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