6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2015
Council approves medical marijuana zoning, business license
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Florence City Council met
Tuesday, Feb. 17, to approve the
first and second ordinances of
2015, both of which concerned
medical marijuana dispensaries.
They approved expanded zon-
ing, opened up more commer-
cial areas along Highway 101
and increased leniency on build-
ing requirements for the dispen-
saries.
After little discussion, both
ordinances passed unanimously.
The decision on both ordi-
nances is considered an emer-
gency because of the nearing
conclusion to the moratorium of
Bear
medical marijuana dispensaries
on March 17. After that date,
state law will allow medical
marijuana facilities in the city.
At the board meeting,
Planning Director Wendy
FarleyCampbell said, “You
decided that it would be best,
since you were not the initiating
council on these amendments,
that you hold a work session. At
your Feb. 9 work session, you
reviewed code proposal, all the
various proposals that had been
originally considered and were
recommended and identified
areas that you would like to see
amended.”
Members of the council and
their staff also spoke with the
Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce and with concerned
citizens.
FarleyCampbell summarized
the council’s decisions on zon-
ing: “In addition to the planning
commission’s
North
Commercial District, you added
back in the Highway District,
the Commercial District, the
Main Street District and the
Professional Office District.”
The ordinance also changes
the residential buffer from the
previously-discussed 300 feet to
75 feet. Park buffers were
reduced from 400 feet to 200
feet, except Miller Park, which
will retain the 400 feet buffer
because of its proximity to a
day-care center, which has a
higher buffer.
The Planning Commission
proposal considered by the
council on Feb. 2 required med-
ical marijuana dispensaries be in
a stand-alone structure. Now,
however,
dispensaries
in
Florence could be co-located
with other uses, but they would
need to have separate air filtra-
tion.
One public speaker stepped
forward at this point. He was
concerned with the cost of a
separate HVAC unit, especially
as, according to Oregon law, it is
illegal to smoke inside a public
building.
“It was basically to address
two potential situations,” said
FarleyCampbell. “One would be
the smell of the product getting
into the circulation system, as
brought up under concern from
the previous council. The main
reason was concern for mold
from the product.”
The man replied, “Everything
that’s in there has to be tested for
mold dust and residue, so it
should be pretty mold free if
you’re worried about mold get-
ting into your HVAC. That’s
going to restrict a lot of people.
It costs a lot of money.”
Besides ruling about medical
marijuana zones, the council
also established business license
fees and other guidelines to run
a dispensary in Florence. A busi-
ness license will be $150 per
year. Medical marijuana dispen-
saries will also require a crimi-
nal history check of $50 per year
per person handing useable mar-
ijuana within the facility.
Mayor Joe Henry concluded
the vote, saying, “Very good
job. I want to thank you,Wendy,
and Mike (Miller) and everyone
who put in quite a few hours on
this subject.”
He also congratulated the rest
of the council for passing the
ordinances.
“That’s carried unanimously.
This definitely is the fun part,”
he said.
to various groups in Florence that
would have an interest in a par-
ticular subject.
“I’m really excited to be able
to launch the series with
‘American Bear,’ especially hav-
ing the filmmakers here,” he
said.
O’Mara has applied for grant
funding to cover the balance of
the student ticket price.
A second film documentary
field trip is planned for both
Mapleton and Siuslaw sixth
grade classes called “I am 11,” an
Australian film that interviews
11-year-olds from around the
world.
“It’s a film about life and love
from the perspective of 11-year-
olds,” O’Mara said. “We hope to
schedule it for some time in late
May.”
from 1A
The film chronicles the adven-
tures of Sellman and Grano and
what they learned about human
nature as they traveled around
the United States visiting the five
towns named Bear. According to
O’Mara, the documentary shows
the variety of cultures and diver-
sity that makes up this country.
Mapleton High School’s
ninth- to 12th-grade students will
partner with Siuslaw High
COURTESY PHOTOS
School social studies teacher
Sarah Sellman and Greg Grano will present their documentary, “American Bear,” at City Lights Cinemas on Feb. 24.
