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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ JANUARY 13, 2018 ❘ $1.00 SATURDAY EDITION VIKINGS FALL New art on view at TO TIGERS Bridgeport Market SPORTS — B 128TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 4 SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Dunes City opens water rights to Woahink After months of debate, Dunes City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 17 to issue South Coast Water District a permit to use water from B Y J ARED A NDERSON Woahink Lake. Siuslaw News At issue are 85 homes in the city that currently receive water from Siltcoos Lake, though the water quality traditional- ly has been poor. To help alleviate water quality issues, South Coast Water District has been working with the city to have the residents receive water from Woahink Lake as well, which is where the majority of Dunes City residents receive their water. However, some residents have been concerned about the transfer of rights, fearing the extra water usage would put the water levels of Woahink at risk. Dunes City initially planned to vote on the issue last month, but councilors want- ed to hear expert opinions before making a final decision. In Wednesday’s meeting, the council heard testimony from Regional Water Master Susan Douthit, along with South Coast Water District owner Randall Reitz, who currently filters the Siltcoos Lake water for residents. WATER 6A FLORENCE, OREGON W i n t er M u s i c F e s t i va l ‘ l e t s i t g r o w ’ City Council allows Siltcoos residents to receive water from Woahink Lake See INSIDE — A5 PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS C astletown, a band from Portland, started the 16th annual Winter Music Festival at the Florence Events Center on Thursday with the Kids Concert 2018. One of the group’s songs has the chorus, “let it grow,” and Kids Concert organizer Rachel Pearson said that really summed up the event. “It was so positive for the kids,” she said. In total, Siuslaw Elementary sent 600 students, Mapleton Elementary sent nearly 100 students and Highland Elementary in Reedsport sent close to 200. “Thank you to prin- cipals Mike Harklerode, Jodi O'Mara and Beckie Miller, as well as the bus drivers and teachers, for making all this happen,” Pearson said. “It’s a lot of work, but both concerts were just fabulous.” The Winter Music Festival continues through Sunday with the free Florence Regional Arts Alliance Artisan Fair on Friday and Saturday and music all weekend at the events center, 715 Quince St. For more information, visit WinterMusicFestival.org. Humane Society accepts request to hold new elections Department of Justice inquiry into board appointments, elections determines a change is necessary B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News INSIDE The Civil Enforcement Division of the Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) and Oregon Coast Humane Society (OCHS) are in the process of determining how best to conduct a membership election to seat a new board for the organization as quick- ly as possible. Elizabeth M. Grant, Senior Assistant Attorney General at the ODOJ office in Portland, said in phone interviews on Jan. 9 and 10 that talks were ongoing with OCHS legal representation, members of the OCHS Board of Directors and ODOJ staff. A letter sent to OCHS’s legal team from Grant’s office dated Oct. 17, 2017, and obtained by the Siuslaw News, stated that, “It has come to the attention of this office that Oregon Coast Humane Society (OCHS) is experiencing conflict related to its governance, including disputes concerning the voting rights of members. ... “The Department is requesting that OCHS provide certain docu- ments and information to the Department that may be relevant to its governance, membership issues and assets.” On Thursday, Grant said the ongoing talks with the Florence nonprofit were amicable in tone and representatives from OCHS had been cooperative to this point in the inquiry. Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Week on the Coast . . . Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A6 B4 “We asked the OCHS Board, at a meeting in mid-December, to pre- pare a plan for membership elec- tions to elect a new board of direc- tors. We also asked that OCHS get the plan to us by Feb. 15,” Grant said. The ODOJ’s main area of inter- est, as expressed in the six-page ORS 65.311 apply. That provision provides that members have the right to elect directors at the annual membership meeting.” Grant was unable to share the exact nature or contents of the docu- ments provided to the ODOJ by the shelter’s board in response to their request, but was willing to charac- “We believe that many of the issues that are of concern to us could best be addressed with a membership vote .” — Elizabeth M. Grant, Senior Assistant Attorney General Oregon Department of Justice assessment sent to OCHS, has to do with the validity of recent board appointments and the legitimacy of its sitting directors. ODOJ also expressed concern about the confusion and tensions surrounding membership meetings. The department made it clear that it believes the applicable Oregon statutes require membership meet- ings and open membership elec- tions. Grant’s October letter to the OCHS legal team was clear, citing the membership requirements of ORS 65.001(28)(a). “If an organization is incorporat- ed as a membership organization, and the articles and bylaws do not set forth membership