Friday, March 15, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Smart meter presentation at Seaside Brewing
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Pacific Power came to
Seaside March 5 to present a
smart meter technology work-
shop, held at Seaside Brewing
Co.
Along with demonstrations
of the new technology, repre-
sentatives offered custom-
ers some hope of a reduction
in the monthly fee charged to
opt out of meter replacement.
Pacific Power’s smart
meter installation program
began in Oregon in early 2018
in the Willamette Valley; the
first replacements in Clatsop
County began Feb. 11.
The project, which will
upgrade 24,000 meters across
Clatsop County by fall, is part
of the company’s statewide
effort to make a more resilient
power grid better suited to
adapt to renewable energies.
At both February Seaside
City Council and Clatsop
County Commission meet-
ings, residents objected to
the $36 a month opt-out fee
charged to customers who
choose not to replace their
meters.
The fee is determined by
the cost of bringing service to
opt-out customers.
An additional $137 one-
time opt-out charge was
dropped last August. That cost
is based on “going out and
reading one meter,” customer
regulatory manager Melissa
Nottingham of Pacific Power
said at Tuesday’s workshop.
“Then we average that over
all the meter readings.”
Nottingham said she was
working with the Oregon Pub-
lic Utility Commission “right
now” to lower the financial
burden of the opt-out fee.
After the power compa-
ny’s system is fully installed
and the network is running,
that cost will be reevaluated,
Nottingham added. “We’re
going to look at it and say,
‘Is that $36-a-month still the
cost to read the meter, or is it
something else?’”
Other cost-savings for cus-
tomers could come with lon-
ger periods between home
meter readings, necessitat-
ing fewer visits. “We don’t
want to have too long a period
between estimates, because
people could get hit with a
big ‘catch-up’ bill,” Notting-
ham said. “So we’re looking
at maybe once a quarter.”
R.J. Marx
Pacific Power customers in Clatsop County will be able to opt out of smart meters, but it will come with a price.
Personal initiative pays off
with no-feeding ordinance
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Eight
months
ago,
inspired by an ordinance
in Warrenton, Bebe Michel
asked Gearhart to ban wild-
life feeding to discourage
human interaction with elk,
deer, bear and other wild
animals.
Michel saw the ordinance
as one way to cope with an
ongoing concern over elk
in Gearhart, where at times
it seems the animals out-
number residents and every
encounter comes with risk.
On March 6, Michel was
in the audience at the City
Council meeting as Ordi-
nance 917 received unani-
mous approval.
“The attracting or feed-
ing of wildlife within the
city limits is declared to be
a public nuisance and safety
issue and is prohibited,” the
ordinance states.
Along with elk, resi-
dents and visitors may not
feed bear, cougar, coy-
ote or wolves, among other
animals.
Feeding songbirds and
squirrels is permitted, pro-
vided the food is contained
in a feeder.
Violations could bring a
penalty of up to $500, but
officials hope they’ll find
compliance before issuing
fines.
The
ordinance
will
become law in 30 days.
After the meeting, City
Administrator Chad Sweet
credited Michel with “a lot
of great work. Not only does
she come up with ideas,
she also helps us with the
solutions.”
For Michel, this is the
first city ordinance she’s
seen to fruition.
“Sitting here today, I was
really kind of amazed at
myself that I had proposed
an ordinance and now seen
Gearhart resident Bebe
Michel after a “no-feeding”
of wildlife ordinance was
approved. Michel suggested
the ordinance, modeled on
similar rules in Warrenton, to
the council last summer.
how it went from proposal to
work sessions and wended
its way through the entire
process to get to this point
where we now have the ordi-
nance in place,” she said.
“Two years ago, if you
had told me that I would
have done this, I would
have said, ‘No, that’s not
ever going to be something
I’m going to do.’ When peo-
ple say one person can’t do
anything, I’m proof that that
isn’t the case.”
Eight
months
ago,
inspired by legislation
passed in Warrenton, Gear-
hart resident Bebe Michel
proposed a no feeding of
wildlife ordinance as a way
to discourage human inter-
action between elk, deer,
bear and other nondomesti-
cated animals.
Michel saw the ordinance
as one way to cope with an
ongoing concern in Gear-
hart, where at times it seems
elk outnumber residents and
every encounter comes with
risk.
On Wednesday, Michel
was in the audience at Gear-
hart’s City Council meeting
as Ordinance 917 received
a second reading and won
unanimous approval.
“The attracting or feed-
ing of wildlife within the
city limits is declared to be
a public nuisance and safety
issue and is prohibited,”
reads the ordinance.
Along with elk, resi-
dents and visitors may not
feed bear, cougar, coy-
ote or wolves, among other
animals.
