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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com March 22, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 12 Doing good: Some citizens get down and dirty B y C indy y ingst Fourth Street to get a makeover The Columbia Press The Columbia Press Gotham City has Batman, Metropolis has Superman, and Wonder Woman watches over Gateway City. Every town needs superheroes willing to step up and save the day. Warrenton is no different. But our heroes seem to prefer staying undercover, seeking no accolades or applause. While many people are willing to serve on committees, plan events or add ideas to the mix, these unsung heroes roll up their sleeves and do the tough physical labor. “We live in a society where 5 percent of the people do 95 percent of the work,” said Tom Dyer, a city commissioner who has spent many weekends hauling trash and junk ve- hicles from downtown properties. He’s the guy who’ll arrange a work party to clean up an eyesore and then spend more time than anyone else on site hauling gar- bage away. “It’s the way I grew up,” Dyer said. “We were told to go mow the yards of people in our neighborhood who didn’t have grand- kids to help them. … If everybody just does a little bit, it doesn’t take so much effort.” Brenda and Norm Hoxsey are Dyer’s kind tion. He gave a presentation to the Plan- ning Commission on ways other com- munities have allowed tiny homes to become part of the development pan- orama. Companies such as Pacific Seafood, area hotels and medical facilities have expressed difficulties finding homes for their employees. Pacific Seafood has proposed building dorms for sea- sonal workers. “Take a 10,000-square-foot lot and you can put eight of these things on it,” The city wants to smooth the path toward Warrenton’s main park. The two short blocks of Fourth Street between South Main Avenue and Robinson Community Park pose a problem for planners who are try- ing to widen the road and add side- walks and street lights. The park is somewhat hidden be- hind City Hall and has no main en- trance. “Design work has presented con- flicts with eight existing perpendic- ular parking spots” used by Maddox Dance Studio, Public Works Director Collin Stelzig wrote in a report to the City Commission. Technically, the parking spots are within the city right-of-way, yet were approved by the city 25 years ago to help the business meet its parking requirements. No one wants to make things difficult for one of the town’s longstanding suc- cessful businesses. “I think it would make a very beau- tiful street, first of all,” said Jeanne Peterson, owner of Maddox Dance Studio. “At the same time, we would lose our parking places. I don’t know where we would go.” The studio, a local institution, opened at the corner of Main and Fourth Street 25 years ago after three decades in Astoria. The street work is part of the city’s plans to revitalize downtown, Stelzig said. “The city has improved Southwest Main Court and Southwest Third Street,” he said. “Southwest Fourth Street will continue these street im- provements … and provide a safe route to the city park.” There are several options for the See ‘Tiny homes’ on Page 6 See ‘Fourth Street’ on Page 4 Above: City Commissioner Tom Dyer, his face covered with dirt after several hours of pressure wash- ing, stands in front of the former gas station he helped clear of debris. Left: Brenda and Norm Hoxsey at the brown build- ing in downtown Warrenton. Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press See ‘Heroes’ on Page 5 City considers a small way to fix big housing problems B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Carey McQuate/Cascade Sotheby’s Realty A 477-square-foot tiny home available for sale at The Hiatus in Bend. Warrenton has been feeling the squeeze. Like other communities along the North Coast, housing – es- pecially low-cost housing – is in short supply. Tiny homes could fill the void. “It’s not the only solution, but it’s definitely part of the solution,” said Nathan Watson, chief executive of Tiny SMART House of Albany and president of the Oregon Chapter of the American Tiny House Associa-