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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | SATURDAY EDITION | JUNE 23, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS Reedsport event carves up the competition Grant secures hose for fire 3 departments SPORTS — B 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 50 INSIDE — A3 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Port of Siuslaw chooses new commissioners 5-member commission now complete as Craig Brandt, Craig Zolezzi join port By Jared Afdersof Siuslaw News The Port of Siuslaw Commission chose two new commissioners Wednesday night, filling two vacancies that opened earlier this year. Craig Zolezzi, who owns two branches of Zolezzi Insurance Agency in Drain and Sutherland, Ore., and Craig Brandt, a re- tiree who has done a considerable amount of volunteer work with the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP), were chosen. The openings were created when com- missioners David Huntington and Nancy Rickard stepped down from their positions. Huntington was hired as the port’s man- ager, while Rickard vacated her position to focus on her new role as a board member on the Siuslaw School Board District Advi- sory Committee. “It’s a tough position for us to be in,” Commissioner Terry Duman said as he opened the nomination process to a packed house of potential hopefuls and curious audience members. Ten people in total submitted appli- cations for the positions and were then whittled down to five who received public interviews. “We have to make a tough cut,” Duman said. “The 10 applicants were more than what we thought we would ever get, and then we had to pare it down to five. It’s just a tough cut, as we have friends and neigh- bors (among the applicants). It’s going to cause some hurt feelings.” He later added, “I wish we could have a board of eight.” See PORT page 10A Local police, sheriffs serve warrants, arrest 6 Friday On June 22, a pair of search warrant exe- cutions escalated into a full police presence that included officers from Florence Police Department, Lane County Sheriff ’s Office and the Lane County Special Response Team (SRT) at a pair of residences just north of Florence. At about 7:15 a.m., neighbors along Highway 101 near Friendly Acres Road reported hearing what they believed to be gun shots coming from a home at 88359 Highway 101 as Florence police and its partner agencies executed search warrants Story afd photos simultaneously at that residence and a By Ned Hicksof nearby home at 5459 Friendly Acres Road. Siuslaw News The gun shots that residents heard were actually “flash bangs,” which officers used to disorient occupants of the homes after gaining entry, according to City of Florence Public Florence Police Officers and Lane Information Officer Megan Messmer. County Sheriff Deputies worked By 10 a.m., the operation had been completed together to arrest six individuals and six individuals had been arrested for counts after serving search warrants to ranging from illegal drug possession to felon in two residences near Friendly possession of a firearm. See ARRESTS page 6A Acres Road Friday. OCHS holds annual member meeting First public meeting under new leadership shows positive interactions with members By Mark Breffaf Siuslaw News The Oregon Coast Humane Soci- ety (OCHS) held its annual member- ship meeting June 21 at Lane Com- munity College Florence Center. It was the first OCHS board meet- ing open to members since the elec- tion of a new board of directors in April following a recommendation by the Oregon Department of Jus- tice (O DJ) to hold an election to seat new directors as soon as procedures for the process could be put in place. The ODJ’s recommendation was the result of an inquiry undertaken after members complained of voting ir- regularities and personality conflicts within OCHS. ODJ’s inquiry turned up no fi- nancial or criminal wrong doing and primarily focused remediation efforts to replace previously seated board members whom ODJ lawyers felt had been elected or appointed under questionable circumstances. None of the previously serving di- rectors choose to run for re-election and all seven seats on the board were filled by new directors. For the seven individuals on the new board, their primary task has been aimed at restoring the commu- nity’s confidence in the leadership of OCHS. At Wednesday’s meeting, a table was set up to assure all attendees were current members of the OCHS. The board of directors were seated at a long table with their names prom- inently displayed on placards at the front of a large classroom. Copies of the meeting agenda and reports from board members were made available to all attendees. See OCHS page 6A Florefce coftifues to address area’s housifg feeds New multi-use Cannery Station could bring progress, concerns By Jared Afdersof Siuslaw News INSIDE The City of Florence Planning Commis- sion held a meeting on June 12, to discuss the new Cannery Station project, a multi- use development that could bring hundreds of jobs and new residents to the community. The project will have a whole host of fea- tures geared toward the 55+ community, including transitional housing, an assist- ed living facility with a memory care unit, apartment complexes, homes and multiple storefronts that can hold shops, business and restaurants. The meeting was not to approve a final- ized plan of the project, but to approve the overall concept and construct guidelines in Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 the next phases of the project that will bring cemented plans before the commission. While the 10-year project could help fos- ter growth within Florence, there have been concerns about Cannery Station’s impact on the city, including issues with traffic and concerns from neighboring communities. But along with the concerns, there are also high hopes that the project will truly cement Florence as a “City in Motion.” Histors Cannery Station, or Cannery Hill as it was originally named, was first proposed in 2008 by Arlie & Company, a develop- ment company founded by the husband and wife team John Musumeci and Suzanne Arlie. The company was responsible for the Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast. . . . . A6 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S mixed-use, urban center Crescent Village in Eugene. “They had wanted some rental properties I had, and they said in exchange for that I would be part of their Florence property,” said Chuck McGlade, one of the founders of the Cannery Station project. McGlade is a physician by trade who has dedicated his work to senior care for the past 15 years. He also owns Ridgeline Man- agement Company, which manages senior housing in multiple states. Arlie and Musumeci thought that his ex- perience would be a good fit for Cannery. In 2008, they proposed their plans to the city, and it seemed like the project was a “go.” See CANNERY page 8A TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 62 48 54 46 52 43 50 38 Florence, nonprofits move forward with land agreement By Chaftelle Meyer Siuslaw News On Monday night, Florence City Council approved an option agreement and agree- ment to sell the real proper- ty at 1424 Airport Road to Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (WNHS) and Neighborhood Econom- ic Development Corporation (NEDCO). The two nonprof- its will use their new site con- WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 trol to help with the applica- tion for an Oregon Housing & Community Services Local Innovation Fast Track (LIFT) grant. The grant application period closed yesterday. “This is a grant that is fo- cused on homeownership, so affordable housing but on a homeownership track. It’s not for rentals,” said City Record- er Kelli Weese. 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