WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022
149TH YEAR, NO. 148
$1.50
Commissioners
advance vacation
rental ordinance
County would
recognize rentals
in more zones
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Fred Pynes is the park host at the Astoria Column.
Astoria Column host looking to
collect stories as anniversary nears
The landmark will
turn 100 in 2026
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
F
red Pynes wakes up to the Asto-
ria Column towering outside
of his window from his small
house on Coxcomb Hill.
Every day, as park host, he visits
with people who come to check out the
125-foot-high landmark and the views
it has to offer. For some, it’s their first
time up. Others have lost count.
Many have shared memorable
experiences at the monument since it
was dedicated to the city in July 1926.
Proposals, international visits, gradua-
tion ceremonies, weddings, unforget-
table sunsets and much more — the
Column has provided the background
for it all.
With the 100-year anniversary
drawing closer, Pynes figures there are
plenty of stories to be told. In the com-
ing months, he plans to collect as many
as he can in the hopes of compiling
them for the centennial celebration.
“That’s what we thought, maybe
somebody would tell us about their
first date, maybe their prom date,
maybe their first kiss, or just different
things about the Column,” Pynes said.
Pynes is unsure how many sto-
ries he will receive. Depending on the
amount, he hopes to assemble them
into a book.
Lending a hand in the project is
Sarah Brown, Pynes’ granddaughter.
Brown’s father, Kevin LaCoste, is part
of the Friends of the Astoria Column,
a nonprofit that helps oversee the park
for the city.
“The idea is to give the commu-
nity a takeaway from this anniver-
sary, so a commemorative book of
sorts,” Brown said. “Anything rang-
ing from major life events, a proposal,
the spreading of ashes — or things that
were momentous to somebody up at
The Astoria Column on Coxcomb Hill.
the Column because I know there are
lots and lots of those stories out there
— to funny stories.
“ … Any memory or just a nice
serene evening when the sunset was
perfect. Just stories like that that peo-
ple want to share.”
Brown envisions the book being
sold at the Column’s gift shop and at
retailers across town.
In addition to, as she puts it, being
the energy for the project, Brown is
handling the digital collection of sto-
ries, an element Pynes was tentative to
take on by himself.
Brown opened an email — asto-
riacolumnmemories@gmail.com —
to receive submissions of stories and
photos.
Pynes credits Jordan Schnitzer,
the Portland developer and philan-
thropist who serves as president of
the nonprofit, for coming up with the
idea. Schnitzer said the board hasn’t
discussed plans for the anniversary
yet, but will look at several potential
options to honor the centennial.
In the three days of festivities fol-
lowing the dedication in 1926, 8,000
people participated, the Column’s
website estimates.
Today, hundreds of thousands of
visitors stop by each year to take in the
360-degree view.
Despite many interruptions, such
as the Great Depression, World War
II and the coronavirus pandemic, the
Column benefited from several reno-
vation projects to preserve the struc-
ture and artwork over the years,
including a $1 million restoration in
2015.
The history and investment of the
community has resulted in a monu-
ment that people in Astoria are really
proud of, Pynes said. He hopes that is
reflected in the stories people share.
Originally from Eugene, Pynes
recalls seeing the Column for the first
time on a family trip to Long Beach,
Washington. Back then, it didn’t hold
much meaning to him.
“It was just a monument. I didn’t
know a thing about it,” he said with a
laugh.
Since then, the Column has taken
on a special significance in Pynes’ life.
He has served as park host for the past
See Astoria Column, Page A8
Bird flu concerns force restrictions at wildlife center
Disease found in Oregon
and Washington state
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
KMUN
Normally, the Wildlife Center of
the North Coast would be drowning
in ducklings.
The Olney-based rescue and
rehabilitation center sees several
hundred a year and late spring is
always an especially busy time.
But avian influenza is on the
move across the nation. Millions of
birds have died from the disease or
been culled to curb its spread. The
disease was detected in Oregon in
Wildlife Center of the North Coast
Ducklings are regular patients at the
Wildlife Center of the North Coast at
this time of year, but cases of avian
influenza in the region mean the
center has new restrictions on what
kinds of birds it can accept.
May for the first time since 2015.
With cases now reported in Ore-
gon and Washington state, wildlife
centers across the region are taking
precautions.
To protect patients as well as
ambassador birds used in educa-
tional outreach, the Wildlife Center
of the North Coast has had to make
some temporary changes to what
kinds of animals — specifically,
what kind of birds — it accepts.
