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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.