The
Columbia
Press
Celebrating
our
100th year
• 1922-2022
1
50 ¢
June 17, 2022
503-861-3331
Water, sewer fees
to rise as inflation
hits close to home
Vol. 6, Issue 24
City gifts Hammond’s Old Town Hall to VFW
By Cindy Yingst
The Columbia Press
The local VFW post will be the new
The Columbia Press
Sewer rates, water rates, business
license fees and more will rise in the
coming fiscal year.
Warrenton City Commission held
hearings and discussions Tuesday
night on half a dozen fee increases.
They approved all of them, but
many of the increases are negligible.
Sewer rates will go up 4 percent
beginning July 1. For most residen-
tial users, that amounts to about
$2.50 per month. It’s expected to put
$109,056 annually into city coffers.
“I’ve been around long enough to
remember when sanitation rates
were beginning to have some issues,”
City Manager Linda Engbretson said
of the city’s inability to cover its costs
because elected officials didn’t want
to impose higher costs on constitu-
ents. “I think we’ve done a real good
job staying on top of things.”
owners of Hammond’s former town
hall, a decaying but historic building
deemed more a hindrance than an as-
set for the city of Warrenton.
“Oh my gosh, it’s very exciting,”
said Debbie Little, president of the
local auxiliary and soon to be pres-
ident of the statewide auxiliary or-
ganization.
She already has begun putting
binders together to look for grants
to fix up the structure. Her hus-
band, Bert, who is commander of
Fort Stevens Post 10580, has begun
working with Camp Rilea, the Army
National Guard, and other groups
to gather donations, supplies, and
labor.
“All of our volunteers are over the
moon,” Debbie Little said.
The old town hall became an asset
of Warrenton when residents of the
former town of Hammond voted to
disincorporate and join their big-
ger neighbor city in 1991. It served
as Warrenton’s community library
until 2017, when it became too
See ‘Town Hall’ on Page 4
Debbie and Bert Little of the VFW
Fort Stevens Post 10580 stand in
front of Hammond’s former town hall.
See ‘Rates’ on Page 5
Astoria Regatta Court filled with plenty of Warrenton teen leaders
The Columbia Press
Three of the five teens
named to the 2022 Astoria
Regatta Court attended (or
recently attended) Warren-
ton High School.
Alejandra Lopez Nestor,
Tiana Rehwald-Quicke, and
Aaliyah Watson make up
the court along with Emmy
Huber of Astoria and Leah
Boles, a junior at Seaside
High.
For more than a century,
Astoria Regatta has been
represented by distinguished
young women from Clat-
sop County high schools. In
2019, the Astoria Regat-
ta Education Fund split
from the Regatta Board
to serve as an indepen-
dent selection committee.
The group selected
court members based on
academic
achievement
and service to the com-
munity and their school.
Annalyse Steele of As-
toria has been serving as
queen since 2020, when the
pandemic curtailed Regatta
activities. She’ll step down
when a new queen is crowned
in August.
The new court’s first big
Leah Boles
•Attends Seaside High
School
•Activities: Soccer, golf-
ing, participating in chil-
dren’s ministries, hiking
•Quote: “I love how gen-
erous Clatsop County is.
Alejandra
Tiana Rehwald-
Aaliyah
Emmy
Without the support and
Leah
Lopez Nestor
Quicke
Watson
Huber
Boles
generous donations from
many businesses in my
appearances were aboard a participate in a mentor- community, the activities I
new gillnetter float at Long ship program, make public am part of would not be pos-
Beach’s Loyalty Days and on speaking appearances, and sible.”
a float in the Portland Rose represent the Regatta at re-
Emmy Huber
Festival’s Starlight Parade.
gional events. For their ser-
•A graduated of Astoria
During their eight-month vice, court members earn High School
service,
court
members college scholarships.
See ‘Regatta’ on Page 4