Public Meetings - Astoria, Oregon

The Astoria Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) met to discuss recent traffic fatalities, ongoing safety efforts, and public concerns. The meeting featured updates from the Public Works Director and Police Chief on a fatal crash at 16th and Irving, along with public testimony. The committee decided to prioritize traffic safety issues for future action. Consent Calendar - Minutes Approval: The draft minutes from the April 29, 2025 meeting were approved unanimously (6-0) with a motion by Cindy Magie and a second by Brookley Henri. Public Comments & Testimony - Jacob Lewin (1608 Irving Ave): Expressed skepticism about the reported average speed of 22 mph on Irving, citing frequent speeding, road rage, poor visibility at 16th and Irving, and a lack of enforcement. Recommended speed bumps, pedestrian islands, lights, better signage, and enforcement. - Mary Ann Larson (2907 Irving Ave): Shared experience as a crash victim at 17th and Irving, raised concerns about speeding on Irving, limited visibility near Cathedral Tree Trail, and impatient drivers during downtown events. Suggested a new bridge to stop all traffic on Irving. - Rosemary Lewin (1608 Irving Ave): Noted that outliers breaking laws necessitate enforcement. Recounting personal experiences as a driver and pedestrian, she highlighted poor visibility at 16th and Irving, racing on 16th, road rage against pedestrians, and lack of response from city officials. Called for more enforcement. - Kelly Nordon (2957 Irving Ave): Described safety issues near Cathedral Tree Trail, including black ice in winter, limited visibility, speeding, and heavy morning traffic. Emphasized the danger to pedestrians and children. Discussion Items - Traffic Safety Overview (16th & Irving): - Public Works Director Jeff Harrington: Reported updates on wheel stops at 173 Columbia Avenue and improvements to Commercial Street extension. Presented crash data collection processes and noted that the average speed at 16th and Irving was 22.9 mph downhill, with only 0.2–0.8% of drivers exceeding 40 mph. Discussed speed monitoring, traffic calming measures, and challenges with engineering solutions (e.g., speed humps, pedestrian islands) due to noise, truck traffic, and emergency vehicle access. - Sergeant Thomas Litwin: Reported on a crosswalk enforcement operation earlier that day, with 47 stops and 17 citations across three locations, including 11 stops at 16th and Irving, resulting in 2-3 citations and one DUI arrest. - Police Chief Stacy Kelly: Provided a high-level overview of the July 1 fatal crash. The driver, Michael Smith, was under the influence (BAC 0.35, still 0.23 at 4 p.m.) and had weapons in the vehicle. He struck pedestrian Patricia Harrison in the crosswalk at 16th and Irving, then hit another vehicle at 17th and Irving. Witnesses reported the driver never braked. Chief Kelly stated only the driver's decision could have prevented the incident. - Committee Discussion: Members shared personal experiences and concerns about dangerous conditions at 16th and Irving and Cathedral Tree Trail. Suggestions included mirrors, flashing/activated crosswalks, traffic calming, vertical speed controls, and increased enforcement. The consensus was to develop a priority list of issues to address at future meetings. Key Outcomes - Action Plan: The committee agreed to develop a prioritized list of traffic safety issues, focusing on engineering, enforcement, and education solutions, with support from staff. - Next Meeting: Scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. Note: The agenda and minutes indicate the meeting was held on July 22, 2025, but the user-provided date override specifies August 6, 2025. This summary uses the override date as instructed.

