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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF FLORENCE • DUNES CITY • WESTLAKE • MAPLETON • SWISSHOME • DEADWOOD • YACHATS AND ALL POINTS BETWEEN
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VETERAN SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE ON WHEELS
Disabled American Veterans invites Mobile Vet Center to Florence
Siuslaw News
Once a month, the Florence
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
hosts a Mobile Veteran Center
(MVC) at its 21st Street office.
The DAV wants to highlight serv-
ices that help veterans make the diffi-
cult transition between military and
PHOTO BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Carl Robertson and Jack
Bornstedt bring a Mobile Vet
Center to Florence every
Wednesday and Thursday of the
second week of each month.
County
drives
vehicle fee
to voters
civilian life. Providing the MVC to
the coastal community is one way it
does that.
The commander of the DAV, David
“Skip” Stitt, said, “We requested for
this service to be here because this is
a big benefit to the people.”
The Department of Veterans
Affairs provides MVCs that offer
readjustment counseling and infor-
mation resources to veterans.
Carl Robertson and Jack Bornstedt,
based in Salem, drive the large bus.
“You always hear in the news that
there aren’t a lot of services out there.
There are,” Robertson said. “We’re
here, providing the service. People just
need to know and want the services.”
Robertson and Bornstedt bring the
MVC to Florence every Wednesday
and Thursday of the second week of
each month. Then they travel to
Newport on Friday and Saturday.
Their MVC also covers The Dalles
and Pendleton.
The next time they will be in
Florence is Wednesday, March 11,
and Thursday, March 12.
However, Robertson and Bornstedt
may not continue to serve Florence.
See
VETS 6A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
V OLUNTEER O PPORTUNITY
If passed, $35 fee
would provide funds for
county and city roads
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Following decisions in Dunes City and
Florence, the Lane County Board of
Commissioners voted to pass a $35 vehicle
registration fee (VRF) on to voters in the
May 19 Special Election.
On Dec. 11, Dunes City Council voted
against sending a letter in support of the
bill to the county. Florence City Council,
however, moved to support it Jan. 20.
The proposed $35 annual VRF would
pay for maintenance of county and city
streets, roads and bridges in Lane County.
If approved by voters, 40 percent of the
revenue would be split proportionally
among the county’s 12 incorporated cities.
Based on population, Florence could
receive $143,000 per year and Dunes City
could receive $22,000 per year.
“Remember, the county has 1,400 miles
of roads and 417 bridges, many in the
Florence, Dunes City and Mapleton area,”
said West Lane County Commissioner Jay
Bozievich.
Besides speaking with Dunes City and
Florence, county commissioners also visit-
ed other cities in Lane County.
Bozievich said, “Several members of the
Florence City Council supported this
because it will bring money exclusively for
roads to Florence.”
According to Oregon Revised Statutes
and the Oregon Constitution, revenue col-
lected from the VRF must be used for road
projects. If approved, the county and cities
would use the resources for the mainte-
nance and preservation of roads, streets,
bridges and sidewalks.
“If it does pass,” Bozievich said, “we’ll
be able to maintain our roads in years to
come. If it doesn’t pass, we’ll have to cut
back on our maintenance fund. It won’t
affect us much right away, but it will create
an expensive backlog of maintenance for
future years. I hope people see it will be a
lot cheaper to pass a small fee now, of
about $3 per month, than it will cost to
replace damaged roadways in the future.”
He added that residents can expect more
information in the months ahead in a voters’
pamphlet distributed with the May ballot.
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Volunteers for the Florence Emergency Cold Weather Shelter (from left) Wendy Wells, Jo M’Gonigle, Shirley Boyett, Dick Smith and
Chrisleen Cooper prepare a hearty meal, ready to use during the next cold snap. The shelter provides a warm dinner, place to sleep and
breakfast on frigid nights for homeless persons at the Florence Masonic Lodge.
WARM
T
he Florence Emergency
Cold Weather Shelter is
in need of volunteers and
donations to help operate
the shelter, located inside the
Masonic Lodge, 84910 Highway
101, south of Florence.
According to Jan Hirsch, the shelter’s volun-
teer coordinator, volunteers may choose to serve
in one of six basic areas.
Food and hospitality involves food prepara-
tion and serving for either the dinner or break-
fast meal. Guest intake greets and makes sure
guests understand the routine and schedule for
the night. General supervision oversees the
premises throughout the night. Shifts for the
general supervision are: 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., 9
p.m. to 4 a.m., and 4 to 9 a.m.
Your
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B
E MERGENCY C OLD
W EATHER S HELTER SEEKS
VOLUNTEERS , DONATIONS
WELCOME
Transportation involves driving the shelter’s
van for either the evening pick up, or morning
drop off run. The last volunteer category is
resources, logistics, supplies and equipment sup-
port.
The shelter will offer training to all volun-
teers.
Each general supervision shift requires two
volunteers, one man and one woman, because
the shelter is open to both men and women. In
addition to the volunteers, a paid manager,
Julian Laney, stays on site throughout the night.
Volunteers have a place to sit and read during
the shift when the guests are asleep.
Once the decision has been made to open the
center, usually a day or two beforehand, Hirsch
phones the volunteers and tells them they will be
needed.
“If we were open four nights in a row,”
Hirsch said, “we would need 20 more volun-
teers.”
According to shelter committee chairman Bob
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Community
PHOTO BY KATHLEEN WENZEL
Weather
T ODAY
S UNDAY
M ONDAY
T UESDAY
Clouds
& sun
59
47
Partly
sunny
58
41
Partly
sunny
61
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Sunny
61
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B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
DuBose, doctors have told him that at least once
a year someone in the Florence area dies from
hypothermia when there is wind and rain mixed
with the cold weather.
“They freeze to death,” DuBose said.
In addition to volunteers, the shelter is in need
of a small covered trailer to store items such as
bedding and first-aid equipment.
“We are hoping that someone could donate it
to the shelter,” Hirsch said.
The trailer needs to be completely enclosed
and capable of being locked.
Cash donations also are needed to pay for
food, insurance, gas, laundry expenses and the
cost of the shelter manager.
The shelter website is interactive. Visitors can
click on the “Volunteer” button and fill out and
submit the volunteer application online. Paper
volunteer forms also are available at many local
churches.
For more information, call Jan Hirsch at 541-
590-3146 or go to the website coldshelter.org.