T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
www.thecolumbiapress.com
City meter project
shorter, cheaper
than expected
June 8, 2018
Walmart makes a grand entrance
B y c indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
Dozens of blue-vested work-
ers scurry about the nearly
open Walmart, shelving and
pricing items.
Contractors in yellow safety
vests hang the final electrical
cables and activate the last se-
curity cameras.
Two gentlemen greeters are
assigned to the entryway, en-
B y c indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
It’s not every day that a big govern-
ment project comes in under budget
and ahead of schedule. But that’s
what happened on Warrenton’s wa-
ter meter replacement project.
Chris Dials Contracting of Tilla-
mook was able to save taxpayers
$17,592 and knock 17 days off the
project work schedule.
Public Works Director Collin Stelzig
had the happy task of asking city
commissioners to revise the contract
in the city’s and state’s favor.
“The state was surprised we called,”
Stelzig told them.
More than two years ago, the state’s
Infrastructure Financing Authority
approved a $1.1 million grant/loan
combination so the city could replace
all its obsolete meters within a three-
year time frame. The city has about
3,300 water connections.
Some of the assumptions about
the size of the meters needed and
Vol. 2, Issue 23
Top: Store Manager Kimberly Smith will welcome
shoppers during Wednesday’s grand opening.
Left: “Where the heck is Warrenton” reads a local
specialty product.
Below: Last-minute work in the pick-up area.
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
See ‘Project’ on Page 4
Grand opening
All day Wednesday, June
13, with a brief ceremony at
8 a.m.
suring employees, construc-
tion workers and visitors get to
their destinations.
Store Manager Kimberly
Smith works on plans for the
store’s grand opening, a gala
celebration with a Coast Guard
presentation, food trucks, Sun-
day Market vendors and other
parking lot activities, an event
she plans to extend through the
weekend.
“We’re going to have a good
time with the community,”
Smith says.
It’s her third stint as a
Walmart store manager, her
second building a store from the
ground up. While she comes to
Warrenton from Washington
state, 98 percent of the store’s
300 employees are local.
“And I’ve already promoted
10 percent of them after we got
into the store,” she says. With
See ‘Walmart’ on Page 4
Applications ready for this year’s Fourth of July activities
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
Ted and Pam Lively showed off their 1915 Mod-
el T Ford Roadstar at last year’s Fourth of July
car show.
The Columbia Press
The Old-Fashioned Fourth of July
committee has begun taking appli-
cations for the annual parade, car
show and motorcycle tailgate party.
The 2018 theme is “Salute Our
Heroes.”
“We do not have a single grand
marshal this year,” said Mike Moha,
committee chairman. “All of our
‘heroes’ are being honored.”
Old-Fashioned Fourth of July is
sponsored by the city of Warrenton
and the Warrenton Business Asso-
ciation.
Applications have been e-mailed
to prior parade participants. Ap-
plications also are available at City
Hall, 225 S. Main Ave., or by send-
ing an e-mail to warrentonfourt-
hofjuly@gmail.com.
A ctivities
• Barbecue: Warrenton Firefight-
ers Association has its annual free
community barbecue from noon to
3 p.m. at Warrenton Fire Station.
• Car Show: If you’ve got a “cool”
car, enter it in the all-category car
show, which is set for 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. at Robinson Community Park.
• Motorcycle Show & Tailgate
Party sponsored by North Coast
ABATE: It’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at Robinson Community Park.
• The Decoration Station and Kids’
Activity Area: Children can deco-
rate their bikes and play games in
the gravel lot adjacent to Warren-
ton Fire Station. Sponsored by Cal-
vary Assembly of God, volunteers
will help children decorate and ride
with them in the parade.
Decorating and a chance to show
off bikes is from noon to 3 p.m.
For more information about any
of the activities, contact Moha at
503-861-2281 (work) or 503-298-
0470 (cell).