The Siuslaw news., February 22, 2017, WEDNESDAY EDITION, Image 1

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WEDNESDAY EDITION
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SPORTS — B
INSIDE — A3
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 15
❘ FEBRUARY 22, 2017 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
S PECIAL S ERIES ( PART II )
Pioneer of ODDA thinks update is needed
T
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
(Editor’s note: This is Part II of a three-
part series on Oregon’s Death With Dignity
Act that began in our Feb. 15 issue. As part
of Siuslaw News’ examination of the act,
Derek Humphry, author of New York Times
Bestseller “Final Exit,” spoke with reporter
Mark Brennan about the problems that
remain to be addressed in the ODDA some
20 years after its enactment by the Oregon
Legislature.)
he Oregon Death with Dignity Act
(ODDA) took effect in 1998. One of the
act’s main proponents and a principal
author of the legislation was Derek Humphry,
who first became involved with the issues sur-
rounding suicide when his wife, Jean, was
diagnosed with cancer.
She ultimately took her own life.
That was when Humphry started working
towards a change in the laws that govern an act
that was once narrowly defined as “suicide.”
Though born in England in 1930, Humphry
has lived in Oregon since 1986 and his influ-
ence on death with dignity has been felt world-
wide — primarily through his continuing
efforts to change the way American culture
looks at death.
Humphry has spent the last 40 years making
the case for an individual’s right to what now is
called “self determination.” This term refers to
his belief that all people have the inherent right
to determine the time and method of their
death.
Humphry’s participation in the crafting and
selection of the language used in the ODDA
was central to coalescing the support needed to
put the act before voters.
His public support of the act was critical to
its passage.
Humphry’s well-known and groundbreaking
book “Final Exit” makes the moral argument
for self determination and provides the intellec-
tual and emotional rationale for the act of
“rational suicide.”
“Final Exit” continues to top international
sales charts 26 years after its release.
According to Humphry, he never anticipated
the long-lasting effect his work would have.
“I never expected it to have this kind of
impact. I think that ‘Final Exit’ helped to
remove the taboo surrounding self deliverance
and it allowed families and friends to quietly
and thoughtfully discuss the issue,” he said.
See
ODDA 7A
Heceta Water Po rt h a nd l es ‘ T en a c io u s ’ s a il b oa t s it u a ti on
Port commissioners,
crews fix main manager
disagree on
delinquent moorage
line breaks
fee resolution
Two breaks in February result
in brown water, boil orders
for some residents
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
H
eceta Water People’s Utility District
(HWPUD) reports the second water main line
break in the Heceta Beach area in February. The
first came on Feb. 6, and Monday had a second.
According to HWPUD Office Manager Vickie
Kennedy, the two events were unrelated.
The first break occurred near Second Avenue,
affecting the Idylewood area, Heceta South area
and east to Heceta Self Storage on Highway 101.
HWPUD crews had the main repaired in under
four hours.
On President’s Day, there was a small leak in the
main near Third Avenue. The line was repaired
within two and a half hours.
“The rain doesn’t bother our crews. They get the
job done and do amazing,” Kennedy said.
According to a HWPUD press release, operators
switching main lines to isolate the break area
caused brown water to run from faucets and toilets.
“You should be able to run your water a little bit
to clear it up,” the release said.
See
WATER 7A
Emergency Cold
Weather Shelter
to open this week
INSIDE
Florence’s Emergency Cold Weather
Shelter will be open Wednesday, Feb.
22, and Thursday, Feb. 23, at New Life
Lutheran Church, 2100 Spruce St.,
behind Grocery Outlet. Registration
starts at 5 p.m. and shuttles will run
between 4:45 and 6 p.m. “We will
continue to watch the weather fore-
cast for Friday night and beyond and
will open if the temperatures remain
around 32 degrees,” organizers said.
For more information or ways to help,
call Greg Wood at 541-991-8208. In
addition, musician Jennifer Weier will
be holding a benefit concert for the
shelter on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m.
at the Presbyterian Church of the
Siuslaw, 3996 Highway 101.
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . A11
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
P
ort of Siuslaw Board
of Commissioners held
a
special
meeting
Monday, Feb. 20, to determine
whether to move forward with
the scheduled Feb. 24 foreclo-
sure sale of the sailing vessel
Tenacious, owned by Gordon
Owen.
Owen has moored the 40-foot
sailboat at the Port of Siuslaw
since 2011.
The port offers moorage cus-
tomers several lease option for
long-term tenants, including
annual, semi-annual and month-
ly. All contracts must be paid in
advance. Daily and transient
rates are also available.
In addition to requiring timely
payments, port moorage con-
tracts state that vessels must be
seaworthy and have liability
insurance.
According to Owen, his boat
engine is not working and the
sails are not functional. He has
not provided the port with proof
of insurance.
Since 2011, Owen had been on
an annual moorage contract with
semi-annual payments of $840.
Owen renewed a one-year lease
with the port on Oct.1.
Port Manager Steven Leskin
said Owen has been habitually
late in making payments.
The port placed him on a
month-to-month contract in
April because of late payments.
Port staff met with Owen on
July 8.
Leskin said that during that
meeting Owen was told the
moorage he paid to the port on
April 11 covered his moorage
through July 4 and that he would
owe monthly moorage fees of
$261 each month until the end of
his contract Sept. 30.
After the meeting, Leskin
emailed commissioners stating,
“Tenacious: I expect some of you
will receive a call from Gordon
Owen. Mr. Owen is a current
moorage tenant. He rents a slip on
a six-month basis. He is consis-
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
Gordon Owen’s 40-foot sailboat Tenacious will go to bid in a foreclosure sale Friday.
tently late with his payment. As a
result, we have removed the six-
month discount rate and are
billing him at the monthly rate. He
does not think this is fair and
wants to continue paying the six-
month moorage rate.”
“The Tenacious is virtually a
derelict vessel. It is easily in
worse shape than any other boat
in the marina.
“Owen has failed to prove sea-
worthiness or evidence of insur-
ance when requested. At some
point, he will be required to pro-
vide these as a condition of
moorage here. I expect we will
be losing his business by the end
of the year.”
On Oct. 1, when the previous
annual contract expired and
Owen made no attempt to rene-
gotiate a new contract, the
Tenacious was placed on a daily
transient rate of $17.
On Nov. 8, the port’s attorney
sent a certified return receipt let-
ter informing Owen of lien pro-
ceedings and of the port’s inten-
tion to foreclose.
The port placed an ad on
Craigslist Jan.18 and submitted a
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
45 33
46 34
45 35
51 35
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
final bill to Owen, giving him
one last chance to bring the
moorage account current.
As of Feb. 21, moorage, late
fees, attorney fees and a $300
impound fee total $3,897.
Owen did address the port
during the Jan. 18 board meeting
and insisted that he had a receipt
showing his moorage was paid
up through Sept. 30, 2016. The
receipt was the one given in
error and corrected by letter the
next day.
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 20 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2017
See
TENACIOUS 7A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Review of Death with Dignity Act highlights problems for Oregon residents