SHMS athletes honored with John Beck Memorial Award
Summer fun with the Annual Kiwanis Parade
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Chronicle & Chief THE COLUMBIA COUNTY
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | Columbia County, Oregon
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Clatskanie budget’s big increase WILL LOHRE
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he end of the fiscal year is fast approaching, and governmental agencies around Columbia County are wrapping up their budget cycles. Clatskanie’s budget has ballooned this year as a result of an influx of funding for the city’s sewer plant project. The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief reached out to Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkelman for more information about what citizens can expect from this year’s budget. The significant change from last year is the over $20 million increase in the budget. This year’s budget is $29,740,178, well above last year’s $8,732,186. Hinkelman explained the reason for the jump. “The big number includes projected funds we are anticipating to get from the State Revolving Fund and includes the already-received ARPA money to build our new sewer plant,” Hinkelman said. “Take away the sewer plant monies, and our budget is pretty much status quo.” The city will not be cutting or adding any positions this year, though Hinkelman was glad to say that the city is now fully staffed after hiring candidates for two much-needed positions. “We will soon be fully staffed as we have managed to find and hire a new Sewer Treatment Plant Operator who will start in a
couple of weeks. We have been without a proper plant operator for almost two years. We are very excited to bring him on board,” Hinkelman said. “We have also hired a new public works director who started a couple of weeks ago. He is working out great.” Filling these two positions is an accomplishment for the city and was one of the goals that Hinkelman outlined in January. One of the significant changes in this year’s budget is what the city has allotted for law enforcement services, which the city contracts from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). “One big change is to fund three sheriff’s office deputies at 100%,” Hinkelman said. Clatskanie is now budgeting to fund all three CCSO deputy positions entirely, as opposed to the old split, which was covered 85% by the city and 15% by CCSO. Despite the increased budgeted law enforcement expenses, Hinkelman said the town has a solid fiscal shape. “The city continues to be in good shape financially, and we have a big project about to go to bid with the new sewer plant,” Hinkelman said.
Follow developments and updated coverage at thechiefnews. com, thechronicleonline.com, and in the Wednesday print editions of The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief.
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Clatskanie City Hall, located at 75 South Nehalem Street.
Swimming into the sunset WILL LOHRE
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The iconic “Pumpkin King” statue is a staple each year during Halloweentown.
St. Helens awards letter of intent for events coordinator WILL LOHRE
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he City of St. Helens has taken the next step in trying to select a new events coordinator, with the council voting to approve a notice of intent to award for Treadway Events & Entertainment LLC. The notice of intent to award begins the negotiation with the selected contractor candidate and also opens a seven-day “objection period.” The council made the unanimous decision at a special session on June 17 after hearing presentations from two finalists who submitted proposals as part of the city’s request for proposal (RFP) process. To clear up controversy surrounding the tourism contract, the city put out an RFP for event management services on Apr. 22. The closing date for the RFP was May 22. “The intent of this RFP process is to award a contract and have an
event management services contractor on board to plan and execute 2024 Spirit of Halloweentown events,” St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal King said. Current event contractor Tina Curry of E2C Corp. has been the driving force behind much of St. Helens tourism and has contracted with the city in that role since 2017. Community members and councilors have credited her with making the Spirit of Halloweentown the large scale event it is today. The contract is set to expire on Jun. 30. During the presentation, the council heard and asked questions of Portland-based Treadway Events and local company Cascadia Glamping, who were the finalists of the RFP process. The council scored the presentations using a points system: 50 points for the presentation and 10 points for each of the nine questions the council asked. The maximum points would be 140 points. See ST. HELENS, Page A10
IN THIS ISSUE Police Reports .............. A3 Opinion .......................... A4 Obituaries ...................... A5 Market ............................ A6 Public Notices .............. A7 Games & Puzzles .......... A8 Crossword .................... A9
ina Harrington has spent a lot of time in the water in Columbia County, and for much of her life, she’s spent it helping other people enjoy the water as well. Now, after almost four decades, she’s retiring. Harrington got her first paid swim teaching gig when she was 11. “I was babysitting, and the lady whose daughter I was babysitting said that I could take her up to the pool and give her some swim lessons,” Harrington said. Harrington grew up in St. Helens, and her best memories of her childhood were spent at the community pool or on the river with her family. She can still remember catching Herb Eisenschmidt’s attention when she was just a kid in the wading pool. “Mr. Eisenschmidt was walking past on deck, and I was in the wading pool with my hands on the bottom and my legs out behind me kicking, and I said, ‘Mr. E., Mr. E, look at me I can swim,’” Harrington recounted. “And he looked at my mom and he said, ‘You better get that girl some swim lessons.’” Harrington started swimming with teams when she was about seven or eight years old. She gave up swimming competitively for a couple of years before returning to the pool swimming and taking up springboard diving. When she went on to college, Harrington continued taking classes in aquatics. She got her Water Safety Instructor (WSI) certification in her last year at OCE, and began teaching in 1979. After another year of college at Eastern Oregon, Harrington moved back to St. Helens for good, teaching swim lessons for the school district at Eisenschmidt Pool. “I taught lessons for the school district for a number of years, then took a little break,” Harrington said. “I was asked if I wanted to coach the novice group of the Sea lions.” This was in 1992. Harrington spent the next six years coaching
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COURTESY PHOTO FROM GINA HARRINGTON
Gina Harrington has been teaching kids swim in Columbia County since she first taught in 1978.
with the program until taking a break in 1998. She returned in 2001 and remained until 2022. During that time, she was also the novice coach for St. Helens High School, from 2004 until about 2014, she said. Eisenschmidt, which was her own childhood pool, Pacific Athletic Club, and even private residences, have all been places Harrington has taught. Harrington has spent nearly 40 years coaching and teaching kids
and young adults to swim. Even when the world shut down during the pandemic, she was still helping others find their stroke. “During the pandemic, I was given the opportunity to teach at a private residence using a couples pool. During the pandemic, I was able to work with a number of families, and it made my life during the pandemic seem much better because it was a lot more normal than See SWIMMING, Page A2
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