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.