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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2018)
August 17, 2018 T he C olumbia P ress 5 Construction set to begin on fast-food chain Stay healthy as smoke from The company plans to build The Columbia Press A drive-through restaurant Construction is expected to in the Warrenton Highlands has been in the plans for wildfires creeps into county begin in the next week on a Wendy’s fast-food eatery. The 2,400-square-foot restaurant passed its final plan review, Warrenton’s Community Development Director Kevin Cronin told planning commissioners last week. shopping center across from Home Depot. The restaurant will have a drive-through window, tables inside the restaurant and sev- eral more on a patio. At its busiest times, the restaurant could complete up to 170 transactions per hour. Warrenton Highlands when the 52,000-square-feet shop- ping center opened in late 2011. It is just under half an acre and zoned general com- mercial. The Highway 101/Ensign Lane intersection is the bus- iest in the city. Seafood: Plant destroyed by fire comes back to life Continued from Page 1 Dulcich remembered “standing here on June 5, 2013, in the remnants of our plant. That day, we said we’d rebuild, and we have.” After the fire, General Man- ager Mike Brown and his crew scrambled to relocate to a temporary facility at Tongue Point, in what be- came known in the company as “the seven-day miracle.” Because of its fiercely loyal employees and the company’s commitment to them, Pacif- ic continued to pay workers their salaries and benefits during the down time. Dulcich also presented 62 of those workers with a challenge coin, honoring a tradition at the company for recognizing key accomplish- ments and special achieve- ment. “Everyone associated with the rebuilding should be proud, Dulcich said. On Tuesday morning, work- ers were unloading yellow- tail rockfish from the Pacific Conquest, a boat owned by Stuart Arnold, who delivers his catch for processing once or twice a week. “Having the new facility is awesome,” said Arnold’s wife, Tammy. “The fire that destroyed the plant was heartbreaking because it dis- rupted and changed the lives of the local fishermen. It’s nice to have this facility here open again.” Above: Chief Executive Officer Frank Dulcich (blue shirt) thanks employees who stayed with the company during trying times. Right: Sen. Betsy Johnson speaks during this week’s grand reopening. Peggy Yingst/The Columbia Press Those working the dock ini- tially grade fish by size. The fish moves by forklift to the plant where it’s headed, gut- ted and filetted before arriv- ing at cold storage and im- mediately frozen. When the facility is fully up and run- ning, automated ramps will take the fish from the dock into the plant to be processed. Pacific Seafood Project Manager Aaron Dierks led visitors on tours through the cavernous new building. At 78,000 square feet, it’s 2 1/2 times the size of the origi- nal building. Just 15 percent of the planned processing equipment has been installed, Dierks said. The new facility is a leader in environmental sustain- ability, using a new system to clean waste water while also conserving water. Pacific Seafood is the first processing facility on the west coast to use this more environmentally responsive technology. “I can’t overstate how huge this opening is for the com- munity, for the 250 regular and seasonal employees and for the state’s economy,” State Rep. Betsy Johnson said. “We’re literally standing on the site where once there was ashes and now it’s a state-of- the-art facility.” Smoke crept into dren, all of whom are Clatsop County this at a greater risk from week after high-level exposure to ozone or winds pushed smoke particles in the air,” from fires burning east Lewis said. of the Cascades into the He suggested: region, officials with • Avoiding the out- the Oregon Depart- doors unless absolute- Lewis ment of Forestry said. ly necessary. There were no wild- • Wearing a paper fires burning on the North mask, available at all hard- Coast. But weather can affect ware stores, can be helpful if smoke conditions dramati- you must be outside. cally during fire season. • Avoiding all smoking, in- Conditions can vary by the cluding marijuana, vaping hour, ODF said. “Smoke may and e-cigarettes. also affect one part of a re- • Those with asthma, chron- gion but not another. This ic obstructive pulmonary dis- can make it difficult to pro- ease or other lung conditions vide specific health warnings, should let health-care pro- especially when conditions viders know if they develop change quickly.” an increased need for inhal- There’s a countywide burn ers or have new onset cough- ban for debris burning. Out- ing or wheezing. door burning is allowed only for those with burn permits. Dr. Michael Lewis, a pulm- onologist at Columbia Memo- rial Hospital, suggests that those who are sensitive to smoke take extra precautions. “Here at the coast, our air quality has been classified as ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,’ which includes peo- ple with lung disease or heart disease, older adults and chil-