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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2017)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2017 C AUTION : A S TEMPERATURES DROP , CARBON MONOXIDE DANGERS RISE Invisible and odorless, carbon monoxide poses a dangerous threat to American families, with approximate- ly 400 people killed and 21,000 sent to emergency rooms each year due to unintentional poisonings. Infants and young children, as well as the elderly, are at the greatest risk. PeaceHealth Trauma Services is partnering with Safe Kids West Oregon to educate the community about the dangers of CO and encour- age families to be safe and prepared. “There’s a reason carbon monoxide is called the ‘invisible killer,’ and we want to make sure parents understand the risks,” said Jim Cole, EMS and injury prevention coordinator for PeaceHealth Oregon. “With the winter months approaching, now’s the perfect Dunes City from 1A avionics and instrumentation, among other duties. Snow also has experience in the nonprofit industry, recently working as the part time direc- tor’s assistant for Annandale Christian Community for Action in Virginia. “I reinvented their staff file system, by putting all the staff information in electronic for- matn to ensure information needed for accreditation were easily accessible to inspectors,” Snow wrote in her resume. Her work led to the accredi- tation of the program. Snow could not be reached for comment on her appoint- ment. Earlier, the council had whit- tled down a long list of appli- cants to Snow and local busi- nessman and Port of Siuslaw Commissioners Terry Duman, who Councilor Tom Mallen had supported. However, Mallen recanted his support for Duman in Tuesday’s meeting. “I was voting for Terry Duman,” Mallen said. “However, because of the state- ment (of support) I made at the last meeting, my phone started ringing off the hook. I was told some things I couldn’t believe so I ran it to the ground, researched, verified with public records and, sad to say, I need to pull my vote from Terry Duman to Susan Snow. Terry would be conflicted under cer- tain conditions to discuss cer- tain things for Dunes City.” Mallen expressed his admi- ration of Duman, reiterating that he felt Duman was a good businessman and knows the local culture, but that being on the council “would not be good for Terry, and it definitely would not be good for the city because of possible backlash or lawsuits.” When asked for further com- ment after the meeting, Mallen stated that he would not go into further detail, but that he con- sidered Duman a good person. In other news from the meet- ing, the council decided to postpone a vote on an agree- ment to issue South Coast Water District a permit to use water from Woahink Lake. The council was split on the deci- sion, with councilors Mallen and Duke Well voting “yes” to allow the permit, while coun- cilors Sheldon Meyer, Alan Montgomery and Robert Orr voting to postpone. At issue is 85 homes in the city that currently receive water from Siltcoos Lake. The major- ity of Dunes City residents receive their water from Woahink Lake. “(Siltcoos) is a big mud pud- dle,” said South Coast Water District owner Randall Reitz of Siltcoos. Retiz, who owns the water right to Siltcoos and has been in charge of providing clean water from the lake for the 85 homes, requested a permit from the city to use Woahink water instead. “It’s my responsibility to make sure they have the best quality of water that we can provide them. I’ve owned the system since 2001. It’s always been a struggle getting water out of Siltcoos Lake. The last couple of years have been exceptionally tough with new owners of the lake, liquid levels and algal blooms.” Reitz had secured funding from state agencies to make the change to Woahink Lake, with the city permit being the last step in the process before beginning the changeover. He was not asking for full water rights to Woahink, as South Coast Water District holds to Siltcoos, instead asking for a permit; Dunes City owns, and would continue to own, Woahink’s water rights. However, the project was controversial to some Dunes City residents. In the public comments before the project was discussed by the council, one resident stated, “Woahink is not a bottomless bowl of water. It’s very finite, and in this instance we’re talking about the wholesale removal of large quantities of water from this watershed, never to be replaced.” The citizen stated that prob- lems with Siltcoos water have been known for years, but that taking additional water from the lake was not a viable nor long term solution to the prob- lems. “I ask the council to appoint a committee to gather all the pertinent facts. It’s critical and life changing for everyone who is relying on Woahink as a life- source. I want the public to have a chance to take part in this decision,” the person said. In response to public con- cerns on the project, Reitz said, “We’re just trying to provide your neighbors, people who are living in Siltcoos heights, the same quality of water that oth- ers get out of Woahink. It’s going to be much easier to treat Woahink water. We’re not try- ing to steal anybody’s water. We're not a big corporation try- ing to come in and run a mill. We’re just trying to provide people with good drinking water.” Wells found no reason to postpone the process any fur- ther. time to make sure your alarms are all