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T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com March 27, 2020 Vol. 4, Issue 13 Schools work on Warrenton gives tourists 24 hours making more Trailblazing: to leave; other cities follow suit kids successful representatives received y B C y indy ingst The Columbia Press B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press A huge chunk of state money could be a game-changer for local students who come to school with distinct dis- advantages. The Warrenton-Hammond School District expects about $860,000 more for the 2020-21 school year, thanks to the Student Success Act, which was approved by state lawmak- ers in the 2019 legislative session. The corporate activity tax, which the state’s largest businesses begin paying this year, will fund the pro- gram, funneling $1 billion a year into school coffers statewide. “In some ways, it is perceived as absolutely game-changing,” Super- intendent Tom Rogozinski said. “It allows us to do some good work if – IF – it is sustained. That’s the X factor. We are guardedly optimistic. We are appreciative of the funding … but we won’t know until it runs through a few Rogozinski years here and pass- es the reality test.” So, while students are off campus, school administrators and others have remained busy working on stu- dent investment account plans. The school board approved the plan ear- lier this month. The COVID-19 outbreak has left much up in the air and the district also must figure out a way to ensure seniors can graduate and other stu- dents can be promoted to the next grade level. See ‘Success’ on Page 4 Staying 6 feet apart and with Pam Ackley checking in by phone, commissioners Tom Dyer, Rick Newton, Hen- ry Balensifer and Mark Baldwin prepare to vote on the emergency resolution Saturday evening. (Cindy Yingst) Below: The parking lot at Stub Stewart State Park near Vernonia was on overflow Saturday as were all coastal parks. (Courtesy Oregon State Parks) Warrenton was the first city on the coast to issue an edict to tourists: Get out of town or face arrest. Saturday’s unanimous vote by city commissioners was followed within hours or days by nearly every oth- er coastal community in Oregon and Washington. Warrenton city commis- sioners took the stance after thousands of people from elsewhere arrived in town for spring break. Many flocked to beaches and state parks, often dis- regarding calls to adhere to social distancing measures. Soon, Oregon closed down its state parks, too. Initially, Gov. Kate Brown had issued the closure ef- fective the evening of April 4, the end of spring break. But she and other elected thousands of pleas from coastal residents, demand- ing action immediately. Mayor Henry Balensifer called Saturday’s emergen- cy meeting in which the commission first issued a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 outbreak and then ordering the clo- sure within 24 hours of all campgrounds, hotels, and other lodging facilities in hopes of stopping the virus’ spread, which could over- tax the local rural health- care system. “This is a serious event and it’s also a major event,” Balensifer said. “Our top priority is doing what we need to do for the best in- terest of our citizens.” Word spread quickly. Since the vote, Balensifer has been interviewed by many news organizations. See ‘Orders’ on Page 5 City Commission plans to finish what it’s started The Columbia Press The city has vowed to finish what it started. On Tuesday evening, city commis- sioners approved a list of goals for fis- cal year 2020-21 and No. 1 on the list is “Finish city priorities/initiatives that have been started.” City commissioners Rick Newton and Pam Ackley attended the meet- ing by phone while Mayor Henry Bal- ensifer and commissioners Tom Dyer and Mark Baldwin kept a required 6-foot social distance. The City Com- mission meeting was broadcast live on Facebook for the first time and members of the public wishing to comment on the goals and other agenda items were given an opportu- nity by phoning in. “These may end up being flexed a bit,” Balensifer said. “We don’t know where the light is at the end of this tunnel, but I believe we ought to have a plan before us.” The three other goals are: • Identify and accelerate Urban Re- newal Agency projects. • Identify areas of the city that lack infrastructure, and align develop- ment requirements and, potentially, Capital Improvement Plan invest- ments to address them. • Improve existing services. This could include reviewing organiza- tional memberships to justify why the city should or shouldn’t continue paying dues, and looking at revenue opportunities. Priorities the city wants to finish are spelled out more fully in the goals list. It includes: Recommendations made by two committees – downtown/thorough- See ‘Goals’ on Page 2