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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2020)
The Columbia Press 1 Clatsop County’s Independent Weekly www.thecolumbiapress.com October 2, 2020 50 ¢ Vol. 4, Issue 40 Fish market coming to downtown Warrenton Postal Service taking a look at relocating By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press Sometimes circumstances close one door but open another. For Malcolm Cotte, who lost his job along with other employees when Warrenton Deep Sea closed, the market’s shuttering meant de- veloping a new game plan. He plans to open Fishstix, a new seafood market in downtown War- renton, by the end of the month. “It’s lacking a fish market,” Cotte said Wednesday. “Warrenton Deep Sea’s closing was the closing of an institution. There’s a hole that needs to be filled.” Cotte, 49, had been manager of Deep Sea for seven years when Born- stein Seafoods suddenly shut the doors in June. It left the city without a seafood market. “While we were obviously sad to see Deep Sea close, we’re very ex- cited to have a fish market back in town in the downtown,” Mayor Hen- ry Balensifer said. “This will prove a great addition to the downtown, which will add to the variety in of- ferings our growing downtown will offer.” Next to the new Fishstix is the for- By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press Malcolm Cotte stands in front of the First Street building that will be home to Fishstix. It’s between the Fenton Building and Warrenton Auto & Marine. mer Fenton Grocery building, which is under renovation and will have the pub Battery 245 as a tenant. Warrenton Deep Sea was a bit fur- ther off the beaten path, but located right on the waterfront. “I’m in awe how busy this little strip of road is,” Cotte said of First Street, which runs behind Warren- ton Mini Mart. “Every day it’s busy with foot traffic and other traffic.” See ‘Fish’ on Page 4 Oh pooh! There’s no place to go, septic haulers lament By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press As Warrenton’s sewage ponds near capacity, septic haulers have found themselves in a messy situation. Warrenton is the only place in the region where septic companies can offload their, uh, stuff. But the city has begun to put the brakes on. “It’s a big problem,” said Jerry Lebo, who has owned Complete Septic Ser- vice in Astoria for 23 years. “It’s mak- ing us unable to respond to health haz- ards, such as when somebody’s tank is overflowing on the ground.” At first, Warrenton limited septic haulers to residential waste only. Next the city limited the amount that can be dumped at one time. And finally, the city went to a red-light, green-light system to let haulers know when the treatment plant is accepting waste or at capacity. “We’re happy to jump through any hoops they have for us,” said Candice Smith, who, with her husband, owns Sweet Septic and Portable Service in Seaside. Porta-potties are a vital part of the economy – serving as temporary fa- cilities for construction crews, tourists and festivalgoers, she said. The city of Warrenton rents por- ta-potties from the company as over- flow during fishing season at Ham- mond and Warrenton marinas. But they won’t allow the company to dump that waste in Warrenton because the portable toilets use industrial deodor- izers. See ‘Septage’ on Page 5 The U.S. Postal Service is studying conditions at the Warrenton Post Of- fice to determine whether it’s time to move to a new location. “I appreciate your interest in assist- ing the residents of Warrenton in this matter,” U.S. Postal Service Govern- ment Relations Representative Cory D. Brown wrote in response to an in- quiry by state Rep. Suzanne Bonami- ci and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. “The building was studied in 2017 and determined to have sufficient space for our operational needs at that time,” Brown wrote. “However, a new study has been undertaken to review the current situation. In the event that it is determined that addi- tional capacity is required, then the Postal Service, in compliance with all regulatory requirements, may exam- ine options to expand service.” Bonamici and Wyden, both Dem- ocrats, visited the post office last month during a series of rallies state- wide meant to rally support for the postal service and bring attention to President Donald Trump’s attempt to undermine a postal funding package. See ‘Post Office’ on Page 4 Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press Warrenton’s Post Office is cramped.