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A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 Art unveiled at Seaside convention center IN BRIEF Seaside fi re and police to receive seismic retrofi t grants SEASIDE — The Seaside Fire Department will receive more than $1.7 million and the city’s police department an additional $1.6 million in seismic retro- fi t grants from Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency. The goal is for the buildings to withstand an earth- quake that will initiate a Cascadia Subduction Zone event, Fire Chief Joey Daniels said. “If the building can withstand the quake, we can get millions of dollars of equipment out,” he said. Astoria approves spending for equipment and technology upgrades The Astoria City Council has approved two pur- chases for equipment and technology upgrades. City councilors on July 5 approved an expenditure of $74,296 to upgrade the audio and visual system in the council chambers. The City Council also authorized the purchase of up to $768,338 for a new fi re engine. Astoria distributes grant to Liberty Restoration Inc. The Astoria City Council has distributed grant funding to Liberty Restoration Inc. Each year the arts and cultural subcommittee makes recommendations to the budget committee on how to spend Promote Astoria funds based on applications and available funds. In June, the city allocated $68,816 to six organizations for the fi scal year starting in July. The city said on July 5 that due to staff oversight, an application from Liberty Restoration Inc. request- ing $12,500 was not included in the materials provided to the subcommittee. The City Council approved the theater organiza- tion’s request. By R.J. MARX The Astorian SEASIDE — When the Seaside Civic and Conven- tion Center completed its remodel in 2019, one aspect remained to be completed: artwork. Three years and a pan- demic later, the convention center debuted its collection at an open house on July 8 featuring Northwest-themed art in mediums including tap- estry, quilts, oil paintings, prints, glass, jewelry and metal. Commissioned pieces are placed on the exterior of the building, Russ Vandenberg, the convention center’s gen- eral manager, said. “I really hope you came in with high expectations, because you’re going to be really thrilled to get what you’re going to see inside the building.” Curator Drea Frost, a Can- non Beach resident, worked with a team of judges to dis- tribute the $150,000 bud- geted for the convention cen- ter. Forty-fi ve pieces by 30 artists span work from the past 10 years, including work by Royal Nebeker, the North Coast-based painter who died The razor clam harvest will be closed in Clatsop County from Friday through Sept. 30. The annual closure began in 1967 to protect the clam population by allowing newly set young clams to establish themselves. The closure extends from Tillamook Head in Sea- side to the Columbia River. During the closure, staff at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will assess stock. — The Astorian DEATH July 10, 2022 In TUCKER, Brief Gerald Eugene, 74, of Astoria, died in Portland. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Death ON THE RECORD Encouraging child des Moyer, 28, of Astoria, On the sexual abuse Record was indicted on June 30 for • Blake Edward Las- fi rst-degree criminal mis- chief, second-degree crim- inal mischief, third-de- gree criminal mischief and second-degree disorderly conduct. The crimes are alleged to have occurred earlier that month. DUII • Lucas Theodore Hier- onymus, 45, of Spokane, Washington, was arrested on Tuesday on N.E. Ski- panon Drive in Warrenton for driving under the infl u- ence of intoxicants and reckless driving. • Ricardo M. Linares, 25, of Salem, was arrested on Saturday on U.S. High- way 101 on the Warrenton side of the New Youngs Bay Bridge for DUII, reckless driving, driving without privileges, vio- lation of a basic rule and failure to carry or present a driver’s license. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY PUBLIC MEETINGS Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., 415 First Ave. Warrenton Planning Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. FRIDAY Astoria City Council, 9 a.m., work session, City Hall, 1095 Duane St. By TED SICKINGER The Oregonian A group of rural coun- ties and some 150 taxing dis- tricts is asking the Oregon Supreme Court to reinstate a $1 billion award against the state for failing to maximize timber harvests on state for- ests and resulting payments to those local governments. The Oregon Court of Appeals this spring ruled that the Oregon Department of Forestry and its policy-set- ting board are not obligated to maximize timber harvests and associated payments to counties where the forests are located. That opinion overturned a 2019 decision by a jury in Linn County that concluded the state breached a statutory contract with the counties and shortchanged them on harvest revenues for two decades. The latest appeal had been expected, given the huge sum (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 in 2014. “I felt it was important to include him because he was so prolifi c in this area,” Frost said. Dave Schaerer lives in Portland and has a house in Rockaway Beach. He’s been chronicling the coast in pho- tographs for 55 years, includ- ing collections of razor clam- ming, sea gulls and what he calls “raindance.” Frost saw his work on his website and he has three pieces in the show. Schaerer’s work, and that of other artists represented in the show, refl ects the nature and the beauty of the area that we live in, Frost said. at stake. The Supreme Court is not obligated to review the case, but its previous involve- ment and precedent in related cases make it more likely. There is no established time- line for a decision. As a result, the fi nal out- come of the $1 billion verdict remains unclear. The state never made payments in the case and had been racking up $262,829.44 a day in interest. The Linn County lawsuit has its origins in 1941, when state and county offi cials cut a deal that eventually resulted in the transfer of some 600,000 acres of logged-over and burned forestlands to the state. Those once-derelict lands now comprise the bulk of Oregon’s state forests, and as a condition of their trans- fer, the state agreed to reha- bilitate them, protect them from fi re and share a portion of timber revenues with the counties when they became productive again. Continued from Page A1 Now, he said, people cannot identify which tenants live in subsidized units . The Astor Building won Coast Weekend’s 2020 Read- ers’ Choice a ward for best apartments and was run- ner-up in 2021. While parking has come up as a concern for new devel- opment downtown, including a proposed workforce hous- ing project at Heritage Square that was scrapped earlier this year, Caruana said parking has not been a problem at the Astor B uilding. Tenants park on the street, he said, adding that many of the people who live down- town also work downtown and do not drive. He said some are students and others are retired. Vacancies has improved, Caruana said it still poses a challenge. The annual contract was renewed on July 1 for 48 units, but 41 are leased. Applicants are in the pipeline for all the vacant units, but it takes time. When there is a vacancy, the housing authority is noti- fi ed and calls families from its moderate rehabilitation program waiting list, which has 165 applicants. Eligible applicants are screened by the building and must meet the criteria. “There are multiple steps and the staff at NOHA and Astor have been working together to help streamline the process and fi ll vacant units more quickly,” said Jim Evans, who has served as the housing authority’s interim executive director. “The time to complete the eligibility and suitability process varies between tenant.” In some cases, Evans said, 30 days or less might be pos- Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2022 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DAYCARE - OPEN NOW! 