Astoria Port Commissioner Floyd Holcom On The Loss Of NOAA To Newport

From: KAST-AM/Tom Freel's Coastwatch Blog
August 18, 2009

GRP: I'm not so certain about the seriousness of the comment as it was from and in response to a discussion on a rumor regarding Clatsop County Commissioner Ann Samueslon, a subject of a mounting recall petition movement, Freel said he heard at a cocktail party.

You decide on its import.

Floyd Holcom said...Lets set the record straight. The decision not to pursue the money to bring NOAA to Astoria had nothing to do with the County. I'm told it was primarily a decision based on a conversation Skip Hauke, and the CEDR Director had with the Daily Astoria owner Steve Forrestor.Apparently, as was told to the CEDR members, Mr. Forrestor had contacts in Seattle which told him that the State of Washington would never let NOAA leave Seattle. How wrong he was, but I'm sure he will never admit it. He failed to explain his role on his recent editorial.Despite personally working on this for two years on at least getting a look see, Sen. Betsy Johnson, Skip Hauke and others deserve a big thank you for turning the governments head toward Oregon, and at the end of the day, we'll keep trying to get something to our area.NOAA belongs in Oregon, I think Tongue Point, but it is a victory nevertheless and Newport will benefit greatly.We should all be happy and Astoria will see residual benfits of it being in Newport.I predict vessels parking at the POA because(You think Floyd means here that "The Bar" at the POA closes much later than "The Columbia River Bar"?) the bar closeses there much more than the CR Bar.Floyd

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