Hammond Marina is owned and operated by the City of Warrenton

The Oregon State Marine Board approved increases in grant funding for the City of Warrenton’s Hammond Marina repaving project, and the Boardman Parks and Recreation District’s parking rehabilitation project. The Board also approved extending the timeline for the Santiam Rest Area boat ramp replacement project at their quarterly Board meeting held via teleconference on May 14 at the Marine Board Office in Salem. Additionally, the Board approved opening permanent rulemaking for the TriMet Bridge Construction project on the Willamette River.

The boating facility grant award changes include:
* City of Warrenton, Hammond Marina repaving project -an additional $200,000 in state boater funds to complete repaving, striping, and reconfigured maneuvering area. The City is contributing an additional $7,500 in cash for an amended total grant of $560,800.
* Boardman Parks & Recreation District parking rehabilitation project -an additional $22,500 in state boater funds to complete curbing, paving, parking islands, and storm water containment area. The amended total grant is $226,760.
* ODOT’s Santiam Rest Area ramp replacement project -Marine Board staff recommended extending the project to June 30, 2015, and subject to Legislative approval of the agency’s 2013-2015 budget, add $108,529 in state boater funds from the 2013-2015 Round One funding cycle. This will allow time for permitting, bid solicitation, and construction of a new ramp west of the I-5 southbound bridge. Combined with $312,061 in federal Sport Fish Restoration funds, the amended total grant is $420,590. This new ramp is in a location that will allow boat anglers low water access and is not subject to the same sediment and deposition as the previous ramp, capable of providing year-round access.

The Board also approved opening permanent rulemaking for the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge Project. Last year’s Slow -No Wake zone 500 feet upstream and 500 feet downstream of the bridge construction project expired in December 2012. Since temporary bridges are still in-place and construction is continuing, agency staff and TriMet requested the Board initiate permanent rulemaking to re-adopt the Slow -No Wake zone until September 30, 2014. This timeline corresponds with the US Coast Guard’s safety zone that was established for this project. The Board recommended rule language to identify an early sunset to the rule should the temporary construction bridges be removed earlier. A temporary rule was filed on May 8, 2013 and will be effective through October 2013.

The Marine Board is funded entirely by motorized boat registrations, motorboat fuel tax and receives federal funding to support services to boaters. Eighty-six cents of every dollar are returned to boaters in the form of law enforcement services, boat ramps, restrooms (floating and landside), parking, boarding floats, and boating safety education and outreach materials.

The City of Warrenton’s Hammond Marina Master Plan can be viewed here.
The next quarterly Board meeting will be held June 25 and 26 at the Marine Board office in Salem. For more information, visit OSMB.

The Astoria Regatta, which has celebrated the community’s connections to the water since 1894, has been named an Oregon Heritage Tradition by the Oregon Heritage Commission. This year’s Regatta theme is “A River Runs To It” and will be held from Wednesday, August 7th – Sunday, August 11th.

The Oregon Heritage Commission has named the Astoria Regatta, which has celebrated the community’s connections to the water since 1894, an Oregon Heritage Tradition.

The Astoria Regatta is only the fourth event given the honor. The others include the Oregon State Fair (founded 1858), the Linn County Pioneer Picnic (1887) and the comparatively young Pendleton Roundup (1910).

“The Heritage Commission wants to recognize those traditions that have helped define the state,” said Commission chair David Lewis. “They are distinguished events that are part of our heritage as Oregonians. This is certainly true of the Astoria Regatta.”

Regatta President Peter Roscoe states: “We are all thrilled and honored to be receiving the Oregon Heritage Tradition for our Historic Regatta Event in the oldest American City west of the Rockies.”

The Astoria Regatta traces its beginnings back to 1894 when some residents decided they wanted a way for the community to celebrate the return of Astoria fishermen from Alaska aboard boats filled with salted fish. Rapidly the annual celebration of the community blossomed into one of the premier boat contests on the West Coast.

