The Columbia press., June 28, 2019, Image 1

T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
www.thecolumbiapress.com
June 28, 2019
Vol. 3, Issue 26
City starts fresh with Fishermen’s and Farmer’s Market
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
The city’s first attempt at spon-
soring a farmer’s market was suc-
cessful in bringing kettle corn, snow
cones, smoked chowder, fresh pro-
duce and hand-made wares to War-
renton Marina.
“I think it went pretty well for
the first time,” Harbormaster Jane
Sweet said. “The produce (sellers)
will continue to grow and we have
some commercial guys helping us
get some fish in there.”
There were more than a dozen
booths for the first week with ad-
ditional vendors hoping to sign on
soon.
Spaces are $25 per week and items
sold must be grown regionally,
made by hand or caught.
“I think this is awesome,” said
Timm Fadden, who rode his tad-
pole-style tricycle from his home in
Hammond. “I’m so excited this is
happening.”
He built his trike three years ago
to help him get around.
“I’m not a wheelchair kind of guy,”
Top: Terry and Doug Arnall find specialty breads at the SeMe Family Foods stand.
he said.
Others brought their dogs on Left: Dan Delay cuts smoked salmon to add to the chowder at his food cart.
leashes or came with the entire fam- Right: Jessica McDonald places a silkie chicken on Gunar Puffinburger’s shoulder
See ‘Market’ on Page 4
when the 11-year-old visited her booth at the market on opening day June 20.
Sofia Morrill crowned Miss Scandinavia
Scott Docherty
Sofia Morrill is crowned by Chaperone Re-
beckah Orton and Miss Scandinavia 2018
Kourtney Tischer. Chaperone Amanda Rohne
and crown bearer Kirk Rohne look on.
The Columbia Press
Sofia Morrill, a 2019 graduate
of Warrenton High School, was
crowned Miss Scandinavia during
coronation ceremonies Friday on
opening night of the Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival.
“I was very surprised,” said Morrill,
18. “At first I was like, ‘Oh, wow. This
is crazy.’ I just didn’t believe it.”
Morrill was Miss Finland 2019 and
becoming Miss Scandinavia also
gave her the title of queen for the
festival.
Morrill is the daughter of Greg
and Annamaria Salin Morrill. Her
mother is from Finland and immi-
grated to the United States to marry
her father.
Morrill loves the festival because it
allows her to be around things that
are part of her culture and heritage,
she said. “I definitely enjoy the food,
the desserts and stuff, and Finland
as a country in general. I just love it
as a country and my grandparents
are there.”
See ‘Queen’ on Page 3
Kalmia project
concerns many;
vote postponed
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
City commissioners took a step back
Tuesday night from approval of the
15-unit Clear Lake subdivision, which
has some residents concerned about
destruction of wetlands, lack of access,
construction rights, and fencing.
The project proposed by Gil Gramson
of Sandridge Construction was ap-
proved by the Planning Commission
April 25 with some conditions at-
tached.
This week, Warrenton city commis-
sioners dealt with two appeals, one
from Sandridge that contended the
conditions were inappropriate and
one filed by Gramson’s estranged
brother, Rod, who believes the project
shouldn’t be built at all.
The eight-acre site at the north end
of Kalmia Avenue is bordered by wet-
lands on three sides. Clear Lake, a
natural area owned by North Coast
Land Conservancy, is on the east. Fort
Pointe, a future planned development,
is to the west with wetlands between
them. There’s a gravel access road at
the south end of the project that could
connect to Ridge Road, possibly pro-
viding a second access in the future.
Gramson has completed two oth-
er subdivisions along Kalmia, one of
them 17 lots and one 11 lots.
Because each project was completed
separately, there were no triggers that
prompted the city to require parkland
to be set aside or secondary access
roads.
The City Commission chose to re-
view the subdivision and appeals as a
de novo hearing, which means they’d
look at the entire project as a new case.
Gramson is requesting a hardship
See ‘Clear Lake’ on Page 5