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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2016)
6 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2016 Retreat from 1A fined $20,000 each and Lane County was required to pay the plaintiffs $350,000. He gave the councilors the following advice: 1. Avoid replying to emails when city business information is shared. 2. Avoid conversations (in person or via email) between councilors where the view of a fellow councilor is shared. Homeless from 1A Foodshare, St. Vincent DePaul, Goodwill and local church groups are well aware of the situation and feel the attempt to raise awareness is critical. David Wiegan, outgoing Director of Siuslaw Support Services (SOS), said the prob- lem is ongoing and multi- faceted. “The first thing we try to do is an assessment of the person’s needs, to see which services they need and in what order they need them,” said Wiegan, “Sometimes just doing that can be a challenge. Some people come to us with no clue about food stamps, or Foodshare or Helping Hands. They don’t know that they can get lunch at local churches. So we try to help them to orient to the situa- tion they find themselves in.” SOS offers a number of serv- ices to its clients, and this time of year this support can be invaluable. “We had a family come in and they asked for some blan- kets. It turned out that it was a family of five living in a tent with a large hole in it,” Wiegan said,“They were going to cover the hole with one of the blan- kets and share the others. And this is in the rain and cold.” This situation is one that allowed SOS to provide help in getting the family inside, out of the weather and pointed toward other services to further assist them. Wiegan said that there are 3. Avoid sharing opinions or views on items the council would need to vote on. Williamson had some simple advice for city councilors regarding conflict of interest ethics in either actual or poten- tial conflicts. “When in doubt, shout it out,” he said. “State the nature of your conflict. Do it before voting. Do it in the record and do it at each meeting the issue is discussed.” City Manager Erin Reynolds said, “We spent time on train- ing and the important founda- tion of building trust, which comes from good ethics.” Reynolds said the retreat was also the official beginning of the 2017-18 budget process. The City of Florence fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. “The city council set five goals for 2017 during the retreat,” Reynolds said. “We will be building a budget based on those five goals and the work plan the council plans to adopt in February.” She added, “We continue to strive to be Oregon’s premier coastal community. I think 2017-18 are going to be amaz- ing years and I’m excited to see what happens. Henry said, “Florence truly is a ‘City in Motion’ and the momentum created by an out- standing 2016 will carry the City forward into 2017 and beyond,” many public perceptions about homelessness that are inaccu- rate. One of SOS’s challenges is to share information with the community about the true nature of homelessness in Florence. “There are so many misun- derstandings,” Weigan said. “The first thing I try to get across to people is that every person and situation is unique. There are all different sub sets of homeless people and they all need to be viewed as individu- als.” This sentiment is echoed by local radio host and social jus- tice advocate Maggie Bagon. Bagon, in her capacity as board member at community radio KXCR FM, is coordinating an event to collect donations for the homeless in Florence Dec. 21 at the station, while broad- casting live. When asked about the rea- sons that she wants residents of Florence to donate this Wednesday, her passion for this issue is immediately evident “To stereotype homeless people is unfair to them and to us,” she said, “We have people in our community that are sen- iors, that maybe have never made more than minimum wage. Now they are living on $900 a month and can’t afford a place to live. “We also have people with mental health issues who aren’t getting the help they need and are living on the streets. The truth is, there are all kinds of reasons that people end up homeless.” Bagon points out that while there is a perception that the homeless in our community are vagrants or addicts, that is not the case, “A large homeless popula- tion live in Florence and there is a misperception that these people are all transients — that’s just not so,” she said, then took a long breath. “I’ve volunteered at Foodshare and I’ve met women in their 70s and even 80s who need food support so that they can eat. “That’s just not right.” When asked about her obser- vation that there are numerous