The Astoria of 1894 was a cultural hodgepodge comprised of Native Americans, Scandinavian, Chinese and the usual polyglot of American/Europeans. Early pictures of the Regatta show elaborate festivities amid the thriving downtown that was built over the river on wooden planks.

While Astoria skipped the event during the two world wars and after a 1922 fire that destroyed much of the city, the Astoria Regatta was almost cancelled this year. Then Regatta President, Erik Paulson, announced at the end of December that there weren’t enough people to help keep the Regatta going. He suggested that the Regatta take a year off to reorganize and, possibly, make the Regatta a smaller, weekend, event. The public reacted with astonishment and former city councilman, Peter Roscoe, stepped forward to take over the helm.  Planners today make a year-long effort to create the event, which this year will be Aug. 7-11. According to the Heritage Commission, more than 60 volunteers spend approximately 10 hours a week year-round planning and promoting the regatta.

On May 5th, the Astoria Regatta Association won the grand sweepstakes award at the Loyalty Days Parade in Long Beach, the parade’s top honor, with help from a spirited and enthused Regatta court at the first parade of the season showcasing the Astoria Regatta.

On May 5th, the Astoria Regatta Association won the grand sweepstakes award at the Loyalty Days Parade in Long Beach, the parade’s top honor, with help from a spirited and enthused Regatta court at the first parade of the season showcasing the Astoria Regatta.

The event brings together 8,000 to 10,000 people, including people who bring their boats and drop anchors along the riverfront during the entire length of the celebration. More than 50 events take place during the Astoria Regatta.  The Heritage Commission will present the designation to the Astoria Regatta and the City of Astoria at the City Council’s meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 20, 2013. For more information regarding Astoria Regatta 2013 visit the Regatta’s website and “like” the Facebook page.

This year’s Regatta will be held from Wednesday, August 7th – Sunday, August 11th, with the theme: “A River Runs To It”.

An Oregon Heritage Tradition must have been in continuous operation for more than 50 years, demonstrates a public profile and reputation that distinguishes it from more routine events, and add to the livability and identity of the state, said Commission coordinator Kyle Jansson. For more information, visit the Oregon Heritage Tradition website.

The Oregon Heritage Commission coordinates efforts to solve statewide heritage issues through grants, education, and advocacy, and also promotes heritage tourism efforts.

Dr. Peck is the author of Or Perish in the Attempt- The Hardship and Medicine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, published by Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press in 2011. This book is available for purchase at the Lewis & Clark National Park Association bookstore in the visitor center. Dr. Peck will have a book-signing following his presentation, May 19, at 1:00 p.m in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center.

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is pleased to announce the next In Their Footsteps free speaker series event. This program is What Killed Lewis? Viable Theories or Fantasy? A Closer Look at the Prevailing Ideas in 2013 presented by David Peck, D.O. on Sunday, May 19, at 1:00 p.m.

Captain Meriwether Lewis died in October 1809, just three years after the expedition. Some people believe it was suicide and others argue that it was homicide. Dr. Dave Peck will lead a lively discussion on the current theories of what happened that night in Tennessee.

Dr. Peck is the author of Or Perish in the Attempt- The Hardship and Medicine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, published by Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press in 2011. This book is available for purchase at the Lewis & Clark National Park Association bookstore in the visitor center. Dr. Peck will have a book-signing following his presentation.

This monthly Sunday forum is sponsored by the Lewis & Clark National Park Association and the park. These programs are held in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center and are free of charge.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471.

The CCC Maritime Science Program is headquartered at the CCC MERTS campus, located three miles east of Astoria off Highway 30 on Liberty Lane, and utilizes the training vessel M/V FORERUNNER.

Clatsop Community College’s Maritime Science Program has received approval from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) as an approved Training Ship Program that allows those successfully completing the course of study to be credited with 360 days of sea service, training and testing towards an endorsement as Able Seaman Special (AB-Special) or Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) upon Near Coastal or Inland Waters.

