lot
Gearhart
of stuff ,” City Manager
mayor
Bruce St. Denis said.
resigns
“And we’re taking
• A6
care of things that have
been wrong for a long
time, like the genera-
tors, controls and some other things. And
so we’re using contingency because that
was the only funding source available.”
St. Denis said that in the case of water,
most of the work is based on loans, so
the need for contingency is less because
the loan can be adjusted if issues arise.
That means the city could avoid water
rate increases for the fi scal year start-
ing in July. However, water rates have
not increased in a few years, and with-
out an increase, St. Denis said it is harder
for the city to move forward in a prudent
manner.
See Utility rates, Page A6
The Lightship Columbia
has returned to the
Columbia River Maritime
Museum after being
repaired in Portland.
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Coast Guard fi nds negligence in fatal
capsizing of Warrenton fi shing boat
Two died near Tillamook Bay bar
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Facebook
The Coastal Reign capsized in February 2021 near the
Tillamook Bay bar.
A failure to navigate through
the south entrance of the Tilla-
mook Bay bar, combined with
fatigue and marijuana use,
likely led to the capsizing of a
Warrenton commercial fi sh-
ing vessel and the deaths of
two crew members last year, an
investigation by the U.S. Coast
Guard found.
On Wednesday evening, the
Coast Guard presented the fi nd-
ings of a formal marine casu-
alty investigation involving the
Coastal Reign during a town
hall at Garibaldi City Hall,
where the victims’ families
were present.
“The investigation confi rms
that the sinking of the (Coastal
Reign) was a preventable acci-
dent,” the report said.
The report recommends that
Brandon Anderson, the master
of the Coastal Reign, be referred
See Capsizing, Page A6
School plans for graduation look more traditional Housing
authority
Bouncing back
from the pandemic
appoints
director
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
High school and college grad-
uations took on many diff erent
forms over the past two years
amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of school districts
aimed for in-person graduation
while enforcing mask require-
ments and social distancing. Oth-
ers tried drive-in events. Some
were held entirely online.
This year, graduations are
expected to look like something
closer to traditional.
The feeling is also diff erent,
Craig Hoppes, the Astoria School
District’s superintendent, said.
“It’s a time, not only for grad-
uation, but an end-of-the-year cel-
ebration, and it means more this
year because we were able to stay
in school all year,” he said. “You
can really tell a diff erence with
kids graduating, as well as kids’
emotions and attitudes just being
in school all year.
“ … Kids love coming to
school and they’ll say that now.”
The school district’s gradu-
ation will take place at at 4 p.m.
on Saturday at CMH Field. Lives-
treaming will also be available on
the school district’s website.
Graduates will be provided
four tickets for on-fi eld seating.
Additional seating will be avail-
able in the grandstands.
Warrenton-Hammond School
District’s graduation will be at at
6 p.m. on June 10 at Warrenton
High School.
Tom Rogozinski, the Warren-
Gertler worked
in planning at
Oregon Metro
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Astoria School District
Astoria High School seniors gathered at the Flavel House Museum on Thursday as part of the annual Grad Walk.
‘IT’S A TIME, NOT ONLY FOR
GRADUATION, BUT AN END-OF-THE-
YEAR CELEBRATION, AND IT MEANS
MORE THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE WERE
ABLE TO STAY IN SCHOOL ALL YEAR.’
Craig Hoppes | Astoria School District’s superintendent
ton superintendent , said while
they were able to hold a success-
ful in-person graduation last year,
this year’s commencement holds
special signifi cance.
“All the uncertainty, even when
we were bringing some of this
back last year and maybe through
this year, there was still this, ‘OK ,
alright, sure, we’re planning it,’
but at the end there could still be
anything – you could get that rug
pulled out from under you,” he
said. “So I think (graduation) is
an indicator that there’s a certain
peace of mind that if we’re com-
mitting to it, we’re able to follow
through and do it the way we used
to do it.
“Circumstances are allowing
that now.”
The Knappa School District
See Graduation, Page A6
The Northwest Oregon
Housing Authority’s board
appointed a new executive
director Thursday after work-
ing with a consulting company
for more than a year to stabilize
operations.
Elissa Gertler, who has spent
nearly a decade as the planning
and development director for
Oregon Metro, will assume the
role on June 27. Prior to Oregon
Metro, Gertler served in pub-
lic and government aff airs in
Clackamas County, where she
worked closely with the local
housing authority.
Jim Evans, a director at
Quadel, a Washington, D.C.
based management and consult-
ing fi rm, has served as the agen-
cy’s interim director since 2020.
He will continue to work with
the agency as a consultant.
See Director, Page A6