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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2021)
The Columbia Press July 16, 2021 3 Warrenton will pay less, but remain in tourism council The Columbia Press sioners unanimously ap- City commissioners proved the budget with- stepped back Tuesday out funding for LCTC. night from an earlier de- But Tuesday night, cision to withdraw from there was a change of the Lower Columbia heart. Tourism Council. “I believe we’re getting Instead, the city will more than our mon- simply scale back the ey’s worth” from LCTC, amount of money it Commissioner Rick sends. Newton said. He’d like LCTC was formed the agency to push his three decades ago to idea to make Warrenton combine the marketing the walking capitol of the efforts of Astoria and region. Warrenton. Both cities “I think what they do collect taxes from tour- for us is very important. ists when they camp Mayor Henry Balensifer and former … I do not have enough in the area or stay in a Commissioner Pam Ackley dedicate an data to walk away from hotel. The tax money is Oregon Film Trail sign at Hammond Mari- them.” used to attract more vis- na, where parts of the movie “Free Willy” Commissioner Tom itors by letting people were filmed. Dyer agreed. “We need across the state and na- to make a decision based tion know about the region’s As Warrenton becomes a on facts, not feelings,” Dyer attractions. more dominant force in the said. In years past, Warrenton region, it should renegotiate David Reid, executive direc- sent 6.8 percent of the “tran- its participation in agencies tor of the Astoria-Warrenton sient” tax it collects to LCTC, such as LCTC, Mayor Henry Area Chamber of Commerce, or about $53,000 per year. Balensifer said Tuesday. which manages LCTC, said But recently, city leaders “We’ve discussed this for Warrenton needs to take a have felt the agency was tak- five years that I can remem- more active role on the coun- ing the money without con- ber,” Commissioner Mark cil’s board. sidering Warrenton’s goals. Baldwin said, advocating “That has not been hap- And during budget meetings leaving the council. “What pening in the last year, so we in May, the city’s finance are we getting? That’s the need to work on that. It goes committee decided it could data we do know -- we’re not in both directions. It’s a part- make better use of those getting much. … We need to nership,” Reid said. tourism dollars, particular- do work on that marina and LCTC’s primary mission ly through improvements to this is a start.” isn’t attracting more tourists Hammond Marina. Last month, city commis- to the region, it’s about man- State gets upgraded 911 locational system Oregon’s 911 program and RapidSOS, an emergency re- sponse data platform, have formed a partnership to de- liver enhanced location data to each of the state’s 43 911 dispatch centers. Oregon is the first in the na- tion to securely deploy Rap- idSOS into an existing, secure emergency services network. “The existing 911 system used to locate cell phone calls is over 20 years old, designed long before smart- phones or GPS,” explained Program Manager Frank Kuchta. “When a person calls 911 from a cell phone, the dis- patcher can’t see the caller’s exact location; instead, they have to rely on the caller’s wireless carrier for the infor- mation.” Yet 80 percent of 911 calls come from cell phones and location information comes from a cell tower that could put the caller miles away from where they are physically. More than 10,000 lives could be saved nationwide each year if 911 could locate wireless callers faster, allow- ing first responders to assist callers sooner, according to the Federal Communications Commission. The RapidSOS Platform securely delivers real-time data from smartphones and sensors to 911 centers, help- ing personnel quickly verify emergencies and providing location and additional data. aging visitors, getting people interested in coming here during the off season, he said. “If there’s a story to be told about Warrenton, I’d like Warrenton to be telling that story.” Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday night that would give LCTC 2 percent of the transient tax, or about $15,525 per year. The rest of the money would go to the Hammond Marina capital re- serve fund. The vote was 4-1, with New- ton voting no. Regatta returns after hiatus Astoria Regatta returns this year for an abbreviated festival on Aug. 14. Just a few weeks ago, the Regatta’s Board of Direc- tors had canceled the event for the second year in a row. However, as COVID-19 infections have fallen and pandemic restrictions have lifted, the board reconsid- ered its decision. “The Regatta board came together this year with the goal of reviving some out- door events that could be held safely during the pan- demic,” President Melissa Grothe said. “I anticipate that we’ll be celebrating a return of the full festival in 2022.” The Seamen’s Memorial and Highwater Boat Parade will take place. The memorial will recog- nize the region’s maritime history at 11 a.m. Aug. 14 at Astoria’s Maritime Memo- rial Park. The boat parade will be visible from the Riverwalk and begins at 5 p.m. Cap- tains can sign up at astori- aregatta.com/parades. Annalyse Steele, an Asto- ria High School graduate, was crowned 2020 Regatta queen in a small, ceremo- ny last summer. She will continue to serve through 2022.
