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127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 100
Siuslaw School
Board considers
upgrade options
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Be the ‘change’
Siuslaw Elementary raises nearly $3,000 for Florence Food Share with Penny Drive
Replacement of the
high school is just one of the
needed improvements
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
Siuslaw School District Board of Directors
(SSD) met for its monthly meeting on Dec. 13.
Directors first took care of the normal work of
district oversight, accepting reports and approving
changes to language dealing with dress codes and
drug testing.
After the district’s housekeeping items were
addressed, directors turned their attention to the
ongoing assessment of district facilities and the
process involved in determining what improve-
ments or replacements the board will decide to ask
the public to support.
The main presentation of the evening was given
by Curt Wilson, the district’s project coordinator for
Pivot Architecture in Eugene.
Wilson’s presentation was comprehensive and
detailed the cost estimates requested by the board
for different levels of upgrades to the district’s
school buildings.
SSD has held a number of work sessions in
recent weeks, at which Pivot design team members
and SSD staff incorporated the specific needs of the
district into the final recommendations and options
presented at this meeting.
The numbers involved take into account many
factors that will influence the final cost of repair or
replacement.
As they stand, the estimated totals range from
$65 to $131 million dollars to complete.
SSD Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak wants
the public to know the current state of disrepair of
the district’s buildings and the real world costs that
will be associated with completing necessary
improvements.
“Right now, we are still at the ‘facilities assess-
ment’ stage of the process,” he said. “There is a bal-
ance between being able to handle the upcoming
enrollment increases, ensuring that all programs
have a home at the high school and that classrooms
are designed for the modern learning environment.”
See
UPGRADES 7A
PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
COURTESY PHOTO
(Clockwise from left) Siuslaw Elementary School students raise nearly $3,000 for Florence Food Share during a new competition
among grade levels. Siuslaw fifth-graders hear that they won a “bonus” class party for their donations. Florence Food Share
Director Norma Barton tells students how far the money they raised will go — in terms of how many pizzas food share can buy.
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
tudents and staff at Siuslaw
Elementary School have
decided to help families in
the area that avail themselves of
services offered at Florence Food
Share, not only by collecting food,
but also by collecting pennies.
Principal Mike Harklerode,
explained the shift in thinking.
“It’s been a long tradition for the
elementary school kids to partici-
pate in a canned food drive for
Florence Food Share each year.
This year, we heard from the food
share that, while food items are
always appreciated, their ability to
stretch a dollar takes cash dona-
S
tions further to meet the needs of
our community,” he said. “We’ve
always had an impressive turn-out
of food and it presented a nice
visual for the kids to see. We were
afraid that changing to a coin drive
fundraiser would not have as much
positive energy.”
Harklerode’s concerns were laid
to rest when the new format for
collection began.
“Staff member Ella Glowacki
did some looking around and
found an interesting model for us
to copy. Pennies and bills were
each worth points. All silver
change was worth negative
points,” Harklerode said. “In our
grade vs. grade competition, kids
could add pennies and bills to their
own bucket. All other coins were a
face value deduction of points.
Those would go into competing
grade levels’ buckets.”
Glowacki said she was very
pleased with the results achieved
by the change and thought the stu-
dents enjoyed the different
approach to fundraising.
“We held a school-wide compe-
tition where grades competed
against each other for a movie and
popcorn party. Our competition
ran for nearly three weeks,”
Glowacki said. “Our students have
huge hearts and not only brought
pockets full of pennies, but also
coins and dollars they received
from the tooth fairy and birthday
gifts.”
Totals raised in both pennies
and food were impressive from
Glowacki’s perspective, signaling
a new element of effort for
Florence Food Share.
Glowacki said, “All in all,
Siuslaw Elementary School raised
$2,963.03, allowing food share to
access and distribute 103,705
pounds of food. Amazing! Our stu-
dents brought in 59,278 pennies,
plus countless silver dollars, coins
and dollar bills.”
In an assembly on Friday,
Harklerode announced that the
third grade won first place, and
that the grade’s totals balanced out
to $45.62. The bonus winner was
the fifth grade, with the highest
dollar value at $710.37.
