150TH YEAR, NO. 4
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2022
$1.50
Cannon
Beach
refines plan
for former
school
Redevelopment project is
intended to honor tribal history
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
A #TimberUnity convoy in Salem in 2020.
After initial success,
#TIMBERUNITY
has splintered
Several original
leaders have left
advocacy group
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Jeff Leavy never thought he would
help launch a political movement.
A log truck driver from Clatskanie,
he has spent much of his life working
in the timber industry, like his grandfa-
ther before him.
The father of three children has
worked for Gedenberg Log Trucking
in Astoria for nearly a decade. Before
that, he struggled with drug addiction
that led to felony convictions for prop-
erty crimes. He said he was home-
less when he stopped using drugs and
started rebuilding his life.
While Leavy is not proud of his
past, he credits his struggle for giving
him the courage to take action when
he learned about a cap-and-trade bill in
Salemto reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions. He was convinced the legisla-
tion would trigger sizable increases in
fuel prices and have a disproportionate
CANNON BEACH — Plans to rede-
velop the former elementary school and
NeCus’ Park site into a tourist destination
honoring tribal history have begun to take
shape.
Over the past two months, the city and its
Portland-based design architect, CIDA Inc.,
have conducted a series of community out-
reach events and surveys with stakeholders
on how to rejuvenate the city-owned prop-
erty on Beaver Street.
The property is envisioned as a destina-
tion that honors the Clatsop-Nehalem Con-
federated Tribes, since the site was home to
the tribes’ ancestors. The budget for the proj-
ect is currently $5.5 million. In February, the
City Council authorized the city to borrow
an initial $4.6 million for the project to pre-
vent overborrowing. Lodging taxes will be
used to pay off the loan.
During a work session Thursday, City
Councilors gave CIDA the green light to
move into the design phase after the firm
presented a report outlining possibilities.
Dustin Johnson, the principal architect
with CIDA, said he is expecting lengthy dis-
cussions during the schematic design phase.
“As we start putting pen to paper and
really defining what these spaces are ...
we start picking things apart at that point,”
Johnson said. “And it starts to trigger ideas
from everyone.”
There are three buildings on the prop-
erty, including a 7,000 square-foot gymna-
sium and 4,500 square-foot one-story build-
ing with four classrooms and office space.
A 3,300 square-foot building is used by
the food bank and is not currently part of the
project. The other two buildings have been
vacant since 2013 and are in fair to poor
condition, according to the architecture firm.
See School, Page A6
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Jeff Leavy throws a cable to secure logs on a truck near Clatskanie in June.
impact on logging and trucking.
Leavy did not have any political
experience, but his organizing helped
launch #TimberUnity.
The movement, inspired by log-
gers, truck drivers and farmers, quickly
became a political force, providing the
grassroots energy that helped corporate
timber, manufacturing and utility inter-
ests fend off cap and trade.
Through convoys and demonstra-
tions, #TimberUnity helped create the
political climate that drove Republican
walkouts and doomed cap-and-trade
bills in 2019 and 2020. #TimberUnity
stickers were popular across the North
See #TimberUnity, Page A6
Redevelopment plans are moving forward at
the former Cannon Beach Elementary School.
Maritime Museum looks
to improve accessibility
Summer outreach hopes
to empower teenage girls
A task force works to augment the experience
The Harbor will host the group in Seaside
By ALEXIS WEISEND
The Astorian
The Columbia River Maritime
Museum has taken initiatives to
make the museum more accessible.
Since the creation of a Diver-
sity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibil-
ity and Belonging Task Force in
May 2021, the Astoria museum
has completed several projects.
Early steps were geared toward
visitors with anxiety or autism. A
Social Story is a project that cre-
ates a preview of what visitors
can expect when they arrive, like
what times are busiest and which
exhibits are loudest.
Sensory backpacks filled with
noise-reducing headphones and
small self-soothing toys are avail-
able to help visitors cope with
stressful situations. They also
come with verbal communication
cards with desires and emotions
for people who are nonverbal.
A sensory map shows visitors
accessible parking, bathrooms and
the different lighting and sound
levels in rooms.
Julia Triezenberg, an education
supervisor for the museum who
serves on the task force, said the
projects benefit everyone.
“It was initially a move to make
the museum more accessible and a
little bit less intimidating for peo-
ple who might feel overwhelmed
by the galleries,” she said. “And
By ALEXIS WEISEND
The Astorian
Columbia River Maritime Museum
The Columbia River Maritime
Museum has sought to make the
museum more accessible.
then it evolved into something
where it’s really just a nice kind
of walk-through of the museum
experience.”
Other services include a virtual
verbal description tour and a self-
guided audio and tactile tour for
people with visual impairments.
Visitors can touch objects like a
survival suit and a torpedo.
Caroline Wuebben, the muse-
um’s
communications
and
See Museum, Page A6
A summer empowerment
group in Seaside for teenage girls
will encourage discussions about
relationships, body image and
boundaries while dating.
Like other youth summer out-
reach, girls 13 to 17 can make arts
and crafts, write poetry and put
on performances. But The Har-
bor, an advocacy center in Asto-
ria for survivors of domestic vio-
lence and sexual assault, which is
hosting the group starting July 25,
also hopes to fill gaps in social,
emotional and consent education.
“Having grown up in Clatsop
County, it hasn’t been there for
the general population of adoles-
cents,” Shey Lionheart, an advo-
cate with The Harbor, said.
Topics that teenagers might
not feel comfortable asking their
parents about, like relationships
or potential signs of abuse, will
beon the table.
The group can be a place
where girls can talk through their
experiences in a safe environment
with their peers. Staff at The Har-
bor are not mandatory reporters,
meaning they are not required to
report cases of abuse.
Knowing that sharing what
happened to them can get parents,
law enforcement and child protec-
tive services involved can make it
harder for teenagers to come for-
ward, Julia Aikman, The Harbor’s
prevention program coordinator,
See Girls, Page A6