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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2015)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 Siuslaw News RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 1 2 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y F L A S H B A C K 1890 ❙ T T HE W EST F LORENCE T IMES T HE S IUSLAW O AR T HE S IUSLAW N EWS S IUSLAW N EWS ❙ 2015 his year marks Siuslaw News’ quasquicentennial, our 125th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any business in a small community like Florence. To commemorate this milestone, throughout the year we’ll feature some of the town’s history as origi- nally published in the newspaper, including historic articles and photos from more than a century ago. —Editor MAPLETON POOL UNDERWAY O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED S EPT . 14, 1978 T HE S IUSLAW N EWS , V OL . 18, N O . 37 For years, people in the Mapleton commu- nity have dreamed of having a community swimming pool. That dream is now being realized. During the weekend of Aug. 26 and 27, volunteer workers using donated equipment broke ground to begin the first stage of a new swimming complex at the Mapleton school. The pool has been a project of the entire community. In 1972, the Lions Club started a swimming pool fund. For years, members of the community made contributions to the fund instead of contributing flowers in memo- rials. The Mother’s Club and other interested women held a carnival to raise money for the fund. In 1975, the Mapleton Community Foundation was formed so that donations to the swimming pool could be made as tax- exempt gifts. The swimming pool is the only project of the foundation, so any contributions made to it go directly to the swimming pool. Perry Fox, member of the Lions Club and organizer of efforts to get the pool built, said, “The Lions Club got the ball rolling, but this is an effort of the whole community.” He said that both industry and individuals have been generous in contributing labor, materials and equipment for the project. At this point, the community has a set of plans, a building permit and a hole in the ground. The completed pool will be a compe- tition-sized 75-by-45 foot pool. Dressing rooms will be at one end of the pool and a storage and maintenance building will be at the other end. The pool will be big enough for AAU meets and will accommodate 150 people at a time. But the finished product is still a while in the future. Fox emphasized that there is no way to esti- mate just when the pool will be completed and ready for use. The completion date will depend on how quickly the community can raise the necessary funds. Right now, Fox figures that the community has about half the funds needed to complete the project. Building Stage No. 1, the con- struction of the pool itself, must be completed before the winter rains begin. The community has been generous in the donation of labor and equipment, said Fox, but now people are going to have to chip in with cash as well if they want to see the pool dug and cemented before winter. According to Fox, the first stage will cost $16,000 to $17,000 — that leaves about $8,000 still to be raised in the next month or so. The entire pool complex will be worth about $180,000, according to rough estimates by the Lions Club. Fox figures that Mapleton will be able to complete the project for about half that amount because the community has been will- ing to donate so much volunteer labor. When completed, the pool will be used by school children during the day and will be available to other community members in the evenings and during the summer. NEIGHBORS Just a resurrected gas pump — Part II the nearby county garbage dump clouding my mind. But miracles still can occur, for suddenly I found myself surrounded by altruistic “hearts of gold.” Nearby neighbors Sheldon Glenzer and Patrick McKee were soon joined by Norm Stone, who walks by with his dog every day. Sheldon brought tools from his garage two houses away and set to work attacking the solidly rusted fastenings on the pump. I opened my shop and exposed an assortment of end wrenches, socket sets, giant pipe wrenches, hacksaws, prybars, etc., which were immediate- ly put to use. As everything was rust- ed solid, it seemed an impossible task. I called son Rob and he showed up with a cutting torch. For two days these guys worked B OB J ACKSON N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT For the Siuslaw News I t was only a vertical gas pump, very likely over 50 years old, and after something like 40 years of being partly exposed to the elements in the woodshed at our little marina at Westlake, it had been delivered to our new home in Greentrees. As I stood there looking at it, realization washed over me like a giant wave from a tsunami. For throughout all of these years I had visions of some day restoring this relic of a bygone era, but now, like the pump, I found myself gradually rust- ing away and unable to even stand for any length of time. Back in my pos- session, it lay there by my garage door, reminding me of the pitiful newsreel pictures taken of what was left of the German dirigible Hindenburg after it had burned at its mooring mast in 1937. I suddenly realized that although this old pump was mostly intact, for me at my age to bring it back after those many years of neglect would have been nearly impossible. The very next morning I found myself sitting on a bench contemplat- ing my folly, with horrible visions of diligently for hours on end on what seemed to be an almost impossible task, until at last it was partially taken apart. Norm Stone had an idea. He said, “I know this guy over by the gate who has restored these pumps before.” In a short time, Elliot Crable had driven over and offered to take the parts to his place where he could work on them in his spare time. Although he had a welder in his shop and years of experience, I am quite certain that he had no idea what a big job it would turn out to be. I went to True Value hardware store for Rustoleum paint in red and yellow Gilmore colors, for it had always been my obsession to make it a Gilmore pump. I fear there are very few folks liv- ing in Florence or even in this Greentrees retirement community that are old enough to remember the Gilmore gas stations that at one time sprouted like mushrooms on the West Coast. My still vivid memories of Gilmore gas go back to 1936 and the dedication of the new, over a mile long, McCullough bridge at North Bend. On that memorable day there was a grand parade, and Gilmore’s entry was a supercharged, bright yel- low and red Auburn Speedster towing a live, caged Gilmore lion. I have been unable to verify whether Col. Roscoe Turner had flown the lion in for the parade as he so often did. More to come. LETTERS ‘Come See What We See’ What I see is panhandlers in front of the liquor store, Safeway and corner of Highways 101 and 126, and discarded cigarette butts on sidewalks in front of these establishments. Does Florence really want to become a mini Eureka, Calif.? Michal Fletcher Florence wealth and connections into, say, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan or Guatemala and he could see how desperate people are to flee to safety and better conditions. Maybe the United States would extend its values of freedom, liberty and justice for all and welcome him, if he’s lucky. Maybe he’d change his outlook on humanity? Maybe we are not that lucky. Julie MacFarlane Florence Trump TV Maybe it’s too difficult for Donald Trump and his counterparts to imagine why many of our American ancestors migrated here to find relief from harsh and unjust conditions in their home countries. Maybe Trump would like to experience first- hand the reasons behind various people’s migra- tions and would be willing to perform in an experiment — he could even star in a reality show titled “How to Become an Immigrant.” We could drop him off without his passport, L ETTERS TO THE Knife control Just heard that a couple of teens in Oklahoma stabbed five people. I sure hope they get what they deserve. This, of course, brings up a topic of major importance: knife control. We should register all knives so we keep them out of criminal hands. In addition, swords should be totally banned, as they serve no use- ful purpose in society, unless you are of a par- ticular religious persuasion, and it is obvious E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com that people who own swords are of criminal suspect or should be. After all, when nobody is armed with a knife, the criminals who use knives will lay down their weapons and turn themselves into the police. I was at a friend’s home not long ago and she had a set of knives in a butcher block right out in the open on her kitchen countertop — shame- ful. She even forced us to use the steak knives without any safety training; however, the steak was yummy. Any child or nefarious person could take one of those knives and hurt themselves or someone else. I recommend we put locks on the knives in the butcher block, put locks on individual knives and add individual serial numbers on each to keep everyone safe. Registration is a must. We must take action now and work toward an eventual ban on all knives for the common good. After all, people don’t hurt people, knives do. Boomer Wright Florence USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us
