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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
4A • October 6, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Views from the Rock Severe stress and domestic violence a tunne e l th I of Li h t e t e a n t d h g nd inside Wood lining of the tunne in 1940. LEFT: Tunnel construction on the south portal, circa 1937. CENTER: Construction at the north portal. RIGHT: Tunnel at a 2010 site visit. SUBMITTED PHOTOS A RCH CAPE — “One of the many projects on the books,” is how Oregon Department of Transportation Northwest Area Project Leader Michael Schroeder described replacement of lights and fixtures at the Arch Cape Tunnel during a Sept. 25 information session at the fire station. Once upon a time Arch Cape was at the end of a wagon road from Seaside. The 1,230-yard long tunnel on U.S. Highway 101 connected the North Coast to Manzanita. The lights were probably the easiest part of the origi- nal construction project. According CANNON SHOTS to “Arch Cape R.J. MARX Chronicles: The History of Arch Cape,” some of the rock was sandstone while other rock was a much harder basalt. Sandstone is less stable than basalt and when exposed to air, immediately becomes soft and crumbles like dirt. Tim- ber beams were necessary to prevent a cave-in. During construction workers stayed on the ocean side of the north entrance at the Arch Cape Hotel. Carbon monox- ide poison and gas fumes felled the men, who rarely lasted longer than a few months on the job. Tunnel worker Charles Haddock said in a 1993 inter- view that while the brakes of his International Harvester truck were good and the cab kept out of the rain, “I can recall no other comforts by today’s standards.” The project was delayed by heavy rains, mud, inexpe- rienced supervision, improper equipment and transport woes. Seventy-mile per hour winds battered workers and lashed unheated cabins in what laborers described as “wild country.” Construction began in early 1936. Completion was ex- pected by year-end, but weather, inexperience and equip- ment delays extended the completion date until 1938. It wasn’t until March 1940 that work was completed with the laying of asphalt, gutters and curbs. Arch Cape was no longer isolated. ODOT estimates the tunnel receives about 5,000 vehicles a day. Let there be light The original lighting used mercury bulbs and PCB bal- lasts, Schroeder said, using a chemical banned in 1976 and phased out in years to come due to their toxic effects. A multimillion dollar 1998 construction project replaced the tunnel’s rotting timber linings with steel-reinforced concrete. Engineers swapped lighting fixtures with halogen lamps. The reopening was celebrated on May 15 with the “crashing” of a paper barrier by three jeeps. The state’s tunnel inspection program selected the Arch Cape Tunnel as one of three (of nine tunnels managed by ODOT) for “in- depth” 10-year inspections. Two have been performed, in 2000 and 2010, with reg- R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE ular inspections Project manager Walter Bartel and every two years Michael Schroeder of the Oregon De- and drainage partment of Transportation at an open cleaning twice house introducing the new lighting per year. system for the Arch Cape Tunnel. Inspections focused on the tunnel’s entrances, liners and lighting. Since that time, while they’re all working, they require “a lot of power” and frequent repair, Schroeder said. Galvanized aluminum harnesses have rusted out, and while not in danger of dropping off the ceiling “anytime soon,” in five to 10 years they could become a danger to the motoring public. Energy friendly About two years ago, ODOT applied for a federal grant to replace the lamps, seeking about $1 million for the proj- ect. The Federal Highway Administration saw the need and approved funds to replace the system. The state will also receive a rebate from the Energy Trust of Oregon. The lighting project is slated for a 90-day spring con- struction schedule. Materials will be stainless steel, except for the lights, which will be ceramic. High-lifts will take the system down and drill the bolts to hang the hangers. Lights will be epoxy-bolted in a concrete liner drilled into solid rock before wiring through a conduit. Most of the work will be done at night. The new lights will be built next to the existing ones so there will be no interruption of service. During installation, one lane will be closed and a pilot car will lead a single-lane of traffic. When complete, LED lighting will reduce electrical costs by 56 percent, Schroeder said. The lights will be managed by a timer in a controller cabinet, Bartel said. Bike-warning lights will also be enhanced to protect cyclists heading through the tunnel. Maybe next on the tunnel modification agenda will be a genuine bike lane. Right now, it’s a daunting proposition for anyone on two wheels. t’s just a little more than a year since Jessica Smith was sentenced to life in prison. She was sentenced at the Clatsop County courthouse on Aug. 25, 2016. You remember Jessica. She’s the mom from Vancouver, Washington, who came to Cannon Beach and rented a hotel room where she killed one child and critically injured another. It’s hard to forget the story. The discovery of the crime and then the trial itself dominated local news for a long time. A detail of the case, Smith’s note that might be construed as a suicide note, “We’ve decided to opt out,” haunted me. Her assertion after her arrest that she had “little or no memory” of her crimes was also disturbing. Smith’s lawyers felt she was mentally unfi t to stand trial, an assertion objected to by Clatsop County District Attor- ney Josh Marquis. Smith pleaded not guilty. Prior to her acts of familial violence, the family was undergoing severe stress. Jessica and her husband, Greg, were divorcing. Greg claimed Jessica had had an VIEW FROM affair, although the THE PORCH two reconciled for EVE MARX awhile. Greg sued