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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 23, 2015)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015 Results from 1A The Port of Siuslaw saw a tough race, with three candi- dates vying for two open positions. Nancy Rickard won commissioner position 2 with 2,018 votes, or 60 percent. Her opponent Bill Reagan received 40 percent. David Huntington was voted into commissioner posi- tion 4, a position he has filled since earlier this year. He ran unopposed and received 99 percent of the votes cast. Western Lane Ambulance District also had an interest- ing race. For director position 1, Cindy Russell won with 2,043 votes, or 57 percent. She beat Karl Enlund, with 28 percent, and Brian Jagoe, with 15 percent. For director position 2, Richard Childs ran unopposed and received 99 percent of the votes. Both Heceta Water District and Mapleton Water District had candidates that ran unop- posed. For Heceta, commissioner position 3 will be filled by Debby Todd and commission- er position 4 will be filled by Chuck Gesik. Position 5 will be filled by appointment. For Mapleton Water District, commissioner posi- tion 3 goes to Marilyn Fox, commissioner position 4 goes to Larry Baxter and commis- sioner position 5 goes to Frank Wilson. All three are incumbents. Mapleton School District and Siuslaw School District boards of directors both had candidates that ran unop- posed. In Mapleton, John Simington Jr. will fill director position 1, Carl West will fill director position 3 and Michelle Holman will fill director position 5. In Siuslaw, Guy Rosinbaum will fill director position 1, Tamera Butler will fill direc- tor position 5 and Suzanne Mann-Heintz will fill director position 6. Filling three positions for Siuslaw Public Library District are Susy Lacer, Patricia Riley and Jane Yecny. The last day for the county clerk to certify the election results is June 8. For more election results, go to www.lanecounty.org and click on elections. The Grill & Lounge Florence Elks support SOS www.shoppelocal.biz COURTESY PHOTO S iuslaw Outreach Services provides valuable services to the Florence communi- ty, including advocacy for victims of domestic/sexual violence, low-income housing/utility assistance and emergency aid vouchers. Florence Elks Lodge #1858 recently showed its support of SOS’s efforts with a donation for the SOS’s 2015 Siuslaw Open Charity Golf Tournament. Above, SOS Executive Director David Wiegan (left) and SOS Housing Assistance Manager Bob Teter (right) accept the $250 check from Exalted Ruler of Florence Elks Lodge Tom Hornback. Port at Sandpines from 1A “I think it behooves you to take a prudent attitude toward raising fees on a regular basis, in small increments,” Trotter said. “It really is painful to put it off for five or six years down the road and then all of a sudden have to have a big jump in fees.” The board last approved increases to the port’s camp- ground rates in 2010. The proposed 2015 budget, which included both camp- ground and moorage rate increases, was prepared by port Lunch served Wed-Sun 11:30-5:00 HAPPY HOUR 2-5 Wed-Sun DINNER SPECIAL Purchase 1st entrée receive 2nd 1/2 price Dinner FRI and SAT nights from 5-8pm Expires 6/30/15 1201 35th Street at Kingwood, Florence Highway 101 & 35 St. 541-997-4623 is at Johnston Motors this Memorial Weekend! Saturday, Sunday and Monday @10am Memorial Specials on Boats! Boats! And more Boats! COME TO JOHNSTON MOTORS @2150 HWY 101. ON THE STREET staff members and presented to the budget committee for final approval during the May 4 meet- ing. The budget committee con- sists of the five elected Port of Siuslaw board members and five members of the public, appoint- ed to the budget committee by the board. Seven of 10 budget commit- tee members were present May 4 and approved the budget with all rate increases. Commissioners Ron Caputo and Terry Duman and commit- tee member Ron Cox did not attend the budget meeting. During the board meeting, port administrative assistant Dina McClure said that in addi- tion to the 2010 campground rate increase, the commercial mooring rates were increased by 3 percent last year, but recre- ational moorage rates for the port basin have remained the same since 2008. Commissioner Jay Cable said, “I look at other campgrounds that have similar rates that have swimming pools, that have gaze- bos with big screen TVs, that have grass, that have paved driveways. They have all of these things and their rates aren’t a whole lot different than what we are doing, and yet, we are having rate increases. As a busi- nessperson, if you have a sub- standard product, you have to either raise the product or lower the rates. Like I said at the budg- et meeting, we need to find ways to cut costs.” Commissioner Nancy Rickard said the board should have been making small, incre- M E O V ’ E V E W HAVE A QUESTION WE SHOULD ASK? E MAIL : E DITOR @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM What does Memorial Day mean to you? “To remember and honor all of the men and women who have served our country. Our veterans are our heroes, and for that I am grateful.” —D INA M C C LURE , 50 F LORENCE “It means remembering my parents and other family mem- bers that have passed away too early and those who have served in the military, too, of course.” —B RUCE V ANKLEEK , 63 F LORENCE “Unfortunately, it’s just turned into a day off for most people. But I’m happy to have the day off.” —J HARUMI E STRADA , 22 E UGENE “As a former business owner in a tourist town, we perceived Memorial Day not only as to remember veterans, but also as the kickoff of tourist season and the chance for financial relief. It was the best part of the year for us.” —J OHN G ERSON , 63 E UGENE DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed above are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Siuslaw News or its advertisers. “And Iʼm proud to be an American Where at least I know Iʼm free, And I wonʼt forget the men who died Who gave that right to me .” ~ Lee Greenwood Coast Real Estate 100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR 97439 mental rate increases every year, but the board has not done that. “We have put ourselves in a very difficult position because we have raised the rates and we haven’t given any amenities,” Cable said. “Now people want something for that rate increase. We have a substandard RV park, compared to the other ones around here.” Rickard disagreed. “I don’t think we are over charging,” she said. “Our occupancy doesn’t show that there is an issue,” Port Manager Bob Forsythe said. “It went up five years ago after the rate increase and occupancy continued to grow even after that.” Annual reports show that port campground occupancy increased by 3 percent from 2011 to 2012, by 12 percent from 2012 to 2013, and by 16 percent from 2013 to 2014. Rickard spoke to the unique- ness of the Port campground, being located on the river, with- in walking distance of Old Town and walking access to clam beds at low tide. Board president Ron Caputo said, “The Port of Siuslaw is the Port of Siuslaw, and I hate to compare it to anybody.” “We used to have extra money for capital projects, but we don’t anymore,” McClure said. McClure later said that pro- jecting forward, it is predicted that fiscal year 2015 cash-on- hand will be approximately $100,000 less than 2014, with no money left for capital improve- ments. The board voted to adopt a 3 percent increase to commercial moorage rates for fiscal year 2015 and to make the east basin daily moorage rates to the 40- foot slips the same rate as the 24- foot slips and increase the daily rate by $2. The resolution to adopt increased campground fees failed for lack of a second, and the board voted not to adopt changes to the west basin recre- ational moorage rates. Rickard said, “At the budget meeting it was suggested that we cut employees. Have any of you walked the grounds to see what is done during the off-season? You can’t balance our budget on the backs of the employees. The off-season is when the cleaning is done, the repairing is done.” By not adopting all the resolu- tions approved by the budget committee, the port does not cur- rently have a balanced budget for the 2015 fiscal year. State law requires the port to have an adopted balanced budget in place by the beginning of its fis- cal year, July 1. The board will need to meet prior to the June 17 board meet- ing to balance the budget that is approximately $15,000 in the red. According to Forsythe, if the port does not have a balanced budget by July 1, the port will be forced to shut down. Cell: 541-999-7317 diana@cbcoast.com D George and Bobby invite you to come on by! WORD 7 A www.shoppelocal.biz