Logs were historically important in Astoria, as seen in this 1974 photo.

Logs were historically important in Astoria, as seen in this 1974 photo.

The new owner of the Warrenton sawmill says a log export operation at the Port of Astoria would put the mill at risk by cutting into local timber supply.The CEO of Hampton Lumber Mills, Inc., sent a letter to Port Commission President Bill Hunsinger this week to express his company’s “disappointment” with the Port’s plans to negotiate a lease with log exporter Westerlund Log Handlers of Bremerton, Wash.

The Westerlund deal could pour $1 million a year into the Port of Astoria coffers - boosting revenue by 25 percent. It is expected to create 65 jobs, although it hasn’t been determined yet how many of them will go to unionized longshoremen. … Hunsinger, a member of ILWU Local 50, has championed the export operation. Now, the Port of Astoria spends half a million dollars on dredging and does not recoup its expenses from the cruise ships and research vessels that use Port docks, Hunsinger argues.

From the Daily Astorian, April 2, 2010