Under new state restrictions
meant to stem the spread of the bird
flu in Oregon, the wildlife center’s
clinic cannot accept any sick or
injured waterfowl.
That means no ducklings, for
now.
“If it looks like a duck, walks
like a duck, we can’t take it in,” said
Josh Saranpaa, the executive direc-
tor of the wildlife center.
The center can still take song-
birds, but following further guid-
ance from the state, the center opted
to restrict raptors and scavengers
that consume waterfowl, as well as
species of shorebirds and seabirds
See Bird flu, Page A8
The Clatsop County
Board of Commission-
ers on Wednesday voted to
advance an ordinance that
would allow vacation rent-
als in unincorporated areas
where many rentals already
operate.
The ordinance would
add rental units of 30 or
fewer days to the county’s
development code, making
them a permitted use in 16
zones — from Knappa and
Svensen to Clatsop Plains
to Cove Beach. More than
170 vacation rentals operate
in the unincorporated por-
tions of the county, but only
in Arch Cape — a zone that
has allowed them for almost
20 years — does the devel-
opment code mention them.
Approving the change
would codify an existing
practice — to the dismay
of residents, particularly in
the Cove Beach neighbor-
hood, where vacation rent-
als compose roughly a third
of homes. Several residents
there had hoped county
commissioners would ban
vacation rentals from resi-
dential zones.
The first reading comes
weeks after commission-
ers updated vacation rental
operating standards meant
to help prevent trouble-
some behavior, such as loud
noise and littering, among
visitors.
Commissioner
John
Toyooka said on Wednesday
that enforcement of those
standards is the overriding
concern in his exchanges
with residents. “There are
compliance issues we must
attend to, and I think as a
board we have to look at
that very closely,” he said.
As the Oregon Coast has
marketed itself as an attrac-
tive destination, coastal
economies have come to
count on tourist dollars.
Some neighborhoods have
felt the pressures of visi-
tors more than others. As
vacation rentals have mul-
tiplied on the North Coast,
some residents fear that too
many rentals will strain the
natural environment and
make quiet beach living
impossible.
The county has held
about two dozen meetings,
from town halls to work
sessions, on the issue since
See Ordinance, Page A8
County discloses
virus outbreaks
at care homes
Public health
recommends
masks at indoor
gatherings
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
The Clatsop County
Public Health Department
has disclosed three coro-
navirus outbreaks at care
homes on the North Coast.
At Clatsop Care Retire-
ment Village in Asto-
ria, 14 residents and three
staff tested positive. All
infected residents have
been vaccinated and dou-
ble boosted. Two of the
staff have been vaccinated
and received a booster; one
has not received a dose of
the vaccine.
Lauren Beard, the facil-
ity’s administrator, said no
one has been hospitalized
because of the outbreak.
At Clatsop Care Mem-
ory Community in Warren-
ton, six residents and two
staff tested positive. All
eight individuals had been
vaccinated. The residents
had been boosted.
One resident was hos-
pitalized, but she has
returned and is recovering,
Hannah Olson, the facili-
ty’s administrator, said.
At
both
facilities,
infected individuals quar-
antine in their room for 10
days, and staff wear per-
sonal protective equipment
when in their presence.
The facilities are under the
umbrella of the Clatsop
Care Health District.
“We’re giving them the
best care and taking care of
these people, and we will
continue to do so,” Olson
said.
See Outbreaks, Page A8
Astoria names new police chief
Kelly served in
Newport News
Spalding retired from the post
in April after leading the depart-
ment since 2017. He moved into
a part-time role focusing on
By NICOLE BALES
issues such as homelessness and
community livability.
The Astorian
Deputy Chief Eric Halverson
Stacy Kelly, who served as has served as the police depart-
the assistant police chief for the ment’s interim chief.
The city completed a
Newport News Police
recruitment process ear-
Department in Virginia,
lier this year for a new
will become Astoria’s
police chief but did not
next police chief.
select a candidate. Estes
Kelly, who has more
said none of the candi-
than 20 years of experi-
dates were the right fit
ence in law enforcement,
for Astoria.
is expected to begin on
Stacy Kelly
The city reopened the
July 1.
job posting and Kelly
“We are looking for-
ward to having Stacy join the applied and was selected in the
team and be part of the Asto- second round.
ria community,” City Manager
Over the course of his career
Brett Estes said in a statement.
Former Police Chief Geoff
See Chief, Page A7