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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2018)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2018 | 3A G ENERAL N EWS Community turns out in strong show of ‘Goodwill’ By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Hundreds of customers lined up Thursday morning for the opening of Goodwill Industries new retail location at 1310 High- way 101. Members of the leadership team of Goodwill of Lane and South Coast Counties joined Florence City officials, staff and more than 200 from the com- munity who turned out for the highly anticipated opening of the relocated Goodwill store. Goodwill’s stated mission is to enhance the dignity and quality of life for individuals and com- munities by strengthening com- munities, eliminating barriers to opportunities and by helping people in-need to reach their full potential through learning and the power of work. The completely refurbished Goodwill building, previously owned by Rite-Aid, had been empty for the past several years and was highlighted by the City Council as one of the strategical- ly important spaces in the city to have occupied and operating. Mayor Joe Henry was the host of the opening ceremony and said he believes the event is a major step forward in the city’s growth. “The Rite-Aid building is one of six catalyst sites identi- fied early on in our city coun- cil workplan when we became a ‘City in Motion.’ We have fo- cused much time and resources on these sites, but more to those in Old Town than to the Rite- Aid site,” Henry said, “... other than the outstanding support given to the Goodwill people by our City staff, I cannot say that we worked hard enough on the Rite-Aid building. Fortunately, the Goodwill organization rode in and saved the day with a truly amazing success.” The excitement for the new Goodwill store was apparent on the faces and in the full carts of the public that attended the opening. It was also echoed by President and CEO of Goodwill Industries for Lane and South Coast Counties, Jim Martin, who was extremely pleased by the turnout for the opening and the enthusiasm of the commu- nity. “The turnout for today’s rib- bon cutting was incredible and we greatly appreciate the support we have received from Mayor Henry, City Council President Greene and Councilors Preisler, Lacer and Woodbury, Chamber of Commerce President Bobby Jensen and Executive Director Bettina Hannigan, and the staff with the Florence Planning De- partment,” said Martin. “It’s been a privilege to work with the City Need A Haircut? Stop by and meet MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS More than 200 community members, along with local and county dignitaries, waited out- side of the new Goodwill location Thursday morning for the center's grand opening. on this project and turn what was once a vacant structure on Highway 101 into a beautiful lo- cation for our donors, shoppers and the Florence community” The refurbished building has been completely updated and not only has a large, well-stocked retail area but an adjunctal of- fice that brings an important additional element to the store: a Job Connections service for area residents. “An important part of the new Goodwill facility is its em- ployment center, which will have a dedicated staff to pro- vide employment counseling to many underserved people in our community,” Mayor Henry said. “Not only will they hire and train 25 to 30 employees in their store, they will help them to learn the skills necessary to transition to other employment in the community. In their dis- cussion they will touch on the issues of affordable housing and hopefully find partners that can help to fill that need.” Libby Schafermeyer, spokes- person for Goodwill of Lane and South Coast Counties, thinks the Job Center is one of the most important ways that Goodwill can help to fulfill its mission of service to the community. “Our Job Connections ser- vices, located inside the Retail Store and Donation Center, will provide individuals in Florence with access to one-on-one per- sonalized service designed to address individual employment needs during the job search, effective resume and interview skills coaching, and referrals to local employers based on em- ployment goals, experience and skills,” Schafermeyer said. “We also provide assistance with the application and interview pro- cess, follow-up on job search progress, and access to com- puters, email, fax machines and telephones.” The hundreds of individuals that were there for the opening of the store were followed by many hundreds more during the store’s first day of business, sell- ing tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise, much of which is donated by the members of the communities they serve. Goodwill CEO Jim Martin summed up the experience of the day’s opening with a smile, “The Florence community once again demonstrated their incredible support for Goodwill. We are extremely grateful for the donations we receive and the opportunity to turn those dona- tions into employment and job training opportunities.” PAC introduces two new ‘Art Exposed’ artists One of the joys of public art is the opportunity for the public to be introduced to new artists as well as new work from well- known artists. With the “Art Exposed” Out- door Gallery program, public spaces are being made available on a rotating basis for artists to share their vision and display their extraordinary work in Florence. Two of the newly selected artists for this program recently installed their work along Bay Street in Old Town. Dwight Montgomery Dwight has over 40 years experience in cutting hair Hours: Mon - Sat 8-4 Lisa’s Kingwood Barbershop 1660 Kingwood • 541-902-9074 HIT THAT LIKE BUTTON! F ACEBOOK . COM /S IUSLAW N EWS “Copper Leaf Tree” by Pancho Clark Clark’s work “Copper Leaf Tree,” made of steel and copper, was installed in Old Town Park and is a perfect fit for that loca- tion with its bright shiny copper leaves glistening alongside the other vegetation in the park. “The copper leaf tree was inspired when I was commis- sioned to build a tree with glass leaves,” Clark said. “The instal- lation at the Kadison Mansion in Hollywood California was a huge success and admired by all. When I was asked to submit a sculpture designed to be in- stalled on Bay Street, I thought the tree with copper leaves would be appropriate for our area. ” The roots, trunk and branch- es of the tree are hand-forged in Steel. The leaves are hand- forged in copper and the leaf pattern is ground on the surface to reflect light. The wire used to attach the leaves is made of stainless steel beryllium. Clark is a local artist and is best known for his metal sculp- ture and musical instruments, but he also works in wood and stone. He grew up on the West Coast of California and, at age 18, traveled to Europe and studied the arts in Spain. Returning to New York several years later, he became a master welder in the shipbuilding industry. From there he became diverse in the broad field of metal, from jew- elry and silver-smithing with the Native American Indians in New Mexico, to kinetic and years, Reimer has applied his large sculpture and architectural knowledge of working metal to design and application. the art of transforming railroad track into contemporary sculp- “Transformation” ture. by Paul Reimer He is one of the very few art- “Transformation,” made of ists in North America with the recycled railroad track, was in- expertise to create art using this stalled at the Eastern end of the highly specialized and technical Interpretive Center, next to the process. Waterfront Depot Restaurant. It These two works, along with is fitting that this work is placed the others in the “Art Exposed” next to a building that was a for- program, are for sale and will be mer railroad depot. displayed for two years, unless “This artwork represents the sold, in which case they will be transition from an industri- replaced with another work by alized economy to a ‘greener’ the same artist (if possible). economy where we take care of If the artist isn’t able to replace our environment in order that it the location with a new work, may sustain us for generations another piece will be installed to come,” said Reimer. after a “Call to Artists” is imple- Reimer lives and works in mented. The City of Florence Cranbrook, British Columbia, Public Art Committee (PAC) Canada. He began his career will contuinue to offer fresh art- as an artist-blacksmith at age work to the public through this 15 and, over the past 29 years, program. has worked on numerous large- To learn more about Public scale residential commercial Art or how to get involved, visit and public art projects. the City of Florence PAC web- Reimer’s sculptures are col- site: ci.florence.or.us/bc-pac. lected by art enthusiasts in many Pick up a copy of the Florence countries around the world. He Art Passport for a self-guided takes inspiration from a vari- tour of this project and others at ety of sources: architecture and the Siuslaw News office or at a design, culture, history, rela- participating location. tionships and nature. 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