The prohibition includes
any manner in which a per-
son “places or knowingly
allows food or other attrac-
tants to be placed on their
property” with the inten-
tion of attracting or feeding
wildlife.
Feeding of songbirds and
squirrels is permitted, pro-
vided the food is contained
in a feeder.
Violations could bring a
penalty of up to $500, but
officials hope they’ll find
compliance before issuing
fines.
The
ordinance
will
become law in 30 days.
After the meeting, City
Administrator Chad Sweet
credited Michel with “a lot
of great work. Not only does
she come up with ideas,
she also helps us with the
solutions.”
For Michel, this is the
first city ordinance she’s
seen to fruition.
“Sitting here today, I was
really kind of amazed at
myself that I had proposed
an ordinance and now seen
how it went from proposal to
work sessions and wended
its way through the entire
process to get to this point
where we now have the ordi-
nance in place,” she said.
“Two years ago if you had
told me that I would have
done this, I would have said,
‘No, that’s not ever going to
be something I’m going to
do.’ When people say one
person can’t do anything,
I’m proof that that isn’t the
case.”
Pacific Power lowers smart meter opt-out fee
The Daily Astorian
Pacific Power will lower
the fee for customers who
opt out of installing new
smart power meters.
The utility had planned
on charging $36 a month
for monthly meter reads for
customers who opt out of
the new meters, which auto-
matically transmit power
usage data to the utility.
Pacific Power submit-
ted an alternative payment
plan, recently approved
by the state Public Util-
ity Commission, to charge
$9 a month with only three
meter reads per year.
The new payment plan
also allows customers to
pay a level or equal monthly
amount based on a histor-
ical average of their previ-
ous bills. The utility has also
removed a fee for custom-
ers who later decide to have
a smart meter installed.
“We’ve heard from cus-
tomers that the fee to opt
out of a smart meter is bur-
densome, and we have
continued to look for new
options,” Etta Lockey,
Pacific Power’s vice pres-
ident of regulation, said in
a news release. “This has
been a collaborative pro-
cess with the PUC and the
Citizens’ Utility Board, and
we are pleased to offer this
new option to customers.”
Customers must select
the new opt-out plan by
calling 1-866-869-8520. All
residential customers with
nonstandard meters are eli-
gible to participate. Resi-
dential customers with net
meters, time of use meters
or demand registers do not
qualify.
For more informa-
tion, visit pacificpower.net/
smartmeter.
OBITUARIES
Charles (Chuck) Elliott Savage
Warrenton
July 29, 1933 — Feb. 26, 2019
Charles Savage was born in Seattle, affairs both in Yakima, Washington, and
Washington, on July 29, 1933, to Fred- Astoria, Oregon. He was a member of the
erick Xavier Savage and Margret Eliza- Yakima Junior Chamber of Commerce,
beth (Lemmon) Savage, both deceased. Yakima Toastmasters, Astoria-Warrenton
He joined a sister, Margery Sav-
Area Chamber of Commerce,
and Astoria Ambassadors.
age, and was later joined by a
Spending time with his chil-
brother, Rollin Savage, who pre-
dren Dorinda (Rindy) Schultz,
ceded him in death. The family
Eric (Rick) Savage, Brian Sav-
later moved to Yakima, Wash-
ington, where he graduated from
age, Debbie Doughty, and Jenni-
fer Waldrip, as well as his many
Yakima High School in 1951.
grandchildren and great-grand-
He held many jobs during
children, gave him great joy. He
his working career: Veterinar-
ian assistant for Doc McNutt in
enjoyed traveling, lighthouses,
photography, auto races, profes-
Seattle, Washington, mechanic
sional wrestling, garage sales,
Charles Savage
for Boeing in Seattle, Washing-
ton, assistant manager for Stan-
and chocolate ice cream.
dard Oil Co. station in Yakima, Washing-
Chuck kept his great sense of humor to
ton, display advertising for the Yakima the very end, and was always hoping to
Herald Republic newspaper, display bring a smile to others. He passed away
advertising for The Daily Astorian, adver- peacefully at his home in the Clatsop Care
tising director for AgBag, owner/pho- Memory Community on Feb. 26, 2019, at
tographer for Savage Racing Photos and the age of 85. Thank you to the wonderful
Savage Photos, and Savage Enterprises. caregiving staff at the Memory Commu-
Chuck was most proud of his public rela- nity and Dr. Alexander Gloria. We appre-
tions and marketing for NASCAR North- ciate your love and support.
west and the famous stuntman, Evel
A memorial service was held on March
Knievel.
9, 2019, at Lewis and Clark Bible Church,
Chuck was very active in community 35082 Seppa Lane, in Astoria, Oregon.
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