This is a summary of the Astoria Library Board meeting. Although the agenda and minutes in the source materials are dated August 5, 2025, the provided meeting timestamp is 2025-08-06 13:30:00+00:00, so that date is used here. Chair Laura Parker called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m.; it adjourned at 6:43 p.m. All votes on agenda changes and policy endorsements were unanimous (5-0). Agenda and Minutes - The Board voted 5-0 to move Public Comments to the third agenda item. - The Board voted 5-0 to move the Update from Astor Library Friends Association ahead of the Director's Report. - The June 3, 2025 Library Advisory Board minutes were accepted as presented. Public Comments & Testimony - Todd Lawson, member of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederate Tribes, said the tribe was excited to participate in the library design and room-naming process. Later, he explained the tribe's apprehension to the proposed five-tribe room names, saying they missed an opportunity to honor Lower Chinook and Clatsop people connected to Astoria, and asked the Library Board to allow the two tribes to determine the names rather than choosing between the groups. - Gary Johnson, past chairman and current council/cultural committee member of the Chinook Indian Nation, spoke in support of the five proposed room names honoring elders from each of the Nation's five tribes. He provided historical context, including that the Nation has 3,300 tribal members, 800 with Clatsop blood, and that the Nation purchased the Tansey Point Treaty grounds. - Don Abing discussed Federal Docket 234, which he said recognizes the Chinook people of the five tribes as the ancestral people of the land, and stated it would be a crime to dismiss the names of the five tribes. - Gary Johnson added details about the 1958 Indian lands claim, the 1972 federal judgment, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' withholding of funds until recently, and federal recognition on January 3, 2001. He criticized efforts he said were aimed at taking Chinook lands and called for resolving differences. - K.C. Johnson, Superintendent of Raymond School District and Gary Johnson's son, said it would be an honor if the proposed names were used in the library. - Leanne Dague, a descendant of Chief Comley, said it would be a dishonor to the five tribal leaders if their names were not used. Discussion Items - Community Engagement: Board members reported excitement about the new library location and the mural at Port Hopper, but also encountered residents who thought the library was closed and offered no services during renovation. - Director's Report: Director Suzanne Harold reported that renovation remains on track, with shelving, flooring, and bathroom fixtures being installed. The temporary library will close September 1, 2025, for the move, and the grand reopening is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Library cards remain usable at Seaside and Warrenton. She displayed a wallpaper mural sample for the children's section. - Update from Astor Library Friends Association: McLaren Innes reported financial assets of $9,839.42 across checking, savings, and a new certificate of deposit, including a $500 grant from Random House/American Library Association. She noted the Gardening Committee's work, City Lumber owner Jeff Neuenhoff's donation of garden tools, a used bookstore under development, bylaw restructuring, and a new website and mailing list. - Revised Library Rules for Use Policy: Director Harold described the goal of making language more positive and less legalistic. Board members praised the revision. Susan Stein suggested adding 'controlled substance' to Rule 7. The Board endorsed the policy with that addition, 5-0. - Revised Meeting Room Policy: Discussion covered whether scout troops should be charged rental fees, city fee-exemption categories, and the possibility of an online reservation system. The requirement to reserve 'by calling' was to be omitted from the final version. The Board endorsed the policy as presented, 5-0. - Revised Unattended Children Policy: Director Harold explained the policy was substantially different, generally using age 10 as the standard and retaining staff discretion. A scrivener's error involving the abbreviation 'APL' was to be corrected. The Board endorsed the policy with those corrections, 5-0. - Revised Internet Access and Use Policy: Director Harold said revisions were based on Circulation Staff input and research of other libraries. The Board suggested minor fixes, including changing 'center' to 'cents' and making pronoun usage consistent. The Board endorsed the policy with those changes, 5-0. - Library Patron Privacy Policy: Director Harold proposed one minor wording change to make language less clunky. The Board endorsed it as presented, 5-0. Key Outcomes - All five revised policies were endorsed unanimously (5-0): Library Rules for Use (with 'controlled substance' added), Meeting Room, Unattended Children, Internet Access and Use, and Patron Privacy. - The Board consented to hold its next meeting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. - The meeting adjourned at 6:43 p.m.

