January 20, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A
Clatsop County opts out of timber suit
Commissioners heard
‘overwhelming
message’ from public
By Jack Heffernan
EO Media Group
A $1.4 billion lawsuit pit-
ting Oregon timber counties
against the state will no longer
include Clatsop County.
The Clatsop County Board
of Commissioners voted 3-2
Wednesday, Jan. 11, to opt out
of the class-action suit that
included 15 counties through-
out Oregon. The suit claims
the state Department of For-
estry has not maximized rev-
enue from timber harvests on
land the counties turned over
to the state to manage.
Hundreds of people, both
in person and in writing, have
offered opinions to the coun-
ty since it was included in
the suit filed by Linn County
last year. Out of the 19 peo-
ple who spoke during the
comment session Wednesday
night, 11 voiced their support
for opting out.
“The overwhelming mes-
sage from public testimony
has been in favor of bal-
anced forest management and
against the Linn County law-
suit,” Scott Lee, the board’s
chairman, said.
Commissioners Sarah Ne-
beker and Kathleen Sullivan
joined Lee in voting to opt out
of the lawsuit. One of the most
Scott
Lee
EO MEDIA GROUP/FILE PHOTO
Clatsop County has opted out of a $1.4 billion timber lawsuit against the state.
‘Clatsop County must be in a much better financial
situation than the rest of us, which is a good thing.’
Roger Nyquist
Linn County Commissioner
common issues both commis-
sioners and opponents of the
suit raised was that, should
the state lose in court, county
residents could be affected by
higher state taxes.
The fear of higher tax-
es stems from how the state
could pay the counties back
for the lost timber revenue.
“There is no free money
here, as far as I can see,” said
Nebeker, who also expressed
concerns about the future
ramifications on state forestry
policies. “I do not think this is
a good or wise way to change
such far-reaching rules and
practices.”
Linn County
Linn County, with financial
aid from a number of private
timber industry groups, filed
the lawsuit against the state in
March, claiming it had failed
to meet an agreement to max-
imize timber profits. In Oc-
tober, a Linn County Circuit
judge’s ruling gave the lawsuit
class action status, meaning
14 other counties — including
Clatsop — and 130 taxing en-
tities could participate.
Commissioner Lisa Clem-
ent, who voted against opting
out along with Commissioner
Lianne Thompson, said while
she was concerned with the
Lianne
Thompson
potential rise in state taxes as
a result of a successful law-
suit, she saw the timber issue
as a legal, not political, issue.
Clatsop County’s roughly
147,000 acres of forestland
represented 23 percent of all
land included in the suit. Sher-
iff Tom Bergin, Warrenton
Fiber’s Martin Nygaard and
people who work in the local
timber industry were among
those who urged commission-
ers to remain in the suit.
Both Nebeker and Sullivan
said the lawsuit favors Linn
County’s interests more than
those of Clatsop County.
“(The lawsuit) assumes
that Linn County and Clatsop
County agree with the great-
est permanent value rule,”
said Sullivan, who earlier in
the meeting was sworn in for
her first term as a commis-
sioner. “While not perfect,
the forest management plan is
working.”
Thompson said that while
she “hated” the lawsuit itself,
she wanted Clatsop County to
have a say in how its forests
are managed.
“What I’m interested in is
how best to control the out-
comes,” she said.
Lee disagreed.
“Why would we join a law-
suit that demands maximum
timber harvest over all other in-
terests if we don’t support that
position?” he said.
Should the counties win the
lawsuit, Clatsop County might
have received $262 million.
The county budget, by compar-
ison, is roughly $57.6 million.
Other taxing districts, such
as Clatsop Community Col-
lege, would receive some of the
money should they decide to
remain in the lawsuit.
County Manager Cameron
Moore said it was unlikely the
county would consider filing
a separate lawsuit against the
state.
Moore said it’s not entirely
certain what the board’s deci-
sion will mean for the county
or the lawsuit. “I don’t think
anyone will know what the ex-
act impact of Clatsop County’s
decision will be for at least a
year,” he said.
Linn County Commissioner
Roger Nyquist said the decision
Wednesday night is between
the board of commissioners
and its constituents and it will
not hamper the lawsuit going
forward.
