A6
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2022
Port: ‘We’ve really been
in that state of contraction
and trying to cut our costs
wherever we can’
Continued from Page A1
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The park is off Marine Drive downtown between 15th and 16th streets and near the Astoria Riverwalk.
Park: ‘Will be here for many, many centuries’
Continued from Page A1
ident of the heritage associa-
tion, told The Astorian.
“At one time, 35% of
Astorians identifi ed as Scan-
dinavian. The festival is
in its 55th year and people
keep telling us, ‘You come
to Astoria and it’s only one
weekend. What if I can’t
that weekend?’ People want
to see the Nordic connec-
tion year-round. So that’s
what we’re really hoping for
— the park will show that
Astoria was a Nordic town
and still has many Nordic
connections.”
Earlier this year, Bowler
and Judi Lampi, who led the
park committee, were hon-
ored by the Astoria-War-
renton Area Chamber of
Commerce when they were
presented the George Award
for community service for
their eff orts to build the park.
The heritage association
reached the fundraising goal
last summer after receiv-
ing donations from over 400
individual donors, 14 foun-
dations, 11 corporations and
two government agencies.
Under an agreement
with the city, the associa-
tion built the park over what
was formerly known as Peo-
ples Park. The improve-
ments were dedicated to the
city and the association has
agreed to carry out mainte-
nance and upkeep.
During the celebration,
Mayor Bruce Jones said the
park helps preserve Astoria’s
unique character and inspires
visitors to refl ect on their
own heritage.
“The story of how this
park was brought to life
from its original dreams and
today’s dedication is really
a refl ection of the essence
of the immigrant experience
that this park celebrates,” he
said. “Because it’s a story
of vision, perseverance, grit,
a desire to create something
Joan Paddock performed an improvisational piece on a lur, a
traditional Scandinavian wind instrument.
better, the willingness to roll
up your shirt sleeves and be
generous with your hard-
earned dollars and just get it
done.
“So it’s a very Asto-
rian story. It’s the story that
lies behind so many of the
accomplishments that col-
lectively have made Astoria
stand out as the great small
city that is.”
The park was designed by
The West Studio, a landscape
architecture fi rm based in
Seattle, and was constructed
by Rickenbach Construction
of Astoria.
The design tells the immi-
grant story in three parts —
“From Scandinavia to Asto-
ria” and “We Said Our Last
Goodbyes” to “We Came to
Work.”
Bowler said the grand
entrance from the Asto-
ria Riverwalk represents the
journey immigrants took
after they said their last
goodbyes.
Icons featured on panels
along the railings and below
interpretive signs are things
immigrants had to leave
behind or maybe brought
with them. Bowler said
the 22 diff erent icons were
picked with a lot of thought
and include a windmill for
the Danes and dala horses for
the Swedes.
The path from the
entrance leads to an a rrival
p laza, which features steamer
trunks and granite pillars
and fl ags representing Den-
mark, Finland, Iceland, Nor-
way, Sweden and the United
States. A midsummer pole
stands in the middle of the
plaza with a chicken on top
to represent fertility.
Bowler said most immi-
grants who came to Astoria at
the beginning of the 20th cen-
tury brought steamer trunks
with a few possessions. The
granite pillars and fl ags rep-
resent their pride in country,
heritage and traditions.
The path from the plaza
guides visitors under a g ate-
way a rch, which Bowler said
represents immigrants com-
ing to work. The arch fea-
tures fl ags that light up at
night.
The path continues past
interpretive panels that
explain the signifi cance of
Scandinavian immigrants to
the North Coast, along with
Astoria’s traditional Scandi-
navian neighborhoods and
typical immigrant profes-
sions. A bench off the path
is a place people can sit and
refl ect on their experience.
There are also six friendly
concrete trolls scattered
throughout the park that are
intended to bring joy and
smiles to children and others
who visit.
Loran Mathews, the pres-
ident of the heritage associa-
tion, thanked the crowd and
all the donors and volunteers .
He credited Bowler and
Lampi for making the vision
a reality.