The Astoria City Council held a work session on August 5, 2025, beginning at 7:52 PM and adjourning at 8:00 PM. The sole agenda item was a discussion on the draft updated 2025 City Council Work Plan, with staff seeking final direction before adoption at a regular meeting. Discussion Items - City Manager Scott Spence presented the draft 2025 Work Plan, organized under four themes: housing for all Astorians, thriving local economy, resilience as a community, and livability/quality of life. He noted the inclusion of "top priority" indicators to focus limited staff resources. - Spence recommended making the library renovation project (funded by a voter-approved bond, opening October 2025) a top priority to signal council's commitment. - Spence also highlighted a state mandate requiring full development of a housing capacity analysis and housing production strategy, suggesting these be recognized as priorities. - Councilor Andrea Mazzarella proposed making the "Updating Astoria City Charter" item a top priority, arguing it would improve overall efficiency. Councilor Andy Davis and Councilor Elisabeth Adams supported starting the process this year to meet a 2026 ballot deadline. - The council reached consensus to upgrade the Charter update to a top priority item. Key Outcomes - Staff directed to add the Library Project and the Housing Capacity Analysis/Production Strategy as top priorities. - Council majority agreed to elevate the City Charter Update to a top priority, with the goal of holding a work session in Q4 2025 and aiming for a 2026 ballot measure. - Council affirmed the overall direction of the work plan, with appreciation for staff effort. - Staff will bring the final work plan to a regular council meeting for adoption.

The Astoria City Council met for a regular meeting. The agenda and minutes list the start as Monday, August 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM and adjournment at 7:52 PM, with a five-minute recess from 6:59 PM to 7:05 PM; per the user-specified date, this summary uses August 5, 2025. The Council approved a consent calendar, authorized two forestry/carbon contracts, awarded a water treatment construction contract, approved two housing planning grant actions, and discussed a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for housing opportunity sites. A work session was scheduled to follow the meeting. Opening Reports - Councilor Adams said a recent fatal incident at Youngs River Falls (a city-owned property) prompted a petition with over 800 signatures requesting better safety signage; she asked the Council to consider directing staff to study options. - Councilor Lump reported on Oregon House Bill 3145, which sets aside state funds for modular housing; he said Astoria could be a candidate for a fully grant-funded project, possibly 16 low-cost units. - Mayor Fitzpatrick noted the 235th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard and said he would raise concerns about Outlook email filtering/junk mail in new business. Consent Calendar - The Council approved the consent agenda unanimously (5-0). No councilor requested removal and no public removal requests had been received. - Approved items included draft City Council minutes from April 21, 2025; Work Session minutes from April 28, 2025; Budget Committee draft minutes; and Parks Advisory Board draft minutes from July 23. Contracts and Grants Approved (Regular Agenda 7.a–7.d) - 7.a Springboard Forestry: Authorized a FY 25/26 forestry stewardship consulting contract for $68,500 (5-0). City Manager Scott Spence said Springboard has served as the city forester since 2015; scope includes strategic timber harvest, forest road inventory, and carbon project assistance. - 7.b L&C Carbon: Authorized a $70,000 contract for the 2025 Bear Creek Forest Carbon Project (5-0). The 2020 credit sale generated just over $837,000 net; a new verification could confirm about 40,000 additional credits, with net revenue estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. City Forester Ben Hayes clarified that two additional contracts—verification services and field data collection—are still to come. - 7.c Big River Construction: Awarded the 2025 Slow Sand Filter Resanding Project contract for $2,548,900 (5-0). The last resanding cost about $1.5 million; the city has about $2 million in reserves, with remaining funds coming from Public Works funds. Construction is expected to start in November 2025 and take about two years, replacing sand in all four filters one at a time. Councilor Davis raised concerns about strain on the Public Works Improvement Fund; city staff said the fund is