With this approval, CCC joins an elite group of USCG-approved Training Ship Programs, and is the only community college in the nation providing an AAS degree associated with 360 days of sea service credit that qualifies students for either an AB-Special credential or OUPV upon Near Coastal or Inland Waters credential. Students completing the Training Ship Program will benefit tremendously as they will be deemed to have completed 100% of the required sea service; while typically no more than two thirds of the required sea service may come from completion of an approved training program.

The Maritime Science Program faculty members are extremely excited about the possibilities this approval brings, especially increased employment opportunities for CCC graduates. Completing the Associate of Applied Science (AAS)/Vessel Operations degree with the addition of two courses will allow issuance of this critical level of training credential. Both the AB-Special and the OUPV endorsement lead to greater job opportunities and higher earning potential.

“For me, personally, being part of the program allows more confidence in applying for future maritime jobs. Other students working toward this will bring a higher level of professionalism to the industry. I do believe that this training allows us to meet the high industry standards of a global maritime marketplace,” stated Nickolas Williams, current Training Ship program student. Nickolas plans to complete the program and receive this credential next school year.

An AB-Special is a member of the deck department of a merchant ship and may work as a watch stander or a day worker. In addition, an AB must have proficiency in survival craft (Lifeboatman); the ability to take command of a vessel; and knowledge of pollution laws and regulations among other skills. The OUPV credential is a category of a USCG Charter Boat Captain’s Licensure and commonly used for the operation of small vessel fishing and charter boats that carry six or fewer passengers.

Clatsop Community College offers a range of maritime training opportunities that address the needs of those entering the profession as well as those with years of experience. Students can choose to pursue a 17-credit Career Pathway Certificate, a one-year Certificate or a two-year AAS degree. Each of these competency-based programs provides training required for an entry-level position aboard a vessel. The College also offers specialized and advanced training to meet USCG requirements and continuing training endorsement requirements.

The CCC Maritime Science Program is headquartered at the CCC MERTS campus, located three miles east of Astoria off Highway 30 on Liberty Lane, and utilizes the training vessel M/V FORERUNNER. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact Toni Middleton, 503-325-7962, tmiddleton@clatsopcc.edu.

During the investigation, Drug Task Force Detectives received numerous complaints over several months regarding ongoing illegal drug activity at 2160 Lewis and Clark Road in Seaside. Through the investigation detectives were able to develop information and were granted search warrants for Ryan Owen Spivey at his residence located at 2160 Lewis and Clark Road Apartment #44, Seaside, Oregon and for his vehicle.

At the residence, Drug Task Force Detectives with the assistance of the Seaside Police Officers contacted Spivey and a roommate, Cole Joseph Fletcher. During the following search, detectives located and seized heroin, needles, packaging material, drug records and scales.

Spivey was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Heroin and Delivery of a Controlled Substance Heroin. Fletcher was arrested and charged with Frequenting a Place Where Controlled Substances are Used. Both subjects were transported to the Clatsop County Jail where they were lodged.

The Clatsop County Drug Task Force arrested two more on drug related charges, RYAN OWEN SPIVEY DOB: 09/26/87 and COLE JOSEPH FLETCHER DOB: 06/22/94.

The Clatsop County Drug Task Force concluded an investigation arresting two women on drug related charges, Virginia Ann Benedict (DOB: 05/20/56) and Desirai Sky Schehl (DOB: 06/02/91).

A Clatsop County Narcotics Team investigation has led to the arrest of two subjects Monday afternoon on methamphetamine related charges.

Drug Task Force detectives witnessed an ongoing high volume of drug related activity at the residence located at 940 3rd Avenue in Seaside, which is within 1,000 feet of the Broadway Middle School and appeared to be related to a significant amount of methamphetamine delivery in the area.

