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WEDNESDAY EDITION
SUMMER
HOOPS
❘ JULY 5, 2017 ❘ $1.00
New music festival
opens Friday
INSIDE — A8
SPORTS — B
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 53
S PECIAL S ERIES
( PART II )
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
FLORENCE WINGS & WHEELS 2017
Labels highlight
complex topic of
‘Helping’
Rolling in and lifting off
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
(On June 27, at the Florence Planning
Commission denied a permit for Helping
Hands to lease a commercial building at 1790
Highway 101. The decision brought to light
some of the complex issues regarding the
homeless, businesses and service organiza-
tions. This is Part II of a two-part explo-
ration.)
Five months after becoming homeless,
Nomada Lawson was sitting in the Helping
Hands dining room at Florence United
Methodist Church while finishing her careful-
ly prepared warm meal, talking about her con-
cerns about the community she is a part of.
“The garbage is bad. It’s unbelievable. They
have no ability to clean up after themselves.
They’re out there panhandling for alcohol and
I’m not okay with that,” she said.
Since discussion on the new lease for the
Helping Hands Coalition began, strong accu-
sations have been bandied about by both sides
of the issue.
Those who live and work around the pro-
posed lease label “the other side” as “heart-
less” or “uncaring” for not considering their
economic and safety concerns for the residen-
tial and commercial areas off Highway 101.
Proponents of the lease label the other side
as heartless, in turn, because they refuse to
help those in need.
“I don’t necessarily disagree that people are
heartless,” an employee who works next to the
proposed site, and who asked to remain anony-
mous, said about those who oppose the lease.
She believes they are using their financial
concerns as a facade and don’t want to admit
they just don’t want “vagrants” around their
nice homes.
Those who oppose the relocation strongly
disagree with that characterization.
See
HELPING 5A
PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON AND MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
A
record 138 classic cars roared into the Florence Municipal
Airport on Saturday, July 1, as the annual Wings & Wheels
showcase was held to benefit the Florence-Siuslaw Lions
Club. From vintage Model Ts to 1950s era hot rods and fire trucks
to small aircraft, hundreds of visitors lined the airport taxiway to
thrill at the spectacular display of the precision engineering and
artistic design of history’s most memorable automotive and aero-
nautic feats. The piece de resistance was the World War II SBD
Dauntless, an American Navy scout plane and dive bomber that
zoomed into Florence. Two lucky raffle ticket winners were able to
take the Dauntless on a journey into the skies. Next door, Oregon
Coast Military Museum celebrated its second anniversary with an
open house, raffles and Smokin’ Pops Carolina Bar-B-Que food cart.
For more photos, go to 5A
Power of Florence celebrates strength in numbers
Student’s desire to help others has grown beyond expectations
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
The Power of Florence is cel-
ebrating its seventh birthday on
Saturday, July 15. The 2017
schedule lists a full lineup of
activities and projects for com-
munity participation.
Over the last seven years, the
brainchild of Kaylee Graham,
17, has grown from the desire of
a young girl to emulate her
brother’s example of volun-
teerism to an event that involves
hundreds of individuals helping
dozens of organizations who
assist thousands of community
members.
Shannon Graham, Kaylee’s
mother, said the effect the
Power of Florence has had on
the community is considerable,
and the service-oriented event
continues to grow.
The high level of public visi-
bility and the significant impact
it has made on the city has cata-
pulted the Power of Florence to
national prominence. Numerous
stories on television and in print
over the past few years praise
Kaylee’s efforts to reach out and
help people that can use a little
assistance.
This is the last year that
Kaylee will be coordinating the
Power of Florence, and Shannon
feels the effort will continue in
good hands.
See
POWER 5A
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Kaylee Graham shows Siuslaw Elemen-
tary School’s Kindness Club how to pre-
pare ice cream floats for the benefit held
in June for Malakai Kirk.
MAPLETON SCHOOL DISTRICT ENTERS 21ST CENTURY
Students returning to Mapleton School District at the end
of summer will find many new features to the schools,
including seismic upgrades to this gym. Additional
changes include student requested community spaces.
Upgrades made possible by school bond
mean safety, opportunity for students
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
The year was 1957: Sputnik I
was launched by the Soviets,
the first electric watch was
introduced and the Mapleton
School District campus was
built. While satellites and
watches have vastly improved
since then, the Mapleton
schools have remained exactly
the same. Until now.
From seismic improvements,
decreases in water lead levels
and changes to the flow of the
entrances and gathering places,
Mapleton’s campus is moving
into the 21st century.
“It’s been a lot of work on
the forefront, but I think it’s
great,” said Mapleton School
JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
on the central coast
C O O L P L A C ES Birding
Various locations ❘ www.oregoncoastbirding.com
TO VISIT THIS SUMMER
A T A GLANCE : There are hun-
dreds of spots along the Oregon
coast popular with birdwatchers.
In fact, more than 18 million peo-
ple visit the coast annually to see
the dozens of native species of
birds that make the Florence area
their home.
Visit the South Jetty area to
view the marshes, dunes and tidal
flats. A cormorant rookery can be
seen from the port.
Both Cleawox and Woahink
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.
New locations will be
featured each month.
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
A3
B5
A7
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
lakes provide freshwater and
mature forests for a diverse
community of bird species.
At Siltcoos Lake, all seasons
provide views of an abun-
dance of ducks and coots.
To the north, Cape
Perpetua and Sea Lion Caves
are popular viewing points for
shorebirds.
To the east, head to the
PAWN Trail along the upper
North Fork of the Siuslaw River,
THIS WEEK ’ S
to the buildings will be making
them seismically safe.
“Everything has to be res-
heared and connected to the
building,” explained the pro-
ject’s general contractor,
Randy Myers, about the
process.
See
UPGRADES 6A
THE VAN FANS ANNUAL
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Saturday, July 15, from 1 to 4 p.m.
at the Florence Events Center.
Please, come spend a relaxing aft ernoon, enjoy the ice cream, the
music and do something that will help a neighbor or friend.
Tickets are available at the door
Sponsored by:
Th e Friends of Florence Van Fans
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
or further east to Sweet Creek
Falls, for birds big and small, from
eagles to finches.
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
64 53
64 52
65 52
68 53
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
District Superintendent Jodi
O’Mara. “Having students
learn in a safe environment,
where there’s no lead based
paint or asbestos, gives our
kids a sense that they are
worth this. That can carry on
into how they do in school and
where they plan to go in life.”
One of the biggest changes
(a non-political volunteer organization).
S IUSLAW N EWS
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