July 19, 2019
T he C olumbia P ress
Hammond: Restoring dignity to historic town
Continued from Page 1
inary plans for a revitalized
Hammond Marina, some-
thing that’s taken on new
meaning since the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers signed a
quit claim deed last week, giv-
ing the property to the city of
Warrenton.
First incorporated as New
Astoria in 1899, residents
voted to change the name to
Hammond in 1915 to match
the names of the post office
and railroad station. Andrew
B. Hammond was a Montana
businessman who built the
Astoria and Columbia River
Railroad from Astoria to Port-
land in 1898.
Hammond platted the com-
munity and began promoting
big plans, including a sawmill
and port that would take ad-
vantage of one of the state’s
most abundant resources. But
he eventually changed course,
developing his timber empire
on Astoria’s Tongue Point.
Hammond remained a ru-
ral enclave and, in 1991, resi-
dents voted to disincorporate
and become part of the city of
Warrenton.
“Hammond’s got some in-
teresting history and, if we dig
that up, we’ll come up with a
theme, too,” Poe said.
Poe and County Commis-
sioner Mark Kujala presented
the committee’s ideas to War-
renton city commissioners
last week.
Development would be com-
pleted in three phases, with a
funding plan for each.
Major proposals include a
$5 million dock replacement
plan, a new pier at the east
end with development of the
east beach for picnicking and
beach volleyball, a new bait
shop with a fish-cleaning
area, a boat wash facility, a
new camping area, and an RV
dump station.
A unified theme is essential,
too, to give the town and ma-
rina a unified feel.
to
From City of Warrenton’s Facebook page
City Commissioner Pam
Ackley suggested a Nantuck-
et-like fishing village. Build-
ings would be encouraged to
have shiplap wood siding and
be painted in blues, grays and
white. A boat-style fish-and-
chips food truck and some
type of meeting place or con-
vention center would be en-
couraged.
“This is an exciting and
large undertaking, however,
it’s one this community has
fought for on many levels for
Left: Mayor Henry Balensifer
and Commissioner Pam Ackley
at this week’s sign dedication.
Above: A proposal for a sign at
the entrance to downtown.
a very long time,” the panel
concluded in its report to the
commission.
In addition to acquiring
the marina from the federal
government, there are other
encouraging signs for Ham-
mond’s improving status.
On Tuesday, a sign was ded-
icated at Hammond Marina,
putting it on the Oregon Film
Trail map for its part in the
movie “Free Willy.”
The city is in the process of
City water plant gets pricey upgrade
Warrenton’s water treat-
ment plant will get a major
upgrade this fiscal year.
City Commissioners ap-
proved paying $941,818 to re-
place the plant’s filters, some-
thing it’s been expecting.
The plant was built in
2001-2002 and the filtra-
tion system needs upgrad-
ing every six or seven years.
This will be the third filter
Pam Ackley, Broker
replacement; the last one was
in 2012.
Each year, $133,000 is set
aside in a special fund to pay
for the periodic upgrades,
City Manager Linda Engbret-
son said.
Last week, the commission
approved the contract with
Evoqua Water Technologies,
a Pittsburgh-based company
with 170 locations worldwide.
5
getting approval to dredge the
boat basin, removing 75,000
cubic yards of sediment,
opening additional space for
commercial and recreational
boats.
Warrenton’s Parks Advisory
Board has recommended the
city place a welcome sign at
the entrance to Hammond’s
historic downtown and city
commissioners
approved
those plans.
Water and sewer lines are
being extended to Hammond,
which will increase the capac-
ity of both and provide better
options for future develop-
ment.
Members of the ad hoc com-
mittee asked commissioners
to make the panel a perma-
nent advisory board and com-
missioners agreed.
“It’s exciting,” Ackley told
committee members.
Mayor Henry Balensifer said
he’s already making plans for
the city to sponsor a “Free
Willy” movie night at the park.
“This is a basis and template
for us to start a springboard
and dive into it,” Balensifer
said of the committee’s pro-
posals.
“With the corps owning
Warrenton Marina all those
years, we couldn’t really do
much,” Poe said. “A commu-
nity center would be a great
thing. We could do a lot of dif-
ferent activities in that area.
There are so many possibili-
ties.”