voting proce- dures for the election of directors, the statutory default provisions of Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 terize the interaction as “positive.” In addition, while OCHS did not provide all the documents request- ed, it did provide enough of the material to adequately evaluate the situation, Grant said. She then went on to say the department had reviewed the records OCHS had submitted and concluded a membership election was appropriate and necessary to address the department’s concerns. “We believe that many of the issues that are of concern to us could best be addressed with a member- ship vote,” Grant stated. In response to repeated requests for comment, a letter from the OCHS Board of Directors was sent to the Siuslaw News on Friday morning following discussions with the ODOJ earlier that day. THIS WEEK ’ S The letter is addressed to Oregon Coast Humane Society Members and seeks to update the organiza- tion’s membership on the most recent developments in the inquiry by the ODOJ (see page A2). “A group of members brought to the attention of the current board their concerns that members have a right to elect the Board of Directors,” the letter said. “In prac- tice, the Board of Directors was not elected by members for many years. ... The Department of Justice deter- mined that the Oregon Coast Humane Society was established as a membership organization. Therefore, its members have a right to elect the Board of Directors.” The letter continues, detailing the board’s perspective on the efforts to clarify the many unsettled circum- stances surrounding the OCHS board and its sitting directors. Siuslaw News contacted Grant after the receipt of Friday’s letter to the OCHS membership. While she could not comment on the specifics of the conversations between the ODOJ and OCHS, Grant was optimistic about the eventual outcome of the situation. As the OCHS board develops a plan to transition toward an elected board, it will postpone any monthly meetings until a plan is approved by the Department of Justice, with a tentative submission deadline of Feb. 15. See TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 60 45 62 47 54 46 52 44 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 T HE BUSINESS OF M ARILYN Photography restoration business discusses the future of the medium B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News Editor’s note: This is a continuation of the article “Restoring Marilyn,” which can be found online under the Special Series archive at thesiuslawnews.com. With the release of its new book “The Essential Marilyn by Milton H. Greene,” Florence-based The Archives is bringing the art of photographer Milton H. Greene to the masses. The business, which is run by Milton’s son Joshua Greene, has been restoring the famed photographer’s hundreds of thou- sands of photographs for years. With the help of Greene’s employees James Penrod, Shawn Penrod, Rob Welles and Stephen Jones, the photographs have been meticulously restored to their original glory. The business is a cross section of art and commerce, and has created debate among its employees about what consti- tutes art, how it is distributed and dis- played, the film industry, if photography is actually art and what the future of photog- raphy will become. “It’s a tough business,” Greene said. Milton’s photographs of legendary stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood have become iconic images. Marilyn Monroe. Frank Sinatra. Maria Callas. The photo- graphs can be seen throughout establish- ments in Florence like City Lights Cinemas and Waterfront Depot. While photographs have thrilled film devotees for decades, questions about the importance of these pictures pictures are being raised. Are the days of classic icons like Monroe numbered? “Future generations won’t care about pictures of Marilyn Monroe or Frank Sinatra,” Greene said. “That kind of thing is probably going to fade away.” In the old studio system, stars like Monroe were under long-term contracts. Humphrey Bogart was exclusive to Warner Brothers, unless the studio heads loaned him out to other studios. The image of the stars was just as much a commodity to the system as the films they were in. Therefore, the studios were extraordinari- ly careful as to how the stars were por- trayed to the public. But since the late 1960s and early ’70s, as the studio systems began to break down, actors became free agents, and their carefully manicured public portrayals were diminished. The public knows Bruce Willis and Kathleen Turner more for red carpet photographs and stills from their films than studio shoots. Compared to the Golden Age of Hollywood, stars themselves have been marginalized. In the 1930s, people would see a Clark Gable picture solely because it had Clark Gable. For the most part, modern audiences choose films for what they are about, not who is in them. “Wonder Woman” is not popular because it stars Gal Godot and Chris Pine, but because it’s about DC Comics’ Wonder Woman. Because of these reasons, it’s doubtful high art collectors will clamor for pictures of Robert Downey Jr. or Jessica Chastain to grace their walls anytime soon, The Archives believes. While stars like Jennifer Lawrence do have professional studio shoots, they are dwarfed by the extraordinary volume of paparazzi photographs that fill the inter- net. “Everybody has a camera now,” Shawn, office manager for The Archives, said. 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