August 12, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A
Schools ind Making fresh food accessible
lead in water
By Edward Stratton
EO Media Group
Several water taps have
been switched off in Seaside
and Astoria as lead-testing re-
sults for local school districts
start to trickle in.
Superintendent Craig Hop-
pes of the Astoria School Dis-
trict said two fountains at As-
toria High School tested at 17
and 74 parts of lead per billion,
respectively, and were shut off.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency recom-
mends schools collect 250
milliliter irst-draw samples
of stagnant water from outlets
used for consumption, taking
them out of service if the lead
level exceeds 20 parts per bil-
lion. The trigger for treatment
in a public water system is 15
parts per billion.
The school district, which
tested at several spots in
each school, shut off all other
fountains at the high school
as a precaution while it runs
additional tests to determine
whether on-campus plumb-
ing or water coming into the
school is the issue.
“Astoria School District
and the city are dedicated to
eliminating lead from drinking
water, but it’s not uncommon
for small amounts to be found
due to leaching from service
lines, parts, and ittings,” Hop-
pes wrote in a letter sent to
parents and guardians Mon-
day. “These trace amounts of
lead rarely if ever cause acute
illnesses. Only with prolonged
exposure can lead bioaccu-
mulate in the body and cause
health issues.”
In the letter, Hoppes said
tests at 30 spots around the
city last year showed clean
drinking water below the EPA
threshold for treatment.
“While the city provides
water that is lead-free, it cannot
control the pipes and ixtures
past the service connection,”
Hoppes wrote, encouraging
water customers to use newer
ixtures and lead-free plumb-
ing.
Seaside Superintendent
Sheila Roley said the school
district has identiied two loca-
tions with elevated lead levels.
“We tested almost 40 dif-
ferent locations in the schools,
and only found two that had
levels that exceeded” bench-
marks, Roley said. She added
that both were in the teens of
parts per billion.
One was the hose in a boil-
er room that does not provide
drinking water, Roley said,
while the other was a sink in
the concession stand at Sea-
side High School primarily
used for cleaning. She said the
school district has also shut
down other sinks approaching
the threshold of 20 parts per
billion and is performing ad-
ditional tests to determine the
cause of high lead concentra-
tions.
Crowded labs
In addition to inding the
source of the pollution, the
problem is getting timely
results back. The discovery
of high lead volumes in two
Portland schools, along with
the public relations disaster
that followed, spurred many
districts throughout the state
to start testing this spring. Gov.
Kate Brown and other state
leaders have called for yearly
reports on lead and other tox-
ins from every school district.
Astoria and other Clatsop
County districts started test-
ing in June. Only in the past
week did Astoria and Seaside
School District receive their
results back from a lab.
“We tested almost 40 dif-
ferent locations in the schools,
and only found two that had
levels that exceeded” bench-
marks, Seaside Superintendent
Sheila Roley said. She added
that both exceedances were in
the teens of parts per billion.
One was the hose in a boil-
er room that does not provide
drinking providing nonpota-
ble water, Roley said, while
the other was a sink in the
concession stand at Seaside
High School primarily used
for cleaning. She said the
school district has also shut
down other sinks approaching
the threshold of 20 parts per
billion and is performing ad-
ditional tests to determine the
cause of high lead concentra-
tions.
Oficials from both War-
renton-Hammond and Knappa
said their school districts are
still waiting for results.
Jewell School, which pro-
vides its own water, is one of
the few districts in the state
that was already required to
test for lead with the Oregon
Health Authority. Results from
previous years show the dis-
trict’s water quality at or below
the benchmark of 0.015 milli-
grams of lead per liter.
Cannon Beach,
Seaside farmers
markets in full
season
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
In case you need another
reason to head to the beach:
Every week this summer, Sea-
side and Cannon Beach farm-
ers markets will be illed with
locally grown produce, freshly
baked goods, food trucks, or-
ganic offerings, natural prod-
ucts and more.
Some vendors, like T bee S
honey and Skamokawa Farm-
stead Creamery, appear in both
Seaside and Cannon Beach.
Both markets help make
food from local farmers af-
fordable for families by offer-
ing a Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program match
of up to $10 per person per
week. If a SNAP participant
buys $10 of tokens, they re-
ceive $20.
Cannon Beach
On its irst farmers mar-
ket day in June, Two Crows
Joy played as local vendors
welcomed visitors — despite
wind, hail and rain — to a new
season of organic produce,
food trucks and sweet treats.
“We’ve been here since the
Cannon Beach market start-
ed,” said Anne Berblinger,
with Gales Meadow Farm.
“We’ve had the same custom-
ers year after year, and we
also talk to visitors from all
over the world.”
Popcorn, jams, brittle by
Sweet Treats By George,
microgreens and sourdough
from Nightlight Farm, goat
cheese, hummus and pita
chips, and wines from The
Wine Shack were some offer-
ings. “It’s a nice mix of tour-
ists and locals,” said Market
Manager Philomena Lloyd.
The market has about 25
vendors total and each week
has a community booth.
Local magician Brett Wil-
lyard will be at most markets
engaging families in magic
tricks.
The Cannon Beach mar-
ket has three prepared food
booths: Hello Wafle, O Falafel
and Northwest Roll and Bowl.
Seaside Farmers Market
The Seaside Farmers Mar-
ket made its seasonal debut
in June with a new location,
more vendors and a new chil-
dren’s program.
