T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com January 25, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 4 Crime statistics show increase in shoplifting Lease of burned parcel prompts a return to fair rent commitment B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press B y C indy y ingst “Since then, we’ve made tremen- dous progress removing vegetation, holding back the tree line,” Kujala said. “The levees look real good in a lot of sections. We were more pre- pared this time around.” Numerous encroachments were found, including private fences, busi- nesses built past their property lines, docks, landscaping, utility poles, gates, electrical boxes, even burrow- ing moles. One inspector walked the river side and the other worked the land side. Local shoplifting statistics have ris- en sharply since Walmart opened its doors in June. But is the store attracting thieves or is the store really good at catching them? It’s a little of both, Warrenton Po- lice Chief Matt Workman said. His department is conducting a gen- eral study to track crimes involving locals and nonresidents, he told City Commissioners at a recent meeting. Shoplifting is just one of the crimes that will get a closer look. “We have had an increase in prop- erty crimes,” Workman said. “With Walmart, it’s not that it’s a crime magnet. It’s a new store with people (who’ve been caught shoplifting else- where) who haven’t been trespassed there. They have a sophisticated se- curity system.” Fred Meyer is considering upgrades to its security system since Walmart’s has helped catch many crooks. Surveillance cameras at the new store capture such clear images that they’ve helped police catch people suspected of floating bad checks Workman and using stolen credit cards. A quick comparison between Fred Meyer and Walmart showed Warren- ton police receiving twice as many shoplifting calls at Walmart, Workman said. But, in addition to state-of-the- art security, the city’s newest big-box store has twice as many people work- ing in the security department, thus more opportunity to catch criminals. See ‘Levees’ on Page 4 See ‘Crime’ on Page 4 The Columbia Press City leaders agreed to release the owner of a build- ing that burned at Warrenton Marina from paying the remainder of his lease, but declined Tuesday night to turn the lease over to someone else. Jim Scarborough, a retired crab fisherman, held a 10-year lease on the city property where his 70- by 30-foot metal building was destroyed by fire Nov. 3. After the fire, the city learned Scarborough had been subleasing, a violation of the lease, to Pacific Future, an active fishing business. The lot has been cleaned after the fire and the company that was subleasing it still has items stored on site. Scarborough’s rent to lease the city-owned prop- erty was $120 per month at the time the lease was renewed in 2011 and it increases 2 percent annu- ally, making both the rent and the annual increase Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press See ‘Leases’ on Page 7 Above: A .11-acre parcel at Warrenton Marina con- tains some stored items of a company subleasing the property. Right: A Nov. 3 fire destroyed the metal-clad building and its contents. Jean Sleutel/for The Columbia Press Levees undergoing another round of certification The Columbia Press A new state effort to certify War- renton’s levee system found 300 po- tential issues, County Commissioner Mark Kujala told city leaders Tues- day. Kujala has worked to get the city’s levees certified and accredited since he first began serving on the City Commission, when he was mayor, and now as a county commissioner. He has spoken before state and feder- al legislators on the need to fund the work required to become certified, such as core boring, sample analysis and geotechnical work, which comes with a huge price tag. Certification is import- ant because it affects in- surance ratings for the city’s property owners as well as the city’s abil- ity to remain in risk in- surance pools with oth- Kujala er government entities. Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent four days walking the city’s 10 miles of levees. The pre- vious inspection was in 2010.