Thank you for your interest in reading The Astorian. Here are a few stories that you might have missed this week:

•••

Warrenton will likely get a final chance to save the community library.

The library board will ask the City Commission to place an extension of a local option tax on the May ballot to finance operations. The tax rate would be 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as today.

In November, voters narrowly rejected a 5-cent increase to the tax rate. Supporters of the library are not sure whether voters were unhappy with the proposed increase or ambivalent about the fact that the underlying levy finances library operations.

“I think we need to give the levy the best possible chance at passing. We shot our shot in November for an increase to be able to supply more resources, more funds to the library and that didn’t land,” Kelsey Balensifer, the library board chairwoman, said. “I think now, at this point, we need to play it a little bit conservative, because we’re risking a lot.”

Read the story by Ethan Myers by clicking here.

•••

A new design has been revealed for the expansion of the Owens-Adair, a housing complex for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

The project involves a new, four-story, 50-unit apartment building that mirrors the building at 15th and Exchange streets.

The city’s Historic Landmarks Commission had concerns about the initial design. The new design incorporates several changes, including a different window configuration and new siding that more closely reflects adjacent designs.

“It is safe to say that the design was not universally supported,” said Elissa Gertler, the executive director of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority. “But I would say that the Historic Landmarks Commission gave us excellent constructive feedback about how to evolve the design in such a way that it is more compatible with really each of the areas that it touches.”

Take a look at Nicole Bales’ report by clicking here.

•••

Warrenton is reassessing its role as a landlord.

The city is looking to tighten up lease strategies and enforcement after encountering problems at several buildings with long-term leases.

“Past administrations have been very lax, if not completely ignorant, of enforcement of properties, which has created a very bad precedent where past practice of the city has been just to let everything and anything go,” Mayor Henry Balensifer said. “Those properties and how they’re managed reflect on the city and I think that, as any landlord should, if you’re going to put it into writing, as a requirement, it should be followed.”

See the story by Ethan Myers by clicking here.

•••

We invite you to help sustain local journalism on the North Coast. Please consider subscribing. We have several options available at: www.dailyastorian.com/subscribe-now/