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SATURDAY EDITION
COAST
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A&E — INSIDE
SPORTS — B
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 52
Peace Harbor
caregivers vote
to join SEIU
Vote still needs to be
certified by National
Labor Relations Bureau
P
eace Harbor Medical Center care-
givers and employees narrowly voted
to join the Service Employees Inter-
national Union
B Y J ACK D AVIS
(SEIU) Wednes-
Siuslaw News
day, June 28.
Of the 185
Peace Harbor eligible employees, 78
voted “yes,” 72 voted “no” and 35 did not
cast a vote to join SEIU Local 503, based
in Salem.
According to PeaceHealth Oregon
Strategic Communications and
Engagement Director Marcy Marshall, the
vote will not be official until certified by
the National Labor Relations Bureau. That
certification could take seven to 10 days,
or more, from the date of the vote.
Marshall said once the vote is certified,
first-time union contract negotiations
could take up to 18 months from the date
of certification.
“PeaceHealth appreciates the respectful
manner in which our eligible caregivers
considered this issue and one another’s
point of view. The open, honest dialogue
that accompanied this process is a true
testament to our people and the culture we
have created here,” Marshall said.
SEIU and its members are separate
from the Oregon Nurses Association
(ONA) and its members who are currently
in contract negotiations with Peace
Harbor.
Marshall said, “Once the election is
certified by the NLRB, we will honor our
caregivers’ voice and continue our good
faith bargaining relationship with the
union.”
See
UNION 7A
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
Siuslaw News
lorence Planning Comm-
ission denied Helping
Hands Coalition a temporary
conditional use permit during
the commission’s meeting on
June 27.
Commissioners cited issues
with parking, occupancy, crime
and the commercial zone of the
building at 1790 Highway 101
as reasons to deny the resolu-
tion.
Now, Helping Hands will
appeal the decision to Florence
City Council during a meeting
on Monday, July 31, at 5:30
p.m. at Florence City Hall.
Helping Hands is a nonprof-
it, all-volunteer organization
dedicated to serving hot meals
and providing laundry and
shower vouchers to those in
need and others who require
temporary assistance. It cur-
rently operates out of Florence
United Methodist Church, 333
Kingwood St. It previously
operated out of a building at
1339 Rhododendron Drive.
Planning Commission first
heard from Helping Hands dur-
ing its June 13 meeting, when
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FLORENCE, OREGON
S p a r kl e on th e S i lt c o o s
Rich and Lori Olson obtain permits to present
official fireworks show at Darlings Marina
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
T
onight, the commu-
nity is invited to
make the short trip
south to the picturesque
Siltcoos Lake to participate
in the first ever “Sparkle on
the Siltcoos” Fireworks
Display.
The interplay of water, sunshine
and boating has drawn picnickers
and anglers to the Siltcoos to relax
and recreate for decades. The
lake’s robust fishing opportunities
and its pastoral environment has
long made for the perfect place to
spend all or part of the
Independence Day weekend.
There has also been a long tradi-
tion at Darling’s Marina of honor-
ing the spirit of the holiday with an
“unofficial” fireworks display. A
tradition that will continue this
evening, in a slightly different way,
in that it will be legal and profes-
sionally managed.
The current owners of the mari-
na, Rich and Lori Olson, wanted to
support the Dunes City communi-
ty’s desire to celebrate at Darling’s
on the Fourth of July.
The Olsons had concerns with
safety issues associated with the
shooting off and exploding of hun-
dreds of technically illegal fire-
works over the marina’s docks and
the lake.
“When we first purchased
Darlings Marina two years ago,
one of the first questions we were
asked was, ‘Are you going to have
fireworks off the dock?’ We
realized there was an expectation
that we would continue a long-held
tradition of fireworks on Siltcoos
Lake. We wanted to oblige our
customers while providing a safe
and legal venue for the event,” Lori
said. “So, my husband Rich began
the process of training for his
pyrotechnician’s license and
signed on with a display company
out of Canby, Ore. Now the show
is legal and professional, and we
have the necessary permits and
insurance.”
To that end, Rich has been
working with Western Display, the
fireworks company that will over-
see the show, to obtain the neces-
sary training to become a state cer-
tified pyrotechnician.
“I’ve been studying and I’ve
shot at three shows now. After this
show, I will have finished my train-
ing and I will be taking the test to
become certified by the State of
Oregon,” he said.
