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St. Helens, Scappoose wrestle tough at NW Duals, Page A10
TODAY’S NEW YEARS WEATHER Mostly Cloudy Highs to 44 Page A11 Lows to 36
The Chronicle
$1.00 Vol. 132, No. 1 12 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
Columbia County part of booming craft distillery industry BY DON PATTERSON dpatterson@thechronicleonline.com
Gleaming stainless steel tanks line the inside of a rustic looking barn in Warren, the site of one of Columbia County’s craft distilleries. The barn is home to Northwest Distillery, one of 55 small distilleries across Oregon producing handcrafted spirits in small batches. Meghan Zonich and her husband, Corey, have operated the enterprise since 2005, producing a selection of flavored vodkas including their signature product, Liquid Vodka. While craft distilling is not precisely defined, most people think of it as manufacturing small quantities of spirits by a batch process. The resulting products, like craft beers, are identified by their distinct aroma and flavor. The craft distillery industry in Oregon is flourishing in the wake of changes to the law beginning in 2008. Since 2011, when Oregon further modernized its laws to allow more opportunity for small businesses, 19 new distilleries have opened. In Oregon, a state agency, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, owns all distilled spirits and controls the sale. The agency is best known for its, sometimes, aggressive enforcement of liquor control laws, so it might
come as a surprise that the OLCC is one of the biggest advocates for craft distillers. “Oregon’s alcohol industry employs a significant portion of our state’s workforce through people employed in wineries, breweries and distilleries, liquor stores, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, bars and wholesale distributors.,” said OLCC Chair Rob Patridge. It is the OLCC’s position that has opened up the opportunity for small craft distillers and led to the boom. About 22 percent of products carried at the OLCC warehouse in southeast Portland are from Oregon companies and 12 percent of sales come from those products. OLCC ships product in small quantities, as little as one or two bottles at a time, to retail liquor stores, so small distillers can find shelf space next to the big national brands. A typical retail store in Oregon carries about 1,200 products, far more than bigger chain stores in other states. OLCC’s attitude is not entirely altruistic, however. The agency had sales of nearly $1 billion last biennium and returned $235 million to the state’s general fund. OLCC also paid $450,244 to Columbia County and $336,638 to the City of St. Helens from liquor sales during the period. Of that revenue, 95 percent is from taxes and profit on distilled spirits.
“ I don’t know if it’s going to hurt us, but it definitely won’t help us,” claims Ken McFarland who operates Ye Olde Grog Distillery in St.
Starting your own craft distillery Starting your own craft distillery in Oregon is a little different than starting a winery or brewery. Before you can make a drop of distillate, even for your own consumption, you must have the necessary permits. That means you must first apply for and receive both federal permits and an OLCC license before you can experiment with recipes and processes.
DON PATTERSON / The Chronicle Ken McFarland operates Ye Olde Grog, one of two local distilleries. Recent changes to Oregon law allow distilleries to operate a tasting room, promoting their beverages. Columbia County is on the ground floor of the craft distillery movement.
“It’s important to us to create an environment where small businesses thrive, “ said OLCC Interim Director Merle Lindsey. For all its success in the past few years, the industry faces an uncertain future. On Dec. 15, a trade group representing big grocery chains announced it wants to privatize the liquor busi-
ness and allow grocery and retail stores of more than 10,000 square feet to sell distilled spirits. The group filed paperwork necessary to start collecting signatures to put privatization plans on the ballot. Such a move would make competing for shelf space and product placement harder say small distillers.
Don Patterson Publisher St. Helens Chronicle dpatterson@countrymedia.net
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government. The Federal Tax and Trade Bureau issues the permits. You can find more information at TTB.gov/spirits. OLCC recommends applying 90 or more days before you plan to begin operations.
1. Decide on the type of product you want to produce. OLCC limits a distillery to six products. Regulators will want to know where you intend to operate, what kind of security your operation will have, how much liquor you intend to produce and where and how do you intend to store and distribute it.
3. Apply for an OLCC distillery license. The license allows you to make liquor and store it on your premises. It also allows you to offer tasting on your premises, however, if you wish to sell your products to the tasters, you must also secure a retail store license in addition to your distiller’s license. The OLCC process can take from 90 to 120 days, however you do not have to have approval from TTB to start the state process. More information is available at oregon.gov/ OLCC
2. Apply for the appropriate federal permit for the type of distilling you intend to do. You must also receive approval for your label from the federal
4. Contact Columbia County and your local municipality about the appropriate business licenses and regulations on your operation.
