Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2015)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2015 9 A B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News Become a new member of Friends of the Library (FOL) during October through the end of December and you will have a one-in-25 chance to win a prize. Each new member’s regis- tration form will be saved in a “hat” from which 25 will be drawn at the end of the year. Each person drawn will be awarded a free pass to City Lights Cinemas in Florence. Annual membership dues help the FOL to financially sup- port the Florence and Mapleton libraries. The Friends strive to enhance the standard of excellence of these libraries by funding pro- grams and services beyond what is allocated in their operating budget. Membership applications can be found at the library front desk or on the Friends’ Book Sale shelf to the left of the library entrance door. To learn more about the FOL, join us for the 2015 Friends of the Library Day on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Siuslaw Library. Cookies, punch and informa- tion will be provided. The Friends Board of Directors will meet Thursday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m., in the Bromley Room. This is another opportunity for interested parties to attend and learn more about the Library Friends. Florence City Council lis- tened to a report from the Ford Family Foundation Pathways Vision Action Team at its Sept. 21 meeting. Ford Fellow Becky Goehring and team member Meg Spencer addressed the council about growth opportu- nities and the vision process. “Ford wanted to get back involved in the Florence area, and the region,” Goehring said. “The team chose Pathways, which was a guided look at how we can move our community forward.” The team’s goal is to create vitality and identify “things that make rural communities succeed,” said Spencer. “We identified visioning as the key, and decided to look at Siuslaw as the region,” Goehring said. “We really felt that we should include upriver, down through Florence and Dunes City. We’re all in this together.” The team targeted both eco- Court Follow us on Visit us on Twitter the web @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM from 1A Even though Forsythe is retiring from the court, she remains active in other areas of the Florence community. “My grandparents moved here in the 1920s,” Forsythe said. “I try not to be super political, but I really do believe in supporting families and supporting children.” Tom Bassett, with Western Lane Community Foundation (WLCF), said, “During her tenure as president, things have really blossomed for the foundation. Under her leader- ship, the foundation is grow- ing. We hope it continues at the pace that it is.” Forsythe has been president nomic and social factors with a survey they conducted. Using the 630 responses to the survey, the Vision Action Team was able to find strengths and areas of improvement. Spencer said, “This is truly the reflection of our communi- ty. It’s hundreds of local resi- dents.” The survey shows that strengths include natural beau- ty and clean air and water; small town rural atmosphere; and friendly people. “We were looking for some guidance for where to go, but we also wanted a chance to get the larger community involved in the process,” Spencer said. She noted that increased communication could help the community see strengths in areas that the demographics saw as a weakness: schools, can-do attitudes and a good place to raise kids. “It was amazing to see these results came out of the work- shop, forum, the initial meet- ings of the team and out of the survey. People feel like we’re missing the feeling of a shared vision. We have lots of great organizations, and lots of great leaders, but how do we get them paddling in the same direction?” Spencer asked. “Visioning is something that is on the minds of a lot of peo- ple,” Goehring agreed. Goehring next brought up historic initiatives that helped the community recover despite the decline in the fishing and timber industries. “There was a movement that said, ‘We’ve got to move it or lose it. Change it or lose it.’ A group of community leaders got together and advised shift- ing the focus and making this a place where retirees want to come,” she said. Building homes provided jobs, and then tourism became an economic driver. “We’re kind of in that spot in the cycle where tourism is doing well, but we’re asking, ‘Where do we go from here?’” Goehring said. She listed some of the active groups currently driving devel- opment: Florence — the “City in Motion,” the Economic Development Committee, Florence Urban Renewal Agency, the Downtown Revitalization Team and the increased emphasis on public arts. She added that Mapleton’s movement to reopen its pool is an important factor. “There’s a level of engage- ment that is almost palpable. I think that is so cool. I think it’s being led by the city, by a lot of community leaders and by the citizens,” Goering said. Now, the Pathways program will develop ways to tie these resources together. “We’re very committed to Florence and the Siuslaw region. The opportunity for collaboration, working togeth- er and not duplicating efforts is the important way to go,” Goehring said. “It’s a dynamic time. ... Vision will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve excellence.” For more information on the Ford Family Foundation, go to www.tfff.org. of WLCF for two years. In that time, they have given 100 grants and more than 80 schol- arships. “This community founda- tion just celebrated its 40th year last year. She actually applied for one of the very first grants that WLCF ever processed,” Bassett said. “It allowed her to go to Washington, D.C., for six weeks. During that period of time, it must have had some connection to her future.” The final speaker was Eric Tanikawa, former board presi- dent of Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County. “You can see her accolades up here. A lot of them are from Boys and Girls Club,” Tanikawa said. “Cindy wanted something that was balanced. She wanted to help kids, youth. What do they do after school? Where do they go? Are they safe? Do they eat? Do they do their homework? That’s because Cindy cares. She cares about kids, she cares about the community.” He cited her thousands of hours of service. “Her heart is always in it for the youth. She was born here, she was raised here, she is part of WLCF. You can tell that money invested in her is going to come back around to the kids,” Tanikawa said. He finished with, “Congratulations on your retirement — and hey, I got a fundraiser for you to help me with.” Forsythe was the last to speak. She thanked many people, saying she felt like it was the Academy Awards, and hon- ored her court clerks of the present and past and all the people who work together to make justice work in Lane County. “I would like to say thank you to the men and women who wear a badge and those who are in the background of their service,” Forsythe said. “Personnel from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and all the dispatchers and officers from the Florence Police Department — You all have my thanks for doing a tough job and doing it well.” She brought up additional memories, including one young man who told her that she changed his life. “I told him that he changed his life. I was just there at the right moment with the right words,” Forsythe said. Forsythe concluded the open house with, “With these comments, I’m ending my career. I’m very appreciative that I had an opportunity to serve this community.” Now that she is retired, Forsythe is looking forward to her husband Bob Forsythe’s retirement as Port of Siuslaw Manager in December. They plan to build a home near Siltcoos Lake and remain an active part of the Florence community. “We just love the communi- ty too much to not be involved,” she said. __________ Marijuana juana cannot be used in public. For more information about marijuana in Oregon, go to whatslegaloregon.com. __________ from 1A Adults 21 and older can possess up to eight ounces of usable marijuana in their home and carry up to one ounce in public. However, recreational mari- Follow Chantelle on Twitter @SNews_Chantelle. Email her at cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com. Follow Chantelle on Twitter @SNews_Chantelle. Email her at cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com. ...need a friend? Meet Minnie Pearl Breed Domestic Shorthair/Mix Age 1 year 4 months 19 days Sex Female Size Medium Color Grey/White Spayed/Neutered Housetrained Yes If you would like to meet Dorieor any of her friends, please visit us at: FLORENCE HUMANE SOCIETY 2840 Rhododendron Drive • Florence • 541-997-4277 www.fl orencehumane.org This message brought to you by: Friends of the Humane Society, if you would like to help a friend call the Siuslaw News 541-902-3525. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Join the Library Vision Action Team targets Siuslaw region Friends, win a prize