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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ FEBRUARY 1, 2017 ❘ $1.00
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ON TO STATE
FEBRUARY
COAST CENTRAL
SPORTS — B
A&E — INSIDE
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 9
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
2017 S TATE
OF THE
C ITY
OF
FLORENCE, OREGON
F LORENCE
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Immunization
‘Exclusion Day’
arrives on Feb. 15
Schools require up-to-date
vaccination records for school
attendance after that date
T
PHOTOS BY JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence Mayor Joe Henry addresses a crowd of 150 at Florence Events Center as he presents the annual State of the City.
The vision of ‘A City in Motion’ becomes a reality
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
lorence Mayor Joe Henry
gave the State of the City
address at the Florence
Events Center (FEC) Monday
evening, focusing on the city’s
work plan, goals and current
and future projects.
Approximately 150 people
attended the event that part-
nered with the Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce
Business After Hours hosted by
the FEC and catered by
Pavilion Catering.
At the beginning of the
evening, Chamber Executive
Director Bettina Hannigan
thanked the City of Florence
for being a collaborative team
with the chamber and its mem-
bers.
Boy Scout Troupe 721 pre-
sented the American and State
of Oregon flags and led the
F
Pledge of Allegiance.
The evening officially kicked
off with a new “The City in
Motion” video by Gary and
Cyndie Quinn, featuring inter-
views by the Florence City
Council, city staff and commu-
nity members.
City Manager Erin Reynolds
introduced the mayor.
“During this presentation,
you will see that the City of
Florence is not just any govern-
ment, but your city — A City
in Motion,” she said.
Henry said, “Early on we
talked about our dream of
being a ‘City in Motion.’ You
will see our dream is no longer
a dream, instead it is a daily
reality and has turned into
action and results. ... In early
2015 a new council took over
and created a city work plan
based on seven city council
goals and our City Mission. ...
In 2016 the city streamlined
that work plan down to five
eral “once in a generation”
goals.”
projects in the works, including
Those goals are: City Service ReVision Florence, the new
Delivery; Livability and
Public Works facility on
Quality of Life; Economic
Kingwood Street and the City
Development; Communication
Hall remodel project.
and Trust; and Financial and
According to Henry, the city
Organizational Sustainability.
is also expanding utility servic-
With the
help of a
“Our dream of being ‘A City in Motion’ is no
power point
presentation, longer a dream. Instead, it is a daily reality
Henry
and has turned into action and results.”
walked the
— F LORENCE M AYOR J OE H ENRY
audience
through the
five goals, explaining what has
es to the north and east, bring-
been accomplished and what is
ing services to properties
still envisioned.
recently brought into the city.
He acknowledged the hard
Under Livability and Quality
work and dedication of city
of Life, Henry said the
employees and volunteers.
Community Development
Henry said, “Over 90 percent Department has revised Title
of the City’s budget goes to
10 City Code — creating
operating the various city serv-
streamlined and over the counter
ices.”
He also said the city has sev-
See CITY 7A
hrough recent communications, Siuslaw and
Mapleton School Districts reminded parents and
guardians of school age children, from preschool
through high school, that “Exclusion Day” arrives on
Wednesday, Feb. 15.
This is the day that parents and students have to provide
verification of all required age
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
specific vaccines, or furnish
Siuslaw News
school officials with the state
approved certifications for
either a Medical or Non- Medical exemption to immuniza-
tion.
Students who are unable to provide this information will
not be allowed to attend school until the proper documenta-
tion is turned in to school authorities.
The Mapleton and Siuslaw schools have previously dis-
tributed information regarding the required vaccines and the
suggested immunization age.
Mapleton School Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said,
“Prior to the current school year, all parents fill out or sup-
ply immunization records for that student. The school med-
ical staff then reviews those records and informs parents of
needed immunizations.”
These assessments are usually given to the student’s par-
ents by Feb. 1, allowing time for students to receive the
missing vaccinations. This process does not apply for those
that have requested and received exemptions to immuniza-
tions.
All Non-Medical exemption requests have to be submit-
ted prior to “Exclusion Day.” These requests should consist
of a Certification of Immunization Status and a Vaccine
Education Certificate, attained after meeting with a health
care practitioner or from the on-line vaccine education
module.
Students that attend Siuslaw schools should have already
received notifications of needed vaccinations, according to
Siuslaw School Superintendent Andy Grzeskowski.
“The biggest issue that we run into is parents trying to
schedule appointments with the doctor at the last minute to
get the vaccinations,” Grzeskowski said. “But parents don’t
have to wait for a regular appointment with their doctor,
immunizations can be given by laboratory staff on short
notice.”
The Center for Disease Control encourages immuniza-
tion for all students and cites a direct linkage between high
immunization rates and a community’s ability to fight
numerous illnesses.
It also reports that as recently as 2014, Oregon had the
nation’s highest rate of Non-Medical Student Immunization
Exemptions at 7.1 percent.
See
SCHOOLS 7A
Port holds special meeting, delays decision on storage shed removal
Board of Commissioners give Port Manager Steven Leskin high marks in annual performance evaluation
ort of Siuslaw commission-
ers met for a special session
Monday, Jan. 30, to determine
the fate of the two blue metal
storage buildings located in the
center of the port’s campground
and to review the port manag-
er’s annual performance evalu-
ation.
Prior to the discussion on the
storage sheds, Port of Siuslaw
Harbor Master Tracey David
gave commissioners a tour of
the structures.
In addition to leasing dry
storage space to others, the port
also uses the sheds for port
vehicle and boat storage and to
house the port’s maintenance
operations.
David addressed the myriad
structural problems confronting
INSIDE
P
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
A3
A5
A4
Port of Siuslaw Harbor Master Tracey David (center)
points out structural defects to port commissioners
Terry Duman (left) and David Huntington in one of two
port-owned storage sheds.
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
the 43-year-old corrugated
steel sheds, including dry
rot, roof damage, winter
flooding of the exposed
gravel floor and copious
quantities of feces from
nesting birds.
Port Manager Steven
Leskin proposed the port
tear down the two aging
structures and replace them
with dry camping sites.
According to Leskin, the
storage sheds bring in
approximately $20,000 in
annual revenue.
“We estimate that replac-
ing the storage sheds with
dry camping will be about a
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
THIS WEEK ’ S
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
48 36
47 40
50 45
51 44
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
dollar to dollar replace-
ment,” Leskin said.
Leskin proposed moving
the maintenance operations
and port storage into the third
blue storage building, cur-
rently occupied by Vintage
Blue Warehouse Estate Sales
located at 80 Harbor St.
Patricia Sapp acquired
Vintage Blue Warehouse
Estate Sales in December and
is seeking to renew a one-
year lease on the property.
The prior lease expired
January 1.
After some lively discus-
sion on possible maintenance,
improvements
and
lease
options, commissioners agreed
to postpone the removal of the
sheds and offer Sapp a one-year
lease.
In other business, President
Ron Caputo summarized the
results of the port manager
annual performance evaluations
completed by the commission-
ers and port staff.
With few exceptions, Leskin
received positive ratings in all
categories.
S IUSLAW N EWS
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C OPYRIGHT 2017
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PORT 7A
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