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 Located at LIghthouse Christian Church on Dellmoor Loop Rd. Warrenton Please call 503-738-5182 to Register Today DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 and recreation. In their petition for review fi led this week, the counties maintain that a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals misinterpreted a prior deci- sion by the Supreme Court that recognized their enforce- able contract rights regarding management of the state for- estlands, then misapplied the Supreme Court’s framework for identifying statutory con- tract terms. “Failure to review and reverse the o pinion will mean that local governments and future contract partners will never again be able to trust the s tate to honor its prom- ises,” John DiLorenzo, the counties’ lawyer, said in an emailed statement. The state’s response to the counties’ fi ling, if it chooses to fi le one, is due by July 20. The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted 3 to 2 in 2017 to opt out of the lawsuit. sible. In other instances, it may take 60 to 90 days to fi ll a vacancy. Another challenge, Caru- ana said, is the program pre- vents the apartment build- ing from keeping up with the market. He said over the years, the building has fallen substantially behind market rates. Caruana sees the transition as a win-win. “It doesn’t matter to me what someone’s income is,” he said. “If they qualify to be in the building, they’re wel- come to live in the building. But the way the system is now, our rents are determined by NOHA and HUD. “And it’s a historic build- ing. It’s almost 100 years old now. We put a fortune in that building in mainte- nance and improvement and I can’t aff ord to do that if we have vacancies, No. 1 , and we have rents that are 20% to 25% below market,” he said. “It just seemed like kind of an easy fi x.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 20% OFF Open year-round 3(Potty Trained) - 6 yo Monday-Friday 8am dropoff - 5pm pickup Printed on recycled paper The state’s formal man- date, codifi ed in the Forest Acquisition Act of 1941, was to manage the forests for the greatest permanent value of such lands to the state. The counties, which receive two-thirds of the timber sale revenues off the lands, contend that the For- est Acquisition Act and sub- sequent amendments consti- tuted a contract between the counties and the state, and that in 1941, greatest perma- nent value was understood to mean that the state would manage the lands to maxi- mize timber production and resulting revenue transfers to the counties. The state has asserted that the legislation never consti- tuted a statutory contract, and that even if it did, the lan- guage around greatest per- manent value gave it discre- tion to manage the lands for multiple purposes, including clean water, wildlife habitat Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary! 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. MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. “Some folks that come to the convention center come from all over the world, and maybe they won’t get a chance to go out and enjoy some of the beautiful spaces, but they will have that here,” she said. “It really honors the nature and the beauty of the space that we live in.” Stirling Gorsuch, an Asto- ria-based printmaker raised in Cannon Beach, said his work was inspired by Japa- nese wood-block prints from the 19th century. The Seaside High School graduate’s work has been shown throughout the North Coast and beyond. “It’s nature-inspired by the forests on the coastline,” Housing: The Astor Building is almost 100 years old While the issue of vacant units at the Astor Building Established July 1, 1873 R.J. Marx/The Astorian A sphere composed of hard driftwood at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center by artist Joshua Blewett. Gorsuch said. “They’re play- ing with diff erent light, dif- ferent weather, diff erent seasons.” Cecil Capoeman, based in Hoquiam, Washington, carved “Dragonfi sh,” based on a Salish tribal legend. The piece, 60 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick, is carved from yellow cedar and acrylic painting. “The general story is when, when the thunder- storms are here, that’s when thunderbird comes out from the mountains and hunts the killer whale. And the thunder and lightning you hear is the thunderbird throwing a light- ning bolt down and spearing the whale.” Capoeman is the son of artist and Quinault Indian Nation President Guy Capo- eman. In 2019, Guy Capoe- man delivered a 10-foot wel- come pole that now stands in Cannon Beach. “He taught me everything I know,” Cecil Capoeman said. Work was selected by a committee of fi ve and Frost. “We brought an expert in to help us,” Vandenberg said. “We gave her our vision, bringing Northwest beauty into the building and encour- aged her to use local and regional artists as much as she could.” Counties ask state Supreme Court to reinstate timber verdict Razor clam harvest to close siter, 29, of Amherst, Mas- sachusetts, was arraigned on Monday on 12 counts of encouraging child sex- ual abuse in the fi rst degree and 12 counts of encour- aging child sexual abuse in the second degree. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Clatsop County between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 4, 2021. Criminal mischief • Richard Dean York, 52, of Puyallup, Wash- ington, was arrested on Monday for fi rst-degree criminal mischief and giving false information to police. He allegedly launched a fi rework into the side of an apartment building on Steam Whis- tle Way in Astoria. York also had a warrant out of Klamath Falls. • Riccardo Jacob Pare- Pieces capture regional themes /LighthouseChristianChurch101 STOREWIDE JULY 16TH & 17TH PHOG BOUNDERS ANTIQUE MALL 55+VENDORS Antiques • Nautical Items • Glassware • Vintage Decor 892 Marine Drive, Astoria OR 97103 (503) 338-0101 MORE THAN JUST ANTIQUES!