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Siuslaw News
2019
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
VOL. 130, NO. 1
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
YEAR IN REVIEW
2019
work is being done
lion for upgrades at
By Mark Brennan, Chantelle
primarily on High-
the Florence Munic-
Meyer, Jared Anderson
way 101, the addi-
ipal Airport and the
& Ned Hickson
tion of ADA acces-
Port of Siuslaw.
Siuslaw News
sible sidewalks and
The airport up-
improved crossing
grade has been
indicators will add to the pushed back until sometime mostly completed and has
overall improvements to the in late January. The total cost resulted in improved light-
entrances to town and to the for the streetscaping project ing at the facility’s runways
Historic Old Town District. was just under $9 million.
and better navigational
The gateway aspect of the
The upgrade to Florence equipment to assist pilots
“Revision” project will en- City Hall and the start of the while landing in inclement
hance the appearance of the “Revision” were not the only weather. The work at the
entrance to Old Town and major improvements in the port is set to begin in early
hopefully increase interest city in 2019. District 4 Rep. January with dredging of the
in those passing by the area. Peter DeFazio, chairman of marina boat slips first on the
ReVision was original- the House Transportation agenda.
ly scheduled to be finished and Infrastructure Commit-
One of the more chal-
in November but, due to tee, sponsored and oversaw lenging issues faced by the
weather related concerns, the passage of funding bills Florence community during
the completion date was that allocated nearly $3 mil- 2019 was the partial shut-
was a year of change and
growth for the Siuslaw Re-
gion and the City of Flor-
ence. There were a number
of transformative events that
took place in 2019, some
of which were unexpected
while others were years in
the making. There was no
question that Oregon’s pre-
mier coastal community
lived up to its motto during
the past 12 months as a City
in Motion.
The City of Florence was
busy throughout the year,
beginning with the open-
ing of the newly remodeled
Florence City Hall in Febru-
ary. The new home for city
administrative staff was un-
veiled at a special ceremony
on Feb. 19, hosted by Mayor
Joe Henry and City Man-
ager Erin Reynolds, and
attended by a full house of
interested citizens. The cost
for the remodel of City Hall
was $2.9 million and the
construction element of the
project took just over a year
to complete.
Public support for the City
Hall upgrade project was
tepid at first, but the need
for improvements to the old
building was undeniable and
the modifications were em-
braced by the public as the
project neared completion.
Another important proj-
ect, the ReVision Florence
Streetscaping Project, be-
gan in the spring. While the
VOL. 129, NO. 27
SERVING
WESTERN
LANE COUNTY
SINCE 1890
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
Clouds and rain with
a high of 53 and a
low tonight of 46.
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T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
H
istory lessons can come in many
forms. One way is to read a book
or watch a film that depicts events
from an earlier time. The most common
way that students learn about history is
by listening to a lecture from a teacher or
reading pages from a textbook. For many
students, it isn’t always a compelling com-
bination for learning, but that presenta-
tion of facts was replaced this week by a
thought-provoking granite tribute to those Students from Siuslaw School District get the chance this week
who died in a war that took place half a to explore the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall at its location
century ago and half a world away — a at Siuslaw Middle School. The wall is open to the public
tribute that students could see, touch and through the closing ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday.
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
“Part of our mission as
a watershed council is to
build community, a really
cool part of our mission
that is abstract and some-
times hard to do. We’re out
there doing a lot of resto-
ration projects with heavy
equipment, or out in the
woods by ourselves a lot,
and that’s not really com-
munity building,” Tome
said. “We have a great part-
nership here in the Siuslaw
with the diverse amount of
people and organizations
who are working together
to make us a strong fish-
ery again in the future. We
wanted to tell that story.”
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Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for individuals between ages 10 and 24
By Zach Silva
Cottage Grove Sentinel
C
ottage Grove High School
Principal Mike Ingman
wants a lot from his stu-
dents.
He wants them to be challenged
academically; he wants them to be
prepared for life after high school;
he wants them to succeed — all the
normal principal things. But ulti-
mately, deep in his bones, what he
wants most is for them to know that
they matter.
See TEENS page 8A
Heceta Lighthouse
celebrates shining its
light for 125 years
T
SN
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timately whether the city should be
involved in the purchase and place-
ment of art.
