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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION REDUCED SALMON RETURNS Phonebook features oil painting SPORTS — B INSIDE — A5 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 60 ❘ JULY 29, 2017 ❘ $1.00 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 OSHA issues citation for violations at treatment plant P E RF EC T FLORENCE, OREGON C A T C H MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS City of Florence Water Treatment Plant on Rhododendron Drive State agency requires Florence make physical improvements, procedure changes The City of Florence’s Water Treatment Center recently drew the attention of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA), which is tasked with ensuring worker safety. It conducts periodic inspections to monitor compliance. In March, OSHA B Y M ARK B RENNAN identified several Siuslaw News violations at the Flo- rence Wastewater Treatment Plant, 794 Rhododendron Drive. It issued a citation to the city on May 15, assessing a total financial penalty of $7,860. The seven-page “Citation and Notifi- cation of Penalty” lists seven separate items that were in violation of state standards. OSHA characterized these as being “seri- ous” in nature. Oregon OSHA Public Information Officer Aaron Corvin said, “A serious violation involves a meaningful risk to a worker of serious injury or illness, or death. We classi- fied the violations as serious. If we didn’t believe the violations were serious, then we wouldn’t have classified them as such.” The citation lists the most immediate potential for danger as inadequate or miss- ing railings and walkways meant to protect employees while working in the facility. Another area of concern was the adher- ence to proper safety protocols that should be observed by workers engaged in the See OSHA 7A MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS W ith recreational crabbing open along the entire Oregon coast, docks at the Port of Siuslaw are seeing increased activity among crabbers. These colorful crab pots are near ICM Restaurant on Bay Street. All peo- ple 12 years old and older who wish to crab must have a valid Oregon Shellfish License, available for $9 a year through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. F LORENCE TO Y ACHATS BUS ROUTE DELAYED Project could begin at end of August — survey seeks additional public input B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News Those waiting at Florence’s 21st Street bus stop for a trip up to Yachats and all points north will have to wait a little bit longer. Originally unveiled by Lane Transit District in April, the Florence to Yachats bus route was supposed to begin running July 1, but contract and planning delays have pushed the start date to the end of August, and possibly into September, organizers say. The new line will fill the last gap of public transportation along the Oregon coast. According to City of Florence Associate Planner Glen Southerland, the driving reason for the delay is the bidding process from transportation providers. “We had a lot of interest from organizations that wanted to provide the service, which is not a bad prob- lem to have,” he said. Four providers are currently in the protracted bid process. However, the delay does give more time for the route to be planned. Lane Transit District, based in Eugene, published a survey in May requesting public input on the route, but only 100 people responded to it. “We’re trying to get more con- crete data on what people will be riding the bus for, where they’d like to board the bus and where they want it to stop along the way,” Southerland said. The 8-question survey asks what riders would use the bus for; where they would board the bus — Yachats, Florence or other; what times of day riders would use the service; which days the service would be used; and what stops rid- ers would like to see, such as Cape Perpetua, Sea Lion Caves and the Hobbit Trail. The deadline to respond to the survey is near. Once the bidding process is completed, the survey answers will be culled and the route will be planned. The survey can be found at LTD.org/Connector. As for where the Florence bus stop will be located, Southerland believes it will most likely be on 21st Street and Highway 101, near the Grocery Outlet parking lot. City planners hope this will make the spot a transportation hub in Florence. “That will have a better connec- tion to the Rhody Express,” Southerland said. “We’re also work- ing to get the Eugene connection and the Coos Bay connection in that place as well.” The Eugene/Coos Bay route, operated by Pacific Crest Bus Lines, currently stops in front of Florence City Hall several times a day. In Yachats, Southerland said they are planning to put the stop at Third Street and Highway 101, near the Yachats Visitor’s Center. The fare for the Florence/ Yachats bus line is still being worked out, but organizers think it will be below $10. There are no public meetings planned regarding the route at this time. Filling a need: Providing lunches to Upriver children B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News INSIDE Kym Prater, Windy Brown and Karen Harden want to save Mapleton. It’s a tall order, something that needs to be done piece by piece, and some- times meal by meal, with individuals taking up vital causes in the communi- ty. Their cause is called Sack Lunches for Mapleton, and it’s a reflection of Mapleton as a whole; full of heart, with a lot of sweat equity and a finan- cial burden. Started by Prater with help from Harden, Sack Lunches for Mapleton is dedicated to giving children meals in the Upriver communities. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 It is funded through Mapleton Food Share is footing the main bill. Some said. “We’re already started and the Share. private donations have come in, kids need it.” As of right now, the group serves 50 including an online GoFundMe, but it While they’re doing everything lunches a day, three they can to raise money times a week at noon. and awareness, the Each youth gets a group is also partnering “I live in a rural area. If you’re out of food and you’re “sack lunch” — sand- with other organiza- a little child, where are you going to get food?” wiches, granola, cheese tions. — K YM P RATER , COORDINATOR and crackers, etc. At least, they’re try- S ACK L UNCHES FOR M APLETON P ROGRAM Toward the end of the ing. school year, Prater real- The Boys and Girls ized that with Club of Western Lane Mapleton’s poverty levels, children has only raised $335 out of a $5,000 County in Florence decided to spon- would go hungry without the school goal. sor a hot meal twice a day, lunch and lunch programs. For organizers, the need outweighs dinner, at the Teen Center. She spoke with Harden, and, by the money. The hope was to bring a bus full of June, they were handing out lunches. “We spent a lot of money already, children down from the Upriver com- Money is tight, however. and it’s hitting us hard, but we’re not munities to the meals. The problem? Right now, the Mapleton Food going to stop because of that,” Harden No kids showed up for the shuttle. Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast . . . A9 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 68 54 70 53 72 54 73 55 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 After a few days, the shuttle pro- gram was dropped. The Boys and Girls Club meal program is still going, just without the Upriver kids. “I live in a rural area,” Prater explained. “If you’re out of food in your home and you’re a little child, where are you going to get food? Out to the brush and pick berries?” A 12-year-old in a city can walk a few blocks to the gas station. A 12- year-old in Swisshome has to make a two-hour round trip just to reach a store. Sack Lunches tries to alleviate this situation by taking the food to the kids. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017 See LUNCHES 7A