Detectives, with the assistance of Seaside Police Officers, executed a search warrant at the residence and contacted Virginia Ann Benedict (DOB: 05/20/56). Benedict was found to be in possession of scoops, digital scales and drug packaging material, which are used in the process of preparing drugs for sale as well as syringes, methamphetamine pipes and methamphetamine packaged for delivery. Benedict was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine as well as Manufacturing and Delivery of a Controlled Substance within 1,000 feet of a School Methamphetamine.

Detectives also found what is believed to be stolen property taken from a local business. Benedict was transported to the Clatsop County Jail where she was lodged.

Also located in the residence at 940 3rd Avenue in Seaside, was Desirai Sky Schehl (DOB: 06/02/91) a resident at 365 S. Columbia #1 in Seaside. Detectives witnessed Schehl trafficking drugs from the residence at 940 3rd Avenue and believed her to be transporting and delivering methamphetamine from the residence on behalf of Benedict. Such a person is sometimes referred to as a “runner” and is commonly used by dealers distributing more significant quantities of drugs.

Schehl was arrested on a probation violation and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail. As recently as March, 2013, Schehl was lodged at the county jail with a release date of March 19th, 2013, for Possession of Methamphetamine according to jail inmate records.

A flyer for a Klan rally held in December of 1921 in Portland, in an attempt to boost enrollment. By the time this was published, the Klan was well established and already making plans for the next election.
CREDIT: Georgian Press

By Finn J.D. John

In early 1921, an outgoing Louisiana salesman named Luther Powell crossed the border from California to Oregon, with business on his mind.

Powell was a “Kleagle.” His job was to recruit new members for the newly resurgent Ku Klux Klan, collecting the $10 membership fee from each.

His commission was a whopping 40 percent. And the Oregon territory was wide open.

Sending in the Klowns

Powell’s arrival in the Beaver State kicked off a short but interesting period that most Oregonians today would rather not think too much about. A magic combination of sour reactionary feelings against “foreign entanglements” following World War I, the latent racism of an America still relatively fresh from the Civil War, and the opportunity for big profits from membership fees, brought the Kluxers from nothing to a position of serious political influence in just two years.

And then, even more quickly than it had risen, the Klan dropped away, fading into a cacophony of screechy internal squabbling and covering itself with the stink of hypocrisy after a few high-profile kickback scandals. By about 1925 it was finished as a serious political force.

In ’21, though, Oregon was fresh territory and Powell was ready to work it. Acquiring the title of “King Kleagle” for the state, he settled into Medford and started gathering his army. Besides white supremacy, the doctrine the Klan preached was “100% pure Americanism,” which it defined as white gentile Protestantism that put Jesus first and America a very close second. To be a member, one had to be a native-born white Protestant gentile with a good reputation. No Jews or Catholics were allowed. A subordinate order, the Royal Riders of the Red Robe, was created to accommodate naturalized Americans — that is, not native-born — but they still had to be white protestant gentiles.

The Klan in Southern Oregon

In Medford, Powell and his Kluxers stirred up some trouble here and there. A black man was sort of demi-lynched — a rope put around his neck and used to lift him off his feet for a few terrifying moments before he was set free with a dire warning to get out of town, a practice known as a “necktie hanging” — and several others were threatened. Crosses were lit on fire on various hilltops. There are rumors that some people were branded.

But as large gangs of anonymous vigilantes go, the Klan was remarkably mild-mannered in Southern Oregon — so far as is known, nobody was actually murdered. This may have been because their King Kleagle knew if the community started to fear them, he’d have a much tougher time making sales — especially in the bigger cities to the north, which were still wide-open. There was plenty of money to be made in hatred in early-1920s Oregon, but the trick was finding just the right balance of dangerousness. Too much, and people would turn away — as they eventually did, but only after Powell was pushed out. He knew what he was doing.

By June, Powell had deputized several particularly gifted orators from his gang, appointed them Kleagles, and sent them forth to recruit members on their own in various other cities. Of course, he’d get a piece of every membership fee they brought in — it was a bit like a multi-level marketing operation.

