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SATURDAY EDITION
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STAY COOL
❘ AUGUST 12, 2017 ❘ $1.00
Man seeks to
prevent litter
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SPORTS — B
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 64
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Three Rivers
terminates top A community walk down Rhody Drive
management
COO Michael Rose, Assistant
General Manager Bob Garcia
among three let go
T
hree top employees of Three Rivers Casino
Resort were fired on Wednesday, Aug. 9,
including casino Chief Operating Officer Michael
Rose, Assistant General Manager Bob Garcia and
Chief Finance Officer Jim
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Herman.
Siuslaw News
The decision was made
by the Tribal Council of
the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw Indians.
“The Tribal Council earlier this summer deter-
mined it was time to change the management
team,” a statement from the Tribal Council read.
“The change in direction, however, is in no way
associated with any security matter.”
No further information about the firings, includ-
ing what new direction the casino will be heading,
was provided.
The statement also said Jerry West will take over
as CEO.
West has been working in the casino industry
since 1992, working at Harrah’s, Hard Rock and
Oregon’s Spirit Mountain Resort, among other
organizations.
He was recently the vice president of gaming
operations at the Player Performance Group, a
“Native American-owned professional services
firm specializing in performance improvement and
strategic resource development for the gaming
industry,” according to the company profile.
“As the new CEO, West brings 25 years of expe-
rience in training and mentoring to thousands of
employees in large gaming operations,” the Tribal
Council said. “He also has a proven record with
casino expansions, renovations and delivering
results within time limits and budget constraints.”
Rose, who began working at Three Rivers in
April 2004, has had a long history in the business,
including as general manager for the Key Largo
Casino and Hotel, owned by President Donald
Trump.
Garcia has been associated with the
Confederated Tribes since at least 2001, serving as
Tribal Council Chairman and assistant general
manager for Three Rivers, among other titles.
Three Rivers has two locations: a resort and
hotel in Florence and a casino-only facility in Coos
Bay. Both are owned and operated by the
Confederated Tribes.
The Florence location was opened in 2004 as a
casino-only facility, but became a full-service resort
in 2007. The Coos Bay expansion opened in 2015.
The Florence facility has undergone drastic
remodeling during the past year, including splitting
up the casino floor into smoking and non-smoking
sections and renovations to the bar and arcade.
P AST
City of Florence
completes upgrades,
shoulder expansion of
Oregon Scenic Route
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
T
he City of Florence invited com-
munity members to “take a
walk” Thursday during a celebration
for the long-awaited completion of
the Rhododendron Drive Project,
which improved roadway quality and
bike and pedestrian safety, as well as
increased water flow.
“It’s been a great two-and-a-half years,” said
City Manager Erin Reynolds. “It’s been fun to
see these improvements come to life and make
PHOTOS BY
CHANTELLE MEYER/
SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence residents and area officials tour improvements to Rhododendron Drive
Thursday as the city celebrates the project’s completion.
Florence able to reflect the true character of our
town.”
Florence City Council, Lane County
Commissioner Jay Bozievich, city staff, com-
munity members and
See RHODY 8A
area representatives
Boys & Girls Club Teens take to the skies
New Florence Air Academy brings high-flying dreams
S
oaring over the Siuslaw region, the
new pilot grips the joystick, hands
steady. A gust of
B Y J ARED A NDERSON wind tilts the air-
Siuslaw News
craft ever-so-slight-
ly to the left — the
pilot has a small whiff of panic. They
look over to their instructor who quells
their fear; it’s going to be safe. The pilot
steadies the plane, the instructor smiles.
It’s time to soar.
The pilot’s age? 13 years old.
Starting Aug. 14, the teens of Boys and
Girls Club of Western Lane County will
have the opportunity to learn the ins-and-
outs of aeronautic adventures through the
Florence Air Academy (FAA) and its
inaugural class.
This two-week course, provided free
to teens who sign up, will be teaching the
power and freedom of flight.
The breadth of the topics covered in
FAA’s class is massive: Principals of
flight, airplane mechanics, meteorology,
aviation charts and maps, drones, civil air
patrol, eclipses and how to plan a cross
country flight.
“We’ve got some really cool and inter-
esting things that we’re trying to get
together to keep the kids entertained,”
said pilot Sam Spayd, co-creator of the
academy and class. “I’ve mixed it up so
there’s some classroom stuff, and then
there’s some things when we get them out
See
FLYING 7A
JARED ANDERSON/
SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence pilot Sam Spayd prepares to teach Boys and
Girls Club teens the power of aeronautics.
AND PRESENT VOLUNTEERS , BOARD MEMBERS CLASH OVER CARE
Rumors of neglect, mismanagement at Oregon Coast Humane Society prompt investigation
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
AND N ED H ICKSON
Siuslaw News
n recent weeks, a volatile combina-
tion of complaints, accusations and
rumor swirling in and around social
media and community conversation
has raised questions about animal
care and management at the Oregon
Coast Humane Society (OCHS).
For more than 20 years, the organ-
ization has been a no-kill animal shel-
ter providing temporary and long-
term care for stray, abandoned and
neglected cats and dogs. But recently,
the nonprofit shelter has come under
fire from dismissed volunteers, for-
mer board members and dues-paying
members of the organization.
Accusations of physical abuse of
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animals and even killing of animals at
OCHS have been circulated through
social media platforms and in anony-
mous letters received at Siuslaw
News.
The OCHS-related posts on social
media have included disturbing pic-
tures, reportedly taken at the facility,
of animals in neglect or as the sub-
jects of abuse.
These accusations come at a time
when the shelter has benefitted from
several monetary bequeathments over
the past few years that have dramati-
cally shifted OCHS’s fiscal narrative
from that of a fledgling program to a
financially viable organization.
Siuslaw News has spent the past
month investigating the claims of
neglect and mismanagement by con-
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ducting interviews with volunteers
and board members (past and pres-
ent), examining documents and email
exchanges, and conducting inspec-
tions of the facility in an effort to
clarify the validity of each allegation.
Board member and long time volun-
teer Ed Gervais, spokesperson for
OCHS, responded to inquires, as well
as individuals involved in voicing con-
cerns regarding what they regard as
issues of neglect or mismanagement.
OCHS is essentially member driv-
en, operating with a small paid staff
and a large group of volunteers, some
of whom say they have brought their
concerns to board members.
Many of these volunteers have
been involved in animal rights issues
for years and primarily assist staff
THIS WEEK ’ S
members in feeding, grooming and
cleaning up after the animals.
One of the most outspoken of these
volunteers is Lisa Pappas, who was
recently released from her volunteer
position after two years following
what she said were questions she
raised about animal handling tech-
niques and the management skills of
the current facility manager.
“I put in 1,650 volunteer hours and
was named Volunteer of the Month,
so I’ve put in the time and I can see
what’s wrong,” said Pappas. “From
day one, I’ve had serious concerns
about the care, or rather lack of care,
provided for the animals.”
Pappas said she brought her con-
cerns to the attention of Shelter
Manager Tanya Garrett, as well as the
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Animal Welfare Committee and the
OCHS Board.
“In virtually every instance, my
concerns were ignored and I was
threatened if I tried to shine a light on
the abuse and mismanagement,” said
Pappas.
Gervais said he feels the criticisms
leveled against OCHS staff are
unfounded and misguided.
“The dogs and cats in our care are
cared for every day by dedicated staff
and volunteers and procedures are
followed to insure their health and
safety,” he said.
Pappas disagrees with Gervais’
assessment and said she feels the
problems stem from management.
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