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Siuslaw News
VOL. 129, NO. 33
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
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Breaking the silence of suicide
The impacts of suicide in the words of those left behind, and those who have tried
By Erin Tierney
The Creswell Chronicle
Editor’s note: This is the last in
a four-part special collaboration be-
tween the Cottage Grove Sentinel,
The Creswell Chronicle, the Siuslaw
News and Newport News-Times
focusing on the rising suicide rate in
Oregon. Each week in April, the four
newspapers in this collaboration con-
tributed a part to the series and pub-
lished them together — the hope be-
ing that, by sharing our resources and
readerships, we can begin establishing
a dialogue within each of our commu-
nities about this important subject.
erin@thecreswellchronicle.com
A
aron was 28 when he died
by suicide in May 2017,
leaving behind two kids,
Cora, 10, and Gabe, 6.
“I wish I knew how to describe
how I feel,” he wrote in his final
Facebook post. “These past few
weeks and days have left me feeling
pretty (screwed) up mentally, emo-
tionally and physically. I’m losing
faith, but at the same time I’m not,
See SERIES page 7A
Florence
recognizes
Arbor Day
Earth Day
Celebration
INSIDE — A3
WEDNESDAY EDITION | APRIL 24, 2019 | $1.00
TH
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
Basket brigade
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The Florence City Council met
Monday evening under much dif-
ferent circumstances than previous
meetings this year. There was a short
agenda posted for the Council with
few members of the community in
attendance, unlike last month’s meeting
which was held at the FEC to allow
for a large public turnout. Councilor
Joshua Greene was excused from the
meeting, but all other councilors were
in attendance.
Mayor Joe Henry began the meeting
by issuing two proclamations. The first
was in support of Arbor Day, which
originated in Nebraska in 1872.
Henry stated his personal affinity for
trees and the positive benefits to soci-
ety accrued by the planting of trees on
Arbor day before reading the following.
PHOTOS BY JENNA BARTLETT/SIUSLAW NEWS
undreds of area kids flocked to the fields of Miller Park on Saturday to unearth the treasures
inside plastic eggs at the annual Community Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Siuslaw High
School Interact Club and the Rotary Club of Florence. Mists of rain and the cold air didn’t damp-
en the spirit of the egg-hunters, who picked up over 4,000 eggs in a mad-dash that was over in a matter
of minutes. During the event, the Easter Bunny made an appearance to help give high fives and hugs for
the excited participants.
H
See CITY page 8A
Public Art Committee moves past mural controversy
Community involvement sought for ‘Public Paint’ Day planned for Rhody Days
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
S IUSLAW N EWS
4 S ECTIONS | 30 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2019
The Florence Public Art Commit-
tee met Monday afternoon at the
Florence Events Center for its April
monthly meeting, with some signifi-
cant changes in store in the future for
the group.
The PAC garnered considerable at-
tention over the past few months with
the selection of a design for a public
mural on the Central Lincoln Pub-
lic Utilities building, located on the
corner of Quince Street and Highway
101.
The public response to the design
was mixed, with many residents ex-
pressing the opinion that the images
selected for the mural — or the mod-
ernistic design itself — were inappro-
priate.
The final approval for the instal-
lation of the mural was given at last
month’s Florence City Council meet-
ing after hours of discussion and tes-
timony.
City staff supported the approval
of the mural after presentations from
Florence Planning Director Wendy
FarleyCampbell made clear, at the
time, the criterion to be considered
were based on land use codes, and that
it was not a vote on content or place-
ment of the mural.
The mural was approved April 1 by
the council on a 3-2 vote.
The tumult surrounding the mu-
ral — the first major piece of public
art installed by the PAC — raised the
visibility of the group and the role the
committee plays in the selection and
placement of public art.
This heightened awareness result-
ed in a larger public turnout for this
month’s meeting than in previously
months, with more than a dozen com-
munity members in attendance.
There were few public comments
to begin the meeting, most reiterating
the sentiment that the themes used in
the approved mural were not “repre-
sentative of Florence” in the speakers’
opinions.
Harlen Springer, Chairman for the
PAC, turned the focus from convinc-
ing city councilors to support the
Quince Street mural to an important
public outreach aspect of the project:
The upcoming installation of the mu-
ral, which is scheduled to take place
during the 112th annual Rhododen-
dron Festival in May.
Springer wanted to make sure that
the PAC members were aware that
what is being referred to as a “Public
Paint” will take place on Friday, May
17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“The ‘Public Paint’ is where the pub-
lic gets a chance to participate in cre-
ating this mural,” Springer said. “What
the artist does is have paints laid out
and it’s kind of like a paint by numbers
… and the public would have a chance
to get involved in the painting them-
selves. We are also going to be inviting
some of the schools to participate and
that should be really cool for them.”
Next, Community and Economic
Development Assistant Sarah Moeh-
rke and Springer discussed the make-
up of the various subcommittees of
PAC. Members of the PAC briefly
discussed the responsibility of the dif-
ferent sub-committees and settled on
their desired assignments.
One of the major ramifications
involving the differing opinions of
the Spruce Street mural was the pro-
posed removal by the city council
of Florence Urban Renewal Agen-
cy (FURA) funding for future PAC
projects once its current financial
commitments are met.
See ART page 8A
Interior and Exterior
House Painting
Florence, OR CCB#195304
• Deck and Railing Staining
• General Repairs
• Pressure Washing
• Mossy Roof Treatment
• Gutter Cleaning