THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ THESIUSLAWNEWS FRIDAY EDITION SIUSLAW TAKES TITLE SOS FINISHES REMODEL SPORTS — B INSIDE — A3 ❘ JULY 3, 2015 ❘ $1.00 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 V for VETERANS Oregon Coast Military Museum opens on Independence Day CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Prime parking opens in Old Town FLORENCE, OREGON Florence leases lot in time for summer B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News The City of Florence announced that it has secured the use of a parking lot at 1150 Bay St. for additional year-round parking in Old Town. The lot is part of the vacant Lotus Restaurant across the street from the Edwin K Bed and Breakfast. Megan Messmer, the city’s public information officer, said, “We’re very excited. The owners allowed us to take out a ground lease on the lot. They let us use it for big events, but now we’ll get to use it year-round.” According to Messmer, the city signed the lease this week, and Public Works crews have already striped the parking lot and removed the old restau- rant sign, dead vegetation and the chain that blocked the entrance. “It will be a good addition,” she said. “We got it accomplished fast, and hopefully people are happy.” The parking will not be pull-through, as there is a center medium, but cars and RVs are allowed to park. There is no overnight parking at this time, though Messmer added that per- mits might be available later. “This is a pretty good development for Old Town,” Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cal Applebee said. “Parking is always critical, and having that parking lot available year-round is a great move on the city’s part.” See PARKING 6A Mapleton fireworks canceled Change of location requirements blows fireworks display B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News INSIDE According to Mapleton resident Wesley Voth, the community will not be treated to the traditional legal fire- works display this year. Because of a required change of location, event organizer Terry Saubert was not able to complete and submit the proper state and county permits in time to gain approval for a new location. Florence, however, will still hold a fireworks display starting at approxi- mately 9:45 p.m. on Saturday. The display will be shot out over the Siuslaw River from Port of Siuslaw property east of Old Town. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 A7 A2 A4 PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS Oregon Coast Military Museum’s Chief of Staff Judy Murphy designed numerous exhibits, dioramas and displays for the new museum off Kingwood Street, near the Florence Municipal Airport. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 1 p.m. tomorrow. B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News A fter seven-and-a- half years, changes in sites, shifts in board members, unexpected expenses, thousands of dollars in donations and many fundraising efforts, the Oregon Coast Military Museum (OCMM) will open its doors at 2145 Kingwood St. in a grand opening tomorrow, July 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “It’s been a blessing to work on the museum,” said OCMM President and veteran Tim Sapp. “It’s blessed a lot of veterans who have been encouraged to be a part of this.” The museum’s goal is to preserve the history and artifacts of area veterans and military fami- lies. This is especially important in Florence, since figures state that veterans make up 20 per- cent of the area’s population, according to found- ing member Cal Applebee, who also is the execu- tive director of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. “We have a heavy retirement-age population,” Applebee said. “I started wondering what would happen to all those artifacts and all that history.” At that time, Applebee and Sapp were on the Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Word on the Street . . . . . . . A7 THIS WEEK ’ S Veterans Day Parade committee with Wayne Sharpe, morning host on Coast Radio. Applebee pre- sented an idea to gather veterans and history in a heritage museum, and the idea took off. Sapp and Sharpe, who is the vice president of OCMM, are the last two original members on the board. The museum’s attorney, Greg Freeze, said, “When we came up with the concept of what the museum wants to show, we want- ed to make sure we highlighted all the periods of American con- flict, so that people had a place to learn about what happened in the past.” “We wanted to represent all military branches as much as pos- sible,” Sharpe said. “Eventually, we want to include more history of the Florence area and how it was influenced by the military, especially during World War II.” The organizers also wanted to make sure that they maintained momentum. “It’s been a slow process, but a good process,” Sapp said. “We really couldn’t have gone much faster because of finances and volunteers. We’ve had a lot of volunteers, and we’ve never run out of money. We’re completely debt-free.” One way the board was able to keep out of debt was by working with the City of Florence. Sapp said, “We’re especially pleased with the way the community has gotten behind us, and the city has been really cooperative and helpful.” When OCMM signed a lease with Florence for the property on Kingwood Street, the city allowed TODAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY 66 52 70 54 67 53 66 52 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 them to have a 10-year graduated lease that will let them make full payments after they reach full operation. Florence also has designated this week, July 4 through 10, “Oregon Coast Military Heritage Museum Week.” “I’m extremely proud to make this presenta- tion,” said Mayor Joe Henry. “Not only am I on the board of directors of the OCMM, ... I have a very high respect for those who served in the mil- itary. Part of this is for those people that served, to thank them for their service.” S IUSLAW N EWS 125 TH Y EAR ❘ I SSUE N O . 53 C OPYRIGHT 2015 See MUSEUM 6A