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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2017)
10 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 application was issued in accor- Dunes City from 1A inal dance to Dunes City regulations. “I think they’re concerned that it’s residential,” he said. “State law prohibits certain license types in res- idential zones, but it does not pro- hibit grows.” OLCC does not deal with zoning issues, Sweet said. It checks for cer- tain markers, like a grow being with- in 1,000 feet of a school, but they leave the zoning decisions to the city. Of the phone call with the citizen, Sweet stated, “They were very adamant that this was issued in error. Essentially like, ‘wrong box checked.’ What I told her was, if it was issued in error, we would accept an amended LUCS from the city, but that would come from the city.” But, as far as Sweet could tell, there were no errors in the current LUCS. “It looks pretty standard to me. I think the main concern was that this type of commercial operation shouldn’t be allowed in R1 zoning. But, that’s not a determination made by the agency,” he said. Sweet stated that Hibpshman from the OLCC is also aware of the issue, but the two have not been actively working on the Dunes City situation. Hibpshman is out of the office for the week and was unable to be contacted. At the city council meeting, a cit- izen stated that they were in contact with Oregon Department of Justice Attorney Shannon O’Fallon about the issue. O’Fallon did not return calls for comment, but Sweet said he did know O’Fallon personally. “I know that some citizen did contact Shannon via email,” Sweet said. “But we haven’t really worked with her on anything. We just made each other aware of the communica- tions. I work with Shannon on an almost daily basis on a range of issues, but we’re not actively work- ing on anything from this issue.” If any further action is to be taken on the LUCS and the current mari- juana grows, it will have to be done by the city council, which will have to determine whether or not the orig- While the state law allows grow operations in residential areas, the city could review their ordinances to determine whether or not current laws prohibit them. One such law, brought up by a Dunes City resident in the meeting, regarded the city’s Comprehensive Plan. It states, “Agricultural activity is secondary in nature and is usually restricted to small animals, horses and family gardens.” But, according a letter to the edi- tor sent to the Siuslaw News on Aug. 19, the city’s hands may be tied. The letter, submitted by Dunes City Administrator Jamie Mills, was also a point of contention in Wednesday’s meeting. A member of the public com- plained for two reasons. First, they said that it was inaccurate, and sec- ond, that it was sent to the Siuslaw News inappropriately. Regarding the letter’s validity, Mills stated, “The letter to the editor was written with the city’s attorney. I wrote it and sent it to the attorney. The attorney made some changes so it was both of us.” Mills stands by the accuracy of the statement. Regarding how it was sent to the Siuslaw News, Dunes City Ordinance 235 states that all written correspondence and media state- ments must be approved by the city council for approval prior to distri- bution. Mills regretted the error, stating, “It was approved by the city attor- ney, but not by the city council.” About Mills, Mayor Robert Forsythe wrote, “If there were a per- sonnel issue underway I wouldn’t be able to comment. However as there is no personnel action, I can tell you that there is nothing planned at this time.” Complaints were also made against the city for not allowing community involvement in making decisions. One city resident stated, “I want to point out to you that this council passed a resolution disbanding all of the committees and commissions in the city except for Planning Commission. So, the city didn’t want any citizen involvement. Therefore, right after that, the citi- zens didn’t show up anymore. I think the fact the council did that created a whole lot of the problems you have today because the citizens are no longer involved.” The meeting the citizen referred to took place in April 2016, with the passage of Ordinance 235. During that meeting, Councilor Maurice Sanders stated the ordi- nance was appropriate because the city had a lack of volunteers to fully staff several committees, most notably the Road Commission, where a quorum frequently had not been present to allow the commis- sion to function properly over the past several months. Rebecca Ruede, who was mayor