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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2019)
SN LY ibrary.or iuslawL www.S 97-31 32 541-9 OUT CHECK S.) (WE EVEN GAME BOARD g WEATHER – Dec. 25, 2019 – rd aboa g Climb readin ad! the real railro NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON MERRY CHRISTMAS OPO - E C N E R FLO Siuslaw News VOL. 129, NO. 103 TUESDAY EDITION | DECEMBER 24, 2019 | $1.00 TH THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM Florence seeks community input on city committees ƐĂ ƚ sŝƐ ŝƚƵ ͘͘͘ƚŽ ĚŝƐĐ ŚŽ ŽǀĞƌ ŵĞ ǀ ŝŶƚĞ ŝŶƚĂ ƌŝŽ ŐĞĐů ƌƐ͕Ă Žƚ ŶĚ ŚŝŶŐ ĐŽ ͕Ă ŽŬ ŶƟ ŝĞƐ͊ ƋƵ ĞƐ ͕ ͘͘͘ D\ P +LJKZ WUKXQWHUFR ZZZ AVAILABLE NOW see ad on page10A for details. Framing es Fram ence Quality Custom of Flor • Mirrors s • Needlework • Watercolors Shadowboxe Photography Oils • 97-20 G 541-9 101, Suite Hwy. 43 2285 OR 97439 Florence, Feliz Navidad Joyeux Noël Fröhliche Weihnachten Buon Natale Mele Kalikimaka Dredge arrives in Florence By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Clouds and rain with a high of 45 and a low tonight of 39. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Siuslaw Glass and Mirror Giving Tree INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Siuslaw v. South Umpqua INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 The City of Florence needs people. There are a number of committees and commissions which have unfilled openings that will close on Dec. 31. This is an opportunity for individ- uals interested in a particular area to join one or more of the consulting and advisory groups whose work is essen- tial to the smooth operation of the city. Committee members can greatly influence the pol- icies of the city and its future direction. “Members of boards and commissions provide a valu- able service to our city,” said City Recorder Kelli Weese. “Over the years, the services and programs provided by the city have expanded. Boards and Commissions provide much needed volunteer time to keep many of our func- tioning at a level that would be impossible without their service.” The committees that report to the city have a surprising degree of influence on the recommendations and direc- tion provided to the Florence City Council and to city staff. Two recent examples of this influence can be seen in the update for residential building codes and the selection of the “Stitching Time, Weaving Cultures” mural. In both these cases, the indi- vidual members of the Plan- ning Commission and the Public Art Committee made suggestions and recommenda- tions that were incorporated into the final selections app- roved by Florence City Council. See COMMITTEES page 6A MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS T he Port of Siuslaw is be- ginning the long-awaited dredging of the Siuslaw River marina after the arrival and flo- tation of the most important piece of equipment needed for the project, the dredge itself. The 40-ton vessel, called The Laura, was placed in the water Monday morning by workers from the International Port of Coos Bay and local port staff. According to Port Manager Dave Huntington, the prelim- inary work needed to prepare the site began last week with the actual removal of mud and silt set to begin just after the first of the year. The project has taken almost two years to reach this stage, as the approval and funding ele- ments of the process involved federal, state and local entities, all of which required extensive paperwork to proceed legally with the dredge work. The dredging of the docks and slip areas of the port should be completed by mid-January. Constructing progress on housing Developments in Florence could see 500 new homes in 5 years By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News In the summer of 2018, the City of Florence com- pleted a Housing Needs Analysis that showed Flor- ence had a housing demand of more than 500 units. “There’s certainly a need and a lot of pent up de- mand for people to move out of where they’re at and into higher-priced homes, so lower income earners can find housing,” City of Florence Planning Direc- tor Wendy FarleyCamp- bell said. “And we certainly have people that are unable to live here right now — to work or retire — because there aren’t enough homes.” To help mitigate the growing housing issue, the city has been working dil- igently on attracting and approving new develop- ments over the past year. From large scale plans such as the Sand Pine Ranch north of town, to small scale projects like Oak Commons near Oak Street, the city currently as at least 233 housing units proposed, with more on the way. The hours city staff have spent on the projects have been in the hundreds, through various depart- ments. Before a project is even submitted to the city, “We have at least two or three meetings with the pro- posed developer before they submit an applica- tion, making sure they un- derstand what they need,” FarleyCampbell said. “We have lots of code, every- thing down to how far apart the streetlights are spaced. There’s a lot of things that people don’t necessarily think about. How big of a pot a rhodo- dendron is being planted in. How deep is a pipe be- ing buried. It’s more than just looking at lot dimen- sions.” But along with the projects the city has been working on developing, it has also been working on streamlining the entire process. See HOUSING page 6A KID SCOOP Activities and comics every Wednesday Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM Decades of December By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 As the end of the decade nears and the 2020s prepare to roar in, families often reflect on memories of the past. In the following rem- iniscences from the past 50 years, relive Siuslaw’s holiday history, including visits with Santa, Christmas pageants and lights shining on Historic Old Town Flor- ence. DECEMBER 1969 “40 Area Families To Have Happier Season” Christmas in Florence and Mapleton will be a happier fay for 40 fami- lies thanks to the combined efforts of area school children, service clubs, individuals, county officials and churches. Through the ef- forts of these civ- ic minded groups and individuals, food was distrib- uted to the fam- ilies in time for Christmas. “Operation Santa Claus 1969” also included the donation of 949 cans of food and 27 pounds of candy donated by Siuslaw Junior Live OUT Loud Through Better Hearing Ready to reclaim your life? 7KHƓUVWVWHSVWDUWVZLWK\RX 1969 — 1979 — 1989 — 1999 — 2009 High School. Florence Volunteer Fire Department, Florence Ca- Season of ble TV and Central Lincoln Good Will PUD, downtown Florence “ C h r i s t m a s showed garlands and holi- decorations have day swag on utility poles. started appear- ing around Flor- “All I want for ence as the annual Christmas is …” countdown to the Area youth were able to season of good visit Santa Claus at M&I will begins.” Variety Store, Western Auto This includ- and at the stores in Dunes ed a painting of Village Shopping Center: Santa’s Village on Emery’s IGA Foodliner, the window of Peterson’s Drug, Coast to Peterson’s Drug Coast Store, Mode-O-Day, in Dunes Village Sprouse Reitz, Coffee Break Shopping Center Café, Florence Laundro- and holiday dec- mat, Don’s Barber Shop and orations on High- Florence Cleaners. way 101. Thanks to the See DECADES page 8A Call today to schedule your complimentary hearing screening. HEARING ASSOCIATES of Florence 541.991.4475 1901 Hwy 101, Ste A | Florence HearingAssociatesOfFlorence.com Florence’s ONLY Doctors of Audiology
