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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2022)
The Columbia Press February 4, 2022 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards 7 Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer III Isn’t it time to recalibrate? Warrenton is a town of contributors My outside thermometer died a few weeks ago. So I be- gan a study of thermometers. Many people look at their thermometers daily. Feb. 2 was such a day. I’ve let Punxsutawney Phil share a bit of space today, since he fits in with a story about weather. Most people know that Punxsutawney Phil lives in Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutaw- ney, Penn. The legend since the 1700s is that Phil can pre- dict the weather. He saw his shadow on Feb. 2, was fright- ened and scurried back in- side his burrow. If his predic- tions are correct, winter will continue with a vengeance, driving us to look at our ther- mometers more often for the next six weeks. I ordered a new thermom- eter, which proved to be too small for my street-facing porch. So I installed it on my patio, which faces the court- yard. In desperation, I enlisted the help of my wise, big-city son-in-law. He studied the situation, took measure- ments and I took pictures as he did. We did FaceTime, too. Long story short, he sent me the perfect specimen of a ther- mometer a week later, after I’d about given up. My big porch proudly displays the bigger thermometer and it made me happy, especially on Feb. 2. A page of important hints arrived with the thermom- eter. There were all kinds of hints easy enough for me to understand. The only words I had to look up in the dictio- nary were calibrate and re- Emergencies come in all shapes in sizes. They are stressful and chaotic. The city of Warrenton faced such an emergency on Jan 6. We had been monitoring the very high tides and snow melt, which was making the tides higher than the tide ta- bles, which kept our 35 tide gates closed longer than usu- al earlier that week. In looking back on the events leading up to the Jan. 6 flood, we had what was considered a 700-year storm event! Places that didn’t re- quire FEMA flood insurance — and didn’t have it — flood- ed, and other places we’d never seen inundated got in- undated. When I declared an emer- gency, we activated our Emergency Operations Cen- ter, which coordinated the efforts and got information out. I have to say, it was im- pressive to see it in action. Our public works staff had been on shifts battling the problem since the heavy rains earlier that week, and they continued in exhaust- ing conditions to keep water flowing. When it was clear we were not going to be able to stave off widespread inundation without additional resources, an emergency was declared. Quick as a flash, we had vol- unteer firefighters working with Oregon Military De- partment wildfire teams sent from Camp Rilea and Salem augmenting public works to pump water from inside the city to out. All told, there were three fire trucks and even a con- verted Jet Ski, as well as trash calibrate (both were covered under calibrate). I guess they figure if you can calibrate you can reca- librate. I learned that I can recalibrate any thermometer by putting it in the refrigera- tor for five minutes. For small recalibration problems, there is a button on the back of the thermometer. Well, that got me to think- ing. Do we need a button on the back of us? Could we pos- sibly need to recalibrate our lives as changes land upon us? Just think about it! For instance, this past year when an adorable little cat named Holly entered my world, I had to recalibrate. After a year, I still find recalibration thoughts or actions neces- sary. And yes, I have even had to talk to the Lord in prayer about “us.” At times, it actu- ally gets that serious! She still tries to jump into the refrigerator, but at least now I know why. Maybe she thinks she can recalibrate if she can remain in there for five minutes? I know that works with a thermometer, but what if it made her even smarter than she is now? Maybe I need to take her temperature? Many of us have had to re- calibrate due to the pandem- ic. Changes. As seniors, we face many changes in our lives calling for recalibration. And no, I am not suggesting time in the refrigerator. But maybe too often we cal- ibrate instead of looking at the directions (our Bible) to learn just how to recalibrate. Food for thought. pumps deployed to assist our struggling stormwater pumps. It was a team effort, but between the exhausted staff, fresh crews from the Oregon Military Department, and the great turnout of our volun- teer fire department, we kept the flooding minimized. Now what does “minimized” mean in this situation? I real- ize many will find that a bad description, but let me put it in perspective. Just a half inch of difference in the water level would have been the difference from about 50 to 70 properties flooded to several hundred. The difference in water ele- vation of that half inch means that instead of a garage be- ing flooded (the most com- mon issue), your crawlspace would be. I’m pleased that the city had a debrief of the event with the City Commission and we are going to be putting addition- al emphasis on stormwater infrastructure going forward. The most critical issue is getting a massive pump on Alder Creek, which, when overwhelmed, floods the Hammond and old-town Warrenton districts. I want to thank our public works, fire and police staff, volunteer firefighters, and the Oregon Military Depart- ment for their efforts. It was a team effort! I also want to thank all the citizens who offered up as- sistance from generators to strong backs. We truly live in a great community! Taking what we have learned, our next effort as a city will be to improve invest- ments to stormwater infra- structure. Letter to the Editor Praise for Public Works staff Thank you to our Public Works Department, who came out immediately after I called them to remove a mat- tress that was dumped in a ditch off of Second Street. They provide service with a smile and it is very much ap- preciated! Lori Beth Kulp Warrenton PUBLIC NOTICE WARRENTON CITY COMMISSION CANCELLED MEETING – 02/08/22 The Warrenton City Commission regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 8 at 6:00 p.m. has been cancelled due to a lack of agenda items. The Warrenton City Hall is accessible to the disabled. An interpreter for the hearing impaired may be requested under the terms of ORS 192.630 by contacting Dawne Shaw, City Recorder, at 503-861-0823 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting so appropriate assistance can be provided. Published in The Columbia Press on Feb. 4, 2022.