King Kleagle Luther Powell, center, and Exalted Cyclops Fred Gifford pose for a picture with (left to right) H.P. Coffin of the National Safety Council; Senior Police Capt. John T. Moore; Police Chief L.V. Jenkins; District Attorney Walter H. Evans; United States Attorney Lester W. Humphries; Multnomah County Sheriff T.M. Hurlburt; U.S. Department of Justice Special Agent Russell Bryon; Portland Mayor George L. Baker; and Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge Sovereign Grand Inspector General P.S. Malcolm.
CREDIT: Portland Telegram, Aug. 2, 1921

Spreading throughout the state

But Powell himself wanted to turn his attention to the big markets now. So he checked into the Multnomah Hotel in Portland in June and started quietly gathering his “Invisible Empire” army around him. He personally picked Fred L. Gifford, a former union electrician who’d been booted from the union for “scabbing” a few years before, to lead “Portland Klan No. 1” as “Exalted Cyclops.”

Powell spent two months getting ready for the big Klan debut. In addition to the discreet recruiting of leaders, he probably also needed the time to gauge the public mood. Remember, Powell was first and foremost a salesman. He wasn’t here sowing the seeds of chaos, terror and disorder for his health. He was here to make money, and in order to do that, he needed to know what Oregonians wanted to hear, so that he could say it to them and cash in.

Finally, on August 1, after two months of preparations, Powell and Gifford were ready for their coming-out party.

The mysterious meeting

This they accomplished, according to that evening’s Portland Telegram, with a “series of ‘learn-something-to-your-advantage’ telephone messages” placed to Portland Mayor George Baker, Police Chief L.V. Jenkins, district attorney Walter H. Evans, U.S. attorney Lester Humphries, and several other high-ranking city and county law-enforcement officials — as well as to newspaper reporters and photographers.

The whole visit was shrouded in the kind of overcooked cloak-and-dagger goofiness for which the Klan has become famous. The guests arrived at Room 376 of the Multnomah Hotel, were ushered out into waiting cars and driven to a mysterious and undisclosed “throne room” where the King Kleagle and Exalted Cyclops were waiting to receive them in full pointy-hatty regalia.

The visiting dignitaries (and, through the newshounds, the community at large) were introduced to the Portland Klan and assured that the “Invisible Empire” was not a hate-group.

“Ours is not an anti-organization of any kind,” Powell, in character as King Kleagle, said. “We are not anti-Japanese, or anti-Jew, or anti-Negro, or anti-Catholic, or anti-anything else. It is simply that the United States has not any American secret fraternal organization, and we are going to supply that need. The fact that we limit membership does not mean anything against the people we bar. They have their own organizations, membership in which is barred to us.”

He went on to claim that the Klan was a powerful ally to the friends of law and order. Crime and lawlessness and moral bankruptcy were so prevalent in Portland, he said, that residents should be “afraid to let their wives and daughters appear on the streets” — so the King Kleagle had apparently learned in his two months’ residency in a fancy downtown hotel.

Moral rottenness at both the city and the state level was, he added, “due for a purification process, which the Klan intends to see is accomplished.”

Then the Telegram’s reporter covering the event struck a rather ominous note:

“Respect for the law and the working of a small army of unofficial detectives who will work with the constituted authorities are the marks of the Klan character, the King Kleagle declared,” the newspaper wrote. “Stories of Klan violence are largely false, [the King Kleagle] insisted. ‘However,’ he said, ‘there are some cases of course in which we will have to take everything into our hands. Some crimes are not punishable under existing laws, but the criminals should be punished.’”

And with that naked apology for open and uncontrolled anonymous vigilantism, the new Kluxers closed the ceremony.

First, though, they took a photograph, which appeared in the next day’s Telegram, of themselves in their full Klan eyehole suits posing with the mayor, police chief, district attorney and other city notables.

