T he C olumbia P ress
June 26, 2020
City’s community development
director accepts Mt. Angel post
Kevin Cronin, who served dards for fast-food restau-
as Warrenton’s community rants to ensure new busi-
development director, has nesses don’t cause traffic
accepted a job as city
problems.
manager of Mount
“Mount Angel of-
Angel
in Marion
fers the best oppor-
County. His last day
tunity to advance my
was Thursday, June
career in empower-
25.
ing small towns to do
Cronin was hired in
great things,” Cro-
June 2018 to replace
nin said. “I will have
Cronin
City Planner Skip Url-
fond memories of my
ing, who retired. Previous- experience in Warrenton,
ly, Cronin spent two years but I’m happy to move on
as Astoria’s community de- with my life to the next
velopment director.
chapter.”
During his two years with
His goal for Warrenton
Warrenton, Cronin was best was to help the city move
known for cracking down beyond its past and to think
on blighted properties and strategically about the fu-
cleaning up the city’s build- ture, he said.
ing code – including add-
The city has hired Mark
ing categories for cottage Barnes, former city plan-
homes, tiny homes and ac- ner for Cannon Beach, to
cessory dwelling units.
fill in until a replacement is
He organized a charrette found.
– a community think-tank
Also, city Building Offi-
session – for a proposed cial Bob Johnston has an-
new development initially nounced his retirement
called Spur 104 and later and the city has begun the
called Chelsea Gardens.
recruitment process for his
He also developed stan- replacement.
County makes planning appointments
Planning commissioners
Robert Stricklin in District
2 and Christopher Farrar in
District 3, were reappointed
Wednesday evening to four-
years terms.
Both positions were to ex-
pire on June 30.
In addition, Commissioner
Michael Magyar, whose term
expires in June 2022, sub-
mitted his resignation.
Lam Quang, a self-em-
ployed artist living in the
Lewis & Clark/Olney/Wall-
ooskee unincorporated area,
was appointed to fill Mag-
yar’s post.
Two county commission-
ers, Mark Kujala and Lianne
Thompson, had recommend-
ed postponing the appoint-
ments until after the newly
elected county commission-
ers take office in January.
“I am deeply, deeply dis-
turbed by this little trick
you’re trying to pull here,”
Commissioner Pamela Wev
said to Kujala and Thomp-
son.
Thompson said she was try-
ing to find a moderate middle
place. “I’m trying to make
peace, not war here.”
“I think we have a good
board right now and I think
we can make a decision on
this,” Chair Kathleen Sullivan
said. “I understand things are
going to change in January,
but the board will have new
3
State’s cultural organizations suffering
Many of Oregon’s
cultural organizations
face suspension of op-
erations or perma-
nent closure due to the
COVID-19 impact, re-
veals an Oregon Cultur-
al Trust survey released
this month.
The survey, the most
comprehensive look at
Oregon’s cultural com-
munity since the crisis
began, includes data
and comments from
330 cultural nonprofit
groups.
Participants
proj-
ect a collective loss of
$40 million and aver-
age losses of $121,281
through June 30.
Just over half the re- A volunteer helps a young reader in a
spondents have annu- Portland-based shadow project.
al revenues less than
severely affected by the crisis.
$250,000 and operate out- They also will be the slowest
side the Portland Metro area. to reopen.
Half of the agencies had not
The survey revealed partic-
applied for the federal Payroll ular hardship for cultural or-
Protection Program, likely ganizations in rural areas.
because 44 percent employ
Bend’s High Desert Mu-
less than one full-time staff seum reports that museums
member – relying mostly on like itself “will be hit hardest
a volunteer workforce. Of the immediately and will have a
49 percent that did apply for
PPP, only 73 percent received
funds.
“The PPP loan is a finan-
cial band-aid for the short
term, but for us to continue
to provide our essential ser-
vice … there will be a need for
continued relief funding well
into the next fiscal year and
possibly beyond,” reports the
Tillicum Foundation, which
operates nonprofit radio sta-
tions in Warrenton, Astoria,
and Tillamook.
“Quite frankly right now it
looks grim,” reports the Or-
egon Coast Council for the
Arts, “when the PPP monies
are gone, we may be look-
ing at a staff-less OCCA for a
while.”
Because most cultural orga-
nizations rely on large gather-
ings for ticket and rental rev-
enue, they rank at the top of
Oregon business sectors most
much longer recovery
period - we saw this
during the recession
and the indicators point
to a similar pattern now
… funding to help orga-
nizations like the High
Desert Museum be re-
silient for the next 12 to
24 months is critical.”
Survey comments also
reflect the concern cul-
tural organizations have
for the vulnerable popu-
lations they serve.
The Shadow Project,
which provides learn-
ing support for children
with disabilities, reports
that “during COVID-19
these children are even
more vulnerable, at
highest risk of falling
further behind and ex-
acerbated mental health
disorders.”
The Cultural Trust awaits
Legislative consideration of
its Emergency Cultural Relief
Fund proposal, which would
deploy up to $10 million of its
$29 million permanent fund
to create an emergency relief
funding program for Oregon’s
cultural organizations.