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The Columbia Press
November 20, 2020
Pac. Seafoods: Request to quash extension denied
Continued from Page 1
pandemic and the amount of
planning required before con-
struction could begin, the compa-
ny’s attorney wrote in a request to
extend the city’s conditional use
permit and site-design review by
another year.
The request was approved by
interim city planner Mark Barnes
in August and Widdicombe filed
his appeal a few weeks later.
Widdicombe contends Pacific
Seafoods’ plans don’t meet guide-
lines set by Oregon Occupational
Safety and Health Administra-
tion and that Warrenton’s for-
mer community development
director, Kevin Cronin, failed to
inform the city or its planning
commission.
The company has said it hopes
to house at least 70 workers at the
location and would provide them
meals as well as transportation to
and from work.
The Planning Commission, at
its Oct. 8 meeting, granted a re-
quest by Pacific Seafoods to con-
tinue Widdicombe’s appeal hear-
ing to Nov. 12.
Widdicombe’s assertions have
nothing to do with the criteria
for granting an extension, Pacific
Seafoods attorney Michael Rob-
inson told commissioners at their
Nov. 12 meeting.
Peggy Yingst/The Columbia Press
The former Pacific Fabrication building on NW Warrenton Drive.
“I simply don’t understand why
he chooses to talk about things
that are irrelevant to the five
approval criteria … that you’re
bound to make your decision on,”
Robinson said. “If OSHA requires
Pacific Seafood to do something,
Pacific Seafood will do it.”
City Attorney Spencer Parsons
told planning commissioners
they’re bound to make their de-
cision based on the legal criteria
for extending a conditional use
permit. Those include no chang-
es have been made to the original
approved site design plan, the
company shows its intent to initi-
ate construction within the exten-
sion period, there have been no
material changes to the applica-
ble code provisions on which the
approval was based, and failure to
begin construction during the ini-
tial approval period was based on
conditions beyond the applicant’s
control.
With Commissioner Chris Hay-
ward absent, the remaining six
members of the Planning Com-
mission voted to extend Pacific
Seafoods’ conditional use permit
to Nov. 19, 2021.
“My belief is we have certain cri-
teria we are guided by,” Commis-
sion Chairman Paul Mitchell said.
“Regardless of how we personally
feel, we really have to stick with
the guidelines before us.”
Widdicombe said he’s hopeful
the company will comply with
OSHA requirements and, once
he’s seen a floor plan, he’ll decide
whether to bring his concerns be-
fore state officials and politicians.
Shark Tank: New approach; winning idea
Continued from Page 1
The contest was designed
to shine a spotlight on those
who are passionate about
solving some of the toughest
challenges facing the VA. It
also provides them with an
opportunity to replicate and
increase the scale of their
practice because of buy-in
from the highest levels at the
VA.
“Despite a known mortality
benefit, lung cancer screen-
ing implementation has been
unexpectedly slow,” Slatore
wrote in a dissertation about
his program. “New programs
face barriers to implementa-
tion, which may include lack
of clinician engagement or
beliefs that the intervention
Courtesy Portland VA Health Systems
Dr. Christopher Slatore and his team won a nationwide medical
“Shark Tank’ competition.
is not beneficial.”
Slatore’s centralized screen-
ing program has received
more than 4,500 consults,
screened more than 2,400
veterans, and detected and
treated 62 patients with ear-
ly-stage lung cancer.