at the time, noted that the lack of vol- unteers had been a problem for other committees as well. Video minutes of the meeting showed only one public comment was made regarding the ordinance, requesting clarification on its mean- ing. It was explained that all issues that weren’t covered by the remain- ing committees, the council could review the matter and decide if an additional committee would need to be formed to resolve the issue. No other public comments were made, either for or against the ordi- nance, which was passed by the council unanimously. In other news from the Wednesday meeting, the appoint- ment of a new city councilor was placed on hold. This new councilor would fill the position vacated by Forsythe, who was appointed mayor after Ruede passed away in August. While multiple applications for the position were received, Councilor Duke Wells said that there were too many good applicants to rush into a decision on that date. Dunes City Councilors will inter- view the applicants to make a more informed determination at a later date. LGBTQ from 1A and they get the role,” Wood said. “I get a lot of gratification from their success.” Rugburn came about in 2015 after Wood played the role of Mama Morton, a tough as nails and sarcastic matron of the women’s prison in Last Resort Player’s pro- duction of “Chicago the Musical” “I didn’t have to check my atti- tude. I could give as much as I wanted, and it was really liberat- ing,” Wood said. He wanted to keep that libera- tion alive, so he thought it would be fun to do a drag show. As a musical performer, he also thought that Rugburn would afford him the opportunity to sing songs he couldn’t usually perform. “I can sing all of these songs that were written for women, finally,” he said. “I can do an entire show singing ‘I Enjoy Being a Girl’ and ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.’ I can’t sing all those songs as Jason Wood, it wouldn’t make any sense.” Plus, he does like attention. “I’m like Tinkerbell, applause saves me,” he said. Rugburn’s first live performance was held at Old Town Barber Shop in Historic Old Town Florence. “That was the best night ever,” Wood said. “I had never performed as my own fleshed-out drag charac- ter. I was nervous like you never believe, but I just used that energy.” The house was packed and Wood felt there was a deep connec- tion with the audience. He thought it was magical. Wood’s drag character has got- ten some pushback from the local community, but not as much as one would think. A few people com- plained about posters featuring Rugburn on Facebook, and Wood believes that some people may have dropped their vocal lessons because of the character. “It was hurtful to me because it was an act of prejudice. Not just for me, but for my community as a whole. I’ve watched my communi- THIS WEEK ON THE ty fight very hard for equal rights,” he said. But it’s those equal rights that still need to be fought for, Wood believes. As the Supreme Court rul- ing in 2015 allowing gay marriage came down, many long-time activists breathed a sigh of relief. The fight was over. “We shouldn’t have said that,” Wood said. “We were just inviting it, and now look. We have plenty to fight for.” And that fight is what gives Rugburn importance. “I think she creates a presence, whether people like it or not,” Wood said. “Right now, we live in a time where presence is especially important. In that last year, people have come out of the woodwork with ‘hate’ tattooed across their forehead. The worst thing a queer community could do is to take a step back.” This is not to say Wood believes Rugburn gives any semblance of what it’s really like being gay in Florence. He saves those moments for his own personal show “Jason Wood Untucked,” where he ditches the costume and talks about his own life. That, he believes, is a true representation of LGBTQ people in Florence. “I’m not trying to save the world by performing as Fanny Rugburn, but if anyone thinks that Florence is this community free of anything uncomfortable, you’re wrong. Queer people are everywhere, and it’s important that everybody understands that,” Wood said. Regarding Rugburn’s children shows, Wood said, “I hate to use the word ‘normal,’ because I’m anything but. But If you normalize queerness from the get go, later on in life, you’re less likely to bash one of us.” But doing the youth shows, and all of Rugburn’s shows, isn’t really about LGBTQ acceptance for Wood. It is about acceptance as a whole. He pointed out a picture he took after one of the youth performanc- es. A young girl, no more than 8, is giving Rugburn a warm embrace. “That’s