The Columbia Press

08/30/2025

FORMER BUS DRIVER SENTENCED AFTER CHILD ASSAULTED ON HIS BUS
A Warrenton school bus driver accused of encouraging middle schoolers to assault a 12-year-old classmate was sentenced this week in Clatsop County Court.
James Edward Pottschmidt, 57, of Warrenton pleaded no contest to fourth-degree assault in a plea deal entered before Judge Kirk Wintermute on Tuesday, Aug. 26. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail and 24 months of probation. He’d been indicted on five charges, including first-degree criminal mistreatment, soliciting a Class C misdemeanor, soliciting a Class A misdemeanor, and third-degree assault.
The state planned to call 21 witnesses if the case had gone to trial, according to court records.
“My son lived through every parent’s worst nightmare,” the child’s mother, Dacei DeVos, told the judge at the sentencing. “He was trapped on a school bus, a place that is supposed to be safe, while for about 20 minutes other children were encouraged to assault him — by the very adult who was responsible for his protection. No words can truly capture what it feels like to know your child was hurt in that way. The one person on that bus who was supposed to ensure his safety, the person I trusted to transport (him) from school to home, chose instead to make him a target.”
The assault occurred Feb. 20, 2024. The Warrenton-Hammond School District officially released Pottschmidt a month later, following the grand jury indictment.
The boy, who will attend classes next month at another campus, suffered a concussion during the assault, missed classes and school activities, and continued to be bullied by other students, DeVos said.
“My son has carried scars that are not just physical, but emotional and invisible,” she told the judge during the sentencing hearing. “He struggles with anxiety and fear. He has lost trust in adults who are supposed to keep him safe. He no longer sees the world with the same innocence that every child deserves to have.”
One of the hardest things was watching the video of the assault, DeVos said.
“I heard Mr. Pottschmidt repeatedly ask my son if he had ‘learned his lesson.’ There was no lesson that my son needed to learn. He did nothing wrong. Even more disturbing, Mr. Pottschmidt commented that my 12-year-old son had somehow ‘offended him’ — a grown man in his 50s. My child was just a boy, and there is nothing a 12-year-old could possibly do to justify that kind of response from an adult, let alone an adult in a position of authority.”
Pottschmidt must turn himself in to the Clatsop County Jail by Sept. 19. He received credit for time served and will serve the remaining days via electronic monitoring.

08/24/2025

GRADING: WARRENTON’S CONFUSING RULES
The city will hold a work session Tuesday on grading regulations, which have been confusing builders large and small. The meeting is at 5 p.m., an hour before the regular City Commission meeting.
The problems came to a head in early 2022, when storms brought flooding, especially in areas where infill had been recently placed. A rental property owned by Rick Newton, who was on the City Commission at the time, was one of them. And Newton’s dealings with city departments and personnel highlighted the need to make grading regulations more clear and uniform.
Warrenton has been working on infill issues ever since. It sought help from CREST, Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, and hired a consultant, development review engineer Paul Sellke of AKS Engineering and Forestry.
Both found the city’s municipal code – Warrenton’s rules and laws – to be confusing, even arbitrary in dealing with grading and infill.
The CREST and AKS reports, along with suggestions for solving the problems, will be reviewed during Tuesday’s meeting. While no decisions will be finalized, city leaders are expected to give input and direction to city staff on how the municipal code should be changed. The public is invited.

08/19/2025

Update on the South Jetty project, which is nearing conclusion. https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/je-mcamis-finishing-long-term-jetty-project-along-columbia-river/68786?fbclid=IwY2xjawMRy7lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqLQHOk6deBDAF8Vczo3HKdUUKR746OfQvJIEaXtPJvalU8pd1wwMLq4tt4o_aem_NvVW7nZUFwFP6Y0x4FpcYA

J.E. McAmis is wrapping up a 10-year project on the South Jetty along the Columbia River in Oregon. The $172 million endeavor involved placing 450,000 tons of stone to maintain the river's navigation channel. The project supported local economies and ensured safe passage for vessels into the Pacific...

08/18/2025

UPDATE: The bridge finally is open!

WORK CONTINUES ON SKIPANON BRIDGE
These photos by Stephanie Miller show crews laying the bridge base on Fort Stevens Highway (Spur 104) last week.
The estimated completion date remains Aug. 29, which is about two weeks longer than originally estimated, according to Oregon Department of Transportation on Monday.
The full closure – to traffic and pedestrians – has cut off access from much of Warrenton to shopping areas and Warrenton Middle School. Signed detours are in place.