This photo is somewhat controversial. District Attorney Evans’ son later told legendary Portland historian E. Kimbark MacColl that the photo was a put-up job, that the dignitaries in the photo were arranged in front of a velvet curtain and the robed Kluxers popped out from behind the curtain just as the shutter clicked. Looking at the photograph, in which the Klan characters are in the front of the group and separated from each other, it’s a little hard to buy this claim.

That’s especially true when you consider that in 1921, the Klan wasn’t considered all that much more sinister than any other secret society in Oregon, like the Masons or the Knights of Columbus. But within three or four years, that would have changed utterly — and membership in it, or association with it, would be a substantial political liability.

We’ll talk about how that came to be — the Fall of the House of Klux, as it were — next week.

(Sources: Toy, Eckard. “Ku Klux Klan,” The Oregon Encyclopedia, oregonencyclopedia.org; MacColl, E. Kimbark. The Growth of a City. Portland: Georgian Press, 1979; Portland Telegram, 7-01-1921 and 7-02-1921)

Finn J.D. John is an instructor at Oregon State University and the author of “Wicked Portland,” a book about the dark side of Oregon’s metropolis in the 1890s. He produces a daily podcast, reading archives from this column, at offbeatoregon.com/itunes. To contact him or suggest a topic: finn@offbeatoregon.com, @OffbeatOregon (on Twitter), or 541-357-2222.

A burglary in progress outside of Warrenton resulted in the arrest of three people with criminal charges pending on a fourth, Wednesday evening, April 17th.

A report of a burglary in progress at a residence in the unincorporated area outside Warrenton resulted in the arrest of three people with criminal charges pending on a fourth, Wednesday evening.  While Clatsop County Deputy Walker was responding to the report he located Levi Dennis Broome (DOB: 07/12/83) at the residence.

As the Deputy Walker was investigating, a vehicle arrived at the residence.  Deputy Walker contacted the occupants of the vehicle, Cody Joseph Ostermeier (DOB: 01/10/90) and Lindsey Marie Ordway (DOB: 07/11/90).  A following investigation revealed all three subjects had been to the residence multiple times and had removed items, including personal documents, tools, currency, ammunition and multiple firearms, from the residence.  Broome, Ostermeier and Ordway all admitted having used methamphetamine recently and Ordway was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.  Deputy Walker also learned stolen property, as well as methamphetamine, could be located at a residence located in the Sunset RV Park, 33242 Sunset Beach Lane Space 11-A, Warrenton, Oregon.  Broome was arrested and charged with Theft I and Burglary I.  Ostermeier was also arrested and charged with Theft I and Burglary I.  Ordway was arrested and charged with Theft I and Burglary I as well as Unlawful Possession of methamphetamine.  Broome, Ostermeier and Ordway were all arrested and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail.

Deputy Walker obtained a search warrant for the recovery of the stolen property and illegal drugs at the Sunset Beach Lane residence.  Clatsop County Drug Task Force detectives with the assistance of Clatsop County deputies contacted Jacalyn Inez Clark DOB: 01/21/86 at the residence and executed the search warrant.  Detectives located and recovered two firearms, ammunition, tools, currency and personal documents.  Clark was also in possession of Methamphetamine.  Clark was released with charges of Theft by Receiving and Possession of a Controlled Substance methamphetamine, forwarded to the District Attorney for prosecution.

Ordway was arrested with a Friedrich John Ostermeier Jr., and 18 others, in September 2012 in Seaside by the Clatsop County Drug Task Force during an operation called “Pandora’s Box”. The Task Force raided a complex with a cluster of homes and trailers on highway 26 near mile post 4.  Ordway was arrested for attempting to purchase methamphetamine at that time.

Related Article:

Operation Pandora’s Box Nets 20 Arrests in Clatsop County

Cleansers, pesticides and other chemicals make our lives more convenient, but they can also pose health risks.

To help local residents get rid of unused or unneeded hazardous waste products in their homes, Clatsop County is hosting its annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2320 SE 12^th Place, Warrenton, near the Astoria Airport.