Erin Ellis’ sophomore class to
view a private screening of the there were five places in the participation after the film.”
with the filmmaker and reviewed such as “American Bear”, was
film. In all, approximately 135 country called Bear, and it would
City Lights Cinemas co- the film. It was Jodi’s interest in one way to achieve that goal.
students are expected to attend.
make a perfect ‘U’ around the owner Michael Falter said, the film that got things going.”
According to Falter, this is the
“The cost is $6 per student,” United States. They are in “When Jodi sent me a note about
Falter was working on ways to unofficial kickoff to a weekly
O’Mara said. “We are asking Washington, Idaho, Arizona, this film to reach students, I reach out to more local students. documentary movie series. The
each student to pay $2. An Arkansas and Delaware. We jumped at the chance. I spoke Offering a diversity of films, focus of the series is to reach out
anonymous donor paid for the used them as a blueprint for the
travel speaking fees to get the route that brought us around the
filmmakers here.”
country.”
From Friday, February 27, 2015 at 8:30 AM through
EW ATIENTS
ELCOME
City Lights Cinemas also will
The couple spent 60 nights on
Friday, March 6, 2015 at 4:00 PM, the Housing
Relaxing riverfront view
hold a public viewing of the doc- the road, visiting mostly small
And Community Services Agency of Lane County
umentary at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. towns. They passed through
from all rooms.
(HACSA) will temporarily open its Section 8 Housing
Regular adult ticket prices will three large cities, Chicago,
Choice Voucher waiting list to low income families
apply. The filmmakers will intro- Atlanta and Las Vegas, the latter
through an on-line (Internet) application process. All
duce the film at both showings, two of which they spoke with
pre-applications received during this period will be
offer discussion questions for the more than 100 people and no one
eligible for a random drawing where applications will
students and hold a question and invited them to spend the night,
be selected for the waiting list. No paper applications
answer session at the end of each so they slept in the van.
showing.
will be accepted. To apply, go directly to https://www.
“This only happened four
Gentle, Personal, Comprehensive Care
O’Mara said, “We are going to times during the entire trip,” he
waitlistcheck.com/OR649 or, for additional information
ask our kids, ‘How would you be said. “One of the messages in the
and a link to the on-line application, go to our web site
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perceived differently in different film is that people in big cities
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parts of the country?’ This is a are a lot less friendly, and small
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have not been to different parts of have thought about this from a
this country.”
HACSA does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status
variety of different perspectives.
The new CEREC Omnicam
in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its
Filmmaker Grano said, “We
“We learned that much of our
“Completing most single
federally assisted programs or activities.
both tend to be pretty optimistic own identities influenced the
crowns in one visit!”
about people and that led us to experiences we had. The fact that
Housing And Community Services Agency of Lane County
create this film. A hopeful mes- Sarah and I are both white, we
177 Day Island Road - Eugene OR 97401
sage on how people can interact are in a heterosexual relationship
(541) 682-3755
Dr. Chad Clement
with one another. We loved the and we are young had much to
opportunity to explore America do with how people interacted
Monday-Thursday
and discover its stories face to with us. In small towns, particu-
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
face.”
larly, we looked like we could fit
The original inspiration for the in. While we had wonderful
documentary came in the middle experiences in small towns and
of the night.
met people who were very
“I was talking in my sleep one friendly and generous to us, we
night. I woke Sarah up. I was think it is important to talk about
saying, ‘We need to go to Bear, the fact that this is probably not
Co.’ We thought, my gosh, this is the case for everybody that might
our destiny; we have to visit this visit that town.
place. I had a dream, she heard it,
“There were a lot of complex
this is important.
themes that came to light while
“We were disappointed to we were making the film. We
learn there is no place called like delving a little deeper into
Bear, Co. Instead we discovered that when we have our audience
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1256 Bay St.
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