The Columbia Press
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Regatta: Teens prepare for festival
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•Activities: Pizazz Dance
Team captain, Miss North
Coast Outstanding Teen in
2020, STEM, camping.
•Quote: “Clatsop County is
home to a lot of history and at-
tracts many tourists. … I think
it’s cool that people come from
all over just to visit us and see
the many cool sites.”
co-director of State of Stu-
dents, hiking, taekwondo,
wrestling.
•Quote: “I appreciate and
am grateful for the support
teachers give students. Teach-
ers in Warrenton genuinely
want students to succeed in
school and beyond.”
Tiana Rehwald-Quicke
•Warrenton High School
graduate
Alejandra Lopez Nestor
•Activities: Band and choir,
•A Warrenton High graduate
•Activities: Founder of high vice president of high school’s
school’s Multicultural Club, Multicultural Club.
•Quote: “I’m so excited to
be a part of this community’s
tradition and I can’t wait to
get even more involved in our
beautiful little community.”
Aaliyah Watson
•Attends Warrenton High
School
•Activities: Camping, volley-
ball, cheer team captain.
•Quote: “I love how War-
renton has a ‘small town’ type
feel and everyone is either
known or knowable. The fam-
ily-friendly atmosphere re-
ally makes this town feel like
home.”
June 17, 2022
Astoria Regatta
What: One of the state’s old-
est festivals, Astoria has host-
ed sailboat races and more
since 1894. This year’s event
includes maritime memorials,
the Grand Land Parade, a fun
run, a family carnival and mov-
ie night, live music, booths,
and kids activities.
When: August 10-13, with
various events in Astoria and
Warrenton.
The Queen’s Coronation
and Reception are at 7 p.m.
Aug. 10 at the Liberty Theatre,
1203 Commercial St., Astoria.
Town Hall: VFW
to acquire building
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structurally unstable to hold
dozens of shelves of heavy
books.
“I wouldn’t give you a hun-
dred-dollar bill for that,”
Commissioner Rick Newton
said of the building in 2020,
when the city began discuss-
ing what to do with it.
On Tuesday night, during
a public hearing on the sale,
he said “I want to see it gone.
It is an albatross around our
neck.”
Commissioners voted 4-0 to
give the building to the VFW.
Mayor Henry Balensifer is
out of town. He’d sponsored
a town hall meeting in April
to ensure the public’s opinion
was heard and he has been a
supporter of giving it to the
nonprofit military veterans
group.
The gift does not include
the property, which the city
will keep, and the gift comes
with a reversionary clause.
If the VFW stops using it as
a public meeting place, it will
revert to the city.
The old building once was a
barracks at nearby Fort Ste-
vens and is at least 100 years
old, Balensifer has said.
“It would be great to see
this in the hands of a non-
profit who could use it for a
good purpose,” City Manager
Linda Engbretson said. The
city’s ability to rehabilitate
the structure was limited, but
there are grants the nonprofit
group can leverage, she said.
The VFW plans to use the
building as its meeting hall
– currently the group meets
in the Masonic Lodge – and
would allow scout groups and
others to meet there. Soon
the VFW will have a place to
hang its plaques and photos,
Bert Little said. There are
no plans to add a canteen or
lounge.
The transfer is expected to
go through within a month.