4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ APRIL 30, 2016
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
Siuslaw News
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
Getting beyond ‘No’
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
––––––––––––
I
have been watching a National Park
Service-hosted live webcam of a bald eagle
nest on the Channel Islands off the
California coast. This one is especially interest-
ing because it has sound, and if it is going in the
background while I am doing other things, I can
hear when the two chicks interact with each
other or the parents arrive, and can look over
and see what is happening.
When wind isn’t buffeting the microphone,
one can hear the songs of meadowlarks, hermit
thrush and the call of quail or flicker. Our local
eagle nests are obscured by vegetation and well
camouflaged, and it is impossible to tell what
was going on beyond a lot of noise when the
adults are near or at the nest. The web address
for the live feed is www.nps.gov/chis/learn/
photosmultimedia/bald-eagle-webcam.htm.
As I write this there are two chicks about two
months old on the nest. If all goes well, this
drama could continue to be watchable until the
chicks normally leave the nest sometime
in July. But there are so many things that
might not go well: weather (this nest is
more exposed than many are, and a chick
might blow off the nest prematurely), or
accident to parents or chicks, or one
chick might push the other out, or a
hawk might snatch one or both. It is part-
ly these risks that make it interesting to watch,
but also just the moment to moment interactions
of an eagle family, such as the way when it’s
been windy that one parent hangs out on the
nest on the windward side, or conducts ongoing
nest maintenance.
There is a bumper sticker on the back of a
pick-up I see here regularly that says “Vote
No.” Some say this seems to stand for the vot-
ing precinct where I live, which is No. 704 or
basically the Mapleton School District, cover-
ing the communities of Mapleton, Swisshome,
Deadwood and all of the tiny places in between.
We have said “No” to Siuslaw Library
District bonds and measures, “No” to the Lane
County public safety measure in 2013 despite
our loud clamoring for its services, “No” to 4-H
and Extension Services, “No” to a Lane County
Road Safety measure — nos outnumbering
yeses on a variety of tax issues over the years,
whether or not people in surrounding areas
agreed with us.
But “No” is not the entire voting record of
this community, nor its historic record. We have
voted “Yes” to fire district measures and we
have voted “Yes” to Western Lane County
Ambulance services measures. We built schools
throughout this region, often through a bond
process, and even though only the current
Mapleton K-12 complex of buildings is still
used as a school, some of those other buildings
are still in use, most notably the one currently
owned by the Lion’s Club housing the
Mapleton Branch Library, Mapleton Water
District offices, outreach services and AA meet-
ings.
We built a pool that a determined number of
us aren’t ready to kiss goodbye. We have built
churches, businesses, homes and help maintain
parks and some of our public spaces. So I know
we care collectively.
Three generations ago, my very poorest rela-
tives lived in Swisshome, having little beyond
pride and a strong work ethic. Yet they sent
both their son and their daughter to college
immediately following World War II, and they
helped to build the church building in
Swisshome. I think they were typical of the
kind of people who lived here then. We who
live here now have benefitted from their sacri-
fices, including these buildings. Surely we can
at least fix some of them.
Beat the expectations. Citizen up! Vote “Yes”
on the Mapleton School bond.
LETTERS
Strong schools make
strong communities
The Mapleton School District is
seeking a $4 million bond, which
will be matched by the State of
Oregon for a total budget of $8 mil-
lion, if the community supports the
bond in the upcoming election.
This is an opportunity the district
has not seen in 55-plus years of
service to the Mapleton community,
if ever. The last school bond was
passed in 1961. The rate for the
bond is $1.59/$1,000 of assessed
value for 25 years. The median
assessed value within the Mapleton
School District is $114,500, which
equates to $15 per month.
The bond is a must for the district
to repair deteriorating infrastructure
on 65-year-old buildings. This
would include accessibility, water,
sewer, electrical, siding, windows,
roofing, school security entry and
exit, asbestos abatement, restructur-
ing of classrooms, HVAC systems
and Wi-Fi.
The district plans to vacate the
middle school building and the
south wing of the elementary
school. This will bring the middle
school students into the high school,
will condense the elementary build-
ings and save operating costs within
the district. The district will contin-
ue to lease the middle school build-
ing to generate income and increase
community access.
The board will scrutinize cost
estimates to complete phases of the
project closely. We feel we can save
dollars throughout the project,
which will be added back into the
construction budget for addressing
other priority maintenance items on
the list of improvements.
There are many reasons to
approve this bond measure for the
improvement of our school, which
is the heart of the Mapleton com-
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
munity. We understand the associat-
ed costs will be an impact on every
patron within the district. As you
gather information on making an
informed decision when you cast
your vote in the next couple of
weeks, I ask that you make sure it is
not based on social media, but from
the true information being presented
by the district.
There is a lot of misinformation
being discussed within the commu-
nity. Information can be obtained
from the district’s website, from the
district office or by calling a school
board member. Now is the time to
ask questions. It is amazing to me
that we are of the age now that it is
our turn to assure our school district
stays solid and our generation
invests in the kids of tomorrow.
To take a line from the show
“Cheers,” Mapleton is a unique
community where everybody
knows your name. We are a strong
community now and still will be
after the votes are counted May 17.
I believe that strong schools make
strong communities. Please give
this some serious consideration.
Carl H. West
Mapleton
Invest in our future
As a current member of the
Siuslaw School Board and with 40
years of experience in public educa-
tion, I would like to share my
thoughts on the multiple benefits a
new Siuslaw High School will pro-
vide to our community that go far
beyond the scope of producing well-
educated graduates.
Based on my experience, many
people view financing education as
an “expense” because they base
their beliefs on a business model
that seeks to economize by imple-
menting cuts in utilities, overhead,
payroll and capital improvements.
That is a method businesses may
use to increase profits and reward
owners and stockholders. Schools,
however, are not businesses — they
do so much more for our communi-
ty rather than earning cash profits.
Schools are not owned, they are
public; there are no stockholders,
there are stakeholders. And, while it
may be a somewhat overused
phrase, I believe that spending on
the education of children should not
be viewed as simply an expense —
financing our schools is truly an
investment in our future. After all,
we are the stakeholders. The posi-
tive returns to our community if we
choose to invest in good schools for
our children are myriad.
First, every dollar spent in our
local school district is returned to
our community. Over 80 percent of
our district’s budget is spent on
salaries for personnel. The wages of
those employees are spent locally.
Area businesses and contractors are
utilized for building and major
repairs at school sites. Buses need
fuel. Students and teachers buy
materials for classes. These dollars
stay in our community and support
economic growth.
Many of the students who gradu-
ate from our local schools stay in
our community. If our schools are
adequately funded and therefore
able to provide advanced classes,
up-to-date
technology
and
career/vocational training, everyone
in our community benefits from an
educated work force. Additionally,
high school graduates are less likely
to commit crimes and become an
actual “expense” to our community
as part of the justice system.
Doctors looking for a community
in which to establish a practice and
teachers seeking employment con-
sider many factors before making a
decision, which include the quality
of the schools in the area. A major
concern, especially to those with
young children, is that the schools
are safe and provide a quality edu-
cation. I doubt that many who read
that the Siuslaw High School is seis-
mically unsound, unsafe and crowd-
ed will be motivated to move here.
Finally, there is a tangible com-
munity characteristic coupled with
our city’s schools: civic pride. The
residents of Florence are under-
standably proud of our library, our
Events Center and our Senior
Center. A new safe, smart and sus-
tainable high school should be
added to that list of accomplish-
ments. Our community should be
proud to say that we have the best
schools that we can provide for our
children.
Please join me in voting yes on
the bond for new high school con-
struction.
Bill McDougle
Florence
Worth the price
We are writing in support of the
Siuslaw High School bond measure.
We do not have children, and yet we
believe in the importance of local
students having a high school where
they have basic fire and earthquake
protection, where they have access
to the classrooms and lab facilities
they need to succeed in school.
To provide a functional, secure
school for local kids is worth an
additional $0.31 per $1,000 of
assessed value in property taxes
($57 per year for our house).
The benefits to our community of
increased economic development,
enhanced quality of life and future
opportunities for our children are
well worth the price. Please join us
in supporting local students. Vote
yes on Measure 20-241.
Susy Lacer and Bart Mealer
Florence
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island, the colony
founded by the most-radical religious dis-
senters from the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay
Colony, becomes the first North American
colony to renounce its allegiance to King
George III. Ironically, Rhode Island would be
the last state to ratify the new American
Constitution.
On May 8, 1792, Congress passes the sec-
ond portion of the Militia Act, requiring that
every free able-bodied white male citizen
between the ages of 18 and 45 be enrolled in
the militia.
On May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner
Lusitania is torpedoed without warning by a
German submarine off Ireland, sinking within
20 minutes. More than 1,100 people perished,
including more than 120 Americans, hastening
the U.S. entry into World War I.
On May 2, 1939, New York Yankees first
baseman Lou Gehrig benches himself for poor
play and ends his record streak of consecutive
games played at 2,130. Gehrig was the first
major-league player to have his uniform num-
ber retired.
On May 5, 1961, from Cape Canaveral,
Florida, Navy Commander Alan Shepard Jr. is
launched into space aboard the Freedom 7
space capsule, becoming the first American
astronaut to travel into space. The suborbital
flight lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of
116 miles.
On May 6, 1970, hundreds of colleges and
universities across the nation shut down as
thousands of students join a nationwide campus
protest. The protests were a reaction to the
shooting of four students at Kent State
University by National Guardsmen during an
anti-Vietnam War demonstration.
On May 3, 1986, 54-year-old Willie
Shoemaker, aboard Ferdinand, becomes the
oldest jockey ever to win the Kentucky Derby.
Even as a full-grown man, “Shoe” was just 4
feet 11 inches tall and 98 pounds.
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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