County residents can bring in a variety of toxic, flammable and other materials for disposal at no charge.

The following items are examples of what will be accepted:

• Bug, weed, pest killers
• Poisons, cleaners, rechargeable batteries
• Paints, stains, thinners, solvents, wood preservatives
• Auto/boat fluids, gas, antifreeze
• Mercury-containing thermometers, fluorescent light tubes, compact fluorescent bulbs
• Home arts, photography, hobby supplies and more

The Collection Event is the product of the Clatsop County Household Hazardous Waste Program, a collaborative project between the county, cities, Western Oregon Waste and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing and properly disposing of residential hazardous waste. Each year the program hosts a waste collection event, alternating between the north and south county.

The program is funded by a small surcharge on all solid waste going through WOW’s Transfer Station in Astoria. Clean Harbors Environmental Services, a national hazardous waste management company, is contracted to collect and properly dispose of the materials brought to the Collection Day events.

The last two county events collected more than 122,000 pounds of hazardous material.

The following materials will NOT be accepted at the event:

• Medications or medical waste, including syringes
• Tires
• Explosives
• Radioactive or asbestos materials
• Business or construction waste*

*A collection time for businesses that generate less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month, designated as Conditionally Exempt Generators (CEGs), will be held Friday, May 3 at the same location by APPOINTMENT ONLY – no drop-ins will be accepted. For CEG registration call Clean Harbors Environmental Services at (503) 305-2159.

Properly getting rid of common hazardous materials can reduce a variety of risks, according to Maureen Taylor, Household Hazardous Waste Program Coordinator.

“Our goal is to provide a safe, easy way for residents to dispose of toxic dangerous products that tend to accumulate around our home,” she said. “We know this will decrease accidental poisoning and injuries to our children and pets, prevent unnecessary work related exposures to our waste haulers and fire fighters, and decrease environmental damages that occur when people improperly discard hazardous wastes into the sewer, storm drains or on the ground.”

Residents with material for the Collection Day event should keep the products in their original containers, secured with lids, and placed in boxes.

For more information, go to “Household Hazardous Waste” at www.co.clatsop.or.us or call Clatsop County Public Health at (503) 325-8500.

Pacific Power & Light power plant in the 1960s.

For well over half of a century the neon sign of the Kilowatt Man hovered above Youngs Bay, glowingly reminding customers in Astoria, “Ready Kilowatt, always at your service.” Electric power was as close as the flip of a switch, and then, suddenly, the brightly burning sign was gone. While the power company remained in Astoria, the plant that had been providing one of the first communities in the west with electric power was determined outdated as newer, more cost effective and environmentally friendly power sources became available. After the plant was closed, a close study of the property would show that the plant, and the Kilowatt Man sign, would have to be removed.

In 1984 PP&L studies determined that the land the old plant had been located on was contaminated and, even though no outside authority demanded it, Pacific Power began the long process of containing and cleaning the property. Today, the property along Youngs Bay, stands ready to be used for new development.

History

A mere 20 years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, Astoria had electric lights and by 1910 the Pacific Power & Light Company (PP&L) had formed from several small electric companies and served 7,000 customers in Astoria and Pendleton.

The same area on the shores of Youngs River with demolition of plant completed and restoration of property completed.

The PP&L power plant for the Astoria area was located on its west side, along the shores of Youngs Bay. The company started with a gas plant built in 1922 and then a steam generation plant in 1929. By the early 1980s the land and the nearby waters contained residual effects of the gas manufacturing process. The soil held elevated levels of pollutants, and intertidal mudflats adjacent to the property contained tar by-products.

The remediation measures for the property focused on three areas: the upland portion where the decommissioned plants sat, the bay and lost wetland habitat.

Cleanup Process

The mitigation process was hampered by restrictions placed on dikes as a result of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation to New Orleans and resulting congressional legislation.

