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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2016)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION VIKINGS SECURE #1 ❘ OCTOBER 22, 2016 ❘ $1.00 GOOD LIFE BOOMER & SENIOR EXPO PROGRAM INSIDE SPORTS — B 126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 84 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON P UMPKIN P ARTY See page 7A for more photos Principals Forum shares safety plans B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News Siuslaw School District and Florence Community PTA held a safety forum Tuesday night at Siuslaw Middle School. Hosted by Florence Mayor Joe Henry, the panel of civic leaders at the public event included Police Chief Thomas Turner, School Superintendent Andy Grzeskowski, Middle School Principal Andy Marohl and Elementary School Principal Michael Harklerode. The sparsely attended meeting was an attempt by school administrators to respond to community concerns regarding readiness for natural disasters and intrusion emergen- cies. The questions fielded by the panel were a combination of questions from the parents in attendance and those submitted online, which were numerous. The majority of questions were prompted by concerns resulting from recent school shooting situations. Turner was at the center of many of the panel responses, citing the high level of com- munity interest in this topic. “Florence is unusual, in my experience, in its willingness to address these difficult issues,” he said. One of the questions posed by an attendee was whether the district could have a School Resource (SRO) officer on a full time basis, and the response was encouraging. According to Turner, a recent grant appli- cation has been awarded and the result will be funding for a full time SRO beginning next year. “We have received word of a grant award which will be funding an SRO for four years. The grant will cover three years of the cost with the city responsible for the final year,” he said. Another question on the minds of those in attendance and the online submitters was the preparedness of the staff and faculty in the case of an intruder emergency. Grzeskowski detailed the measures in place and went into specifics about the installation and placement of panic buttons. He also explained the extensive training and authorization needed to activate these proce- dures. According to Grzeskowski, the extensive layering of safety protocols has improved the schools’ ability to respond to a threat and to coordinate the lockdown and evacuation of the students under their care. INSIDE See Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A9 A4 A2 FORUM 7A 1 PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS FULL YEAR B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News FRAA celebrates first anniversary in Old Town F lorence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the opening of its Old Town Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. The celebration is significant for a number of reasons, said FRAA Director Harlen Springer. “We want to thank members, sponsors, our board and the general community for supporting us in this current location,” Springer said. Membership and interest in the organization are increasing, as are the types of art that visitors to the gallery will view. Springer said, “We currently have 120 mem- bers and sponsors. We have exceeded expecta- Florence Regional Arts Alliance Board of Directors meet to plan the alliance’s first anniversary on Maple Street. tions on a number of levels, including member- ship and sponsorship.” In addition to the more traditional gallery offerings like painting and photography, FRAA has also sponsored some unusual events. “We have presented poetry and creative writ- ing events in addition to ongoing classes, which has greatly expanded our offerings to the com- munity,” Springer said. FRAA is also involved in a number of proj- ects with the City of Florence. One of the most intriguing programs is FRAA’s outreach to younger artists. “We have created a new youth wall in the gallery,” Springer said. “We have begun a part- nership with the Siuslaw School District to bring, free of charge, art to our students in kindergarten through eighth-grade.” See FRAA 7A National Guard convoy comes to Florence Sunday B Y J ACK D AVIS Local emergency response teams join disaster response exercise O regon National Guard units from Eugene will be convoy- ing to Florence tomorrow to set up a simulated emergency response to a major Cascadia earthquake and subsequent tsunami at the Florence Events Center parking lot, 715 Quince St. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Florence Police Department, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) personnel will also be on hand to show sup- port and participate in the drill. Florence Mayor Joe Henry said, “The National Guard is coming here as part of a maneuver to demonstrate that they can get to Florence during an emergency and Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Word on the Street . . . . . . . B5 THIS WEEK ’ S deliver large amounts of food.” According to a press release, the convoy’s objective is to establish rapport and build a relationship between the local community and the Oregon National Guard. The public is encouraged to attend this event to speak with rep- resentatives from the Oregon National Guard, as well as local emergency response representa- tives. While traveling to the coast, the convoy participants will observe potential route obstructions that could result from a Cascadia earth- quake. During the event, Oregon National Guard Captain Matt Owen will give a brief talk every half hour or so about the steps people can do now to get better prepared. Personnel will speak to the atten- dees about preparedness, the resources that the National Guard can bring to a community and how individuals should prepare for a disaster. The event will also provide the Oregon National Guard with an opportunity to perform a drill that involves setting up and feeding a large number of people in a short period of time. The guard will bring a container- ized kitchen to feed everyone who attends a hamburger or hot dog lunch. Fire Chief Jim Langborg said, “The fire department is hoping to TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 62 53 57 52 60 50 60 51 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 Siuslaw News learn what resources are available and the capabilities the National Guard can bring. Seeing is always better than just hearing. It will add information into our toolbox if and when we need something like that.” Additional specialized equip- ment used by the Oregon National Guard, as well as local emergency response agencies, will be on dis- play for public viewing. Langborg said that the fire department plans to have volunteer firefighters and a fire engine at the parking lot. According to local CERT leader Frank Nulty, the Lane County Sheriff’s Department is providing S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2016 See CONVOY 7A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK K CST Coast Radio’s annual Original Great Pumpkin Giveaway delivered more than 2,000 pounds of pumpkins to local youth Thursday. Families braved PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS the weather to receive one pumpkin per youth aged 17 and under. Volunteers from Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Florence-Siuslaw Lions Club helped with the event, fed community members and kept the event going in the parking lot of The Saw Shop on Sixth Street. Youth were able to play games and enjoy a free hot dog meal.