for full custody; when he thought Jessica was going to take the children out of state, he fought back with a restraining order. He said Jessica was suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of abuse she had suffered earlier. She retaliated by fi ling a petition for an emergency anti-harassment temporary protection order, citing her husband had subjected her to daily mental and emotional abuse, bullying, neglect, and physical and verbal abuse of their pets. After drugging and drowning the toddler, and slashing her teenage daughter’s throat, Smith fl ed. Her daughter told police Jessica was going to the woods to kill herself. Before that could happen, a Coast Guard helicopter located her on a logging road off Highway 26. Domestic violence and abuse is not a talked about crime. In 2013 the Journal of Family Violence published a report on familicide, the formal name for when a family member kills themselves after killing other family mem- bers. The study, which covered the period between 2000 and 2009, reported familicide occurs in the United States about 23 times a year. The majority of the perpetrators are male, committing the offense with a fi rearm. Women also commit familicide. When I taught creative writing in a maximum security prison for women, I learned the great majority of women who took the lives of their spouses or their children were themselves victims of domestic violence. Seaside resident Shannon Symonds, a part-time ad- vocate for victims of domestic and sexual assault and the author of the novel, “Safe House,” noted at a recent meet- ing of the Seaside Branch of the American Association of University Women the most deadly type of abuser is the one who has no prior documented history of abuse. “There may be no red fl ags,” she said. Women of means are the least likely to report domestic violence. “The more you have to lose, the less you tell,” Symonds said. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. Symonds publisher, Cedar Fort, has partnered to discount “Safe House” e-book or kindle version to 99 cents for the month of October. Eight copies are also free as a giveaway for the month of October on Goodreads. “Safe House” takes place in Seaside. Margie Nugent, a domestic violence survivor who speaks nationally on the subject, said, “Everyone asked me why I just didn’t leave. It’s because most women get killed on the way out. Domestic violence is not a low income issue. It’s not an uneducated issue. It’s a power issue I speak on the subject whenever I’m asked because silence is deadly.” PUBLIC MEETINGS Monday, Oct. 9 163 E. Gower St. Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protec- tion District, 6 p.m., 188 Sunset, Cannon Beach. Thursday, Oct. 26 Tuesday, Oct. 10 Cannon Beach City Council, 7 p.m., work session, City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Tuesday, Oct. 17 Cannon Beach Public Works Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Seaside School District Board of Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin, Seaside. Thursday, Oct. 19 Cannon Beach Parks and Com- munity Services Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Cannon Beach Design Review Board Meeting, 6 p.m., City Hall, Cannon Beach Planning Com- mission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Friday, Oct. 27 Cannon Beach Emergency Pre- paredness Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Monday, Nov. 13 Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protec- tion District, 6 p.m., 188 Sunset, Cannon Beach. Tuesday, Nov. 21 Seaside School District Board of Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin, Seaside. Monday, Dec. 11 Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protec- tion District, 6 p.m., 188 Sunset, Cannon Beach. LETTERS Commissioner to abstain on budget In my work and volunteer expe- rience, we always had performance measures. As workers, line staff, administrators and board members, we always held ourselves account- able in a collaboratively developed and defi ned way. I’ve been asking for board work Publisher David F. Pero Editor R.J. Marx Circulation Manager Jeremy Feldman Production Manager John D. Bruijn sessions or a board retreat to do this. I want us to develop an ac- countability system for this board so that we can collaborate, all of us together, in defi ning our intended outcomes and the work we’ll do to achieve them. We also require resources to achieve them: our time, staff time, travel money and so on. This is work only we can do. Classifi ed Sales Jamie Ramsdell Advertising Sales Holly Larkins Staff writer Brenna Visser Contributing writers Rebecca Herren Katherine Lacaze Eve Marx Nancy McCarthy Because we have not yet done this work, my conscience dictates that I cannot vote to approve the budget. The rest of the budget stands on its own, so I will not vote against its approval. I will vote to abstain and hope this moves us forward to act. County Commissioner Lianne Thompson Arch Cape CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738- 9285 www.cannonbeachgazette. com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Thank you to Betsy Johnson Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties are truly fortunate to have a powerful and compassionate advo- cate in Sen. Betsy Johnson. Because of her tireless commitment to meet our needs, Oregon lawmakers made decisions that protect and provide resources for our most vulnerable neighbors. Community Action Team staff POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Copyright 2017 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. and board members wish to express deep gratitude to Sen. Johnson for asking the hard questions, seek- ing our input regarding community needs and for carrying that informa- tion to the legislative arena. Senator, please accept our many thanks for your unshakable loyalty in serving all of us. Leanne Murray St. Helens THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING
