T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com July 17, 2020 Vol. 4, Issue 29 Warrenton Fire promotes two to division chiefs Police officer Two longtime Warrenton “As the fire chief of War- Fire Department employ- renton, I am very excited exonerated of ees have been promoted. that the department was Capt. John Shepherd, able to promote both Scott misbehavior who began his career in and John to the rank of di- 1977 as a firefighter with the Hammond Fire De- partment, is the new divi- sion chief of training. Firefighter Scott Watson, who joined WFD as a fire- fighter in 1990, is the new division chief of opera- tions and recruitment. vision chief,” Chief Brian Alsbury said. “This will allow the de- partment to focus more time on training, opera- tions, fire prevention and recruitment, while giving us the ability to find ways See ‘WFD’ on Page 6 Proposed fish plant prompts closer look at sewer capacity B y C indy y ingst B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Div. Chief John Shepherd Div. Chief Scott Watson Walk in the park The Columbia Press A fishmeal processing plant pro- posed for industrial land next to Asto- ria Regional Airport has caused War- renton leaders to take another look at whether the city’s wastewater treat- ment plant is up to the task. A large industrial enterprise would be an asset for the city, Public Works Director Collin Stelzig said, but stud- ies have estimated the treatment plant could be at capacity in as little as four years. “We’re looking at a specific project, but this (discussion) isn’t that project-specific,” he told city commissioners at their Tuesday night meeting. The main concerns are Stelzig the collection system’s hydraulic capacity – liquid pumped in pipes under pressure – and the treat- ment plant’s ability to process waste from the plant. The industrial park, like the airport, is owned by the Port of Astoria. For ev- See ‘Fish plant’ on Page 4 Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press A herd of Roosevelt elk crosses Northwest Warrenton Drive toward Car- ruthers Park, above, and makes its way past the dog park, below. The city recently moved the park’s small dog area and added additional parking, but has yet to add an elk promenade. Warrenton Police Officer Robert Wirt was exonerated Friday following an in- vestigation into accusations made in a Facebook post about his behavior at a local bar on June 13. “The investigation is complete and none of the allegations were substantiat- ed and, as such, the city will not be tak- ing any further action and the employee will be returning from administrative leave,” City Manager Linda Engbretson said. “I’ve been exonerated, but the damage has been done,” Wirt said Friday after an on-air interview with radio personality Lars Larson. Juan Salcedo had accused the officer of mocking the final words of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Min- neapolis police officer sat with a knee on his neck. Renee Starr, a Portland attorney spe- cializing in employment law, conducted the investigation. She interviewed nine witnesses with direct knowledge of the allegations and reviewed security video footage from Bubba’s Sports Bar. “I do not find substantial evidence that Wirt said the words, ‘I can’t breathe’ and mocked the killing of George Floyd,” Starr wrote in a summary of her investi- gation, which was obtained from the city through a public records request. She found both the accuser, Salcedo, and the accused, Wirt, credible witness- es and was unable to find evidence that it was more likely than not that Wirt made the offensive comment. According to Starr’s summary, she based her conclusion on the following: • The incident lasts barely 10 seconds. The friend’s hand comes along the left See ‘Officer’ on Page 6