“Clatsop County must be in
a much better financial situa-
tion than the rest of us, which is
a good thing,” Nyquist said. “I
don’t know how they go to the
voters now and ask for more
money.”
Volunteers lauded at annual fire and rescue awards banquet
Awards from Page 1A
the annual Seaside Fire and
Rescue Awards Banquet held
Jan. 14. “You’re not just vol-
unteers. You’re volunteer fire-
persons who have been trained
and who are adequate for the
challenges that come up.”
In 2016, the department
responded to a record 1,329
calls and held drills on a
weekly basis. In addition,
the Seaside Fire and Rescue
Association participated in
numerous fundraising and
community service activities,
including providing support
and a meal to public respond-
ers who attended the memo-
rial service for fallen Seaside
Police Officer Jason Good-
ding in February; co-spon-
soring the Seaside Safety Fair
with the city of Seaside; and
donating a tree for the 2016
Providence Seaside Festival
of Trees that raised about
$1,000.
By mid-January of this
year, the department already
had responded to 76 calls,
compared to 46 at the same
point in 2016.
“It’s looking like, if things
hold true, we will be having
another record year,” Asso-
ciation President Katie Bul-
letset said.
Lt. Jeramy Houston added
that when started volunteering
15 years ago, the department
was averaging about 500 calls
per year.
“It’s just gone up and up
and up since then,” Houston
said.
What makes it possible
for the department to achieve
a high response rate is the
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL
Seaside Fire Chief Joey Daniels presents service awards
during the annual Seaside Fire and Rescue Awards Banquet.
work of volunteers. The or-
ganization runs off the effort
of men and women who not
only donate their time, but get
the necessary training to put
themselves in risky situations
and succeed.
“The fire service in a com-
munity is really, I think, the
core of who we are,” Bar-
ber said. “You do your work
without a lot of attention or
acclaim, but you do it because
you’re committed to the call-
ing to serve the community in
a way no other people do in
our community.”
While a prevalent spirit
of volunteerism is evident in
many different areas through
various means in Seaside,
the firefighters and medical
responders provide a unique
type of service.
“Most of you are risking
your lives, in many cases to
preserve the life and proper-
ty of people you do not even
know,” Barber said. “My
hat is off to you. I just real-
ly want to underscore how
much we appreciate what
you do.”
Bonamici reintroduces tsunami bill
EO Media Group
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonami-
ci on Tuesday, Jan. 10, reintro-
duced the Tsunami Warning,
Education, and Research Act.
The legislation would
strengthen tsunami detection
and warning systems, improve
response and resiliency and
better protect communities
vulnerable to a tsunami.
“Many Oregonians, in-
cluding students from Seaside
High School in coastal Ore-
gon, have told me that there
won’t be enough time to make
it to safety when there’s a tsu-
nami,” Bonamici, D-Oregon,
said in a release. “I applaud
Seaside residents for passing
a bond recently to rebuild
schools on higher ground to
reduce the dangers of tsunami,
and state and local govern-
ments are working hard to pre-
pare and educate the public.
“But the federal govern-
ment can do more to help
keep coastal communities safe
through improved warning
systems. This bill is one part
of the solution. Preparing for
tsunami is a life-or-death mat-
ter for residents of coastal Or-
egon and other coastal com-
munities.”
In the 2015-16 session, the
U.S. House of Representatives
unanimously passed a similar
version of the bill, which did
not pass the Senate.
Bonamici received spon-
sorship from 11 other repre-
sentatives, including fellow
Oregon Democrats Peter De-
Fazio and Earl Blumenauer;
Republican Jaime Herrera
Beutler from Washington
state; and Washington state
Democrats Denny Heck, Pra-
mila Jayapal and Derek Kil–
mer.
The bill would improve
Awards
presentation
During the banquet, a year-
ly tradition for the department
for more than two decades, a
number of department mem-
bers were recognized for their
accomplishments and service.
Chief Joey Daniels present-
ed the annual service awards.
Matt Keefer, who recently left
for a paid job in rural fire pro-
tection, was recognized for five
years of service; Parker Mc-
Carthy for 10 years of service;
and Cpt. Mike Smith for 25
years of service.
