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THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, AuguST 16, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
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GUEST COLUMN
Making the ‘People’s House’ safe
T
he gold man atop the Oregon
State Capitol has gone dark.
A cavernous hole has arisen at
the building basement; another is on its
way. The governor, secretary of state
and state treasurer have been ousted
from their offices. Guided tours of the
Capitol are gone until 2025.
Those development are purpose-
ful. Such is the price – a
half-billion dollars plus
a few years of tempo-
rary inconvenience – for
finally making the “Peo-
ple’s House” safe for the
people.
The Capitol was in
DICK
such sad shape seismi-
HUGHES
cally that in 2015, state
Senate President Peter
Courtney, D-Salem, told my colleagues
and me: “Given what we know, we
should close the Capitol down today. At
least we should protect kids from com-
ing in,” referring to school field trips.
There’s more. The plumbing is so
bad that the drinking fountains are unus-
able. The HVAC system could run hot
in summer, cold in winter, with creaky
ventilation. Parts of the building lacked
fire sprinklers and other safety devices,
including safe exits and sufficient stair-
cases. The building was inhospitable to
anyone using a wheelchair, scooter or
stroller.
The first phases of the renovation and
reconstruction corrected some deficien-
cies, especially in the 1977 legislative
wings. The final, most expensive phase
centers on the largest, oldest portion –
the Capitol completed in 1938. So that
work can be done, that area has been
closed to the public, officeholders and
legislative employees since July 1.
Staff have relocated. If you’re look-
ing for the governor’s office, go to the
nearby State Library across the Capi-
tol Mall.
History buffs will recall that the pre-
vious capitol burned to the ground on
April 25, 1935. A young Mark Hatfield
was among the Salem residents who
Statesman Journal
The Oregon Pioneer on top of the Oregon State Capitol.
came out to witness the inferno. Though
long ago, that experience illustrates the
relevance of the safety improvements
underway.
The construction almost didn’t hap-
pen and was delayed for years by bipar-
tisan opposition. Courtney was the
cheerleader for what in 2015 was a
$337 million project. At crunch time,
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland,
and House Majority Leader Val Hoyle,
D-Eugene, said the seismic improve-
ments were needed but the time wasn’t
right. Joining them in voting “no,” on a
committee vote that effectively stopped
the project from moving ahead, were
Rep. Tobias Read, D-Beaverton; Rep.
Greg Smith, R-Heppner; and Sen. Fred
Girod, R-Lyons. Siding with Courtney
were Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles,
and Sen. Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin.
The price tag, uncertain public sup-
port and inconvenience bothered some
lawmakers. During construction, the
Legislature and other officials would
have had to vacate the Capitol and use
the renovated Public Utility Commis-
sion building – a former Sears store
near the Capitol Mall – as their tempo-
rary capitol.
As a result, initial project staff were
let go; $25 million already had been
spent.
Courtney was not happy: “When the
magnitude 9 quake hits, the loss of life
and property across our state will be tre-
mendous. The decision not to complete
this project ensures that those losses
will include the Oregon State Capitol
and the people inside it.”
He persevered instead of knock-
ing heads to get his way that year. The
Legislature embraced a much smaller,
$59.9 million project the next year as
the first phase of the Capitol Accessibil-
ity, Maintenance and Safety project. The
2020 Legislature added phase 2 at $70.8
million. With new leadership in the Ore-
gon House this year and Courtney fin-
ishing his final term as Senate president,
the 2022 Legislature approved the big
phase 3: $375 million.
Lawmakers are used to conduct-
ing meetings and public hearings virtu-
ally, so restricted access to committee
rooms no longer was an impediment.
The construction schedule was recon-
figured so the House and Senate could
use their chambers during the legisla-
tive sessions. Work should wrap up in
late 2025.
The big hole on the north side of the
Capitol and one that will emerge far-
ther west are so workers can get under
the building, gut the lower level, hook
up additional water and sewer lines, put
in temporary shoring, remove the exist-
ing cement columns, and place new col-
umns and devices to keep the structure
stable during the quake.
As for the Oregon Pioneer atop the
Capitol – colloquially known as the
gold man – Capitol Accessibility, Main-
tenance and Safety director Jodie Jones
told me that crews will seek a work-
around to again illuminate the statue at
night.
Unless something intervenes, next
week I’ll delve into the various changes
underway at the Capitol and how
they will affect the public and politi-
cians. If you have questions you’d like
answered, send them my way.
