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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2016)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ OCTOBER 19, 2016 ❘ $1.00 SAILOR SENIORS PREP FOR FINAL HOME GAME SPORTS — B 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 83 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 STORM WATCH FLORENCE, OREGON City sends in Coast Guard City USA application Teapot without a tempest INSIDE Since the very first KCST Great Pumpkin giveaway 27 years ago, the annual event has been a birthday party with a different sort of twist. Instead of bringing a birthday gift, peo- ple attending get something to take home: a pumpkin. That was true in 1989 when KCST Radio General Manager Jon Thompson decided to give away hundreds of pumpkins to celebrate KCST’s first anniversary on the air. It will hold true again this Thursday, Oct. 20, when Thompson, Coast Radio and Florence True Value team up for the ninth time. “Over the years, we’ve done different things at the Great Pumpkin,” said Thompson, “but one thing has remained the same — and that’s the pumpkins themselves.” The large orange gourds have been handed out to kids under 18 years old each year. Since 2008, another common thread has been the participation of the Lemhouse fami- ly, owners of Florence True Value, the Saw Shop and Old School Furniture. They will host the event once again in the side parking lot of Old School Furniture and the Saw Shop. They provide the space and the pump- kins, as well as games and activities for the kids. Coast Radio puts together a live broadcast and coordinates the free hot dogs, from Keri’s Dunes Café and Florence Dairy Queen, and A&W Root Beer, from A&W in Florence, as well as treat bags filled with candy for the kids. KCST News Director Bob Sneddon says, “Not only do we have the crew from True Value, but we get a huge turnout from the Florence-Siuslaw Lions Club to cook and serve, along with Siuslaw Valley Firefighters to hand out the pumpkins.” This year an estimated 2 tons of pumpkins will go to kids, while they last. The party is scheduled, rain or shine, from 3 to 5 p.m. with the pumpkin giveaway begins at 4 p.m. sharp and continues while supplies last. Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . . Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 B6 A5 A4 SPEAKS TO B Y M ARK B RENNAN JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS Florence Mayor Joe Henry submits the City of Florence’s application to become a “Coast Guard City USA” to Station Siuslaw River’s commanding officer Chief Boatswains Mate Tim Tregoning as U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist Deborah Heldt Cordone looks on during the Oct. 17 city council meeting. Council also approves property annexation, hears reports A fter three months of preparation, the City of Florence officially handed over its Coast Guard City USA application to Chief Boatswains Mate Tim Tregoning, officer in charge of U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River, and Coast Guard Auxiliarist Deborah Heldt Cordone during the Oct. 17 council meeting. “This is a designation only given to a few cities in the United States. There are only two others in Oregon, one in Astoria and one in Newport,” Florence Mayor Joe Henry said. According to Henry, the city received 35 letters of support from organizations and individu- als, including U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio and state, county and local officials. “This designation recognizes the community support for the U.S. Coast Guard unit here on the Siuslaw River,” Henry said. The U.S. Coast Guard will now consider the application for acceptance. City Planning Director Wendy B Y J ACK D AVIS Siuslaw News Farley-Campbell said, “The application will go up the chain of command from Senior Chief Tregoning to Admiral Zukunft, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and then to Congress. The application needs approval all the way up, including Congressional approval, to become a Coast Guard City.” The application was presented in both digital format and hard copy. It included an introductory letter, a short history of the Coast Guard in Florence, background on the City of Florence, an extensive list of community action and outreach supporting the Coast Guard, an illustrative photo montage of events and supporting letters written by government officials, communi- ty members and organizations. “I am confident we will be seriously considered for the des- ignation,” Farley-Campbell said. “There are many letters of sup- port, including from three U.S. Congressmen from the State of Oregon. At the very least, we can become a Coast Guard Community, but our highest hope is to become a Coast Guard City, which has more stringent criteria.” In other business, council members approved the annexa- tion of several parcels of proper- ty located along Highway 126 at the request of property owner Donald Saxon. Henry said, “We are talking about that building that has been