Since purchasing the marina, the
Olsons have undertaken extensive
upgrades that have involved a sub-
stantial investment of time and
resources.
The results are noticeable imme-
diately upon turning into the grav-
el parking lot that sits across from
the lodge, which looks markedly
different than in recent years.
“Thanks to the tremendous sup-
port of the local community, we
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Lori and Rich Olson have owned Darlings Marina for two years.
During that time, they have refurbished the lodge, docks and the
campground areas. Now, the Olsons invite the community to a
free fireworks show at dusk tonight.
can safely say that Darlings is well
on its way to its former glory as a
local gathering place. The lake-
front is looking beautiful with the
split rail fencing and repaired
docks,” Rich said. “The pub is
serving some of the best American
home-style food and craft brews
around, and the store is ever-
expanding as neighbors discover
Planning Commission denies Helping Hands;
coalition plans to appeal to city council
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
❘ JULY 1, 2017 ❘ $1.00
the organization presented
plans to convert a building at
1790 Highway 101 into a loca-
tion for providing hot meals
three times a week.
Commissioners requested
additional items including a
site plan, parking requirements
and crime data. They also
chose to leave the public hear-
ing open to allow additional
written public comment.
“Staff has received signifi-
cant written public testimony
during the period,” said
Florence Planning Director
Wendy FarleyCampbell.
Staff received 36 verbal and
written testimonies regarding
the land use decision.
Commissioner
Clarence
Lysdale said, “We’ve heard
some really passionate posi-
tions, and read some passionate
submittals from both sides of
this issue. I’ve been a commis-
sioner for a long time and I
don’t think I’ve ever seen any
issue that has such complete,
passionate and well-stated
arguments on both sides.”
Commissioners referenced
following Florence City Code
and the Comprehensive Plan as
they deliberated over several
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an easy alternative to driving into
town. In addition, everyone is
enjoying the safe, clean and fami-
ly-friendly environment. “
The fun at Darling’s culminates
with the fireworks display at 10
p.m., which will be overseen by
Western Display.
Issues with ‘Helping’
complicated
Siuslaw News
Helping Hands Coalition petitioned Florence Planning
Commission for a temporary conditional use permit for
this building at 1790 Highway 101.
issues of the application,
including the building’s zone
and crime issues.
The staff report shows that
Helping Hands requested a
conditional use to change the
zone to allow for social service
use with a free meal program
within the historically retail
building.
“Staff made the interpreta-
tion that this is most similar to
a public facility, not as a city
facility but more like a county
facility. Counties typically pro-
THIS WEEK ’ S
vide services for the homeless
in a community. It is also simi-
lar to a church, since churches
often provide these services,
but not as a rescue mission
since there is no housing on
site,” FarleyCampbell said.
She then introduced Florence
Police Commander John Pitcher
and Code Enforcement Officer
Dan Frazier to discuss public
safety issues with the suggested
Highway 101 property.
See
PLANNING 6A
TODAY
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MONDAY
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WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
FIREWORKS 7A
S PECIAL S ERIES ( PART I )
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
See
Nomada Lawson has suf-
fered from depression all
her life. She has a son that
she worked hard to take
care of, but sometimes her
illness becomes too extreme
for her. There were days
when she couldn’t get out of
bed.
But one day she found a
reason to get up. She would
bring blankets to Helping
Hands Coalition once a
week and get lessons on
how to quilt from one of the
founders. Nomada thinks
they saved her life. She had
found, in a small way,
another purpose for her life.
Simple and altruistic.
“I’m the blanket girl. I
give blankets to people, to
the homeless. So that’s how
they roped me in,” said
Nomada.
Five months later, she
became homeless herself.
On June 27, at the
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 24 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2017
Florence Planning Comm-
ission meeting, a permit for
Helping Hands to lease a
commercial building at
1790 Highway 101 was
denied.
The decision has brought
to light some of the com-
plex issues within the quiet
retirement community of
Florence.
Helping Hands is plan-
ning to appeal the decision
in July.
Over the years, the pro-
gram has faced issues with
finances, staffing and hous-
ing, but refused to give up.
The program’s current
dilemma began 11 months
ago.
At the time, it had its
own building at 1339
Rhododendron Dr., sur-
rounded by other business-
es. But when the owner of
the building died, his chil-
dren were forced to sell the
property.
See
HELPING 7A