The process involved communication and cooperation with a multitude of local, state and federal agencies. In the upland portion, the gas plant-turned-service-center was demolished in 1986 under an agreement with the federal Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Its debris was buried in its own foundation, and a three-foot sand cap was installed over the rubble to contain it. In 2000, the steam plant and associated smoke stack were demolished and capped similarly.

According to Jeff Tucker, operations manager for PP&L, when the project began in the 1980s, “Digging tar out of the bay was deemed a hazard that would likely release more chemicals into the bay than allowing the tar to remain.” Tucker went on to explain that time and technological advancements offered a solution by 2005, when the company poured concrete over the solid membrane and buried it under 12 inches of sand on the bay shore. DEQ, EPA and the Corp of Engineers agreed with the plan along with state agencies and local planning agencies.

Current Progress

Steve Fulton with Warrenton Fiber and Pat Reiten with PP&L, with a local landowner.  The companies collaborated to build a new bridge to the landowner’s property through the mitigation site at John Day headland.

Pat Reiten

The only thing left was restoring lost wetland habitat. Because of the cap poured over the tar, that area of the bay was not deemed as restored so PP&L began its journey to find suitable land that could be designated as wetlands in a process referred to as mitigation. After trying for three different locations, that involved in negotiations with the Corp of Engineers and breaching dikes to create a wetlands, the company found a parcel at the headlands of the John Day river that, in partnership with Warrenton Fiber, was developed into wetlands. With the mitigation completed, new development at the Youngs Bay site can proceed as soon as the property is sold.

Eagle Scout candidate, Nate Holcomb, presenting his planned project on the history of PP&L in Astoria to a room full of PP&L personnel. Holcomb plans to renovate the existing historical sign and cleaning up the property located at the original PP&L offices of business on Marine Drive.

Historical Timeline

• In 1885 Astoria became one of the first Northwest cities to get electric lights, initially powered by two dynamo machines at a local steam sawmill. Twenty-five years later, Astoria’s electric system became part of the newly formed Pacific Power & Light Company.
• A manufactured gas plant was built in 1921 on Youngs Bay for Astoria Gas Light Company, a company acquired by Astoria Electric Company in 1902, before it became part of Pacific Power. The plant provided piped-in gas service to the local community.
• Pacific Power built the Astoria steam electric generating station at Youngs Bay in 1921, and it went into service in September 1922, just after a fire destroys the Hammond Lumber Company mill, which had been the area’s key power source.
• In 1923, the steam plant was converted to hog-fuel–wood waste — and a dock facility is built to receive fuel shipments. It continued to have oil as a back-up fuel option as needed.
• In 1929 the gas business and the Youngs Bay manufactured gas plant was sold to another company, Northwest Cities Gas Company, a predecessor company of Cascade Natural Gas. Pacific Power retained the steam plant and substation sites.
• In 1950 the manufactured gas plant was decommissioned. Pacific Power reacquired the facility and turned it into a service center for its local electric operations crews.
• The steam-electric plant continued to operate or was on standby until the early 1970s when it was permanently closed.
• An environmental investigation of the property was conducted in 1984-85.
• An agreement was reached with Oregon DEQ in April of 1986 to demolish the service center, cap it with soil, and institute perpetual deed restrictions.
• In spring of 2000, due to major structural as well as environmental concerns, the steam plant and its stack were demolished.
• In the fall of 2000, ODEQ approached PacifiCorp to do additional investigations at the site based on new laws and regulations.
• In 2001, PacifiCorp agreed to proceed voluntarily, however the original 1986 agreement is still in place.
• In winter 2003, PacifiCorp and DEQ proposed an environmental remedy for the tide flats, and PacifiCorp began seeking permits.
• In summer 2004, the City of Astoria won a grant from the EPA to perform a site assessment and strategic planning for site use.
• In September 2004, PacifiCorp conducted a cleanup action on the site, removing approximately 1200 cubic yards of buried lampblack.

Historical timeline provided by PacifiCorp.