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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.
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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.
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Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
TODAY
SUNDAY
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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.
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C OPYRIGHT 2017
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LUNCHES 7A