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Computer Models to Guide Development in Downtown Astoria


Published in The Daily Astorian: August 7, 2009
By Sandra Swain

Is it a cat burglar? Is it Spider-Man? No, the person climbing up the front wall of the Fort George Brewery and Public House Monday morning was Brenton Christensen.

The 22-year-old student intern was taking measurements and calling down the figures to fellow intern Joe McCartin, 20, who was keeping track of the numbers on a clipboard.

The two Clatsop Community College graduates are gaining work experience while they help the city create a three-dimensional computer model of downtown Astoria buildings and the riverfront. It's a hands-on process accomplished with the most basic of tools — mainly a tape measure, a note pad and discerning eyes.

But the information gathered is destined for a state of the art land-use planning computer program being developed and tested by the Ford Foundation, which has provided a $40,000 grant to create the three-dimensional model.

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