Scappoose man dies in head-on collision
CORRECTION The Dec. 25 print issue of The Chronicle contains an obvious and regrettable error. A photo of Aaron Michael Chappell is misidentified. Mr. Chappell was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this year. The Chronicle, and I personally, would like to apologize to the family of Mr. Chappell for this error. None of us can fully comprehend the pain and sadness his family has endured these past months. Certainly those loved ones didn’t need the additional agony such a careless mistake has inflicted. Please accept our condolences, and my assurance that The Chronicle staff will redouble our efforts to keep another such error from happening in the future.
Helens. McFarland said he saw Washington sales drop after the implementation of Measure 1187, which legalized private distribution of liquor in that state.
SHARI PHEIL / The Chronicle Ringing in the New Year will bring area waterfowl hunters a new place to hunt. As of Jan. 1, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s newest acquisition – the 100-acre former duck hunting club Flight’s End on Sauvie Island – opens to hunting. See story, page A4
Washington County burglaries may have link to Scappoose thefts Washington County Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a prolific burglar that is believed to have broken into dozens of local small businesses, including some in the Scappoose area. On Dec. 26 at about 5:25 a.m., deputies responded to a business burglary alarm at 19530 SW Shaw Street at Clarke’s Discount Inc. in Aloha. There they found the front glass door of the business had been smashed allowing the suspect access to the building. These “smash and grab” type of crimes have significantly increased recently.
This same method has been used in dozens of burglaries, which began prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Burglaries have occurred along the main business roadways from Scappoose to Hillsboro to Newberg. While the type of businesses and methods are very similar, investigators have not been able to conclusively connect them. At 5:43 a.m., deputies responded to another business burglary alarm at 5990 SW 185th Avenue, Suite F, at Indoor Hydroponics. The front glass door was again shattered and items inside
were in disarray. Deputies searched the area and found a fourth victim business at 5990 SW 185th Avenue, Suite D, at La Morenita. That business also had the front glass door shattered but because the glass remained in the doorframe, entry was not made. At 5:54 a.m., a sheriff’s deputy searching for additional victims found a large industrial garage door, at 19040 SW Shaw Street, smashed in by a vehicle, which allowed the suspect access to Factory Motor Parts, a wholesale auto parts distributor The cash
drawer area was ransacked. Video footage of the burglar crashing into the garage was captured by a security camera. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is concerned by the suspect’s behavior as it appears to be escalating, possibly displaying signs of desperation and frustration at the small amounts of cash stolen. Detectives are seeking the public’s help regarding this case. Anyone with any information, please call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 846-2500.
County changing dog licensing program Dog owners in the county should expect some changes when it comes to licensing fees. Beginning Jan. 1, the fee will now be $15, up from $12, the first increase in the last eight years. The fee for dogs that have not been spayed or neutered will remain at $30,
while the license fee for senior citizens will be $5 per spayed or neutered dog and $15 per unfixed dog. One major change will be where dog licenses can be obtained. Pet owners will now only be able to get their dogs licensed through the County Clerk. Owners
can either go to the County Clerk’s desk at the Columbia County Courthouse, 230 Strand St., in St. Helens or downloaded an application from the county sheriff’s website and mail it to the clerk, along with proof of rabies vaccinations and the appropriate fees. The ap-
plication can be downloaded at co.columbia.or.us/sheriff/ images/CCSOanimalcontrol/ cc_doglicenseform.pdf. Pet owners living inside St. Helens city limits will still obtain licences from city hall. See DOG, Page A4
One person was killed and another injured after two cars collided in a head-on crash on Cornelius Pass Road. The accident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 24 between NW Kaiser Road and NW Skyline Boulevard. Preliminary reports from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office indicates a Honda Civic driven by Neil T. Schneider, 45, of Scappoose was traveling northwest on Cornelius Pass Road when the vehicle crossed over the center line and struck an oncoming Hyundai Sonata. Schneider was pronounced deceased at the scene. The female driver of the Hyundai Sonata, later identified as Janie Edwards, 42, of Hillsboro, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office, witnesses reported seeing the Honda Civic driving erratically as it traveled on Cornelius Pass Road just prior to the accident. The sheriff’s office said initial indications are alcohol may have been a contributing factor. The accident investigation is continuing and once completed will be forwarded to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office for review. No further information will be available until the investigation has been completed. The East County Vehicular Crimes Team has responded to conduct the accident investigation. The East County Vehicular Crimes Team consists of MCSO deputies, officers from the Gresham, Troutdale and Fairview Police departments along with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Cornelius Pass Road was closed for several hours between Kaiser Road and Skyline Boulevard while the investigation was being conducted, reopening around 8 p.m.