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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2016)
❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION HIGH-FLYING ACTION LEARNING TO RIDE SPORTS — B INSIDE — A3 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 51 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Ambulance, fire districts to share leadership FLORENCE, OREGON SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM MOBILE DELIVERY Starting up and taking off RAIN programs focus on new ventures, attracting customers Both boards of directors view intergovernmental agreement as ‘win-win’ B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News At their June meetings, the boards of directors of Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Western Lane Ambulance District signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for shared administrative services. Fire Chief Jim Langborg will be the head of operations for both agencies starting Friday, July 1. The signed IGA is a policy decision by both boards to share and combine admin- istrative services “in an effort to improve organizational efficiencies and save tax- payer money.” “What we do today affects tomorrow. If we do this right, this could really have some long-term positive implications for our community and the services we pro- vide,” Langborg said. Western Lane Board President Mike Webb said, “I see it as a win-win. It looks to me to be a very good starting point from which we can begin to build this kind of relationship.” Western Lane first considered sharing administration services while it drafted its 2016 strategic plan. In February, Interim Executive Director Brian Burright and Webb approached Siuslaw Valley about the possibility of an IGA. “This is a request that Western Lane made to allow us the consideration and explore our option to fill a vacancy in our executive director position,” Burright said. After meetings to gauge interest, Siuslaw Valley agreed to pursue the IGA. The planning process entailed three meet- ings in May and June and participation by 15 representatives of the community and board members, administration and employees of Western Lane and Siuslaw Valley. Webb said, “The process has been painstakingly slow — with a purpose. We started out with a broad overview, nar- rowed it down and addressed every con- cern that was brought up.” The IGA details the administrator’s role over both districts, timelines for the imple- mentation plan, a chain of command and the creation of an administrative advisory committee. Both boards will oversee the administrator. Siuslaw Valley Board President John Scott said, “It’s a win-win for both sides. We have a legally reviewed agreement that See ❘ JUNE 25, 2016 ❘ $1.00 IGA 7A PHOTOS BY JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS Siuslaw School District cafeteria staff members Vicki Prociew, Diane Larson and Scarlet Craspay hand out free lunches to youth June 23 as part of the district’s mobile van lunch program. School district offers free lunches for youth maroon van pulls up, the back doors open and free lunches are handed out to anyone 18 and younger. No questions asked. Under the supervision of Siuslaw School District Food Services Manager Dave Bitner, this new mobile lunch program runs Monday through Friday this sum- mer for local youth. B Y J ACK D AVIS Food for Lane County ran Siuslaw News the program for years, accord- __________________ ing to Bitner, but because they are located in Eugene, managing the Florence pro- gram became problematic and the program’s manager asked Bitner and the school district to take over. “It sounds daunting,” Bitner said, “but in reality, it is just a continuation of what we have done all year.” See LUNCH 7A A e Bitner Manager Dav ls. Food Services for lunch mea prepares fruit City of Florence and Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network (RAIN) held their ninth meeting in the Florence area at Ocean Dunes Golf Links on June 1. The Founders Fireside Chat featured three success stories by Lane County-based start-ups. Local entrepreneur Carl Hulan, founder of mobile- device app Lofoodal.com, intro- duced the meeting and RAIN’s venture catalyst, Caroline Cummings. “The purpose of RAIN is to spur economic growth, espe- cially in the traded sector of the economy,” Hulan said. He has been working closely with Cummings and RAIN’s resources to further grow his app that connects local farmers to consumers. Cummings said, “If you have a big idea, we can work with you. I connect you to mentors, capital, space and anyone you need to help you get your busi- ness going faster than you would doing it alone.” RAIN offers periodic Accelerator programs with 12 weeks of mentorship, small cohorts and specialized training to help start-ups define their audi- ence, refine their products and take off into the business world. RAIN and the City of Florence are working with part- ners Lane Community College, Small Business Development Center and Florence Area Chamber of Commerce to bring a pre-Accelerator to the coast. Cummings is working on getting grant money from the Ford Family Foundation, but promised to bring “some sort of program to help” even if it isn’t RAIN’s usual 12-week course. The June 1 meeting’s three speakers — Derek Schloss, Katie Brown and Todd Edman — spoke about their early start- ups, current projects and how RAIN helped them reach “the next level” in growth. See RAIN 7A SCHOOL ART PROGRAM MOVES FORWARD, ENLISTS ARTISTS B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News INSIDE Seven local artists signed up for the Arts in Schools project after meeting with Lane Arts Council (LAC) repre- sentative Laren Suveges and Siuslaw elementary and middle school princi- pals June 30 to learn about the coun- cil’s program at the Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) art center. Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . . Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 B5 A8 A4 LAC has operated the Arts in Schools program since 1978. Suveges said it is the organization’s longest running pro- gram and is designed to supplement dis- trict art studies curriculum. Because of the distance between the council’s head- quarters in Eugene and the Siuslaw School District, it is the only Lane County school district not participating in the program. Suveges, elementary school Principal Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Word on the Street . . . . . . . A7 Mike Harklerode, middle school Principal Andy Grzeskowiak and FRAA President Harlen Springer hope to change that with the help of local artists. The program helps train artists to teach their area of artistic expertise to students in various grade levels. “We explained the program to them in detail,” Springer said. “We also had the two principals share their interest and support for the program. Overall, THIS WEEK ’ S the artists were very enthusiastic about the program and the idea of participat- ing in it.” The seven artists that signed up for the initial meeting are Melanie Heard of Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshops (CROW), Carol Clark who works in oils, watercolors and pastels; John Leasure, oils and acrylic; Catherine Deuter, oils, graphite and colored pencils; Jane Connelley, col- TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 69 53 69 54 67 55 68 54 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 ored pencil, watercolors, sculpture and mosaic tiles; Rosie Hill, zentangle; and Jo Beaudreau, photography, mixed media and art basics. “By the end of July these artists will be contacted again to go through a vet- ting process to ensure that what they teach and how they teach it is appropriate for a school setting,” Springer said. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 See ART 7A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM