8 A
District
from 1A
were focused on a new job
description for the position
previously held by recently
retired Administrative Chief
Julie Brown and the district’s
end of year financial situation.
Director Larry Farnsworth
questioned one aspect of the
financial report in particular,
the significantly over-budget
charges for overtime for
Western Lane’s full-time
employees.
WLAD Operations Chief
Matt House responded by
pointing out that there are
seasonally relevant reasons
for the apparent increase in
labor costs, such as vacation
coverage.
He also suggested that
these overages would more
than likely be reconciled
when the end of year figures
were factored into the dis-
trict’s final fiscal equation.
Farnsworth was also con-
cerned with the information
provided to the board. He
indicated areas that should
perhaps be changed or modi-
fied to more accurately
reflect the district’s financial
situation.
House and Langborg were
receptive to his suggestions,
and said they would examine
the information shared and
the way it was presented.
Farnsworth also declared a
conflict of interest for the
record, before the required
vote to approve the month-
ly expenditures, as he owns
a business that is renting
storage space to WLAD.
Later in the meeting,
House reported on the num-
ber of calls WLAD
responded to during the
month and the nature of
those calls.
He also commented on
the new software the dis-
trict is using and the train-
ing status of WLAD’s new
Mobile
Integrated
Healthcare employee.
These comments were all
positive in nature.
Director Dick Childs
then asked about changing
or adding to the informa-
tion included in the
Ambulance Report that
runs weekly in the Siuslaw
News. He suggested that
WLAD provide more in-
depth information to the
public about the nature and
location of calls.
This request was taken
under
advisement,
as
House
and
Langborg
agreed to look into the pos-
sibility of modifying the
information shared with the
community.
The
directors
than
approved expenditures for
the month and scheduled
the next board meeting for
noon on Jan. 18.
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017
Nicotine
One of the most common
uses for the device is to help
wean long-time smokers from
actual cigarettes. A recent
study published in BMJ that
surveyed 160,000 people over
a 15-year period found that
smokers who vaped were
more likely to quit.
The health benefits of the
devices are still being debat-
ed. When the FDA took over
regulation of the devices in
2016, they regulated the age
of those who were allowed to
purchase the product. But
they held off on making offi-
cial rulings on the health
effects of the devices until
further research could be
completed.
A recent study published in
the Annals of Internal
Medicine found that e-ciga-
rettes are associated with
“substantially reduced levels
of measured carcinogens and
toxins relative to smoking
only combustible cigarettes.”
This is not to say that the
devices are completely safe.
Along with causing lung irri-
tation, many of the producers
of the juices used to create the
vapors are not transparent in
what chemicals they are actu-
ally putting into their prod-
ucts, as reported by The
Atlantic last month.
Still, in a July statement,
the FDA stated that it was
delaying regulations on e-cig-
arettes, a possible sign that it
may endorse the device as a
means to get smokers to quit.
The CDC states that “E-
cigarettes have the potential
to benefit adult smokers who
are not pregnant if used as a
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“The total project cost of
$2,992,900 can be supported
by our current resources with
a 20-year debt service of
$216,000 annually,” Messmer
said. She added this would be
financially feasible in the
city’s long-range financial
plan.
During the meeting, the city
council heard reports from
Messmer,
City
Finance
Director Andy Parks and
architect Joe Slack with HGE
Inc.
The presentations included
project alternatives and cost
savings options.
City
Manager
Erin
Reynolds said, “There are a
few different ways to slice
this tonight.”
Councilors had to choose to
approve the project and, from
there, which level of invest-
ment beyond the base level of
construction.
Councilor Ron Preisler
said, “I was looking at project
costs that went up from $1.9
complete substitute for regu-
lar cigarettes and other
smoked tobacco products.”
Quitting smoking is one of
the main reasons that
Michelle Overton, owner of
the Glass Stash, decided to
sell the devices.
“To be honest, both my
husband and I lost both of our
parents to cancer,” she said.
“And so that’s why I’m so
much against the cigarette
smoking. You stink, and it’s
just not that attractive. And it
really put both our parents in
the grave.”
When Lane County enacted
the age restriction earlier this
year, Overton did see a finan-
cial downturn.
“I would say, as far as our
customer base is concerned,
I’ve had to turn away maybe
25 percent,” she said. “At
first, it was drastic, but I’m
making changes in the store
to be able to make up for that
loss.”
Overton was unable to give
exact numbers regarding the
losses, but pointed out that
the store has also been going
through merchandise and
management changes, which
may have contributed to the
lower sales.
One of the major com-
plaints she sees is from
younger military personnel
arriving home after tours of
duty.
The smoking rates in the
military are above average,
compared to the civilian pop-
ulation. In 2011, 24 percent of
active duty personnel were
smokers, compared with 19
percent of civilians, accord-
ing to a Department of
Defense report.
“I had someone in here yes-
terday who just got back from
the military,” Overton said.
“He’s 19 years old. He was
upset because he can go fight
for his country, but he can’t
buy tobacco. That just doesn’t
seem fair to me.”
While the large majority of
Overton’s e-cigarette cus-
tomers who are using the
device to quit tobacco are
over 50, she does see under-
age vapers attempting to
come into the store.
“People have been waiting
to be able to come into the
store,” she said. “At 15 years
old, they want to come into
the cool store. And we have to
kick them out, saying, ‘No,
not until you’re 18.’ They say,
‘I’ve been waiting for three
years, and now you’re telling
me I have to wait until I’m
21?’ I get that most often,
probably more than any-
thing.”
One of the major arguments
against the e-cigarettes are
that they can be attractive to
teenagers. Unlike traditional
tobacco products, many of the
inhalants are flavored, with
titles like “Berry Cobbler”
and “Gummy Bear.”
There are conflicting stud-
ies as to whether or not e-cig-
arettes act as a gateway to
tobacco use.
A 2017 study published in
Pediatrics found that, even
with the introduction of e-cig-
arettes, teen smoking is still
decreasing rapidly, finding
“e-cigarette-only users would
be unlikely to have initiated
tobacco product use with cig-
arettes.”
But the CDC reports that
30.7 percent of teen e-ciga-
rette users end up using
tobacco products.
However, the CDC also
reported that teen use of e-
cigarettes has gone down in
the past year. In 2017, 11.3
percent of high school stu-
dents used e-cigarettes, down
from 16 percent in 2015.
Another issue with e-ciga-
rettes is the possibility of
nicotine overdose. A recent
device, called JUUL, is
becoming more popular with
teen smokers because it can
be hidden in the palm of a
hand and produces less
vapors, according a report by
NPR. A single pod of JUUL
juice holds the same amount
of nicotine as one pack of cig-
arettes. Because of this, users
can inhale more without real-
izing how much nicotine
they’re taking in, thus creat-
ing a greater chance of over-
dose.
“They’re too potent,”
Overton said.
While she has received
many requests for the prod-
uct, she does not carry it in
her store.
While the debate on how to
completely illuminate teen
smoking will continue for
some time, the best way to
permanently curb teen smok-
ing is by being an example.
The 2017 Pediatrics study
concluded that living with a
smoker or having friends who
smoke were the most likely
causes of someone taking up
tobacco.
“Kids start smoking what-
ever is available to them,”
Overton said. “If they have a
family member that smokes
cigarettes, and it’s easy for
them to steal cigarettes and
start smoking, or if their
friends have it, that’s proba-
bly an easier option too.”
to $2.8 million. That’s a very
significant increase. … I don’t
want to be a ‘penny wise and
a dollar foolish,’ as the saying
goes. We’re talking about a lot
of money in cost increases.”
Councilor Joshua Greene,
who attended the meeting via
telephone link, responded,
saying, “I do think that was a
substantial increase in con-
struction cost, but that was an
economic change, and we
don’t have control of that.”
Reynolds said construction
costs continue to go up, and
that putting off one aspect of
the project, such as the base-
ment remodel, could cost the
city much more in the future.
“We are seeing this as true,
and in architectural evalua-
tions done for the school dis-
trict most recently — they are
seeing construction costs
escalate like they haven’t seen
in the past,” she said.
Reasonable increases in
construction costs would be 3
percent a year, Reynolds said,
but in the recent year, those
costs have jumped 20 percent.
Port
of
Siuslaw
Commissioner Nancy Rickard
regularly attends Florence
City Council meetings. She
talked about the Siuslaw
School District’s planning
process for necessary mainte-
nance and improvements for
the school building.
“It’s costing us so much
more, just from not getting the
bond. And the need there is
huge,” she said. “I hate to see
a delay in the things that we
need, because it’s going to
cost more and more. If there is
any way at all to find the dol-
lars, for both projects, the city
and the school, then I think we
need to do it.”
This was supported during
the public comments, when
contractor Dan Lofy, with
Lofy Construction, advised
going with a metal roof, as the
longevity of the roofing
would clear the possible sav-
ings of switching to compos-
ite shingles.
Mayor Joe Henry said, “I
guess we just need to decide.
Are we going to nickel-and-
dime this to death, or do we
want to do it now and avoid
that additional cost in the
future? That’s a council deci-
sion.”
Councilor Susy Lacer said,
“I’m looking at our goals up
there, and right below City of
Florence, it says, ‘Oregon’s
Premier Coastal Community.’
So yes, this project is coming
in over what the budget esti-
mates were when it was origi-
nally looked at two years ago.
Yes, everyone knows con-
struction costs are increasing.
Yes, it’s a lot of money. Yes,
we the council are charged
with being fiscally responsi-
ble with our taxpayers’
money. I’m in favor of doing
the project as recommended,
because we are trying to be,
and our adopted goal is, to be
a premier coastal community.
We have a huge ReVision
Project coming up. This
remodel of City Hall is part of
that to set a good example for
the development of our fair
city. I think it would be most
cost effective to just do it
now.”
The city council discussed
the design alternatives before
ultimately going with the
design as presented.
“My personal opinion
would be to move forward
with it, and we will have a
beautiful City Hall we can all
be very proud of,” Lacer said.
The council voted 4 to 1 to
approve the $2.9 million, with
Preisler opposed.
“At the end of the day, it
just makes sense to do it
now,” Henry said.
Messmer
submitted
a
release affirming that the
remodel will tie into the
ReVision Florence project and
to set an example for redevel-
opment in the area.
For more information, visit
ci.florence.or.us/citymanag-
er/city-hall-remodel-expan-
sion.
Henry ended the meeting
by saying, “This is the time of
year for reflection and to say
thanks for all the things in our
personal lives, especially the
way city council and staff
work together. As a team, we
have all these things in motion
that will make us the premier
Oregon coastal community —
if we’re not already. We’ve
gotten a lot of recognition in
the last couple of years, and I
think we have to be thankful
for that.”
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