Astoria leaders, residents press to save Tongue Point Job Corps after abrupt federal closure notice, temporary federal order halts shutdown

Astoria city leaders, community organizations and hundreds of residents pressed federal officials Wednesday to reverse a U.S. Department of Labor decision to close the Tongue Point Job Corps center, a specialized residential training program that officials said would displace hundreds and ripple through the local economy.

Mac McGoldrick, director of Tongue Point Job Corps, told the Astoria City Council that the Department of Labor’s May 29 notice ordered centers to send students home by June 6 and terminate staff by June 30. "This decision, made by the US Department of Labor, will displace more than 330 students and a 171 staff members," McGoldrick said, adding that a temporary restraining order issued June 4 had “ceased all shutdown activities.”

The temporary restraining order from federal court was described by McGoldrick and other speakers as a pause that buys time but does not resolve the underlying dispute, and presenters pressed elected officials to keep pressure on federal leaders while the community lines up immediate help for students and staff.

Why it matters: Tongue Point is the region’s long-running residential Job Corps center and houses the nation’s only Job Corps maritime training program. Local leaders and employers described a direct economic loss if the center closes—estimates cited during the meeting…