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Visitors shopped at the irst Cannon Beach Farmers Market of the season.
If You Go
CANNON BEACH
FARMERS MARKET:
1 to 5 p.m. every
Tuesday until Sept.
27.
SEASIDE FARMERS
MARKET: 3 to 7 p.m.
every Wednesday
until Aug. 31.
Two Crows Joy performs at the irst Cannon Beach market.
The market is now locat-
ed in the Broadway Middle
School parking area along
U.S. Highway 101/Roosevelt
Drive near the Broadway
Street intersection — a move
Market Manager Rachael Bai-
ley said will lead to “a more
visible presence.”
The Clatsop County
Master Gardeners leads the
new Little Sprouts program,
which provides children with
activities and a $1 token each
week.
“It’s a much better loca-
tion,” said master gardener
Yvonne Whitney. “We’ve
had people here from Cal-
ifornia and Nebraska.” For
Scott Thompson, co-owner
of Blackberry Bog Farm,
it’s important for people
to know where their food
comes from.
“To me, the local part is
important,” he said.
The fresh lowers, produce
and herbs he sells at the stand
were grown 45 minutes away,
in Svensen. The farm also
raises Thanksgiving turkeys
and chickens.
Emergency readiness focus of Bonamici visit
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
For a second time in two
weeks, U.S. Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici was in Seaside, this
time for a town hall meeting with
constituents to discuss issues and
ield questions.
In an earlier visit, Bonamici,
D-Oregon, visited Providence
ElderPlace in Seaside on July
22, where she met program par-
ticipants and shared her views
on elder care, a new mental
health initiative and community
programs with Providence staff.
Her hour-long town hall in
late July attended by about 40
people at the South County
Campus of Clatsop Communi-
ty College followed a visit to the
Cannon Beach Fire Department
earlier in the afternoon. While
Bonamici touched on a variety
of hot-button issues, including
education, housing, seniors, jobs
and healthcare, improving emer-
gency warning systems on the
north Oregon coast was the pri-
mary focus of her visit.
Bonamici and Cannon Beach
public oficials met to discuss
tsunami early warning systems
and how to best communicate
emergencies to residents.
“Cannon Beach is a great ex-
ample,” Bonamici said. “I really
like the creative solution of hav-
ing people store their things out
of the tsunami zone. I appreciate
the partnerships and the local,
state and federal folks working
together because we want peo-
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ple to be prepared and we don’t
want to discourage people from
coming over to the coast.”
Leland O’Driscoll, Univer-
sity of Oregon earthquake proj-
ect manager and seismic ield
technician, explained the early
warning system used to detect
earthquakes’ size and magni-
tude through a network of seis-
mic sensors.
This system would be more
available by 2018, O’Driscoll
said.
The group also listened to the
“mooing cows” emergency test
warning system, spearheaded by
former Cannon Beach ire board
president Al Aya. “It’s really fun
to go downtown on a day like
today,” ire board director Gar-
ry Smith said.
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
“We turned it into a mar-
keting tool rather than fear,”
Public Works Director Dan
Grassick said. “Our next phase
is to take a serious look at sur-
vival and where we will put
people post-tsunami.”
Bonamici said she is still
working to get the Tsunami
Warning, Education and Re-
search Act “over the inish
line.”
Currently, Cannon Beach
has eight sirens, but the ire
board eventually hopes to in-
stall more alarms in the south-
ern end of Cannon Beach and
Arch Cape.
“It took us a long time to con-
vince people, don’t be scared,”
said Cannon Beach Mayor Sam
Steidel. “Be educated.”
Thompson said the new lo-
cation provided more tourist
trafic, but not much differ-
ence in local customers.
Angi Wildt, of Nehalem
Bay Winery, said the market
had more activity this year
and she enjoys talking to trav-
elers.
“There are more vendors,
but it’s still growing,” she
said. “I love Seaside and want
to see this grow. You get to
know the other vendors and it
gets friendly.”
Although one of three sis-
ters donning aprons that said
“The Veggie Girls” were in
charge of the stand for Glory
B Farms, from Grays River,
Washington, Chloe Zimmer-
man said she does not do any
farming.
“We just have a farmer for
a dad,” she said, adding that
working the stand was her
summer job. “We wanted to
get involved in a new market.”
Strawberries,
rhubarb,
greens, beets, peas and herbs
were on display.
Autumn Barnett, of Hum-
mingbird Creations, sells
unique plants in driftwood
and moss balls, as well as dog
treats.
Grace Body Essentials,
Twig’s Munch Wagon, Sea
Star Gelato, Nutoriously Nutz
and Three Little Birds Bakery
were among other vendors at
the market.
Dining on the
North Coast
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503-436-2851
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From hashbrown potatoes ground fresh
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complete lunch menu, too. Our dining area overlooks a
beautiful wetland area and downtown Cannon Beach.
NORMA’S SEAFOOD & STEAK
20 N. Columbia, Seaside
503-738-4331
Since 1976 discriminating diners have
sought out this Seaside landmark. There’s a
chalkboard fresh catchlist, exclusively natural
Angus beef and a great regional wine list as
well as local microbrews. From Steak & Lobster to Fish &
Chips (and Chowder to die for) - this is worth the drive!
11am-10pm daily. Visit www.normasseaside.com
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