monitored monthly and the project is a drinking-water priority. - 7.d DLCD Housing Planning Actions: Approved a resolution supporting the required DLCD Housing Capacity Analysis grant (motion by Davis, second by Lump; 5-0). Also approved a letter of support for the Regional Housing Task Force Housing Opportunity Analysis grant to DLCD (motion by Mazzarella, second by Adams; 5-0). Spence said DLCD confirmed the city remains subject to the state mandate even if the population has dropped below 10,000; Mayor Fitzpatrick cited official census figure of 10,146 and disagreed with the state's medium-sized city designation. Discussion Item: Housing Opportunity Sites RFEI (7.e) - Community Development Director John Roberts and Clatsop County Housing Manager Elissa Gertler presented a draft RFEI to test market interest in two sites: the Customs House site (about one acre, potential cottage cluster of 4–12 units, includes a 1994 historic resource) and the Darigold site (county-owned, four to five stories, 60% AMI-to-market-rate mix, 45-foot height limit with possible 55 feet, and roughly 33 county fleet parking spaces). - Councilors generally supported the RFEI approach. Councilor Lump asked that cottage clusters be de-emphasized in favor of maximizing units and advocated flexibility on ground-floor commercial and parking requirements. Councilor Adams urged outreach to the Latinx community and interest in concepts such as bike parking and reduced car parking. Councilor Davis supported parking flexibility at both sites and asked how creative alternative proposals would be reviewed. Mayor Fitzpatrick suggested cottage unit sizes around 750–1,250 square feet, two-story units at the back, land leases, and ironclad deed restrictions; he also highlighted that the Darigold parking lot is subgrade, which he said is a major cost advantage for developers. - Staff said the comments would be incorporated into the final RFEI. No vote was taken on 7.e; it was an informational/discussion item. Public Comments & Testimony - No public comments were offered on 7.a, 7.b, or 7.c. - Lisa Morley (Alder Brook neighborhood) challenged the city's census-based housing mandate, asserting the population is under 10,000 and that infrastructure problems should be fixed first. On the RFEI, she liked the Darigold proposal but raised concerns about the tsunami zone, questioned whether a housing crisis is proven, and opposed deed restrictions/resale limits. - Daniel Hubner (1846 Street) thanked the Council for a recent work session with the sheriff and judge, strongly supported Councilor Mazzarella's view that criminalizing street camping without accessible alternatives is ineffective and immoral, and criticized Mayor Fitzpatrick's approach to that issue. - Rodney Camburg (82967 Highway 53) described the impact of his daughter's fall at Youngs River Falls, said signage should be everywhere, not just at the parking lot, and offered community fundraising support. - Katie Camburg (St. Helens, 225 Gable Road) recounted severe injuries from jumping at age 15, advocated a memorial listing lives lost at the falls, said warnings/signage have not worked, and stated the community is ready to pay for it. She noted interviews with Fox 12 and the Daily Astorian. New Business and Non-Agenda Items - Councilor Adams asked staff to explore measures beyond warning signs at Youngs River Falls. City Manager Spence said he and Parks Director Jonah Dart-McLean have discussed reviewing current signage and will report back to the Council. - City Manager Spence previewed the August 18 meeting: a Recology transfer-station recycling agreement, budget audit presentation, an intergovernmental agreement with the school district for shared facilities, and an executive session on pending litigation. - Mayor Fitzpatrick warned about a phishing email purporting to be from him, advised that official emails end in astoria.gov, and complained that Outlook misclassifies city and constituent emails as junk. Key Outcomes - Consent calendar approved 5-0. - Springboard Forestry contract authorized 5-0 ($68,500). - L&C Carbon contract authorized 5-0 ($70,000). - Big River Construction contract awarded 5-0 ($2,548,900). - DLCD Housing Capacity Analysis resolution approved 5-0. - Regional Housing Opportunity Analysis letter of support approved 5-0. - RFEI: no formal vote; staff will revise the draft using Council and public feedback. - Youngs River Falls: staff directed to review signage and return with recommendations; no formal vote. - Next regular meeting/session items listed for August 18 include Recology, budget audit, school district IGA, and executive session.