The five individuals who
responded to the most calls in
2016 included Cpt. Gordon
Houston, with 414 calls; Evan
Edwards with 439 calls; Roy
Dague with 440 calls; Bulletset
with 530 calls; and Doug Rob-
erts with 559.
Roberts also was the leader
in number of drills attended,
with 50 out of 51. He was fol-
lowed by Bulletset and Dague
with 48; Cesar Alcala with 46;
and Kyle Mergel with 41.
Mayor Jay Barber speaks to
attendees at the annual Sea-
side Fire and Rescue Awards
Banquet.
Div. Chief David Rankin
presented the EMS Provider
of the Year Award. Echoing
sentiments expressed by Gor-
don Houston during his pre-
sentation of special recogni-
tion awards, Rankin described
Roberts, the winner, as “a very
enthusiastic and dedicated
member of our department.”
Not only did he lead in call
response and drill attendance,
but he also obtained his EMR
certification in 2015, which al-
lowed him to contribute more
in 2016.
“He’s put a lot of work and
effort into this year, and he has
a huge heart,” Rankin said.
“I’m glad to see how far he’s
come and where’s he going to
go.”
In presenting the Fire Offi-
cer of the Year award to Div.
Chief Chris Dugan, Bulletset
relied on statistics, stating he
“leads by example.” Out of the
department’s 1,329 calls, Du-
gan responded to 688, or about
51.8 percent. Additionally, 154
of the calls took place between
the hours of midnight and 7
T HE D AILY A STORIAN ’ S
C UTEST B ABY C ONTEST
KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL
Div. Chief David Rankin (left) presents Doug Roberts with the
EMS Provider of the Year award.
a.m., and Dugan responded to
77, or 67 percent.
When she asked the other
members to describe Dugan
ahead of the event, Bulletset
said, she was provided with
words such as “safe,” “knowl-
edgeable,”
“noncritical,”
“encouraging,” “upbeat” and
“positive.”
“[Dugan] consistently has
a smile and a friendly word
everyone, even at 3 a.m. in
the morning,” she said. “He is
very popular among his fellow
firefighters and also within the
community.”
Finally, Daniels present-
ed the Firefighter of the Year
award to Cesar Alcala.
“It’s hard to choose out of
a bunch of good firefighters
and the time they can com-
mit,” Daniels said. However, in
2016, Alcala “stood out a little
higher than most.” He attended
46 drills and achieved his Fire-
fighter I and Hazmat Operation
certifications.
Another notable aspect of
2016 was the establishment of
the department’s part-time work
program. For several years, a
part-time employee worked
about 20 hours doing adminis-
trative work at the fire station.
In July 2016, however, the new
program went into effect.
Now, various department
members, in shifts of four
hours, oversee the office from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily doing
administrative tasks, such as
data entry, rig checks, sched-
uling drills, taking calls and
more. The program benefits
the department, but also gives
the members an opportunity to
earn a little money while learn-
ing the inner-workings of the
organization.
“Everybody that’s partici-
pating in the program is getting
to learn all the behind-the-
scenes stuff at the fire station
that they didn’t really under-
stand was there before,” Gor-
don Houston said.
DADDY
daughter
DANCE
If your baby was born
between
Saturday, February 4, 2017
6:00 - 8:00pm
you can submit your
newborn’s picture either
via email at:
The Seaside Civic and Convention Center
415 1st Ave Seaside, OR
Tickets are $25 per couple
and $5 for each additional child!
January 1st &
December 31st , 2016 ,
CLASSIFIEDS @ DAILYASTORIAN . COM
or drop by one of our offi ces in Astoria or
Seaside and we can scan in the photo for you.
Deadline to enter is
Wednesday, January 25 th at 5 pm
Entries will be printed in The Daily Astorian
on January 31st.
*Human babies only please!*
the tsunami warning system’s
forecasts of tsunami arrival
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
The special night includes:
Live DJ • Light Refreshments • Dancing
Photo Booth • Raffle Prizes • Memories!
Sponsored by the Sunset Empire Park &
Recreation District. For more information
and Tickets, call (503) 738-3311 or visit
sunsetempire.com.
and damage estimates and
strengthen the National Oce-