08/16/2025

WARRENTON DEVELOPMENT UPDATES
Projects throughout Warrenton are making progress this month. Here are a few:

COMMUNITY GARDEN
A ribbon-cutting for the city’s new community garden is planned for 6 p.m. Aug. 22 at the site on Pacific Drive, across from Fort Stevens State Park’s historical area entrance.
Residents will be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables there in one of 36 4-by-8-foot boxed plots. There are even two raised wheelchair-accessible boxes and four double-sized plots for produce destined for the local food bank.
The city has spent the last year installing water lines, an anti-elk fence, and plot boxes.

FOOD CART POD
Trina & Ron’s, which operates a food cart on the lot next to City Hall, has notified the city that it will be leaving due to the operator’s health issues. Its departure will leave the lot with just four permanent food cart operators.
The pod has room for five to six carts, depending on their size, so the city plans to advertise the impending vacancy.
Trina & Ron’s suffered a devastating loss in August 2022, when its restaurant on Skipanon Drive was destroyed by fire.

NU WAY CARPET
More than $66,000 of work has been completed on the façade of Nu Way Carpet at 1015 S. Main Ave., City Manager Esther Moberg told city commissioners during the Aug. 12 Urban Renewal Agency meeting.
As much as $100,000 of the $170,000 in renovations will be covered by an agency grant designed to spur improvements in downtown Warrenton.

BATTERY 245
Bergeman Construction of Astoria was hired by the city this week to provide flood barriers at the building that soon will be occupied by Battery 245 restaurant and pub.
The building had been home for decades to Skipanon RV, but the city has owned the property. The structure required far more work than anyone expected, including a new roof, floors, windows, drop ceiling, and siding. The flood barriers will cost about $84,000.
“Battery 245 will open this month … with permanent occupancy in a couple months,” the city manager told commissioners, who were acting Tuesday as members of the Urban Renewal Agency.

THE OUTPOST
Perhaps the most anticipated opening is The Outpost, formerly known as the Fenton Grocery building. Owners Jess and Dan Sollaccio plan a mixed-use community hub on the ground floor with shops, a bakery/café, children’s play space, and more. The entire renovation is estimated at $1.28 million.
But it, too, has required major structural work. The project received a $650,000 major projects grant from the city’s Urban Renewal Agency in early 2024. (Jess Sollaccio, now a city commissioner, was a private citizen when the grant was made.)
All building permits have been issued now, Moberg said of the project.

NEW PARK
Property owned by the city behind City Hall, referred to as the “Peterson Property” for its former owner, will soon get a new name and a new function.
Part of it will be turned into an expanded City Hall parking lot and part of it will be a park, with picnic areas, benches and other features.
Preliminary design is nearly complete, Moberg told commissioners, and it will be presented to the Urban Renewal Agency’s advisory board in September.

CELL TOWER
A new Verizon 5G cell phone tower has been approved near Warrenton Fiber and Tansy Point. Its horizontal footprint is just 50- by 50-feet, but vertically, it will rise 150 feet and be visible to anyone in the area.
The new wireless facility is expected to fill a “significant gap” and improve coverage in the area, Project Manager Craig Brukenhoefer wrote in his application to the city. The spot was chosen after an analysis of market demand, service requests and radio frequency engineering design.

OLD BUILDER'S SUPPLY YARD
Mike Balensifer has razed the dilapidated structure that previously housed lumber and other supplies on South Main Avenue, across the street from the old Warrenton Builder's Supply (now Nu Way Carpet).
Balensifer and his wife purchased two lots from the former building supply owners in 2024.

WILDERNESS WATERLINE
Warrenton City Commission approved a $14,600 contract increase for Trench Line Excavation of Corvallis, the company replacing the old and faulty pipes that bring water from the city’s hilly source to its users.
The original contract was just under $900,000 for the miles of pipeline. Turns out one section was buried 9 feet deep rather than the estimated 4 feet and will require extra shoring, according to public works. Multiple borings had been done to determine depth, but the deeper section had not been discovered until work began.

08/13/2025

CITY TO RENAME ONE OF ITS IREDALES
It’s hard to believe there are three similarly named streets in such a small town.
But Iredale – the name of a ship that wrecked on the beach in 1906 – can be found all over Warrenton.
Imagine you’re a police officer responding to a crash or a crime on Iredale. Do you go to the one in Fort Stevens, the one that crosses downtown Hammond, or the one near Warrenton Marina?
On Tuesday, Warrenton city commissioners decided to change the name of the smallest Iredale, the one near the marina. The probable new name? Isobar.
OK, you try coming up with a street name that’s nautical and starts with an I. But that was the city’s dilemma.
Isobar is a term used by meteorologists and mariners. It’s a line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average over a given period, according to Merriam-Webster.
Warrenton’s municipal code specifies that the city is to avoid duplicating street names, City Planner Jeff Adams told commissioners. The code also states that all proposed streets between Highway 101 and Main Avenue have a “nautical name.”
The city’s earliest plat maps list streets in alphabetical order and the Iredale Avenue near the marina falls in the “I” position – after Anchor, Galena, and Heron, but before King.
Adams gave commissioners some suggestions, but none fit just right.
“It’s not a major street, so it’s not an earth-shattering decision,” Mayor Henry Balensifer said. After a brief discussion, he asked each commissioner for their top choice.
Jessica Sollaccio, Gerald Poe, and Tom Dyer all chose Isobar. Paul Mitchell suggested Iceberg.
“We’re picking a name for a street that doesn’t go anywhere,” Mitchell said. “That’s why Iceberg.”
The only addresses on the street are for a ministorage building the city owns and a privately owned warehouse that receives no mail.
The name change to Isobar will return to the commission at a future meeting.
Background, according to the city planner:
• Iredale Street in Hammond was called Harrietta Street on an 1890 plat map. It was changed to Iredale in a 1978 civil survey.
• Peter Iredale Road in Fort Stevens first appeared on U.S. Geological Survey topography maps in the 1980s.
• Northeast Iredale Avenue, which runs between Harbor Drive and Warrenton Marina, evolved after the rail line disappeared. Initially it was called Arthur Street, with a slightly different alignment, but was renamed Iredale on a 1999 plat survey.

08/13/2025

COMMISSIONER DYER TO RESIGN
Warrenton City Commissioner Tom Dyer announced Tuesday night that he would step down from his post due to health issues.
“I have cancer,” he said. “I have six months of treatment and it (the cancer) has gone to my bones. I’m grateful to have served this community for 12 years.”
Dyer attended Tuesday night’s meeting wearing a medical mask to lessen his chances of catching anything that could harm his compromised immune system.
“I’m not supposed to be around a bunch of people,” he said.
Dyer remained throughout the meeting, casting votes for, perhaps, the last time in his official duties.
Dyer retired in 2016 after 32 years as an Oregon State Police officer. He was elected in November to a fourth four-year term on the City Commission.
Arguably one of the best-liked men in town, he has been quick to help others. He has operated pressure washers and picked up trash downtown with Spruce Up Warrenton, helped property owners facing condemnation to remove junk from their properties, and tried to come up with alternatives to help those who’ve come under fire.
He has said it’s just the way he was raised.

08/11/2025

SKIPANON BRIDGE'S COMPLETION DATE MOVED TO AUG. 29

UPDATE: The two-month mark on this $800,000 project nears (it began June 16) and ODOT says it is on schedule, yet the completion date is now expected to be Aug. 29. The project to improve the 96-year-old bridge was expected to take "about" 60 days.
ODOT's website says some projects have been delayed by the agency's "funding crisis," which is affecting some maintenance and operations. "Delays may still occur due to a reduced workforce," according to the website. There are fewer employees available for traffic control, inspections and project oversight.

FULL SKIPANON BRIDGE CLOSURE BEGINS MONDAY
The Skipanon River bridge on Spur 104 closes Monday for two months.
The road -- also known as Highway 101 Alternate and Fort Stevens Highway – is a primary route from Warrenton’s older residential areas to Costco, Walmart, Home Depot and Warrenton Middle School.
Oregon Department of Transportation will rebuild and strengthen the bridge base so that heavy equipment like fire trucks can cross the bridge, which currently is weight-restricted.
While crew work hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the bridge will be closed 24 hours. Traffic detours will be posted and no pedestrians will be allowed to cross the bridge.

