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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2018)
T he C olumbia P ress April 6, 2018 A Message from Warrenton’s Mayor by Henry Balensifer Growth is great, but prompts Warrenton to set goals Warrenton is a very exciting place to be. We’ve seen unprecedented growth in the past 10 years. This has translated into a cornucopia of shopping and dining choices, and we’re building more housing than any other city in the county. There’s something for just about everybody. There’s no denying — these chang- es have come with growing pains, but we are poised to meet those challenges. The primary question we’re ask- ing is “What decisions can we make now to ensure Warren- ton is a great place to live and raise a family in 10 years?” Last meeting, the City Com- mission established 4 goals to begin answering that ques- tion. Each has specific bench- marks to ensure the citizens can measure tangible results from these goals. The goals are Community Building, Vision Plan Up- date, Downtown Improve- ments and Emergency Pre- paredness. I’ll briefly cover the bench- marks for these goals: •Community Building: We want to create more op- portunities for residents to interact. This includes en- couraging city departments to sponsor events. We will also create a public email newsletter to better spread the word about events, proj- ects and meetings. Finally, we wanted a citizen police academy to foster better un- derstanding of police work in our city. I’m proud to say the WPD is already taking appli- cations on the city website! •Vision Plan Update: We have prioritized starting a communitywide process for updating the 2001 Com- munity Vision Plan. This will inform future chang- es to our city code as we lay the groundwork for a more livable, vibrant city in the decades to come. We also decided to apply for grant funding to start an econom- ic roadmap plan. Unlike a vision plan, which is aimed at long-term future goals, an economic roadmap looks at what exists and creates an ac- tion plan for immediate work and near-term results. • Downtown Improve- ments: These have been talked about for decades. Using grants, as well as city and Urban Renewal Agency funds, we plan on updating our urban renewal plan to de- tail the most strategic use of funds and increase mobility in our downtown corridors. We also are going to deal with blighted and nuisance prop- erties. • Emergency Prepared- ness: This is ongoing, but overall, we plan to do better at getting the word out and preparing citizens for emer- gencies. This isn’t just for “the big one,” but also small- er incidents. Preparedness is a mindset, and we recognize the city must take a more active role in shaping that. We are cur- rently trying to put together a new Emergency Operations Plan to serve as a springboard for more preparedness, and we are putting up sirens at the Warrenton and Ham- mond fire stations. Concerned about elk? I will be hosting my sec- ond Town Hall at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at the community center. The topic will be elk and there will be a briefing from OSP, ODFW and WPD. Come find out more about the elk issue, the stats and what to do about it. I’ll also be looking for community-driven ideas on what other things we could do about it. 3 Auto dealer donates van to mission Warrenton KIA do- nated a van to Astoria Rescue Mission last week after learning it was having trouble serving the homeless with just one vehicle. “God hasn’t given up on these people, and it’s nice to know that David Newman accepts the vehicle title from Erik Hansen, Warrenton KIA inventory man- neither has Warrenton ager, right. At left is Newman’s wife, Amy. KIA,” said David New- man, the mission’s executive help the organization contin- director. “Many who come to ue its mission of helping those us are struggling with over- in need of food, shelter, cloth- ing and spiritual support. whelming problems. Warrenton KIA was glad “The Astoria Rescue Mis- sion helps provide for their to help a worthwhile organi- physical, emotional and spir- zation that is helping others, itual needs. To know that said Roxanne Williams-Mo- someone cares, means a great rinville, owner of Warrenton deal to the staff and to those KIA. “Being a part of this community is what this com- who come to the mission.” The 1996 Ford Econoline will pany was founded on.”