on stilts for the past 10 years. This is an example of what we have been working really hard on for the last several years.” Saxon said, “The attitude in the city has changed for the better. If this had been four or five years ago nothing would happen around this town. I appreciate that everyone has a better attitude. The (city) staff and you folks have made it easy for me.” The annexation will bring the property onto the city’s tax rolls while allowing city services Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 See CITY 7A Representatives of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Eugene, (CASA), spoke at this month’s Florence Friendship Club Oct.13 about the need in the Florence community for its services. Director of Development and Communications for Lane County Katie Gatlin and Volunteer Coordinator Robben Lyons spoke to the club at Driftwood Shores and explained CASA’s mission, training and support system. Emphasizing the growing need for volun- teers, Gatlin said CASA provides supple- mental support to young people that are in difficult domestic situations. Gatlin said, “There are over 1,000 young- sters in foster care in Lane County and many of them benefit greatly from CASA.” Gatlin went on to explain that CASA members make a huge difference in chil- dren’s quality of life. There are currently 12 children in the Florence area with CASA and 45 youths waiting for assistance. Gatlin emphasized that CASA volunteers often provide the most consistent adult influence in the children’s lives. In addition to directly advocating for chil- dren, CASA also saves the public significant amounts of money. “Last year, over 400 youngsters worked with CASA in Lane County, saving the county approximately $17,000 in additional legal fees and court costs.” Gatlin said. Training is extensive, generally taking about six months. Volunteers can attend workshops and classes in Eugene or online. The volunteers are then sworn in by a judge authorizing them to advocate in court for an abused or neglected child. Lyons also pointed out the many benefits to children that CASA provides, including being the eyes and ears for the court while making informed recommendations to the court. CASA representatives also help to assure that children receive all services necessary to survive. Lyons and Gatlin presented at Monday night’s Florence City Council meeting. To become a volunteer or to donate, con- tact CASA at 541-868-3087. An eye to the future Community retrospective looks back at important activism in the Siuslaw region The Gallery Each of the panels B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News Above Silver Lining is focused on a par- Boutique on ticular topic. Panels Highway 101 opened a retrospec- feature graphics and images tive of 25 years of social activism in addressing environmental degrada- Florence on Saturday. tion, indigenous peoples and The event highlighted, on a num- women’s issues, health care, corpo- ber of large panels with all types of rate expansion, anti-war efforts and information displayed, the different local zoning priorities. issues and controversies that have The organizers of the month-long been part of the ongoing discus- event hope that this presentation sions in the community over the last will not only reinforce the strong quarter century. sense of purpose in the area, but Gallery owner Kimberly Fleenor also show the importance of citizen said the gallery has a history of being participation in Florence. a place to share and explore ideas. Stu Henderson, one of the exhib- “The Silver Lining Boutique has it’s organizers, said, “The show is always been a safe haven for one way that the people who were thoughts. I believe in inclusion, not See GALLERY 7A exclusion,” she said. THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 62 48 54 46 52 43 50 38 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Siuslaw News PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Great Pumpkin Giveaway set for Thursday ORGANIZATION F RIENDS ‘Storm’ not as severe as NOAA predictions Florence dodged the first major storm of the fall season last week. The predicted heavy rains did show up, but B Y J ACK D AVIS without the predicted Siuslaw News 60 to 80 miles per hour wind gusts that could have been disastrous. According to city of Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller, one tree blew down blocking one lane of Rhododendron Drive early Monday morning, but city crews had it removed before it caused any trouble. No power outages were reported in Florence, though Central Lincoln PUD reported one outage in Mapleton on Thursday. Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Jim Langborg reported no weather related incidents through Sunday. “It was quiet and that’s what we were hop- ing for,” Langborg said. Many residents used the storm warning to winterize their yards and decks. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency sent out an apology for the storm predictions that did not materialize. V OLUNTEER