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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2016)
❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION ❘ AUGUST 6, 2016 ❘ $1.00 WEIGHTROOM FACE-LIFT UNVEILS NEW DISPLAY SPORTS — B INSIDE — A11 M ILITARY M USEUM 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 63 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON ZOMBIE ATTACK WILL WORK FOR BRAINS Plans for City Hall remodel underway $1.9M project to improve safety, accessibility B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News At the Florence City Council meeting on Aug. 1, Project Manager Megan Messmer updated the council on plans for a $1.9 million remodel of City Hall. The project, still in early planning stages, is projected to be completed in fiscal year 2017-18. Messmer said, “This is the process and plan for how we can update the cur- rent City Hall and remodel to accom- modate our needs.” According to the staff report, both the main floor of City Hall, at 7,812 square feet, and the basement, 1,588 square feet, will undergo a remodel. About 800 square feet will be added to the west side of the building to accommodate conference space and an updated City Council Chamber. Messmer said the remodel and expansion will improve customer serv- ice, safety and security, accessibility, work flow, meeting spaces, records management, technology and building maintenance and efficiency. The remodeled City Hall is projected to last 35 to 40 years and accommodate a doubled Florence-area population. See Police, citizens work to keep Miller Park safe S omething wicked this way comes down Bay Street as zombies “attack” Old Town on Thursday. After applying zombie makeup at Florence Playhouse, Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshops (CROW) students mobbed Music Director Jason Wood (at right) before visiting Old Town’s businesses and restaurants. CROW leaders and volunteers taught the students about stage makeup and backstage theater techniques, such as lighting, sound, props, costumes, marketing and sets, during the Technical Theater Summer Camp. Social media helps city monitor reports of ‘suspicious activity’ B Y C HANTELLE M EYER Siuslaw News PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS PeaceHealth to discuss doctor shortage at forum Community invited to attend Aug. 18 event INSIDE The City of Florence and PeaceHealth Medical Group are spon- soring a health care town hall forum Thursday, Aug. 18, to inform the com- munity about the national provider shortages, the impact this is having on the greater Florence area and what PeaceHealth is doing to shore up these critical resources. The public is invited to partici- pate in this free event, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St. Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . A10 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 During this forum, PeaceHealth leaders will address issues includ- ing: Nationwide health care provider shortages and the chal- lenges of hiring for the Florence market; What action plans have been/will be implemented by PeaceHealth to recruit permanent and temporary providers; and See School Board operates under new leadership S iuslaw School Board elected Bill McDougle, the district’s newest board member, chairman for the 2016-17 school year, replacing Tammy Butler during B Y J ACK D AVIS the July 27 meeting. Siuslaw News McDougle, a retired educator with 35 ___________________ years of experience in the Bakersfield, Calif., school district and 10 years on the Bakersfield school board, was selected to fill a vacant board position in August 2015. “It was very unexpected,” McDougle said. “I appreciate the trust the fellow board members have in me.” The board voted to retain Paul Burns as vice-chairman through June 2017. The July meeting also was the first for newly elected Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak. FORUM 7A Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Word on the Street . . . . . . . A7 REMODEL 7A THIS WEEK ’ S See TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 65 52 64 54 67 56 66 54 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 A spate of social media posts from concerned residents on Facebook prompted Florence police to investigate calls about suspicious activity in Miller Park last Monday. At the Florence City Council meeting on Aug. 1, City Manager Erin Reynolds said, “We noticed a post on Facebook that had some concerns about Miller Park. We shared them with the chief.” The city designated Project Manager Megan Messmer as its social media coordinator to make posts, alert resi- dents about activities and bring con- cerns from the online world to the city’s real-world departments. Florence Police Chief Tom Turner said, “What I’ve noticed is that Facebook is almost as fast as dispatch.” According to the posts, area residents were concerned by suspicious activity, such as juveniles smoking and illegal drug use or sales, in Miller Park. SCHOOL 7A S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 See SAFETY 7A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM