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Friday, September 23, 2016
The Chief
$1 Vol. 125, No. 19 8 Pages
Serving the Lower Columbia Region Since 1891
Clatskanie public works director, finance director resign
In the water: Pool time in Clatskanie, Rainier
JEREMY C. RUARK / THE CHIEF
Chris Neth, Claudia Hill, Maria Timonen, Paris Wallace, Chrissy Trevino demonstrate one of their synchronized swimming routines at the Clatskanie Swimming Pool.
State agencies step up landside monitoring in Columbia County
BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Longtime Clatskanie Finance Director Sharry Hilton and Clatskanie Public Works Director Ray Dipasquale have submitted their resignations. “The resignations did not happen at the same time,” Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hickelman said. “They came during different weeks and both of them are looking to do other things. They did not say what those other things are. That’s their business.” Hilton’s resignation takes effect Sept. 30. Hinkelman said Dipasquale also had originally planned to leave Sept. 30 but decided to stay on until Oct. 4. “He extended his time to make sure the demolition of the old Clatskanie City Hall got underway successfully,” Hinckelman said. Hilton has been city finance director for the past 8 and a half years. She declined comment when reached at her city hall office by The Chief. Dipasquale was employed by the city as public works director in Jan. 2013. Our calls to Dipasquale for comment had not been returned by press time. Hinkelman said Dipasquale and Hilton were valued city employees “They provided excellent work for the city and we deeply appreciate their work here,” Hickelman said. “I wish them well in their next chapter in life.” Clatskanie Mayor Diane Pohl said the resignations were a surprise. “It is always a surprise of sorts, but you always want your people to excel and so those are personal decisions to leave a job,” Pohl said. “They have been excellent employees but they have chosen to go on to other things. We wish them well. They have done a great job for the city and we wish them all the best in the future.” Hinkelman said he will meet with Dipasquale to get a list of the city’s capital improvements that need to be completed and will advise the city council of options for replacing the two. “I have to go before the city council and ask for replacements,” Hinkelman said. “I am looking at various options to
See RESIGNATION Page A6
JEREMY C. RUARK / THE CHIEF
Since a major slide in 2015, the Oregon Department of Transportation has set up warning signs for the potential of continuing landslides along Highway 30 at milepost 39 east of Rainier. BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
To watch them, you might believe you are watching an Olympic event. But for several local woman, the synchronized swimming at the Clatskanie Swimming Pool is for fun and creativity. The team doesn’t compete. “Synchronized swimming began in Clatskanie in 1972 when Roz Juze (then Davis) asked the pool manager, Penny Haakinson, if she could give classes and demonstrations,” Chris Neth said. “Bleachers from Clatskanie High School where even brought in for water shows. Roz taught classes of all ages until she moved to Arizona in 2003. There were several of us gals that are diehards and refused to give up.” Neth and her swimming partners remained teaching and helping one another with figures and routines. “We have had swimmers come and go, but us diehards have hung in for 30, 20, 10 years,” she said. “We still to this date do a demonstration of our routines at the end of the season.” Neth said the longevity of the synchronized swimming at Clatskanie is simple. “It is the water that attracts us, that is the number 1 reason,” she said. “Our pool is great! We enjoy one another and have a great hour of exercise and creating..” Neth said synchronized swimming is both a body and mind builder. “It’s not only exercise for your body, adding body awareness, but is also good for your mind and memory,” she said. “You strengthen your body core and it’s the best exercise for your whole body, head to pointed toes.” Neth said completing the figures in the water can be challenging. “Figures can be a challenge because you are in many positions plus upside down,” she said. “It’s not so difficult with practice, practice, practice. We swim 5 days a week for
an hour in the summer, as schedules allow. Timing can be a challenge because we don’t have under water speakers so we must count to try and stay synchronized.” The synchronized swim team members this year include, Chris Neth, Audry Bedell, Claudia Hill, Maria Timonen, Jo Thackery, Gail Hicks, Chrissy Trevino and Paris Wallace, all of Clatskanie. The team also takes part in Clatskanie Pool’s weekly summer exercising program led by Jamie Baker. “For the older ones, I just hope they can move better,” Baker said. “I hope they can get out of the pool and out of bed easier. For the younger ones, I like that they are blending with the older people. The young people keep us young. We are all a community.” Baker said she enjoys the exercise and, “I like being in charge,” she said. Baker said the resistance in the water is what helps. “Working out on a hard surface as you get older starts to hurt your joints,” Baker said. “But when you work out in the swimming pool, the resistance gives you that little extra exercise, but it doesn’t make you as sore.” According to Baker, it is much easier for older people to work out in the water. The class includes stretching and use of water weights. “I tell people, if it hurts, don’t do it,” she said. “Make it work to what you can do. I don’t want anybody to hurt themselves.” But Baker said she encourages all those attending to stretch. “Stretching is so important because it kind of puts everything back into alignment, in the right order,” she said. In the pool during one of the exercising classes, Gene Neth, of Clatskanie, said he uses the water to keep flexible. “I am trying to keep my muscles in shape,” he said. “When you first start out you are pretty sore, but you get used to it and then you start doing little harder things and by the
