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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS WEDNESDAY EDITION NEW TOURNAMENT BEGINS FRIDAY Flag Day SPORTS — B COAST LIFE — B 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 47 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News O n Saturday, June 10, hun- dreds of Florence resi- dents turned out in support for the “Gifts of the Heart Auction: An Evening of Giving,” held at Siuslaw Middle School, and raised $30,886. The event was created by concerned teachers and com- munity members to assist the family of Siuslaw fifth-grader Malakai Kirk, 11 years old, in preparing for the expenses associated with the youth’s ❘ JUNE 14, 2017 ❘ $1.00 upcoming bone marrow trans- plant operation. In a statement, Malakai’s mother Laurie Stone said, “You know that saying ‘It takes a vil- lage to raise a child?’ I had no idea that in moving to Florence, I would gain the most amazing village to help raise my chil- dren. I’m so blown away by the incredible generosity of our community and its commit- ment to helping those in need. What we have here is so special and we’re so honored to be part of it. Facing this challenge in our lives is stressful enough. Auction and raffle raises more than $30,000 for Malakai Kirk Not having to add financial stress relieves us of a huge bur- den.” Siuslaw Middle School Principal Andy Marohl was a member of the steering com- mittee for the event and instru- mental in obtaining the use of the middle school gym for the auction. “The outpouring of support for this is very humbling. We live in such a great communi- ty,” he said. The fundraiser was a combi- nation silent auction, raffle and bake sale. There were more than 200 items donated by retail establishments, artists and craft people from the area for the silent auction. See GIVING 8A Eleven-year-old Malakai Kirk attended the “Gifts of the Heart Auction” Saturday in his honor. Community mem- bers banded together to plan the event and raise more than $30,000 towards Malakai’s bone transplant fund. MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Florence adopts Siuslaw and Mapleton graduates take next step first biennial budget Council also decreases planned unit development lot size from 5 to 2 acres During Florence City Council’s June 12 meet- ing, councilors voted to adopt the city’s first bien- nial (two-year) budget, B Y J ACK D AVIS to begin July 1, in the Siuslaw News amount of $55,370,862. City Manager Erin Reynolds said, “We are ask- ing for the council to adopt a little bit smaller budget in total. Instead of the $56 million that was originally proposed, a $55.4 million budget — a little bit less, primarily in the waste water fund.” Councilors approved a proposed change to the city’s Planned Unit Development code to reduce the multi-single-housing tract size from the cur- rent five acres to two acres to allow contractors more flexibility in smaller developments. Councilors also approved four expense propos- als totaling $384,088. The four include $27,500 to purchase two tax lots from the Port of Siuslaw, totaling 3.1 acres and located between the Siuslaw River and Rhododendron Drive, just west of the city’s waste treatment plant. The city plans to develop the property into the Siuslaw River Beach Park. According to Reynolds, an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department grant and a federal grant will cover all but $55 of the cost of the land acqui- sition. Councilors approved a bid for $191,000 from 2G Construction to remodel the 2,700 square-foot Florence Justice Center round room in preparation for moving the city’s administrative offices into the building while City Hall is being remodeled this fall. The Florence Police Department will use the remodeled round room space after the Florence City Hall remodel is completed. See BUDGET 6A PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Nine graduates from Mapleton High School (left) and 88 graduates from Siuslaw High School attend ceremonies June 9 and 10. B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News S enior students graduated from both Siuslaw and Mapleton high schools this weekend. Siuslaw’s graduation was held on Friday evening and Mapleton’s was held on Saturday afternoon. Siuslaw’s event honored 88 grad- uates. The event was held in the school’s gymnasium, with family and friends of the graduates filling the bleachers and upper seating areas. Siuslaw High School Principal Kerri Tatum said this class in par- ticular will move into the post high school world well prepared for the challenges that await them. “The Class of 2017 has been an amazing class to work with. They are not just academically gifted, but civically and athletically gifted as well. Our three valedictorians are not only exceptional scholars, all above a 4.0 GPA, but each of them is also an individual state champi- on,” Tatum said. SHS had three validectorians this year, Cecelia Mans, Carissa Oliver and Destinie Tatum. The Mapleton High Graduation, also held in the school’s gym, was a more modest affair, with nine sen- iors matriculating. The Mapleton crowd, while smaller, was no less enthusiastic in support of the graduating seniors. Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said the size of the graduat- ing class allows the school to tailor the ceremony to the fit the students. “Each year we are lucky enough to have graduation take on the per- sonality of the graduating class. From the decorations, the guest speaker they choose, to their slide show songs and comments, all of it is representative of our nine amaz- ing graduates,” O’Mara said. “Being able to present the graduates with their scholarship awards dur- ing the graduation ceremony cre- ates a focus on achievement and honors the graduates who elect to continue their education beyond high school.” Mapleton’s valedictorian was MacKenzie Cleary and the salutori- an was Dana Halverson. The happiness of the graduating students and family members was evident in the hundreds of smiling faces apparent in the crowds at both ceremonies. Student speakers at both Siuslaw and Mapleton were well received. Members of the staff and adminis- tration added comments of support for the students and pointed out the many possible obstacles and suc- cesses that lie ahead. “This class is full of leaders that will do great things in our world. I am so pleased that I was able to work with them for their four years of high school,” Tatum said. She said she believes the Class of 2017 has all the tools needed to suc- ceed at the next level, what ever that might turn out to be. Overall, the weekend was a time of celebration of high school days, favorite classmates and inspiring teachers, with an eye to the future. Go to 9A for more photos. C O O L P L A C ES Oregon Coast Military Museum oregon coast military museum TO VISIT THIS SUMMER 2145 Kingwood St., Florence ❘ 541-902-5160 A celebration of the birth of the jeep in WWII and the iconic vehicle it has become today! INSIDE S PECIAL F EATURE : This summer we are highlighting unique spots that make the central Oregon coast one of the coolest places to live and play. A new location will be featured each week. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Coast Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 A T A GLANCE : The Oregon Coast Military Museum, a 501c3 nonprofit, opened its doors on the Oregon coast, on July 4th, 2015, after a seven-year effort by locals to build a museum to honor the more than 20% of Florence-area resi- dents who are veterans. Intended to honor all eras of military heritage and all disciplines of mil- itary service, the 3,000-square foot display space is filled with life-sized dioramas depicting scenes from WWI to Vietnam, plus a scaled diorama of a typical Iraqi village depicting a US military convoy traveling through. The museum’s mission is To Honor Our Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Senior Calendar . . . . . . . . . . B8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C THIS WEEK ’ S COURTESY PHOTO Veterans by Educating Our Public. In addition to a gift shop, the Museum also features a small theater showing military docu- mentaries, a USO Canteen and a lending library. TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 61 51 60 54 64 52 65 54 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 jeep junction Saturday, June 17th, 2017 • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Johnston Motor Co. on Hwy. 101 Sponsored by Banner Bank & Johnston Motor Co. S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS ❘ 26 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017