“We think this park will
be here for many, many cen-
turies,” he said.
facility at this site, whether
it be retail, food, a pier to
walk on, et cetera,” Jeremy
McNett, an architect for the
project, said.
To kick off develop-
ment, Astoria Crab & Fish
is eyeing the construction
of cranes along the side of
the pier for unloading fi sh-
ing vessels.
The group is also looking
to potentially add a small-
scale processing facility
and a number of fi shing ser-
vices, such as cold storage,
shower and laundry facili-
ties and leasable space.
Following construction
of the cranes, the rest could
take time given the engi-
neering, planning and per-
mitting that needs to happen
fi rst, McNett said.
Down the road, Pier 1
could hold spaces for retail,
a restaurant and community
gathering.
The Port has been look-
ing to occupy Pier 1 since
log exports dried up during
a U.S. trade war with China.
“This is step one — a
very important step — to
bring commerce to Pier 1,”
Frank Spence, the presi-
dent of the Port Commis-
sion, said.
Discussions with Pacifi c
Dream Seafoods have been
ongoing for over a year ,
McGrath said, and were
done in conjunction with
the development of the
waterfront master plan.
The plan, a collaboration
between the Port and the
city, will seek to encourage
redevelopment along the
Columbia River between
Pier 1 and the Astoria
Bridge.
A large emphasis is to
make the area more suitable
for the community while
complementing the city’s
working waterfront.
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
The Port has sought to
redevelop Pier 1.
“A lot of the informa-
tion from the master plan
and what the community
has been discussing is hav-
ing something on the piers,
having something along the
central waterfront that is not
just going to appeal to just
the cruise visitors or just
tourists, but something that
can be used by the commu-
nity, as well, even when we
don’t have tourists, when
we don’t have cruise ships,”
McGrath said.
For Will Isom, the Port’s
executive director, the new
agreement is a sign of prog-
ress for the agency fol-
lowing years of fi nancial
struggle.
“It feels like, as we’ve
gone through the pandemic
and the natural business
cycle sometimes, you have
these periods of contraction
and expansion,” he said. “It
just feels like with the pan-
demic and a loss of log ship
revenue over these last few
years, we’ve really been in
that state of contraction and
trying to cut our costs wher-
ever we can.
“ … I am hopeful that as
we move forward we can
get more into that expansion
state where we’re really
looking at opportunities for
development and hopefully
looking to do some things
that we just couldn’t do as
we’ve navigated the waters
of the pandemic.”
DEL’S O.K. TIRE
Child care: County will contribute $500,000
Continued from Page A1
The county will contrib-
ute $500,000 in American
Rescue Plan Act dollars to
the grant program over the
next four years: $150,000 a
year for three years, $50,000
in the fourth year, Mander-
son said.
Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital in Astoria and Provi-
dence Seaside Hospital also
have pledged funds, Dan
Gaff ney, a task force leader
and former educator, said.
Additional
funding
sources may come from the
state and federal govern-
ments, cities and school dis-
tricts, philanthropic organi-
zations, local businesses and
private individuals.
To qualify, child care pro-
viders must be licensed or
working toward licensing,
Gaff ney said.
They must be listed in
Find Child Care Oregon and
be open for referrals, he said.
Providers
will
be
required to accept e mploy-
ment-r elated d ay c are pro-
gram funds, provided by the
state Department of Human
Services, for low-income
families.
In addition, they must
participate in a program
through Clatsop Commu-
Del Thompson, former owner of
OK Rubber Welders.
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The lack of child care options has created challenges for parents.
nity College’s Small Busi-
ness Development Cen-
ter designed to strengthen
their
business.
North-
west Regional Child Care
Resource and Referral will
pay for their participation
for the immediate future.
Northwest
Regional
Child Care Resource and
Referral is seeking a spe-
cialist to work with provid-
ers on professional devel-
opment and improving their
programs.
Commissioner
Court-
ney Bangs, who serves
on the task force, said on
Wednesday, “We’re going
to need the community to be
involved in solving this con-
tinuous issue of this ‘child
care desert’ that we have.”
The proposal will soon
come before county com-
missioners for approval.
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