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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2016)
❘ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION PASSAGES SHS BRINGS HEAT TO ICEBREAKER YPNOSIS COACHING & H s iers Removing Barr ❘ MARCH 19, 2016 ❘ $1.00 to your Succes ealth ent, Holistic H onal Achievem rs Pe h: ac ation, Co Certii ed t, Smoking Cess ht Managemen sis eig no W yp t: H tis l no ica entary Med Certii ed Hyp n, and Complim sio es gr Re a, m Trau minute SPORTS — B your 30 Call NOW for consultation complimentary se-to-Win will Lo Participants of each session receive $25.00 of ehart-Henry Cynthia Wis , CTACC, CHHC CHt 541-991-9477 ence Suite A-10 Flor 1845 Hwy. 126, 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 23 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON SIUSLAW SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SEEK $36.9M BOND Money would pay for new high school construction and possibly other building improvements Siuslaw News Siuslaw School District will ask voters to approve a 25-year general obligation bond not to exceed $36.9 million on the May 17 ballot to cover the cost of con- structing a new high school facility and possibly additional improvements to other district buildings. The district has received a $4 million construction grant from the state to help offset construction costs, but that money can only be accessed if the bond measure is approved. The district received the grant through a lottery process and has no guarantee that the money would be available again in the future. School board members and superin- tendent Ethel Angal are meeting with community groups and interested indi- viduals to explain the need for the new school and the urgency of the timing. “The more people hear about how we came to this decision, the more people will understand,” Angal said. According to the district, the high school facility, completed in 1970, does not meet current seismic, energy, fire safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance codes. “Every year it becomes more and B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News COURTESY PHOTOS Under the theme, “The Sky’s the Limit!,” Florence Rotarians and community members dress in costumes from around the world. or the 2016 Rotary Auction, the sky was the limit! Extravagant costumes fit the travel-the-world themed auc- tion March 12 at the Florence Events Center, with more than 300 people dressed to match B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News the destination _________________________ of their choice — from Italy to Ancient Greece to post- apocalyptic Australia to Hawaii, and many more. Guests bid on hundreds of silent auction items, desserts and 50 live-auction items. Rotarians Kim Erickson and Kevin McMullen co-chaired the event. “Everyone pitched in,” said McMullen. “Rotary volunteers provided lots of details, which made the event go great.” Erickson praised the 16 Rotary Interact students from Siuslaw High School who volunteered during the auc- tion: “Ultimately, this event is about raising money for scholarships for our students. It’s great knowing that our youth are willing to help with this goal.” Rotary Club of Florence plans to announce the total amount raised at its Tuesday, March 22, meet- ing. Last year’s event exceeded $100,000 raised for local student scholarships. F INSIDE BOND 8A Commissioners forfeit $3K earnest money and will not move forward on deal Final amount raised at auction to be announced Tuesday Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Word on the Street . . . . . . . A8 See Port rescinds land purchase agreement Y R A T O R KES T A T IGH FL Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . A10 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 more expensive to maintain,” Angal said. “It is not energy efficient. It has single-pane windows.” In addition, Lauren Johnson with LSW Architects from Vancouver, Wash., gave the building a “poor” rating THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 55 49 56 49 53 45 53 43 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 Following an executive session March 16, Port of Siuslaw commissioners voted to rescind an offer to purchase a 50-acre parcel of land located at 5940 Highway 126, just east of the North Fork Siuslaw River Bridge, from Don Wilbur. In January, Don Wilbur Ltd. and the port agreed to a sales price of $300,000, with a 60-day review period during which the port would conduct its due diligence. In terminat- ing the offer, the port will forfeit $3,000 in earnest money paid at the time of signing the agreement. According to port manager Steven Leskin, who took over the position Feb. 1, the port initially saw an opportunity to build a second boat launch, preserve the area for clamming and maintain a deep-water port on the river. The parcel has previously been used for dock building, tug and barge operations, boat repair and storage. During the review period, the port con- ducted soil and water samples, consulted with tribal members, ordered an appraisal, inspect- ed the property for endangered species and requested an environmental assessment report. “There were some minor issues,” Leskin said, “but there were no environmental issues which would impede the sale from moving forward. The property appraisal came back favorable as well.” He added, “This decision is simply about money. This is not a good time for the Port to over-extend itself. In the short term, we need to repair erosion damage to our shoreline, repair a failing bulkhead and build a new campground restroom. “The next several years will see signifi- cant upgrades to our wharf and boardwalk and additional renovations to the RV Park. The purchase of this property, and the devel- opment and permitting costs, would have inhibited our ability to maintain our existing assets.” In other business, port administrative assis- tant Dina McClure reported that the port’s current balance sheet shows $126,000 more in reserves than the previous year. In addition, McClure said, “In the profit and loss previous year comparison, you will note that this year to last, we are $20,000 ahead in income and we have spent $30,000 less.” During the regular meeting, commissioners also heard a report from port Maintenance Supervisor Jason Wagner on erosion concerns behind and beneath the campground bulk- head located along the Siuslaw River. Maintenance and eventual replacement of the bulkhead was one of the future expense items mentioned by Leskin. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK B Y J ACK D AVIS