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SATURDAY EDITION
❘ MAY 27, 2017 ❘ $1.00
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INSIDE
126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 42
UTILITIES
City votes to
increase waste
collection fees
Councilors also approve
money to convert Florence
Events Center to LED lighting
During the May 15 Florence City Council
meeting, councilors unanimously voted to
approve an increase to
B Y J ACK D AVIS
the current solid waste
Siuslaw News
collection rates, begin-
ning July 1.
Current rates will be adjusted by using a for-
mula based on 80.6 percent of the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) increase for 2016. The 2016
CPI was 2.1 percent. This year’s rate increase
will be 1.7 percent — 80.6 percent of the 2.1
percent CPI increase.
The rate increase will be applied to all resi-
dential and commercial solid waste collection
rates, excluding roll-off container fees.
Councilor Ron Preisler asked how much the
weekly rate increase would cost the average
customer.
Mayor Joe Henry replied, “Less than a dol-
lar.”
In addition, the resolution calls for fees
charged to Central Coast Disposal to increase
from 3 percent to 3.5 percent beginning July 1.
UTILITIES 7A
See
Lane County
hears ReVision
Florence pitch
County asked to fund a
larger portion of project’s
$1.3 million funding gap
Four of five Lane County Commissioners
joined Florence City Councilors and Florence
Urban Renewal Agency
B Y J ACK D AVIS
(FURA) board mem-
Siuslaw News
bers May 17 at the
Florence Events Center
to hear a status report on the ReVision Florence
project.
Commissioners Jay Bozievich, Pat Farr, Sid
Leiken and Gary Williams attended the meet-
ing.
ReVision Florence is a multi-year project to
improve safety and beautify the streetscape
along Highway 101, from the Siuslaw River
Bridge to Ninth Street and several blocks along
Highway 126.
The interagency project, currently estimated
at $7.4 million, will include financial participa-
tion
from
Oregon
Department
of
Transportation (ODOT), FURA, Lane County
and the City of Florence.
The final design will be presented to ODOT
for approval in January. The bid opening is
scheduled for mid-March.
City Manager Erin Reynolds said construc-
tion is projected to begin next year after Rhody
Days and will continue through August.
The last phase of the project, the ODOT
repaving of Highway 101 from the Siuslaw
Bride to Ninth Street, is scheduled to happen
from August to Sept. 30, 2018 — the end of the
ODOT paving season.
Reynolds said, “We believe that this is a
project that warrants a look by the commis-
sioners to consider investing and funding some
portion now and over the future.”
INSIDE
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REVISION 7A
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SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Pulling together for Malakai Kirk
Florence community plans fundraiser for Siuslaw fifth-grader diagnosed with rare disease
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
A
coalition of teachers, administrators
and
concerned
parents
have
announced that a combination auction
and raffle fundraiser will be held at Siuslaw
Middle School on Saturday, June 10, from 5 to
7 p.m., to benefit Malakai Kirk, a fifth-grade
student at Siuslaw Elementary School.
Malakai, 11 years old, has been diagnosed
with DOCK8 Hyper lgE syndrome, a very rare
disease of the immune system that doctors
believe will require a bone marrow transplant
to address. The cost of the surgery and related
expenditures could reach $1 million, which the
family does not have.
The fundraising event is called “Gifts of the
Heart Auction — A Night of Giving,” and it
will consist of a silent auction of items donat-
ed by local businesses, artists and craftspeople
and a raffle for a weekend stay at Heceta Head
Lightstation Bed and Breakfast.
Siuslaw School District instructor Shannon
Graham was instrumental in initiating the
fundraiser.
The event is being held at the school on an
open day to reduce any costs associated with
the auction and allowing all the funds raised to
go directly to Malakai’s family.
This joint effort by school staff members
and the public is somewhat unusual, according
to Siuslaw Elementary Principal Mike
Harklerode.
“This is really the schools and community
coming together,” he said. “The middle school
was an open venue that fit the timeline for the
auction. The middle school is being used at no
cost, which allows all of the proceeds to direct-
ly support the family’s need.”
Laurie and Mark Stone are Malakai’s par-
ents. The illness of their son is something that
has been an ongoing concern for the couple for
much of Malakai’s life.
The initial symptoms of Malakai’s disease
were not life threatening and originally mani-
fested as skin irritation and a lack of hair.
After putting Malakai through a battery of
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Mark Stone, Malakai Kirk and Laurie Stone are hoping for a robust turnout for the Gifts
of the Heart Auction on June 10 at Siuslaw Middle School. Community members
stepped forward to plan the event and help raise money to help the Stones afford a
bone marrow transplant for Malakai.
tests, which included a bone marrow biopsy,
doctors determined that the youth did not have
cancer or other more invasive and immediate-
ly life-threatening diseases.
“Malakai couldn’t grow hair and eventually
we found out that his lymphocytes were
attacking his hair follicles, which prevented
him from growing hair. It was obvious he was
sick,” Laurie Stone said. “My mom had lived
here in Florence and we would come up and
visit her when he was sick, when he was little,
and we noticed that his symptoms would
lessen. We couldn’t quite make sense of it, but
we knew that this environment was better for
him, which was part of the drive to move up
here.”
The decision to move to Florence wasn’t
easy, but it turned out to be wise. Malakai’s
symptoms immediately started to diminish in
severity upon his arrival.
See
MALAKAI 7A
Completion of striping means new traffic pattern
Look for a big traffic pattern
change on Rhododendron
Drive, between Highway 101
and Hemlock Street, now that
striping has been completed.
With the city contractor com-
pleting the Rhododendron
Drive Water and Roadway
Improvement project, one of
the final steps was street strip-
ing last Thursday.
The
section
between
Highway 101 and Hemlock
Street is now striped to accom-
modate two bicycle lanes, two
travel lanes and on-street park-
ing along the north side of the
roadway.
Florence Public Works
Director Mike Miller said,“In
accordance with the City
Transportation System Plan
and the existing roadway
width, this section of Rhodo-
dendron Drive will only have
on-street parking along the
north side of the street.”
Next to the on-street parking
area will be a 6-foot bike lane
and then a travel lane. The cen-
terline of the roadway will
shift a bit to the south in order
to accommodate the parking
area and bike lane as you trav-
el to the west. East bound,
there will be a 6-foot bike lane
next to the curb and then a
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THIS WEEK ’ S
vehicle travel lane.
In addition, the striping in
this area will also provide what
Miller called a “traffic calming
effect,” since the striping will
provide visual cues that the
roadway is narrower.
West of Hemlock Street, the
street section will only accom-
modate two 6-foot bicycle
lanes and two 11-foot vehicle
travel lanes. There is also a
new sidewalk along the north
and east side of Rhododendron
Drive between Hemlock and
Ninth streets.
This project, along with the
Rhododendron Drive shoulder
extension project between
Ninth and Wildwinds streets,
improves pedestrian, bicyclist
and driver safety along the PHOTO BY CHANTELLE
NEWS
entire corridor from Highway MEYER/SIUSLAW
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GRAPHIC COURTESY CITY
101 to Wildwinds.
OF FLORENCE
The
section
between
Hemlock and Wildwind is
New road
much wider than before.
striping on
Motorists are asked to watch
Rhodendron
their speeds in area between Drive indicates
Hemlock and Wildwinds, bike lanes, on-
since this area will remain
street parking
posted at 30 mph.
and regular traf-
For more details about street
fic routes driv-
striping operations and this
ers can now
project, contact City of
expect.
Florence Public Works at 541-
997-4106.
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