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SATURDAY EDITION
De a r
S a n t a . . .
LADY VIKS
BLOCK BRAVES
SPORTS — B
SPECIAL SECTION — C
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 102
C ITY
OF
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
F LORENCE
Downtown
Revitalization Team
draws focus of Small
Business Revolution
business series
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
F
lorence’s Downtown Revital-
ization Team (DRT) announced
this month that the city is in the run-
ning to be featured in a web-based
TV series that focuses on small busi-
State police
arrest man
after 6-hour
standoff
❘ DECEMBER 23, 2017 ❘ $1.00
COULD BE FEATURED ON
nesses and a thriving main street.
“Small Business Revolution — Main
Street” may choose Florence after a
site visit on Jan. 3 with representa-
tives from the DRT, City of Florence
and area businesses.
DRT
Chairwoman
Ellen
Huntingdon has led the initiative
from initial query to this month’s
announcement that Florence has been
selected for a site visit from Small
Business Revolution’s production
team.
“I thought, ‘Oh, heck. We’ll give it
a try.’ I filled out the online applica-
tion, and I think Florence spoke for
itself. They got more interested, and
now we’re in the top 10,” she said.
Huntingdon is the marketing coor-
dinator at Oregon Pacific Bank
(OPB). She has worked there since
returning to Florence after attending
college abroad in Tokyo.
“I do marketing for OPB, so I get
to do sponsorship and charitable giv-
ing,” she said. “Over the years, I
learned a little more about the com-
munity and the organizations in it,
and got to know people. Through
that, I was contacted about DRT.”
OPB encourages staff members to
get involved in community groups
and volunteering, so when former
DRT Chairman David Wiegan invit-
FLORENCE, OREGON
‘M AIN S TREET ’ TV
ed her to join the group, Huntingdon
agreed.
“Everything just sort of snow-
balled off itself, and I’ve become
slightly more involved,” she said.
“The more you learn about this town,
the more you want to be involved.”
DRT works within the same area
as the Florence Urban Renewal
District, which surrounds Historic
Old Town. The district boundaries
are the Siuslaw River to the east and
south, Kingwood Street to the west
and Ninth Street and Highway 126 to
the north, with some areas extending
slightly beyond. Some of its current
projects include the holiday banners
W a rm h ol i d ay w i s he s
and seasonal flower baskets in the
Florence Antiques District on
Highway 101.
Its slogan is, “Our purpose is to
coordinate and promote marketing,
visual improvements and business
development for Historic Florence.”
About a year ago, DRT also began
working with a group that helps revi-
talize downtown areas, the Oregon
Main Street Program. This is a coor-
dinating program with Main Street
America, which works with commu-
nities to develop comprehensive,
incremental revitalization strategies
See
MAIN STREET 7A
Port moves
forward on
longstanding
issues
Scott Williams, 54,
charged for weapon
offenses
Commissioners approve
FEMA project, finalize
manager job description
Florence area resident Scott Williams,
54, was taken into custody early
Thursday morning by Oregon State
Police (OSP), after
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
a six-hour armed
Siuslaw News
standoff at the
Rhododendron
Trailer Park on Highway 101. Williams
was charged with multiple weapons-relat-
ed offenses, including pointing firearm at
another, menacing, disorderly conduct
and unlawful use of a weapon.
Backup for OSP was provided by
Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw
Indians Police Department.
A statement released by OSP detailed
the standoff and the measures taken by
officers responding to the call.
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
See
A tip from a local resident led to Lane
County Animal Services citing Mapleton
resident Heather Dollman on six counts
of animal neglect
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Wednesday, Dec.
Siuslaw News
21.
Two horses were
removed from the property occupied by
Dollman by Lane County Animal Welfare
Officer Bernard Perkins and an assistant.
Lane County Public Information
Officer Devon Ashbridge confirmed that
Dollman was present to receive the neg-
lect citation and that Oregon State Police
were called to the location to assist in the
removal of the animals.
Dollman was cited on two counts each
for lack of food in sufficient quantity and
quality; lack of necessary veterinary care;
and unsuitable confinement.
“Thankfully, we received a call about
the condition of the animals,” said
Perkins. “We know that the care and
health of animals is very important to our
residents — it’s important to Lane
County too — and we appreciate their
help identifying possible problem situa-
tions.”
INSIDE
PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN
AND CHANTELLE MEYER/
SIUSLAW NEWS
ARREST 6A
OCHS employee
cited for animal
neglect
See
Siuslaw News
NEGLECT 7A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3
Letters to Santa . . . . . . . . . . . C
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
eople in the Siuslaw region
stepped forward this holiday
season to provide food,
toys, clothing and blankets for their
community members. From the Salvation Army
exceeding its fundraising goal of $25,000 to
dozens of blankets donated to Siuslaw Outreach
Services, people lent a helping hand to their
neighbors. North of Florence, Twin Lake Store
sponsored 29 teens with a Giving Tree. Hundreds
of gifts donated by the community filled Siuslaw
Valley Fire and Rescue Station No. 4 Thursday.
Around town, many homes and businesses dec-
orated with colorful lights, and the Port of
Siuslaw sponsored its second annual Holiday
Light Contest.
P
M e r r y C hr is t m a s f r o m al l of u s a t S iu s l a w N e w s
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Side Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
THIS WEEK ’ S
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
62 48
54 46
52 43
50 38
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
There was a flurry of progress at the
Port of Siuslaw on Wednesday as the
council made decisions regarding the
Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) erosion project, posted
the open port manager job position and
looked into several other key projects.
One of the first issues the commission
tackled was the FEMA erosion project
after final plans were submitted to repair
the damage at the east end of the camp-
ground. The erosion was caused in part
by the heavy winter of 2015-16. The
affected portion of the campground has
been closed since April 2016.
The project has been mired in contro-
versy and delays since its initial proposal,
including longstanding debates on what
caused the erosion, how the erosion
should be fixed and how much the repairs
would cost. The project was also continu-
ally postponed by a myriad of bureaucrat-
ic hurdles from federal and state agencies.
But on Wednesday, the final designs
for the project were finally approved,
with a start date planned for March or
April 2018.
However, even this decision was met
with some controversy. Marine Engineer
Jack Aiken, who has worked on the proj-
ect since the beginning, had submitted
the final proposal as a scaled down ver-
sion, with a reduction of rock and fill
used to fix the erosion.
The original plans called for a 2:1
slope to a 1.5:1 slope. While the new,
steeper angle would save money on the
project, it could potentially prohibit indi-
viduals from walking on the slope.
The commissioners were confused as
to why Aiken had made the change.
“We’ve been led to read the Bible say-
ing our shore land is going to wash away
using a 2:1 slope, but now we’re build-
ing a 1.5:1 slope,” Commissioner Terry
Duman said. “This is the same as a con-
tractor saying we’ll build 12-foot ceil-
ings, but then building 8-foot ceilings,
saying, ‘We’ll save you money, now.’”
The commission didn’t disagree with
the change per se, and they found the
cost benefits to be substantial. But they
questioned why Aiken made the change
now, and not earlier.
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