what I get,” Wood said. “Maybe Fanny can help other peo- ple understand, not just drag queens, but if you’re different, you don’t have to be afraid of it. Different isn’t scary, it isn’t wrong. It’s just different. I think that’s the most important thing Fanny Rugburn is providing.” We’re all different, Wood believes. And if that young girl can accept the differences of others, then perhaps she can accept her own differences, too. See LGBTQ 11A 541-997-2422 COAST A W EEKLY L ISTING OF C OMMUNITY E VENTS IN THE F LORENCE A REA S UBMIT ALL E VENTS I NFORMATION VIA E MAIL TO P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM Oct. 14 10th anniversary Dive for a Cure Sponsored by Eugene Skin Divers Supply 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Honeyman Memorial State Park diveforacure.org/register.html DEMarts 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library Oktoberfest 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets required Florence Events Center Wiener Dog Races 3 p.m. Registration required Florence Events Center 541-999-6077 2nd Saturday Gallery Tour 3 to 5 p.m. Various locations in Florence 2ndSaturdayGalleryTour.com Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tickets required City Lights Cinemas www.wanderingreel.org Oct. 17 Us TOO Florence Prostate Cancer Support Group Noon to 1:00 p.m. Open to public Ichiban Restaurant 541-999-4239 Siuslaw Diabetes/Pre-diabetes Support Group 2 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library 541-902-6059 Rhody Society Meeting 6:30 p.m. Open to public Presbyterian Church of The Siuslaw 541-997-3082, www.siuslawars.org Oct. 18 Oct. 15 Siuslaw Public Library District Melody Ann Beaudro P RINCIPAL B ROKER RAIN’s Open Mentoring Hours for Entrepreneurs 5:30 p.m. Open to public LCC Florence Room 158 www.meetup.com/Startup-Florence- Oregon-Coast/ Oct. 19 Good Life 2017 Boomer & Senior Expo 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open to public Florence Events Center PeaceHealth Volunteers Meeting 11:30 a.m. Lunch is $5 for volunteers and $10 for guests Florence Events Center RSVP at 541-902-9780 Florence Senior Center Business After Hours 5 to 7 p.m. DONATE NOW! We buy, sell and consign quality estate/heirloom jewelry & furniture. Gold, silver, platinum jewelry with precious & semi precious stones. 1749 Hwy. 101 Cell: 541-991-2151 CUSTOM ENGRAVING & CUTTING Siuslaw News DACA Forum 7 p.m. Open to public City Lights Cinemas thesiuslawnews.com Oct. 20 PNW Hula Fridays on the Central Oregon Coast 2 to 3 p.m. Registration required 3149 Oak St. www.facebook.com/PNWHula/ Yachats Ladies Club Scholarship Fund Dinner 5 to 7 p.m. $15 for homemade pork loin dinner Yachats Ladies Club 286 W. Third St. in Yachats Boys & Girls Club Senior-Senior Homecoming Gala 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets required Three Rivers Casino Resort 541-902-0304 ESTATE JEWELRY AND ANTIQUE FURNITURE!!! Maximize your donation by donating to Cars for a Cause by Dec. 31st. We accept cars, trucks, RVs, boats & motorcycles CALL NOW! Licensed in the state of Oregon Melody@trhunter.com www.trhunter.com Open to public Florence Senior Center Board of Directors Meeting 1 p.m. Open to public Siuslaw Public Library Call 541-997-8104, Florence Antiques St. Vincent de Paul 2315 Hwy. 101 • Florence • 541-997-8460 CCB# 55030 541-997-5691 541-361-9080 jmirvis@charter.net Florence, Oregon Glass For Every Purpose 1780 Kingwood St. 541-997-8526 Oct. 21 Yard Debris Disposal Day 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Disposal fee required Kingwood and 27th streets 2nd annual Bras for a Cause Soroptimist International of Florence 6 p.m. Tickets required; bra sponsors avail- able Florence Events Center “Greater Tuna” 7 p.m. Tickets required Class Act Theatre catproductions.org Oct. 22 “Greater Tuna” 2 p.m. Tickets required Class Act Theatre, catproductions.org County Transfer & Recycling Auto, Home, Life, Business Flood, Antique Auto, RV’s Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare Supplements Health Insurance Phone (541) 997-9497 1234 Rhododendron Dr / Florence FLORENCE Awards • Plaques • Name Badges Gifts • Signage • Glassware “Greater Tuna” 7 p.m. Tickets required Class Act Theatre catproductions.org Great prices on all top national brands! 685-A Hwy 101, Florence, OR. 541-997-3273 Commerical • Residential Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, One Time Pick-Up. Easy curb side recycling program- No additional costs to our customers. 5078 Coastwood Lane Call us at 541-997-8233 Village Grooming 4981 Highway 101, across Munsel Lake Rd 541-305-5411 Call for appointment