08/07/2025

CITY ISSUES GRANTS
A fall fun run and the release of rehabilitated wildlife are two of a handful of grants the City of Warrenton announced this week that it will fund.
The grants, which totaled $11,950, went to Wildlife Center of the North Coast, Astoria Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, Spruce Up Warrenton, Warrenton Parks Alliance, and VFW Fort Stevens Post 10580.
The application process now takes place each year in July, with applications available on the City of Warrenton’s website and at City Hall.
City leaders used to struggle throughout the year deciding which groups were worthy of funds or, say, the waiving of fees for park or community center rentals. Now those decisions can be made in advance while comparing the merits of individual requests.
The projects that will receive funding this fiscal year:
• Thanksgiving meal at the community center by the VFW.
• Educational outreach and animal rehabilitation and release in Warrenton, Wildlife Center of the North Coast.
• A fall fun run, Warrenton Parks Alliance.
• A memorial recognizing the part of Warrenton that originally served as the seat of Clatsop County by the DAR.
• Downtown flower baskets, Spruce Up Warrenton.
In addition, the city budgets for two annual events by Spruce Up -- the Fourth of July parade and a second activity in the spring that hasn’t yet been announced, City Manager Esther Moberg said.
The city’s Urban Renewal Agency also gave Spruce Up a grant to refresh two lit holiday sky banners -- (one over Main Avenue downtown and one on Northwest Warrenton Drive adjacent to the post office).
(Photos courtesy Wildlife Center of the North Coast)

07/30/2025

TSUNAMI ADVISORY ISSUED FOR CLATSOP COUNTY
A tsunami advisory for the entire west coast of the United States – including Clatsop County – was issued this evening after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Russia.
The National Weather Service forecast that Long Beach, Wash., Warrenton, Seaside and other coastal areas could see tsunami effects beginning at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday. The peak tsunami wave or series of waves are expected to be less than 1 foot in our region.
For those in the advisory area, “a tsunami capable of producing strong currents that may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures is expected,” according to the NWS report. “Widespread inundation is NOT expected.”
Do not go to the coast to watch and be alert to instructions from local emergency officials.

07/28/2025

UPDATE: New post from ODOT says the entire bridge is closing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and they'll do all the pavement on both sides at once. ...

BRIDGE DELAYS EXPECTED TUESDAY
Maintenance is planned Tuesday on Youngs Bay Bridge. Oregon Department of Transportation crews will apply a treatment to the roadbed to extend the life of the pavement.
Single-lane closures will occur between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. with flaggers directing traffic.
Expect long delays, ODOT says. Thankfully, work should be complete within one day on the primary route between Astoria and Warrenton.

07/23/2025

DESPERATE FIRE TIMES, DESPERATE FIRE MEASURES
Warrenton Fire Chief Brian Alsbury knows he has to do something.
The vast majority of his department’s personnel are volunteers. In addition to serving the county’s fastest growing and largest land-mass city, the agency is on contract to serve unincorporated areas surrounding the city.
Firefighters also cover Fort Stevens, Camp Rilea, the airport, the beach, and the Coast Guard station. It’s a humongous task for a department with just three paid employees and 25 or fewer volunteers
The volunteers get, well, burned out with the amount of work placed on their shoulders. And finding replacements is hard in a city of 6,300.
“We’re at the point we’re taxing the volunteers so much with their time that eventually we’re going to wear them all out,” Alsbury said Tuesday. “The most import thing is getting staff who are able to respond 24 hours a day.”
Most of the volunteers also have paid jobs, so they’re not always available.
Unfortunately, the city’s budget is stretched thin. There’s not enough money to hire the nine paid firefighters Alsbury says he needs. There’s not even enough money for three, which would ease some of the exhaustion, he said.
Alsbury has been fire chief since 2020 and was a volunteer for 14 years prior to that. The department had been struggling with leadership and state compliance issues and facing stiff fines before he was named chief.
Alsbury came before the City Commission Tuesday night, a large contingent of volunteers sitting in the chambers behind him. He offered a number of ideas to raise money to hire firefighters. Some might hurt a little.
* Water meter fees. A public safety fee would be placed on commercial properties based on the size of the water meter that serves the business.
* False alarm fees. Examples include fines on those who repeatedly use the Fire Department to solve medical issues while refusing transportation to the hospital, households and businesses with fire alarms that place repeated faulty calls, private businesses such as care homes that call for help moving patients because they’re understaffed.
* A fire operations levy. A tax levied on property owners, which would require a vote of Warrenton residents.
* A restructuring of the current business license fee to add a public safety fee component.
The fees are based on recommendations from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office and those charged by cities of similar size.
It’s essential Warrenton take action to provide “a predictable and dedicated revenue stream that can support critical fire, EMS, and life safety services,” Alsbury wrote in his report. “It is especially valuable in sustaining operations as we continue to experience increased call volume and growing service demands, with a relatively lean staff structure compared to peer agencies.”
After a lengthy discussion of Alsbury’s ideas, commissioners asked him to develop the water meter fee proposal for an upcoming public hearing. Mayor Henry Balensifer said he’ll arrange a town hall meeting on other ideas, particularly the need for a future operations levy.