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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2016
Y Marina hosts Business After Hours
The Y Marina on Highway
101 in Florence had a fun
turnout April 21 at its Chamber
Business After Hours social
event hosted by George Pagel.
Besides being involved in
the business of boats, Pagel is
also the full-time pastor at
Florence Foursquare Church
and known locally as an avid
fisherman.
The evening was full of good
food and networking opportu-
nities for community members.
New Florence Area Chamber
of
Commerce
Executive
Director Bettina Hannigan
attended the event as her first
official After Hours experience
in her new role.
U.S. Coast Guard Station
Siuslaw River boat crew mem-
bers and Auxiliary also attend-
ed with their 25-foot RB-S
(response boat) displayed in the
parking lot to provide safe
boating literature and educa-
tion.
“I enjoyed the event very
much. The Ambassadors did a
great job making everyone feel
PHOTOS BY DEBORAH HELDT CORDONE
New Florence Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director Bettina Hannigan is
flanked by local Coast Guard crew mem-
bers BM1 Steve Atkinson and BM2 Justin
Lindquist, with Auxiliarist Robert Redfern
in back, at the April 21 Business After
Hours social event at Y Marina.
welcome and connected,”
Hannigan said. “Y Marina had
Arrest made after
pursuit near bridge
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Oregon State Police report-
ed one person was in custody
after a pursuit that involved
three agencies on Highway
101 Friday morning.
Drivers
crossing
the
Siuslaw River Bridge experi-
enced lane delays as Oregon
State Police, Douglas County
Sheriffs and Lane County
Sheriffs wrapped up a pur-
suit.
Library
from 1A
“It was really striking to see
how much the board’s thoughts,
the staff’s thoughts and the pub-
lic participants’ thoughts really
aligned around outreach — get-
ting more out to the community
through marketing, programs or
meeting with people face to
face,” Spencer said.
Previous strategic plans
under former library director
Steve Skidmore focused on
materials collection, building
the library’s expansion and cre-
ating a learning commons.
“Outreach makes a lot of
sense at this time,” Spencer
said. “We’re in this time of tran-
sition not only as a community,
but also as libraries are in a time
of transition.”
She mentioned the many rea-
sons nearly 230,000 people vis-
ited the library last year: access
to the Internet, meeting spaces,
print and online materials,
research, job searches, to view
Police vehicles blocked the
lane while a tow vehicle
removed a green pickup from
the southbound lane of the
bridge.
A representative from
Oregon State Police said the
agencies were seeking a driv-
er and a passenger and that a
canine team was deployed.
Oregon State Police led the
pursuit.
As of Friday afternoon, no
other information was avail-
able.
public art or even just to use the
public restrooms.
“Traditional gathering places
have gone away more and
more, so libraries are one of the
few places left where you really
do see people of all ages and
backgrounds walk through the
doors every day,” Spencer said.
The strategic plan outlines
more ways the library can grow
as a community center, a need
highlighted in the community
by the Ford Family Foundation
and the Siuslaw Vision Action
Team’s recently completed
visioning process.
“Our three goals, more than
most big goals you see in a
strategic plan, overlap a lot.
They are really all about bring-
ing in the community and going
out to the community,” Spencer
said.
The library’s mission is “to
be a warm and inviting place of
lifelong learning and human
improvement, accessible to peo-
ple of all ages, economic levels
and cultural backgrounds.”
great food available and every-
one enjoyed looking at the
boats, especially the Coast
Guard boat.”
County
Lane County funding for the
local Extension office was elim-
inated in 2010 due to reductions
in federal timber harvests and
loss of federal “safety net” rev-
enue.
Since that time, extension
services in Lane County have
been significantly reduced.
Extension programs currently
offered in Lane County include
4-H youth development, com-
munity horticulture, Master
Food Preservers, nutrition edu-
cation, commercial agriculture
and forestry, small farms, live-
stock and forages programs.
Currently, Lane County is
one of only two Oregon coun-
ties that do not offer matching
county funds to match state and
federal extension funds.
This measure allows for
expanded services to the public,
increased staff hours and
improved training.
from 1A
The measure would increase
property taxes by 1.5 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value.
Property valued at $200,000
would see an annual increase of
$3 per year.
The measure would raise
approximately $425,727 in rev-
enue in 2016-17, $438,499 in
2017-18, $451,654 in 2018-19,
$465,203 in 2019-20, and
$479,159 in 2020-21, for a total
of $2,260,242. According to the
explanatory statement, this tax
cannot be increased during the
measure’s five-year lifespan and
will automatically terminate at
the end of 2021.
The strategic plan outlines
ways to increase the library’s
“upriver” presence, create
opportunities for intergenera-
tional connections, offer more
access to technology, promote
literacy and learning, strengthen
partnerships, expand communi-
ty opportunities and communi-
cate better through marketing.
“The board was thrilled with
the result and thrilled with the
community involvement. We
are all very excited about our
library’s future for the next five
years,” Lacer said.
“We also talked about our
vision, which I think is kind of
audacious: We will strive to be
the best small library system in
Oregon,” Spencer said. “Really,
I would love to see that be in
the entire U.S., and I think we
can do it. We have a great
library here and offer great serv-
ices.”
For more information or to
view the strategic plan, go to
siuslawlibrary.info.
Schools
from 1A
“Every year it becomes more
and more expensive to main-
tain,” district Superintendent
Ethel Angal said. “It is not ener-
gy efficient. It has single-pane
windows.”
In addition, Lauren Johnson
with LSW Architects from
Vancouver, Wash., gave the
building a “poor” rating on the
latest Building Condition
Assessment done for the district.
Renovating the existing build-
ing would be almost as costly as
new construction, said Angal.
“If we went for a remodel
renovation, it would be so
large scale we would have to
house students temporarily in
portable classrooms, which
would need pads, plumbing
and electricity. That would run
another $500,000 to $1 mil-
lion,” she added.
District Business Manager
Kari Blake said, “Next year,
the new bond would add 29
cents per $1,000 of property
value over what we are cur-
rently paying.”
According to Blake, the cur-
rent middle school bond is
scheduled to be retired in 2019.
Because the interest of the new
bond will be deferred until 2019,
the total cost increase per $1,000
of property value in 2017 will be
approximately 29 cents.
A home valued at $200,000
would see an increase of approx-
imately $58 per year, or $4.83
per month. As property values
fluctuate, the rate could increase
or decrease in coming years.
Preliminary plans for the new
high school include improved
science and technical facilities, a
full auditorium and cafeteria and
increased security precautions.
Angal said the new high
school building could also be
another community shelter in
case of a tsunami or earthquake,
along with the Florence Events
Center and the middle school.
According to Angal, the cur-
rent high school building is not
suitable as a community shelter
because it is at high risk for col-
lapse in the event of even a mod-
erate earthquake.
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Siuslaw News
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