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SATURDAY EDITION
❘ SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 ❘ $1.00
SAILORS
SPIKE TO WIN
Florence resident
reaches 100 today
SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A3
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Parks promise
‘plans not set
in stone’
Port votes
to increase
RV/camp-
site rates
Community honors prisoners
of war, those missing in
action today
First rate increase in 5
years adds $3 per day
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
The Port of Siuslaw board of commis-
sioners voted unanimously to increase
the daily and weekly rate on all camp-
sites by $3 per day during its
Wednesday meeting.
The monthly December Member rate
will increase by $55 per month. All
increases will begin Nov. 1, 2015. The
board decided not to add a $50 per year
December Member annual surcharge
that had been discussed during an
August special meeting.
Beginning Dec. 1, 2013, the Port of
Siuslaw granted special advance reser-
vation privileges to a group of 36 RV
campers designated the December
Members. In order to receive the special
advanced reservation benefit and rates,
guests had to have stayed at the port’s
RV campsites for a period of at least one
month for three consecutive years.
December Members stay at the port dur-
ing the salmon fishing season, from
August through October.
Typically, December Member guests
have both RVs in the park and boats
moored at the port’s dock facilities.
A spirited exchange took place
between commissioners and December
Members during the public comment
period of the meeting.
“We cost you less, but you are going
to charge us more?” said December
Member Ron Begroot.
“We need the income because we
want to make improvements,” Board
President Ron Caputo said.
“From the area you are living in, you
can rent an apartment cheaper than we
can rent a space,” December Member
Dorothy Gregg argued.
Commissioner Mike Buckwald
replied, “We are talking about trying to
find a way to take care of some of the
things that you brought up this evening.”
He was referring to adding restroom
facilities, leveling parking pads and cre-
ating more convenient sewer hookups.
“We represent the taxpayers here as
well. We have the entire facility to take
care of. At some point we have to find a
way to fund it. Cutting costs is not
always the answer. The fact is, that for
five years we haven’t raised the rates,”
Buckwald added.
“This was an increase that the board
planned to do earlier; that the board
turned down,” Caputo said, “but we
have reconsidered and at this time
would like to implement that increase.”
Caputo said the reason for the board’s
change of heart on the rate increase was
that more information had become avail-
able.
The $3 per night rate increase was
first proposed earlier this year by port
staff as part of the 2015-16 budget. The
increase was approved by the budget
committee, but failed to pass during the
June board meeting for lack of a second
to the motion.
This was the first meeting that newly
appointed commissioner Buckwald had
had an opportunity to have direct dia-
logue with the public.
INSIDE
See
PHOTOS BY JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3242 is hosting several POW-MIA Recognition Day
events this weekend in Florence.
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
M
embers of the
Florence area
Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW) Post
3242 gathered at the
Veteran’s Memorial Park in
Old Town on Friday to com-
memorate prisoners of war and service members miss-
ing in action (POW/MIA).
This national event is celebrated every year on the
third Friday of September.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown proclaimed Sept. 18
to be “POW-MIA Recognition Day” in Oregon.
“On this day, we honor those Americans who were
prisoners of war and recognize them for the courage
and determination they showed while enduring
unspeakable conditions,” Brown said in Salem. “We also honor those who remain unac-
counted for, especially remembering the sacrifices of their families who face each day
without knowing the fate of their loved ones.”
During the Florence event, VFW Post 3242 members honored the nation’s POW and
MIA service personnel with an honor guard, an explanation of the symbolism of the
POW/MIA dinner table and flag and other ceremonies.
The POW/MIA dinner table may be viewed at the Elks Lodge, where it is on perma-
nent display, courtesy of VFW Post 3242.
Plans for coast yield
resident dissatisfaction
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Lane County Parks (LCP) hosted pub-
lic comment on Sept. 10 about the coun-
ty parks Master Plan Update in Florence.
According to LCP, its staff wanted
community input on the current draft of
the 20-year LCP Master Plan.
The draft has been in the works since
public comment hearings began in 2004.
Other public sessions were held in 2007,
2010 and 2014.
According to LCP supervising analyst
Dave Stockdale, the draft has been com-
piled from previous public comment,
public opinion surveys and charter sur-
veys, as well as by working together with
other recreation entities, like the U.S.
Forest Service and Oregon State Parks.
“I really want to focus on the long-
term planning and significance of this
document,” Stockdale said.
LCP hired Lane Council of
Governments (LCOG) to draft the plan.
According to Stockdale, “This is a
draft of the master plan. There’s not one
period or comma or word in the docu-
ment that’s set in stone. What we did is
come up with a plan that we’ve been
drafting for 10 years.”
This reassurance was a relief to the 63
area residents who attended the public
comment.
Jacob Callister, LCOG assistant plan-
ner, said, “There was some anticipation
that Ocean Woods will be of particular
interest to you.”
According to LCP, Ocean Woods Park
is located at the end of Heceta Park Way
from the north and Saltaire Street from
the south. It does not have a designated
public access and is considered “unim-
proved.”
At Callister’s count, approximately
two-thirds of the attendees wanted to dis-
cuss Ocean Woods. And for good reason:
the current draft indicates that LCP wants
to put the 40-acre parcel up for sale.
“Right now, it’s just proposed for
sale,” Stockdale said. “It doesn’t mean
that state parks couldn’t buy it, or the
City of Florence, if that’s something that
was desired. It doesn’t meant that a pri-
vate nonprofit couldn’t buy it and turn it
into a park. Nobody knows what that
future looks like if the property is trans-
ferred.”
As for why the LCP doesn’t plan to
keep it, Stockdale said, “It really boils
down to quite a few things.”
He said that LCP discovered 19 years
ago that Ocean Woods doesn’t fit the way
LCP operates its park system, and that
most of the money spent there has been
to deal with unauthorized use.
“Ocean Woods has more resource
value,” Stockdale said. “It could become
a full trail park system with parking area,
and people coming in and enjoying the
natural habitat and resources. That’s a
possibility. It also has potential to be
developed into a neighborhood, or a
nature reserve or landing.”
But LCP will not improve Ocean
Woods to any of those standards.
“Parks has a funding problem,”
Stockdale said.
LCP gets funding mostly through user
fees, with some funds from the Transient
Room Tax and RV registration.
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