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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2017)
November 3, 2017 T he C olumbia P ress 6 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Brain boosts come in pleasantries As I get older, I’ve noticed more joint pain when the rain and cold temps begin. Are these simply challenges of becoming a senior citizen or could we become conquer- ors rather than conquered? Toward the end of Septem- ber, I shared that I had joined the Otago Exercise Program. The free program, which originated in New Zealand, is sponsored by the Northwest Senior and Disability Ser- vices. A therapist came to my home after I registered and put me through some testing to determine my basic needs, including my probability of having a fall. In my case, it was my balance that needed retraining. Also included was strength training and walk- ing. I have a log to keep up on all of this. In addition to the therapist, a personal trainer came to my home once a week in the beginning. I can’t tell you how jazzed I am about this program. I rec- ommend you call Michelle Lewis, community program supervisor at Senior and Disability Services, 503-861- 4200. There may be a wait- ing list, but would be good to get your name in now. Now all I need is help for my forgetfulness. Any ideas Michelle? An important reminder: It’s time to set clocks back one hour this Sunday, Nov. 5. You know the formula. In the spring, we spring forward an hour. And in the fall, we fall back an hour. Well, most of us across the United States anyway. It’s called Daylight Savings Time or DST. Arizona is an exception and in doing a double check, I see that it isn’t even all of Arizo- na. Hawaii is another state that doesn’t do DST. And then, of course, there are the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa that do not observe DST either. Not sure about Alaska as it is almost always daylight there? For an interesting study, go to your computer and bring up en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Daylight_saving_time_in_ the_United_States If you don’t have a comput- er, run over to our amazing Warrenton Library and use one of its well-functioning computers. You will learn of the Benjamin Franklin Day- light Savings beginnings in 1918 and also about the three years during World War II when DST was observed year round as a safety factor and so much more. I remember one time when Bud Haskell favored the se- nior meal site with a short ditty that I copied down. “Re- member, people will judge you by your actions not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg!” Everyone liked that one. So, don’t be a hard-boiled egg. And vote yes on the library levy. You’ll be glad you did! Letter to the Editor Why won’t the city take action on Eighth Street structure? Warrenton City Commission has been taking actions that would potentially allow the removal of the Eighth Street flood control structure since April 2014. The city has been working with public organi- zations using Bonneville Pow- er Administration incentive money to finance full removal of the structure. In the last quarter of 2015, the tide gates were removed, allowing the tide to surge in and out unrestricted. Both organizations seeking removal of the structure pub- licly assured the citizens of Warrenton there would be no serious risk of flooding south of the structure. In December 2015, there was an unprecedented flood- ing event south of the Eighth Street structure that caused significant property damage to one residence, and the flood water came within 12 inches of water height of causing sub- stantial major damage to many residences along the river in- side Warrenton’s city limits. Another Warrenton property owner substantially damaged their vehicle after being forced to drive through the approx- imately 30-inch flood water trying to get home. It’s extremely concerning to think ambulance or emergency service vehicles may be unable to reach some of our citizens because of future flooding. From 1963, when the struc- ture was built with tide gates installed, until December Senior lunch menu Monday, Nov. 6: Chicken with mushrooms, brown rice, green beans, navy bean soup, apple pie. Thursday, Nov. 9: Corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, tomato soup, chocolate cake. The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is $5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more information, call 503-861-3502. 2015, there had never been a flooding event of this magni- tude. Additionally, weather all over the world is becoming more extreme and there is no certainty more extreme events won’t happen in the future. City of Warrenton commis- sioners decided to hire a Port- land legal firm to conduct an investigation of these events because the Skipanon Water Control District did not pro- vide a full and accurate de- scription of the consequences when it applied to remove the structure. The investigation cost the city $120,000 and the results were presented at a public commission meeting in Sep- tember 2016. In March this year, I was giv- en access to the documents from the investigation and I found conduct by elected offi- cials that was at the very least unethical, and sometimes to- tally illegal, in my opinion. I am not a trained lawyer or investigator. Therefore, at a public meeting, I requested Warrenton city commissioners release to the public informa- tion they had in their posses- sion. Commissioners informed me they would not do that at that time. At a Monday mayor’s cof- fee meeting, a typed list of the authorities responsible for enforcing regulations and laws for the state and federal government was given to the Warrenton city manager and mayor so that these legal en- forcement organizations could investigate the situation offi- cially. City leaders ultimately decided they did not want to forward the information at that time. The city wanted time to work with the Corp of Engineers and obtain their official position on the problem. They also wanted time to meet with directors of the Skipanon Water Control District in a mediation effort to resolve ongoing problems. I have waited six months for Warrenton city commissioners to act. Instead, they’ve decid- ed to study the potential for future flooding before further action is taken. During the meeting with the water district, I saw what I feel is the intransigence of its board of directors in their dis- regard for future flooding po- tential. I have decided to send all in- formation I have in my posses- sion to 19 government organi- zations charged with enforcing the law or politically in charge of the organizations tasked with carrying out the law. I sent each of these entities a package stating the facts as I understand them and 12 pho- tos of flooding that occurred in December 2015 so these inves- tigators could judge for them- selves how much potential flood damage could happen in the future if the tide gates are not replaced. I also sent the full summary of the legal investigation done for the city of Warrenton so these organizations wouldn’t need to start from scratch to look into the possibility laws had been broken. These packages are now in the possession of state and federal organizations charged with enforcing the laws. I await official response from these or- ganizations as to what action they plan to take to deal with the issue. In closing, I’m disappointed I’ve personally had to take this action as I have been unable to motivate the full City Com- mission to take action before winter arrives and a potential adverse weather event occurs that exceeds all historical ex- perience. To protect its citizens, I hope the Warrenton City Commis- sion will take some type of ac- tion to effectively deal with this issue in the foreseeable future. Scott Widdicombe Warrenton