time summer is over I am in a whole better shape than when I first got into the pool.” Neth said he has been doing the pool exercise in Clatskanie for 10 years and the workouts have made a significant difference in his life. “I am not as tired,” he said. “I stay up longer and I get more stuff done at home, which the wife likes.” Baker said usually about 20 people attend the Clatskanie Pool exercise classes held Monday through Thursday from 7 to 8 a.m. during the summer. The pool offers water volleyball during its Friday class. Pool Manager Pam Hadlock has been teaching water exercising at the Briarcliff Pool at Rainier High School for 30 years. “I hope the people in this class take away, number one, friendship,” Briarcliff Pool Manager Pam Hadlock said. “I’d also like them to take away a little more flexibility, get their blood circulating and just feel good about themselves.” Hadlock said the pool exercise is like therapy. “The water to me is like a miracle worker,” she said. “It loosens your muscles and it allows you to do exercising in the water that you might not be able to do on land.” Hadlock said the pool exercise also helps with aches and pains. “That’s a lot of it too,” she said. “You can get into the water and take care of those sore muscles like you can’t do on land.” The one hour pool class includes warm ups, with leg and arm stretching and an aerobic segment. Hadlock said the classes attract men and women from Kelso and Longview Washington as well as from Clatskanie and Rainier. Phyllis Haas, of Clatskanie, has been taking the Rainier pool class for 16 years. “There are a lot of stretching exercises and you just keep moving all the time,” she said. “I like this class for the flexibility. You don’t stiffen up as much. The exercise, the friendship and the social fun are all
As summer turns into fall and fall into winter, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and the Oregon Department of Transportation are stepping up monitoring of landslide zones across the state, including areas in Columbia County. Of particular concern are slides along Highway 30 east of Rainier including a slide area at milepost 39. “Once we get into rainy season, our crews will be paying closer attention to that slide area to see if it continues to move, and/or deposits debris along or on the roadway.” Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Lou Torres said. “It is basically what we do every winter. We know the problem areas and tend to watch those areas a little more.” Over the summer, ODOT crews monitored the Highway 30 slide areas and crews also did some clearing of debris over the past week to stabilize an area between Goble and Rainier. Torres said the milepost 39 slide area will see work over the next few months. “This fall we have a contractor excavating the hillside to create a catchment area for slide debris to get us through the winter,” he said. “A permanent design to fix the slide area is in the works to be installed next summer. Permanent lighting was placed by the PUD on two utility poles in the area for a cost of $1,500 and we did tree removal in the slope area for a cost of $2,500.” Torres said while drivers need to understand that Highway 30 in parts of Columbia County, including at milepost 39, have the potential of landslides, the risk to motorists is low. “Drivers are not at risk,” he said. “However, we will be watching this area this winter, along with the many other slide prone areas,” he said. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Engineering Geologist Bill Burns said periods of heavy rainfall can trigger the landslides. “The rainfall adds weight to the ground and fills in all the pours in the soil,” he said. “It decreases the strength of the soil and adds to the potential for the trees, boulders and other materials to push down the slopes and decreases the potential of the soil to stay put. So it’s a double whammy.” Burns said his agency has mapped many of the landslide zones in Columbia County and the state. Those maps are available at the department’s website. Burns said his agency monitors the geology and the topography of a potential landslide zone and its history of slides. During periods of intense rainfall the agency issues warnings in certain regions of the state for increase landslide potential. “We send out public alerts when we know there will be intense rainfall in a landslide zone,” he said. “During those periods of time we want people to be on alert, especially if they are traveling to, or live in those areas that have the higher potential of landslides.” Burns said another concern for slides are land shifts triggered by earthquakes. “Those we can’t forecast,” Burns
See POOL Page A6
JEREMY C. RUARK / THE CHIEF
A group works out during an exercise class at the Briarcliff Pool at Rainier Jr/Sr High School.
See LANDSLIDES Page A3