The Columbia Press
1
50 ¢
Clatsop County’s Independent Weekly
www.thecolumbiapress.com
July 31, 2020
Vol. 4, Issue 31
Building a better downtown
Volunteers, businesses tackle
one property at a time
By Cindy Yingst
The Columbia Press
See ‘Anxiety’ on Page 6
See ‘Streets’ on Page 4
UO developing ways for teens to beat anxiety disorders
University of Oregon
Sixth grade can be a tumultuous
time for youth, and the additions of a
global pandemic and intense discus-
sions around race have only increased
adolescent stress in recent months.
With funding from the National In-
stitutes of Health, a team of research-
ers from the University of Oregon and
the local community is working on a
The Columbia Press
sixth graders that can be rolled out
nationally.
“The average onset for anxiety-re-
lated disorders is around 13 years
old, and that’s why we’re targeting
this group,” said Kelly, who works in
the college’s Counseling Psychology
and Prevention Science programs.
“Schools are one of the top sources of
stress. … We hope to change the over-
all school culture and how we talk
See ‘Downtown’ on Page 4
way to teach students basic mental
health skills as well as give teachers
a tool to keep classrooms on a more
even keel.
The $1.5 million, three-year grant
is helping the UO College of Educa-
tion’s Nichole Kelly, local licensed
psychologists Lori Allen and Shin
Shin Tang, and Adam Wendt of ed-
ucation technology company Tri-
foia develop a curriculum to promote
better mental health habits among
By Cindy Yingst
Streets were all over the agenda
Tuesday night.
Warrenton city commissioners made
decisions about paving 21 streets, talk-
ed about state plans to change the in-
tersection of Highway 101 at Perkins
Road south of town, and issued invi-
tations for contractors to bid on two
more road-related projects.
“We’re just going down the list of
projects in our management plan,”
Public Works Director Collin Stelzig
told commissioners when asked why
certain streets were selected.
In some cases, a contractor would be
hired to pave all selected streets with-
in a certain level of decay. So a street
that’s in worse shape may not make
the list.
Work would begin in August and is
expected to take place this summer
and fall, and possibly next spring.
“The plan says we’re going to be
completing it in summer 2020,” Com-
missioner Pam Ackley said. “Is there a
reasonable expectation that will hap-
pen?”
All three city projects will be com-
pleted during the fiscal year, Stelzig
said. “Worst-case scenario, if it didn’t
get done this summer, it would be ear-
ly next summer.”
• Pavement plan. All the follow-
ing streets will get a 2-inch pavement
overlay but one, which will get a 4-inch
overlay. The contract is expected to
cost about $369,500.
Streets in the plan include portions
of First Street Southeast, Third, Fifth
and Ninth avenues, Seventh Street
Southeast, Ninth Street Southwest,
10th Place Southeast, 13th Street
A pandemic has slowed the economy nation-
wide but the pace of progress in Warrenton’s
downtown has quickened.
Business owners are polishing their facades,
a new restaurant and a brewpub are opening,
a walk-to-town apartment complex is nearly
complete, and a group of volunteers has put a
fresh face on everything.
“I think it’s crazy, but awesome that business
development is still going on in Warrenton,”
Mayor Henry Balensifer said at
Above: Members
Tuesday night’s city commission
of Spruce Up after
meeting.
installing planter
Spruce Up Warrenton, a grass-
boxes and topiaries
roots
group of volunteers, has built
at a business on Main
and
installed
flower boxes and
Avenue. They are, left
hanging
flower
baskets on Main
to right, Jim Dutcher,
Avenue.
Members
have pulled
Lucinda Davis, Ken
weeds,
pressure-washed
sidewalks,
Davis, Brenda Hox-
and
removed
debris.
sey, Norm Hoxsey and
The group visited every business
Carol Snell.
owner last year, encouraging them
Left: Ken Davis and
to clean up and apply for façade
Jim Dutcher fill the
grants paid for by their business li-
planters.
cense fees. Several businesses – a
beauty salon, Sanderson Construc-
Photos by Kelsey Balensifer
By Jim Murez
Late summer
will be all about
the streets