working so you can sleep peacefully at night.” These are some simple tips and tools to help: • Make sure there's a working CO alarm on every level of your house and near every bedroom. Test them every month to make sure they're working correctly, and replace them according “It’s just Dunes City giving all of its citizens the good water that I get to drink,” he said. “I don’t personally see where the problem is. There’s people who think that Woahink Lake water just belongs to the people that live around the lake. That’s not the case. It belongs to all of the citizens of Dunes City, and all of the citizens of Dunes City should have access to that water.” City Administrator Jamie Mills pointed to the city permit for Woahink lake. “The permit allows for deliv- ery of Dunes City water rights, a city owned asset, to every- body who lives in Dunes City, regardless if they live on Siltcoos Lake,” she said. “Cities are excluded from dis- criminating against its residents by not delivering water, an asset, and not allowing it be used by all of its people. This was contemplated in 1968 as the Dunes City municipal water source.” Mills also pointed out that the residents have been using less Woahink water than the city’s right allows. “According to the engineer- ing that was done, they antici- pated a huge growth rate,” Mills said. “They figured we would have 2,000 residents, and right now we're at 1,325. Their initial engineering at the time of the application clearly showed that the resources at Woahink were clearly capable.” While all councilors seemed supportive of issuing the permit to South Coast Water District, some members felt that more had to be learned about the process and its effects. to the manufacturer's instructions. • If you need to turn on your vehicle to warm it up, make sure to take it out of the garage right away. Even if the door is open, don’t leave it sitting in the garage while the engine’s running. • Check the vents for the dryer, fur- nace, stove and fireplace outside your home to make sure they're clear of any snow or other debris. “I don’t want to prolong this,” Orr said. “Personally I’m feeling like I don’t quite know enough yet.” Meyer tried to find a com- promise to the issue. “Woahink Lake sends water into Siltcoos Lake probably by the hundreds of gallons a day,” Meyer said. “Why can’t you take it after it’s left Woahink Lake? It’s Woahink water that just wouldn’t need to be filtered as much as the water in Siltcoos Lake. You’d be taking Woahink water before it became Siltcoos water. It seems like that would solve some of the problems.” Meyer hoped to take water from the stream connecting Woahink to Siltcoos, therefore bypassing the need to take water directly from Woahink. Reitz countered the solution, saying, “I’ve talked with the Water Resources Department about that outfall. That’s a water right that I don’t believe is available to anyone.” Because of that, water can be taken directly from either lake, but not from the stream con- necting the two. In the end, the majority of councilors felt that there were still unanswered questions and voted to postpone the vote. “I’m not in favor of denying people water, because that’s absolutely essential to life,” Meyer said. “I think I have some questions still that I need to mull over. Often times a decision made in haste is incor- rect. I’m not saying no to this, I’m just saying I would like to take some more time and have some more discussions. Finally, the purchasing of a POW/MIA flag for Dunes City • If the CO alarm sounds, leave the house immediately. Call 911 after you are in a location with fresh air. Remain outside or by an open window until emergency person- nel arrive. For more information visit www. carbonmonoxideinfo.com. Hall was discussed. Oregon recently passed HB 2880, which requires cities to display the POW/MIA flag in front of certain public buildings. The cost of the flag was $100. The council approved the purchase, with city council members donating cash money to the flag, along with Dunes City resident Wes Caudle. Countdown to Armageddon?? Th ere have been many people and even well known preachers that have predicted the date for the end of the world. Many sincere believers are troubled and even frightened, wondering if the end is really near. Others are confused, not knowing what to believe. Are the current events taking place in the world an indication for the end times? Can we truly know when Jesus is coming back? What are we really to believe? Let the Bible answer as we invite you to come as we study this and other related topics such as: -Premillenialism: True or False? -Th e Rapture -Th e Great Tribulation -Are You Afraid of the Antichrist? -What is the Th ousand Year Reign? Th is 13 week class will be held at the Florence church of Christ, 1833 Tamarack Street, beginning Th ursday, December 7 at 6:30 PM. You can contact us at 541-997-3133, or go online to churchofchristfl orence.org for more information. Festival of Trees "Walking Through a Winter Wonderland" Saturday, 10am-4pm - FREE ADMISSION Shop for grab-and-go trees & wreaths! Come see Santa! Sunday, 5pm - Dinner and Auction Tickets available in advance at the museum gift shop. Over 100 festively decorated trees, wreaths and stockings waiting for you! TICKETS FOR DINNER & AUCTION ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THESE LOCATIONS: Military Museum Gift Shop ~ Beach House Gifts ~ Cindy Wobbe Estates
