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City considers
raising business
license fees
The Columbia Press
Businesses likely will pay more for
operating in the city of Warrenton
this year.
During a discussion at Tuesday’s
city commission meeting, City Man-
ager Linda Engbretson asked for an
increase in the business license fee,
an annual tax charged for running a
business in town. Most other cities
in the county and state also charge a
business license fee.
The base charge is $60 per busi-
ness, plus $5 per employee.
In the past, the money was used to
fund events, such as the Fourth of
July parade, and promotions, such
as radio advertising, that encouraged
tourists and others to spend money in
town and improve the city’s economic
vitality. The ordinance was changed
two years ago to allow the purchase
of public safety equipment.
But the fee hasn’t kept up with in-
flation, and a larger percentage has
gone toward staff time spent pro-
cessing the licenses. The last time the
business license fee was raised was in
2007, when it went from $50 to $60.
Engbretson proposed raising the
base fee to $65 or even $75 and per-
haps also raising the per-employee
fee.
The tax doesn’t represent a large
part of the city’s general fund budget,
approximately $45,000 per year.
Raising the base fee to $75 would
bring in another $11,000 and every
dollar increase in the per-employee
fee would raise an additional $3,700,
according to April Clark, the city’s fi-
nance director.
Seaside and Cannon Beach both
charge a base fee of $75; Astoria
See ‘Business’ on Page 6
May 13, 2022
Vol. 6, Issue 19
Construction kicks off on low-income housing project
Above: Construction
crews assemble at
the site of the Trillium
House apartments.
Left: The 42-unit proj-
ect is geared toward
low-income people and
working families and
will include a play-
ground, community
garden and community
room.
Emmons Design
By Cindy Yingst
The Columbia Press
Work has begun on Trillium House,
a project hoped to spur an even larger
remedy to the region’s housing short-
age.
“It feels great,” said
Stuart Emmons, Tril-
lium’s designer and
chief proponent. “I was
looking for sites for this
project a long time ago
– 2019 -- we landed on
this really good site.”
The 42-unit apart-
Emmons
ment building is going
in on 14th Place in the
20-acre Chelsea Gardens planned de-
velopment formerly known as Spur
104. It is adjacent to Home Depot, off
Alternate Highway 101.
A lot of entities came together to
make the project work: Northwest
See ‘Trillium’ on Page 4
Groundbreaking
The public is invited to the
groundbreaking for Trillium House
at 10:30 a.m. June 7 at the
worksite on 14th Place, just off
Alternate Highway 101.
Columbia Memorial Hospital announces plans to expand
The Columbia Press
Columbia Memorial Hospital an-
nounced plans over the weekend to
expand the hospital.
A social event to kick off the plans
on Saturday brought 275 people to-
gether for a Kentucky Derby-themed
fundraiser in a tent outside the hospi-
tal. More than $400,000 was raised.
The multi-million dollar expansion,
announced at the Diamond Derby,
is expected to carry and sustain the
medical center for decades to come.
The hospital began its drive to be-
come a regional medical center with
construction of the Health and Well-
ness Pavilion, the development of
clinics in Warrenton and Seaside, and
a partnership with Oregon Health &
Science University that included con-
struction of the Knight Cancer Coop-
erative, chemotherapy services and
expanded radiology.
“While the current hospital has
been well-maintained, it lacks ex-
pandability and is vulnerable to
earthquakes, tremors or tsunamis,”
said Eric Thorsen, the hospital’s chief
executive officer. “We need a new, re-
silient health care facility that will en-
dure and help the community thrive
for the next 50 years.”
He was assisted by Dr. Robert Hol-
land, chair of the board of trustees, in
introducing the expansion plans to
the attendees. Attendees included gu-
bernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson,
Buffalo Bills All-Pro Safety Jordan
Poyer, and KOIN-TV anchors Jeff Gi-
anola and Elizabeth Dihn.
While Gianola and Dihn kicked off
the event from their anchor desk in
Portland, sports anchor Adam Bja-
ranson served as emcee for the after-
noon.
Guests watched the Kentucky Derby
live, dressed according to theme, and
See ‘CMH’ on Page 4