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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com June 1, 2018 Vol. 2, Issue 22 Dock tour provides stunning look at seafood industry B y K en C arrell and J oyCe C arrell for The Columbia Press New building official began work this week in Warrenton An abundance of seafood is within our reach, waiting to be harvested. But the workers are few and the processing plants far between. “There are no young people coming to the fleet,” said Kevin Dunn, a fisherman and net-maker working out of Warrenton. “It’s a graying indus- try and trawl boats are expensive.” Oregon State University and Sea Grant Oregon sponsored the second annual Clatsop Commer- cial Fisheries Tour on Wednesday, taking 100 public officials, reporters and industry special- ists on a tour of the region’s resources. A dozen specialists talked about the state of the local fishing industry, the bright spots and the hurdles. The overarching theme was the need for cooperation to build economic sustainability. “ ‘Fishery’ means the people, fish, businesses and activities involved in harvesting a particular type of seafood,” said Sheryl Flores of the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Astoria-Warrenton’s fisheries include ground- fish trawl, Dungeness crab, pink shrimp, alba- core tuna, sardines and anchovies, salmon and razor clams. The region is the only one to allow commercial razor clamming. Astoria-Warrenton is No. 1 in the state for Above: A worker at the Bornsteins Seafood plant prepares rockfish for market Wednesday. Left: Harbormaster Jane Sweet speaks to a group gathered for a dock tour at the Warrenton Marina on Wednesday. See ‘Dock tour’ on Page 5 Photos by Joyce Carrell Astoria man killed in Highway 101 head-on crash Courtesy Oregon State Police An Astoria man died when his vehicle struck an oncoming pickup Tuesday evening. New state rule won’t affect city building boom The Columbia Press An Astoria man was killed on Highway 101 Tuesday evening when his white Ford Escape crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head- on, according to Oregon State Police. Dale Larson, 84, was pro- nounced dead at the scene of the 5:30 p.m. crash, which oc- curred near Dellmoor Loop Road. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Larson was headed south when his vehicle struck the northbound black GMC pick- up, which was being driven by Jesse Taylor, 38, of Sea- side. Taylor and a passenger in his pickup were taken to Columbia Memorial Hospi- tal for injuries that weren’t life-threatening, Lt. Andrew Merila said. All lanes of the highway were closed, with a detour in place, for about three hours while of- ficers reconstructed the crash and collected evidence. The Columbia Press New state regulations set to begin July 1 threaten to shut down some cities’ building programs. A bipartisan group of legislators that includes Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scap- poose, has gone into overdrive, at- tempting to quash or change the law before it goes into effect. “This entire debacle is a clarion call for legislative engagement in the 2019 session,” Johnson said. The new regulations – which would require cities to have building officials on staff -- were issued on an emergen- cy basis by the state’s Building Codes Division. It followed a controversial Attorney General’s opinion, which contended cities and counties could only use public employees to perform permit and inspection services. “(Their) actions pose incalculable risks to local government, jeopar- dize the construction of badly need- ed housing, create unnecessary con- fusion and potential legal liabilities and/or litigation,” Johnson said. Warrenton City Manager Linda Engbretson attended the meeting last week in Salem. “We have been following this since last year,” Engbretson said. “I attend- ed … even though I believe the city of Warrenton is in good shape with a ful- ly certified building official on staff.” New employee Bob Johnston was to begin work May 31 as the city’s certi- fied building official. Johnson, along with Sen. Chuck Thomsen, R-Hood River, and Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, have See ‘Building’ on Page 4