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❘ AUGUST 6, 2016 ❘ $1.00
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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