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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | SATURDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS V IKS VOLLEY FOR HARD - FOUGHT WIN “I love to help people buy and sell property” Delbert lb L. "Del" l Phelps hl Real Estate BROKER SPORTS — B Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Northwest Real Estate 1875 Hwy 101, P.O. Box 276, Florence, OR. 97439 C- 541-991-7787 * 541-997-6000 * 800-788-3319 dphelps@bhhsnw.com • oregoncoastallistings.com 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 72 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 OCHS hires new leadership team SHOW & SHINE Siuslaw finds funds for limited Twilight program By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News New shelter manager, executive director begin work at humane society The Siuslaw School District has an- nounced that funding needed to offer the Twilight After School Program for this semester has been obtained. However, the after-school classes will only be available to students at Siuslaw Elementary School. The Twilight program, as well as the various classes and meals offered to Siuslaw students after school, was in jeopardy of disappearing completely last year. This was due to a decision made by the U.S. Depart- ment of Education to eliminate all financial support for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants. In addition, the district’s application for a Federal Title IV Block Grant was rejected by the U.S. De- partment of Education. In the past, Siuslaw had used funds from these two sources to offer the after-school programs to students at all grade levels. Siuslaw School District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak said he was disappoint- ed that a program that has helped hundreds of students over the past decade faced elimination. “Over the last decade, the Twilight After School Program has become a program that By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Oregon Coast Humane Society (OCHS) has taken a major step forward in the state-mandated recrafting of the orga- nization’s management team. This week, OCHS Board President Shauna Robbers announced the hiring of Shelter Manager Marina Lewis and the organization’s first ex- ecutive director, Bob Murray. Robbers said the hirings directly address the main recommendations made by the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) at the end of last year after an extensive inquiry was made into the operating practices of the OCHS. “These people are an answer to the board’s prayers in getting competent people, as the DOJ had directed us, to help us staff and run the shelter, make changes and improvements and really get everything back on an even keel,” Robbers said. Murray has a lifetime of experience work- ing with animals. His childhood was pop- ulated by the abandoned and neglected animals brought home by his father, a law enforcement officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Massa- chusetts. “We had every manner of animal dropped off from the time I was four years old,” Mur- ray said. “Dogs, cats, birds, rats, aardvarks — everything. We even had fish living in our tub sometimes. We just held animals and took care of them until we could get them to the shelter in Boston, which was about 25 miles away.” Murray followed the lead provided by his father as he grew older, naturally gravitating towards a career focused on animal care. His affinity for lab-related animal work led him to the next step on his path to Florence. “My dad also did all the inspections for the research centers in the area, and I started my career at the New England Primate Cen- ter. Three years later, I joined the army and was working with owl monkeys and all kinds of exotic species,” he said. “The army has a strong veterinary program, it comes from the cavalry days, and I was a veterinary spe- cialist. I supervised animal care teams taking care of primates, dogs, cats and that sort of thing.” His most recent job was a high-profile position working in a laboratory, spending much of his day with monkeys. “From 1972 until 2017, I worked in the field and ultimately was called an animal fa- cility manager. The last job I had was as one of two managers at the Oregon National Pri- mate Research Center. Two of us cared for about 5,300 monkeys with the help of a lot of vet techs,” Murray said. INSIDE See MANAGEMENT page 9A Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS R ods ’n Rhodies and the Florence Community-wide Garage Sale started yesterday with the Pre-Show Stand-Around at the Port of Siuslaw parking lot on Bay Street. Dozens of classic cars and hot rods came out to glisten in the sun while people registered for the show ’n shine. Activities continue all weekend in Historic Old Town Florence and all over town. For a map of the community’s sales, see page A7. See AFTER SCHOOL page 5A Siuslaw Bridge construction project to finish this fall Final phase of construction work begins Monday Construction on the Siuslaw River Bridge Ca- thodic Protection Project enters its final stage on Monday, Sept. 10, with a projected completion time of late October By Damien Sherwood or early November. For Siuslaw News Finishing months earlier than initially expected, final work done on the bridge will in- clude replacing railing, extending sidewalk ramps and touching up the cathodic coating. During this time, the speed limit around the site will be temporarily reduced for worker safety until construction is fully completed. Beginning in spring of 2015, the protection proj- ect has included other improvements such as con- crete repair and seismic upgrades. Perhaps most evident among improvements has been its brighter coating, called cathodic pro- tection. More than just a facelift, cathodic protec- tion is a technique used to control corrosion and thus extend the life of bridges. Coastal bridges, especially, are exposed to high levels of salt, which can find its way through concrete and come in contact with the reinforced steel at its core. The resulting corrosion expands in the form of rust, forcing the concrete to crack and eventually break away, or spall. Cathodic protection on the Siuslaw River Bridge uses zinc as an anode. When a low voltage direct current is run through the system, the rein- forced steel can better resist the salt. The zinc acts Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Community Calendar . . . . . . A6 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Oregon Department of Transportation renews construction on the Siuslaw River Bridge on Sept. 10. The project should wrap up by the end of fall. as a sacrificial barrier. “It’s officially designed to increase bridge life by about 20 years,” said Ray Bottenberg, Oregon De- partment of Transportation (ODOT) Bridge Pres- ervation Engineering Manager. The Siuslaw River Bridge, completed in 1936, was constructed without the benefit of modern corrosion-fighting techniques. Only now has sig- nificant attention been paid to such matters. Regardless, Bottenberg said the bridge has been resistant to corrosion despite its harsh TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 63 51 62 53 63 52 60 50 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 coastal environment. “The amount of corrosion that’s happened is a relatively low percentage compared to many of the other bridges we’ve done,” he said. As part of the concrete repair process, workers hammer-sound the bridge, listening for dead spots where spalling might occur. After a professional assessment, compromised sections are replaced with new concrete in a spot-removal process. See BRIDGE page 10A S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018 Medicare 101 Workshop Learn how to find the best Medicare plan for you. Wednesday, September 12, 2:00 PM Siuslaw Public Library, Bromley Room - 1460 9th St Florence, Oregon Advisors will be on hand to answer your quesons and show you different plan opons. Gain an understanding of How Medicare works. To reserve your seat please call x Learn the difference between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. 541-973-2100 or 541-997-1410. x Discover how Medicare Prescripon Drug Plans work. Futurity First is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. x