factors that contribute to this problem, Bagon pointed out that many of the organizations that have assisted people in the past no longer exist. “I worked with Coos County Mental Health services and this also has to do with the cutbacks in funding for mental health services,” said Bagon. “Since the 1980s, these type of servic- es have lost the most funding. The result is more people falling through the cracks of our social service system.” “We have a wide variety of people in our community that are homeless and we need to realize that each person is important — and it is important that, as a community, we help to take care of them. Especially this time of year.” To support National Homeless Awareness Day this upcoming Wednesday, drop off donations at KXCR radio, 1209 Ninth St. (across from Siuslaw Public Library) or at City Lights Cinemas, 1930 Highway 101. Let us cater to your pets! Daily • Weekly • Monthly and “play dates” Open 7am - 7 pm Monday - Saturday • Sunday 8am - 6pm 24-Hour Caregiver on Site - Licensed and Insured Scammers target local high school advertisers Siuslaw High School facul- ty has announced that the school has discovered at least two cases this school year of a person or group posing as agents of the high school who are selling local businesses ad renewals in SHS sports pro- grams or calendars. “Siuslaw High School is deeply appreciative of the gen- erous support from our local business owners of all our pro- grams” said Vonnie McClellan of the Siuslaw School District office. “We don’t want to see anyone taken in by a scam.” If anyone has any questions about a letter or phone call they may have received from someone claiming to represent Siuslaw High School, feel free to call 541-997-3448 to verify the person making contact, and the project they are pro- moting. 541•999•6078 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FACEBOOK.COM/PETERSENAUTODETAIL Visit the Siuslaw News online at WWW.THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM Woody Woodbury Independent Owner/Operator Florence Grocery Outlet 2066 Highway 101, Florence 541-997-0343 1SPEVDFt%BJSZ%FMJ )FBMUI#FBVUZ 'SP[FO'PPETt'SFTI.FBU )PVTFXBSFTt#FFS8JOF 0SHBOJD/BUVSBM'PPETBOENVDINPSF We have ample RV parking! 4370 Hwy. 101 North • In the Florence RV Complex (next to Bi-Mart) - Shot Records Required 541-590-2466 DENTURE SERVICES INC. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Open 4 days a week! Vacancies from 1A • Economic Dev. Committee: 3 positions • Environmental Management Advisory Committee (EMAC): 4 posi- tions • Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA): 4 positions • Florence Urban Renewal Budget Committee: 2 position • Planning Commission: 3 positions • Public Art Committee: 2 positions • Transit Advisory Committee: 1 open position (high school student) Henry said, “The committee system is an integral part of the government in the City of Florence. It gives the commu- nity an opportunity to be involved in a meaningful way and to contribute to the deci- sion making process. “While our committees serve in mostly an advisory capacity, they do incorporate an additional level of commu- nication in identifying public concerns and bringing their own expertise to the many challenges of local govern- ment,” he added. Applications are available at Florence City Hall and may be downloaded from the City’s website at www.ci.florence.or .us. City Hall is open Monday thru Friday; 8 am to 12pm; 1pm to 5 pm. All qualified per- sons are encouraged to apply. For details about the duties and responsibilities of these bodies, residency require- ments, term lengths, or other questions, please contact Kelli Weese at 541-997-3437. Here to serve your denture needs: Dentures Partial Dentures Immediate Dentures Implant Dentures Relines & Repairs Same Day Monday-Thursday 10am - 2 pm 524 Laurel St. 541-997-6054 William Foster LD Sherry, Offi ce Manager “As a denture wearer myself, I can answer your questions and address your denture concerns.” ~ William Foster, LD Financing: Citi Health Card 12 Month no Interest Siuslaw News WE BUY GUNS FLORENCE GUN SHOP B U Y, S E L L & T R A D E 539 H IGHWAY 101, F LORENCE (541) 997-0500 WWW . FLORENCEGUNSHOP . COM Photo of the Week: By Karen Jackson Just in time for Christmas! Great Prices Large Selection “Jackson’s Mini Marina Morning” Sterling Silver and Gemstones One-of-a-kind designs US BEAD WAREHOUSE 3015 Highway 101, Florence 541-997-0109 Est. 1936 SUBMIT PHOTOS (JPEGS) BY EMAIL TO E DITOR @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM BY NOON ON T HURSDAYS Breakfast •Lunch • Dinner “Growlers Filled Here” GIFT CARDS Full Service Lottery • Full Bar • 20 Beers on Tap Open 7 days a week beachcomberpub.com 541-997-6357 1355 Bay St. • Old Town
