Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2015)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 Chief from 1A Soon after, he transferred to Eugene Police Department at the request of his commanding officer. “I went right to the City of Eugene and stayed there for the next 23 years, always hoping to come back (to Florence) in one form or another, but I went where the jobs were,” he said. In 2006, he went back to LCSO. He held the positions of captain, undersheriff and sher- iff. He heard about Florence’s open police chief position when he was invited to sit on the hir- ing panel last year. “After I started thinking about that, I thought why not me? I don’t want to be on the panel. I want to actually be the chief. I always wanted to go back to the coast,” he said. Turner, with 33 years of experience in Lane County, said, “I was looking for an opportunity that came along, just like Florence, and here it is. What I offer to the community is a very high desire to be in that environment again.” He also wanted to be back in a law enforcement oriented position again. At the LCSO, he navigated budget shortfalls and managed to keep offering serv- ices to the community. Because of that, Turner said, he balances prudency today with planning for tomorrow. “It’s never fun to have fund- ing issues,” Reynolds said, “but it’s a very normal part of our business. Again, he just has that experience that he can bring to the table. And he’s been suc- cessful on that as well.” Currently, Turner is review- ing the contract and a private investigator will perform a background check. The process should take about three weeks. If the contract is successful, Turner would earn $94,000 per year. He currently makes $124,000 a year as sheriff. He, his wife and 12-year-old son will “absolutely” move to Florence, he said. His two daughters, ages 19 and 21, will remain in Eugene, where they attend Lane Community College and University of Oregon. If he gets the position, Turner looks forward to living and working in Florence. “We have a family to raise for many more years to come. I never intend to stop working, anyway, with a young member of our family. ... Living on the coast, that’s where we wanted to be anyway.” Reynolds referenced Turner’s belief in small towns and build- ing and maintaining relation- ships. “He said multiple times, ‘I think that can be solved over a cup of coffee,’” she said. “What he means by that, is taking the time to slow down, meet with people, listen to what their needs are and then come to a workable solution. ... He knows how to involve the community and is able to articulate in a very common sense way what the need is and what a good solu- tion could possibly be.” Although the transition will keep city staff busy until May 1, Reynolds said, “We’re ready for him whenever he’s ready.” Town from 1A In 2009, Helen Hunt por- trayed the role of Stage Manager in an off-Broadway production to rave reviews for a two-year run before they took it on the road in Los Angeles. Directors Jennifer Connor and Cathy Dupont chose to follow suit with the Last Resort Player’s production and cast veteran actress Annie Schmidt in the role. A demanding role because of the great number of lines, Schmidt finds it much easier Spray from 1A “We’re the only sole source aquifer in Oregon, so it’s very important, very delicate. ... If you look at the lakes, they’re all inter- connected. They all drain into each other and they affect all of us,” Boyd said. “We’re hoping that you’ll work with us to pro- tect our precious water.” Becky Goehring spoke next. “I’m also here to talk about, hopefully, the council’s support for looking into protecting our watershed. I live in the north lakes area, so I’m not in the city, but I recognize that this has become an issue that’s larger than just a one-time spraying operation.” Goehring cited research done through the Ford Family Foundation and the Pathways Program, where “about 88 per- cent of responders agreed that natural resources are something GET SPOILED FROM HEAD TO TOE Sit back and enjoy a spa mani-pedi, deluxe facial or any of our pampering salon services. Now Offering Shellac Gel Manicures Only $20 Enjoy a no-chip fi nish for up to two full weeks! Skin Care | Massage | Nail Care | Waxing | Hair Care Beauty Products | Gift Cards | Expires 03-31-15 to learn monologues than dia- logue. “I can usually keep on keepin’ on if I’ve missed a line of a monologue. It’s complete- ly different if I miss a dialogue cue,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll be the one standing there wondering why nobody’s say- ing anything — and then real- ize it’s my line! That does not endear you to your fellow actors.” Along with the Stage Manager, “Our Town” con- jures up memorable characters Emily Webb and George Gibbs, portrayed by Lyndsey Keppol and Jesse Reeves. These two young actors have played love interests before in Last Resort Player’s “The Sound of Music.” They also both appeared in the group’s 2014 production of “Les Miserables.” The actors have been trained to pantomime some of the main action with authentic costumes from the era that have been designed by wardrobe mistresses Victoria Seitzinger and Kristi Whittington. Lighting and sound effects bring the imagi- nary elements alive by the magic touch of Margaret McDiarmid, David Nelson and Leah Goodwin. Cameo appearances for dif- ferent performances will be made by Ken Janowski, Ned Hickson, Florence Mayor Joe Henry and Wayne Sharp for the character of Mr. Carter. Performance times for “Our Town” will be today, March 21, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m. The show will continue for three more performances March 27 through 29 at the Florence Events Center. Tickets are available from the box office at 541-997-1994 and online at www.eventcenter .org. that we need to protect and take care of,” she said. Joan Skarda, also from Protect Florence Aquifer, said, “I think it’s really important that we con- sider how we can maybe work with the owners to minimize the impact of their activities on their operation.” Skarda also lives near the Charnocks and has witnessed the changes to the property since they logged the land in 2013. “They do plan on continuing to spray a couple times a year for the next three to five years, depending on how long it takes for their little saplings to get big enough to shade out the Scotch broom,” she said. Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller said, “It’s actually referred to as the North Florence Sole Source Aquifer, as designated in the ’80s. Basically, that means that with the intercon- nectivity of the water sources — for instance, Heceta Water District is a surface water supply, so they get the water out of Clear Lake, and we have groundwater ... — it’s the only source of drinking water for the entire area. So if something was to happen, nobody would have water.” Miller went on to conclude, however, that the proper use of approved herbicides should have minimal impact to the water sys- tem. “Most of our concern is with mishandling of herbicides, pesti- cides, petroleum spills, those type of things, those catastrophic events,” he said. A memo prepared by Miller stated: “We are not saying that there should be no concern. ... The risk to the aquifer when using proper application methods is low relative to the risk of acci- dental releases, improper han- dling, storage and disposing of chemicals. It is the improper han- dling of chemicals where the concern lies.” Mayor Joe Henry said, “I think I speak for everybody on the staff and the council that we also are concerned about our water supply. We’ve had a few conversations already, and I’m sure we’ll have some more.” The council discussed open- ing a dialogue with concerned members. “Maybe Heceta Water, the City of Florence, the community at large and the owners could find a way to manage the land that could ... minimize any dam- age that could happen to the watershed,” said Councilor Joshua Greene. “I don’t know what that looks like, but I want it stated that we all share that inter- est.” Councilor Ron Preisler advised, “It’s larger than just one landowner. It’s private property that is logged. This is a similar scenario. It needs to be looked at in a larger scale.” Miller said, “This is a very complex issue. It has property rights — as a private property owner, you have private regula- tions over the application of the herbicides — and also have state forestry practices that manage the certain practices. ... There are a lot of things in play.” While technically the land is out of the city’s jurisdiction, the council discussed the importance of the water table that affects the whole region. Henry advised opening a dia- logue with Heceta Water District, saying that they are on the fore- front of water issues in the area. “It seems to me that Heceta Water has already contacted all the agencies and everything, and I think they’re working on that. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t at least extend the olive branch to try to support them. We share their interest in our water system,” Henry said. City Manager Erin Reynolds encouraged this. “(You should) have that respectful conversation with another government entity at a peer level, at your level, and if there are some next steps that come out of that conversation that you want staff to engage in, you can direct me,” she said. She added that providing clean and quality water for resi- dents is one of the city’s top pri- orities. Henry said, “I believe it’s (an encumbrance) on every one of us as we communicate to the public that we are concerned about our water and we will, to the best of our ability, support efforts to pro- tect our water system.” To prepare for the meeting, Miller consulted Jacquie Fern, drinking water protection spe- cialist with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, who brought up the issue with Dr. Jeff Jenkins, professor of environ- mental and molecular toxicology at Oregon State University. Miller also looked at forest prac- tices through Oregon Department of Forestry and stud- ies by the Environmental Protection Agency. Miller’s memo stated, “We anticipate the impact of the application in the area described in the permit may be low to mod- erate in the immediate vicinity of Mr. Charnock’s property. The risk to the city’s drinking water supply is very low. ... The use of herbicides for forestry purposes is highly regulated by both the federal government (for the product) and Oregon Department of Forestry (for for- est practices and management).” To contact Protect Florence Aquifer, email protectflorence aquifer@outlook.com. Paraffi n Pedicure only $40 Hair and Manicurist Station For Rent. Please call for details. KT SALON 180 Laurel Street Old Town Florence 541-999-2801 www.kt-salon.com Hours: Sunday, Saturday and Monday by appointment. Buying or Selling? I can help. Desiree Johnson Principal Broker 541 999-5223 Siuslaw News Photo Gallery 9 A 94360 Upper Deadwood Creek Rd – 12 acres of privacy and serenity. This forest land is waiting for your cabin! Septic approved, power at lot line. Enjoy the fish runs in your backyard along with abundant wildlife. $140,000. #2397-14386369 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Coming Soon Now Showing Fraud-Ville Crab Crack Home & Garden Show CROWʼs Share Your Heart SHS Boys & Girls Bsketball DIVERSIFIED MARINE & EQUIPMENT SALES Special Financing r available fo s n a r Vete OREGON COAST’S SUPERSTORE “Where You Always Get a Whale of a Deal!” Metal Buildings • Wooden Sheds • Consignment: ATVs, Rvs, Boats, Cars & Trucks Complete Detail Service: RVs, Cars, Trucks & Boats • Enclosed/Open Trailers for Sale or Rent • Boat, Motor, Trailer Repair Service • Used Vehicle Sales diversifi edmarineandequipmentsales.com Veteran Owned & Operated • Jim & Bonnie Johnston, Owners 2530 Hwy. 101, Florence • 541-997-4505 View at www.thesiuslawnews.com Photos available for purchase* 5x7 – $5 00 • 8x11 – $7 00 Purchase at 148 Maple St. 541-997-3441 *Photos online are reduced quality – Actual photos purchased are high resolution, high quality. 1/2 Off First Service