By the way, some Oregonians love
the Capitol’s design. Some despise it,
complaining the top looks like a cake
ornament or a bowling trophy. What say
you?
dick Hughes has been covering the
Oregon political scene since 1976.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We all know
n the Aug. 9 edition of The Astorian,
there was a front-page story on long-
term rental units being converted to vaca-
tion rentals. I’m certain this was good
news for all those relying on tourism
dollars, while being bad news for local
residents.
I understand from the story that the
buildings in question are in a commercial
zone, which makes all this an outright use.
The owners cite that this is the only means
to recover the expensive restoration of his-
toric property.
We all know the issue with hous-
ing here in Astoria. We lack low-in-
come, workforce and market-value units.
Employers cannot fill positions due to
the lack of inventory for the prospective
employees. Residents cannot downsize or
grow into a new home. And although sur-
veys state the vacation rentals are not the
issue for a lack of long-term housing, I
disagree.
The city is in a tug of war with the own-
ers of the new vacation rentals mentioned
in the article over a loss of six long-term
rentals. But what is the city doing about
the number of homeowners in residential
areas using their properties as illegal vaca-
tion rentals? They are easily found through
Vacasa, Vrbo, Airbnb, etc.
I feel badly for those who have been
displaced by property owners chasing
tourism dollars. If the city was consistent
in applying the zoning laws for vacation
rentals, new homes might have been found
more easily.
MARCIA FENSKE
Astoria
I
Most experienced
am writing in support of Rick Gray,
nonaffiliated candidate for House Dis-
trict 32. I met Rick after he filed to run for
what is my former legislative seat. We met
for coffee, and he told me about his history
and experience in politics. He asked for
my input and advice on the district.
I found him to be thoughtful and intel-
ligent. He has a lot of varied experience,
including having served in Virginia as
what we call secretary of state here in Ore-
gon. He drafted legislation with his father,
a state representative and senator for 18
years, and he understands the legislative
process. He has done his research, and
has met many of those who either serve or
direct in local district businesses, agencies
and services.
I
LETTERS WELCOME
Letters should be exclusive to The
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than 250 words and must include the
writer’s name, address and phone
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mar and factual accuracy. Only two
letters per writer are allowed each
month. Letters written in response
He’s a big thinker with big ideas. He
looks at the issues from a long-term view-
point, somewhat of a rarity these days. The
fact that he is nonpartisan allows him the
freedom to be independent and pursue his
agenda as such.
I believe that of all three candidates,
Rick is the most experienced, and that is
important to me. I hope you will join me in
supporting Gray.
DEBORAH A. BOONE
Cannon Beach
to other letter writers should address
the issue at hand and should refer to
the headline and date the letter was
published. Discourse should be civil.
Send via email to editor@dailyasto-
rian.com, online at bit.ly/astorianlet-
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in Astoria or mail to Letters to the
Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
No good deed
t’s sad to read about the Tourist No.
2 ferry sinking. It seems the owner,
along with a group of locals, had nothing
but good intentions to preserve a piece of
Astoria’s history. Funding couldn’t meet
the need for the U.S. Coast Guard’s stan-
dards, so everyone walked away, and
now there’s a million-dollar cleanup bill
heading in someone’s direction.
Finger-pointing aside, it’s too bad this
I
211-year-old city hasn’t figured out how
to preserve its rich river history. This
city’s roots are grounded in that river.
The horse-drawn net fishing, the butterfly
boats, the bowpickers, the canneries, the
bar pilots, the legends of Shanghai, the
Graveyard of the Pacific shipwrecks —
it’s truly the birthplace of Astoria.
After 211 years what do we have to
show for it? A re-created (albeit magnifi-
cent) Cannery Pier Hotel, a burned down
No. 10 Sixth Street building, a Buoy Beer
restaurant that collapsed, a net shed that
is one storm away from falling in the
river, an abandoned harbor of sea lions, a
Pier 39 that is hanging on by a thread, as
well as an abandoned railroad way.
Our waterfront is struggling, and
it shouldn’t be; it should be our No. 1
focus. I’m sorry the Tourist No. 2 sank,
and I hope there’s a way to remove it
from the river without destroying it.
I hope Astoria can circle the wagons
around our fading history of the Colum-
bia waterfront, and preserve what little
pieces we have left.
CHRIS DeLONG
Astoria