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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2019)
SN TH THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SATURDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 19, 2019 | $1.00 Greater Florence Area B usiness Quarterly Inside — A8 & A9 Siuslaw News Postal Customer Florence, Ore. 97439 VOL. 129, NO. 84 NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Port upgrade expands to Mo’s walkway Rain with a high of 58 and a low tonight of 48. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY PHOTO PHOTO BY BY MARK MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS NEWS New art part of seasonal work at Port of Siuslaw By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Port of Siuslaw has com- pleted a major upgrade to one of Historic Old Town Florence’s most visited locations, Mo’s Restaurant on Bay Street. The popular seafood eatery has been a tourist destina- tion for the past 20 years and hun- dreds of thousands of individuals have used the aging walkway to go in and out of the iconic riverside location. The sheer numbers of footsteps, coupled with the toll of the Siuslaw River and coastal weather, had in- flicted on the wooden walkways and supporting understructure Mapleton pre- school a ‘stepping stone’ toward district’s success Backstreet invites community to “rock” INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Mapleton crowns king and treat INSIDE — SPORTS PHOTO BY JODI O’MARA/MAPLETON SCHOOL DISTRICT The first group of Mapleton preschoolers attended a “soft opening” last week ahead of Monday, Oct. 28, when all the students will be together. RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 A growing endeavor SIDE SHOW Florence Farmers Market ends successful second season Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B4 T he final Florence Farmers Market of the season took place on Tuesday next to Veter- an’s Memorial Park in Historic Old Town. The lines of cus- tomers waiting at the individ- ual vendors booths was a clear indication that the community has accepted and embraced the concept of a regularly sched- uled, organic and locally based food purchasing model. “It’s been incredible,” said Lia Roussett, the market man- ager. Her impressions of the market’s second season were positive and appreciative. “We increased the number of vendors at the beginning of the season and we have add- ed a visiting vendor program, where we had Estill Farm and Yachats Brewing come for CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B5 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM Toge hild Will Go ngr y Hu the S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 C No r, was significant. The need for attention to the port’s infrastructure in and around the marina has included earlier upgrades to security fencing, elec- trical stations and waste removal systems. See PORT page 6A www.foodbackpackforkids.com some time. We have a little more of a flow of vendors from that program, which has been great,” she said. The Florence Farmers Mar- ket was created to not only of- fer healthy, sustainably grown fruits, vegetables and meat but also to support the farmers that produce those foods. “These farmers are all part of your community. They are all based within 60 miles of this place,” Roussett said. “They are people who are doing work that is good for the land — and it also helps the water. Because if you are farming in ways that are not organic, there is go- ing to be runoff and inputs to your soil that you do not want, and you are not supporting a healthy, robust ecosystem that maintains the vitamins and minerals in your food.” Another important aspect of the market is the organiza- tion’s concern for those living on a fixed or lower income. The answer to that problem is a partnership with Willamette Food and Farm and local con- tributors which doubles the amount of food that can be purchased when a customer uses state issued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Electronic Benefits Transfer, (EBT) card. “We’ve added 72 new mem- bers to our SNAP and Double Up Program, which is really an important part of our mis- sion,” Roussett added. “I think the Double Up Program is one of the most important things we do, and we are very proud of it. We also want to get the word out so that more families can get the food they want and support the farmers that are farming the land in a way that is sustainable.” See MARKET page 7A Mapleton School Board celebrated the soft opening of the school’s preschool program By Jared Anderson in its monthly meet- ing last Wednes- Siuslaw News day, while also dis- cussing the school lunch menu and security. “Six kiddos came today, and another group will come tomorrow,” Superintendent Jodi O’Mara reported. “And then Monday morn- ing and Tuesday morning is half a day. Thurs- day is a full day for group, and then on Mon- day the 28th, they all come together for the full day.” Last minute preparations for the preschool was a community wide effort, with parents, grandparents and anyone willing to help coming in to paint, put together furniture and clean the classroom. “We even had high school seniors come over and assemble the cubbies,” O’Mara said. “It’s neat to have the oldest kids on campus come and put together the cubbies for the smallest students on campus.” O’Mara said that the classroom’s transfor- mation had been “absolutely amazing,” and thanked everyone that helped in getting the space ready. At that point, O’Mara read aloud some comments that parents had written about the first day of school. See MAPLETON page 7A Food Backpack for Kids 2019 Matching Funds Campaign is in full swing! These sponsors have pledged to match all donations from Sept. - Nov. 30, 2019 up to $40,000! • Oregon Pacific Bank • Peace Harbor Hospital • River Roasters • Florence Kiwanis • One Anonymous Donor • Resurrection Lutheran Church • Cross Road Assembly of God Church and • The David and Linda Lauck Trust We also thank the Western Lane Community Foundation and the Chambers Family Foundation for their generous grants Currently FB4K is feeding 95 students in Florence & Mapleton who face hunger when they leave school every Friday! Our estimated cost to feed ONE child on weekends this year is $604.00 YOUR DONATION WILL BE DOUBLED! THANK YOU! Please send your tax-deductible check to Food Backpack for Kids, P.O. Box 3347, Florence, OR 97439 Children should be happy, not hungry.
