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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2020)
The Columbia Press 1 Clatsop County’s Independent Weekly www.thecolumbiapress.com Appointments made to various city committees Vol. 4, Issue 49 December 4, 2020 Port officials beef up airport security By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press The Columbia Press Eleven people have been chosen to help city leaders make decisions about city business and facilities. The appointees will fill vacant seats on committees that deal with devel- opment, the library and parks. For the past month, the city has issued a call to fill the vacant seats and expiring terms and Mayor Hen- ry Balensifer has been interviewing prospective appointees. He made the following nominations, which were approved by the City Commission at its last meeting in November: Planning Commission Christine Bridgens was reappointed to the Position 2 seat; Kevin Swan- son, who recently moved to Warren- ton, was appointed to the Position 1 seat. He previously had been chair- man of the city of Dundee Planning Commission. Budget Committee Flint Carlson, owner of Carlson Contracting, was reappointed to the Position 4 seat; Tommy Smith, Main See ‘Committees’ on Page 6 50 ¢ Above: A security gate leading onto the tar- mac stands in the open position Wednesday morning. Left: A discarded aircraft part blocks ac- cess by vehicles at one opening in the airport fence. Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press A very drunk man drove onto the tarmac at Astoria Regional Airport one night in January 2017, spin- ning his Jeep in circles and nearly striking Life Flight employees refu- eling a helicopter. When Michael William Long, 33, of Vancouver, Wash., was booked at Clatsop County Jail, his blood-al- cohol content was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit. Long had driven in through an unsecured access gate. More recently, deer have be- come a flight safety hazard on the runways and it’s unknown wheth- er they’ve wandered in through a compromised fence. This week, Port of Astoria com- missioners approved a $57,628 package to improve security at the airport. It’s good news for the airport, which has, at times, been a target of those wanting to trim the Port of Astoria budget. “Safety has to rise to the top of the list,” said Will Isom, the port’s executive director. “Right now, See ‘Airport’ on Page 4