Dunes City swears in new councilor ‘Net’ gain from FCC decision unclear
Council meeting also covers water issues, law enforcement
you. I want to keep it a
nice, friendly place that
people are happy to live
in, and that there’s no
Susan Snow was
contention between resi-
sworn in as a Dunes City
dents or the cities
councilor during Wed-
around us.”
nesday’s city council
As far as issues facing
public meeting, filling a
Dunes City, Snow stated
vacancy that had been
that she has listened to
created with the passing
the concerns of the resi-
of
former
mayor
dents, but would like to
Rebecca Ruede. In
“do my homework
August,
Councilor
before I can comment on
Robert Forsythe was
anything.”
appointed to the role of
Snow listed the out-
mayor, leaving an unoc-
door activities that
cupied seat on the coun-
Dunes City provides as
cil.
JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
one of the key positives
“I like to be involved
with the city where I Susan Snow (front) takes the oath of to the city.
office as a new Dunes City councilor
“There are so many
live,” Snow said.
things in Dunes City.
She is not new to pub- on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
lic service, having served on ther and two brothers living in You can occupy yourself with
the sand dunes and go sand-
the board of directors of a the area.
She and her husband, who boarding. There’s fishing,
homeowners association in
her
previous
home, both worked for the Pentagon boating — you can do what-
Alexandria, Va. She also vol- previously, moved to Dunes ever you want and it’s all
unteered with the Annandale City in 2016. They were not within a few minutes,” she
Christian
Coalition
for new to the area, however, as said.
For her own enjoyment,
Action, which helps provide they bought one home within
early childhood care, educa- city limits in 2008, and anoth- Snow likes kayaking in the
area and fishing the Siltcoos
tion, food, rental assistance er in 2011.
“I hope to make this a place River, where she catches
and other services to low-
that people enjoy living in,” salmon and perch.
income families in the area.
Snow has familial roots in Snow said. “The residents are
Dunes City, with her stepfa- friendly and want to talk to
See DUNES CITY 8A
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
INSIDE
Siuslaw News
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
A3
A4
A2
Side Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
This Week on the Coast . . . . A7
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
Thursday’s reversal of net neutrality rules leave local
internet service providers, users uncertain about impacts
The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) repealed its own 2015 ruling on net
neutrality Thursday, scoring a victory for large
cable companies
B Y D AMIEN S HERWOOD
Special to the Siuslaw News and leaving many
skeptical about the
future of a free and
open internet. The vote reflects a hotly debat-
ed claim that previous net neutrality rules
were overbearing and stifling to the market-
place. Supporters of the previous regulatory
system argue that net neutrality is necessary to
protect consumers and small businesses from
corporate manipulation.
Net neutrality is the principle that all data
on the internet should be equally accessible
and that internet regulators, such as govern-
ments or internet service providers (ISPs),
should not be able to prioritize or degrade
access to content.
The loss of these precepts in effect entrusts
the cable and wireless companies to adhere to
net neutrality standards on a voluntary basis.
And while major service providers had
openly voiced their support for a free and
open internet in the lead-up to this vote, not
everyone feels inclined to take them at their
word.
“We’re gonna be screwed by the corporate-
dominated telecom ISP industry,” said Rand
Dawson, a Siltcoos Lake area resident who
relies heavily on internet access in his work.
“I’m concerned about speed, access and cost.
I’m concerned about all three of these func-
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
49 39
52 43
53 44
51 40
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
tions because these large corporate interests
will find a way to manipulate the components
of all three of those to maximize their return.”
Others, like co-owner of OregonFAST.net
George Rogato, have a more optimistic outlook.
“I’m not really worried about it,” he said.
Rogato believes it’s possible to retain an
open internet without all the regulatory bag-
gage of the Title II classification.
“It’s maybe a bumpy experience. There’ll be
something that will happen that will cause a
lawsuit between the content providers and a
carrier,” he said, adding, “It’ll get solved.”
Robbie Wright, CEO of Siuslaw Broadband,
predicts negligible affects, at least for a time.
“It will not have any effect on direct ISP con-
sumers for years,” said Wright. “ISPs are look-
ing to provide the best value with the highest
margins to consumers as possible and will try
and find ways to maximize those two things.”
Debate surrounding the principles of an
“open internet” has its roots in the 1990s, but
it wasn’t until 2008 that the FCC made its
first proactive move to enforce net neutrality,
issuing Comcast a cease-and-desist order for
throttling peer-to-peer networks like
BitTorrent. The order was eventually denied
in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit and the next several years
saw the FCC and internet providers struggling
with how far the commission’s regulatory
authority should extend.
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INTERNET 9A
