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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION ❘ JANUARY 7, 2017 ❘ $1.00 SPECIAL EDITION INSIDE SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON SOS seeks new executive director Freshly driven snow Position requires an individual with a robust skillset, lots of energy B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News T he mission statement for Siuslaw Outreach Services (SOS) is simple yet pro- found. It is committed to providing compassionate, respectful and con- fidential support to those in need. A straightforward objective for the organization and its staff, but one that is difficult to accomplish. And unfortunately, a mission that is seemingly never ending. Area receives first major snow storm in 5 years NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS A four-wheel drive Jeep navigates the ice and snow on Bay Street during Wednesday’s snowstorm, an unusual sight in Florence. Agencies take precautions, show few emergencies Possible second ice storm is forecast for Lane County he Florence area received between four and eight inches of snow Jan. 4, causing schools and government offices to close or open late. Mapleton B Y J ACK D AVIS and Siuslaw Siuslaw News school districts, Lane Community College and city hall were among the Wednesday closures. This is the first major snow accumu- lation in Florence since March 2012. Florence Public Works and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) crews’ road sanding efforts apparently paid off, as no serious weather related accidents were reported by emergency According to the National Weather Service, a new ice storm is on its way to Lane County this weekend that could wreak as much havoc as the December ice storm did on Eugene, the county and much of the state. Lane County Emergency Management urges all resi- dents of Lane County to prepare now: • Stock up on firewood, propane and generator fuel • Stock up on drinking water for family, pets and live- stock • Make sure you have plenty of non-perishable food • Recharge batteries; purchase and charge back-up bat- teries for medical devices • Stay aware of vulnerable trees weakened from the December ice storm. Examine trees for branches and limbs that have started breaking away and take measures T services in the area. Florence Public Works Geographical Information Systems Officer Brenda Cervantes said, “ODOT crews laid down a layer of magnesium chloride (salt) in key locations around town and then starting about 5 a.m., public works crew began putting down 10 to 12 cubic yards of sand on the roads. I think they were successful because we didn’t have any mishaps.” A cold front continued to drop tem- peratures below freezing Wednesday and Thursday evenings, causing icy patches to linger for several days. See SNOW 11A See The new year brings with it a new chal- lenge as SOS is currently seeking a replacement for it’s most recent director, David Wiegan, who left the position at the end of 2016. During an interview with Interim Director Bob Teeter discussing the ongoing transition in organizational leadership, he indicated that the mission, not the person behind the big desk, is the key to positive growth moving forward. “I firmly and emphatically believe in the mission of SOS, and that is to provide compassionate, respectful and confidential services to people in need, and we have a lot of people in need in our community,” Teeter said. “Last year we served 2,900 individuals, and this year the number will be close to that again, so obviously there is a need for what we do.” According to Teeter, the mission state- ment of SOS is meaningful on a number of levels. Most importantly, it sends the mes- sage that the community and the individu- als that make up Florence care. Bart Mealer, a member of the SOS Board of Directors, believes the main challenge facing the new director will be PREPARE 11A See DIRECTOR 11A GRAND STANDS Mapleton High School installs new gymnasium bleachers apleton High School and Nor-Pac spent Wednesday and Thursday installing new bleachers in the school’s gym- nasium. Mapleton School District Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said the installation B Y M ARK B RENNAN is the latest Siuslaw News step in the s c h o o l ’s revitalization process that was funded with the recent passage of the bond measure, approved by voters in November. “We have been able to complete three bond related projects,” O’Mara said. “The first was the high school septic tank, the second was the resur- facing of the track and the new bleachers is the third project.” The new bleachers will cost about $35,000, with approximately half coming from the Mapleton Booster Club. The remainder will come from the voter-approved funding measure. While this project should be com- pleted shortly, others will require TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 42 42 51 40 44 41 47 43 M MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS INSIDE Workers from Nor-Pac work on the installation of new bleachers at Mapleton High School Thursday. The new bleachers will be unveiled tonight when Mapleton basketball teams host Crow at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 B5 A4 A2 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Side Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A3 THIS WEEK ’ S WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 more thought and time to finish. Mapleton School District has until 2018 to complete all bond-related projects. The planning and prepara- tion for the more extensive and involved parts of the refurbishment are being finalized. “The next step in the bond process is that our steering committee has been meeting. They are currently in the ‘design phase,’ so what we are doing now is assessing what flooring S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS ❘ 28 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017 See BLEACHERS 11A CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 2