Kari Westlund from Travel Lane
County was on hand for the cere-
mony and said she believes the mu-
ral is a great addition to the attrac-
tions offered in this area.
See
MURAL 8A
/S IUSLAW N EWS
Somewhere in the moun-
tains about two miles from
Winchester Bay in Reedsport,
sounds of engines and metal
moving across cables echoes
throughout the canyons. Miles
of dark emerald evergreens
cover the rolling hills, with the
tops hidden by early morning
fog. Above the deep canyon is a
large ledge known as a “landing,”
upon which yarders, loaders and
a logging truck work in unison
as 120-foot trees are pulled by
cable up to the landing. Dan
Wagoner is a sixth-generation
logger who, along with his wife
Jennifer, now are vice president
and partners of R&R King log-
ging in Florence.
“In our market niche, we have
the yarders. We usually log the
stuff nobody else wants to — or
can — log.
See
LOGGING 9A
PHOTO BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
@S IUSLAW N EWS
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
See SHELTER page 5A
Parenting Center offers options, education to soon-to-be parents
By Mark Brennan
bringing a new life into the world
Siuslaw News
is by getting information that will
help with understanding the many
Pregnancy and the birth of a challenges awaiting parents.
Helping to provide this infor-
baby can be overwhelming experi-
ences for new mothers and fathers. mation are volunteers at the Preg-
One of the best ways to handle the nancy and Planning Center (PPC)
responsibilities that come with located at 1525 12th Street, Suite
G, in the Florence Business Center.
Susan Kirby is PPC’s Director and
she hopes parents to be will stop in
if they have questions or need some
other type of support.
“We offer prenatal education
and support, parenting education
and support, life skills education,
pregnancy tests and pregnancy op-
tions information, a weekly play-
group for parents and their new
born to 5-year-old children, and a
Stork Boutique with diapers, baby
clothes, blankets, baby supplies, as
See
PARENTING 8A
SAVE THE DATE: A UGUST 16, 11:30 AM - 1 PM •FREE LUNCH
50’s Party Car show, a raffle and a BBQ!
Serving Ribs, potato salad, baked beans, chips and a beverage for lunch
Live entertainment brought to you by The Hanson Family Singers
RSVP is appreciated: nhill@shorewoodsl.com
See IN REVIEW 1 page 5A
1451 Spruce Street, Florence
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SIUSLAW AWARDS
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
Coast Guard
‘overwhelming’
support
COMMUNITY
PHOTOS BY RODGER BENNETT
2018 Distinguished Service
Future First Citizen Audrey
Award — Jenna Bartlett
Lowder
The longest running government
shutdown in United States concluded
on Friday, marking an end to the 35-
day shutdown which saw federal work-
ers furloughed or working without pay.
The Siuslaw region came out in force
to help those affected by the shutdown
in recent weeks as thousands of dollars
of assistance poured in to help strug-
gling federal workers. Most notably, a
large effort was made to support U.S.
Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River,
whose members were required to work
without. Florence has been officially
designated a Coast Guard City.
“The support has been overwhelming
by all the community, it’s been amazing,”
2018 Stu Johnston Business of the Year —
Siuslaw News with KEZI’s Matt Templeman
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City Council sends mixed message on Public Art
While the mural project passed 3-2, the council will explore cutting future funding for the PAC.
LATEST NEWS :
/S IUSLAW N EWS
@S IUSLAW N EWS
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce President
Russ Pierson gives the State of the Chamber
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
many ways. There is a saying, ‘You
can’t cross the sea merely by stand-
ing and staring at the water.’ Those
that are going to be honored tonight
don’t stand and stare; they go and
do.”
Chamber Executive Director
Bettina Hannigan led the evening’s
program, which consisted of appe-
tizers, wine, the State of the Cham-
ber and the presentation of the Siu-
slaw Awards.
“I appreciate each one of you
for your support to your dedicated
businesses and services,” she said to
See AWARDS page 10A
See HOUSING page 7A
Gold standard
“T
(541) 997-8833
2285 Highway 101 Suite “K” • Florence, Oregon, 97439
JIM HOBERG
Toll Free (877) 549-6899
(In the Coastal Fitness Shopping Center)
Broker/Owner
Viking Gold Choir seeks to elevate
student performance levels through
festivals, music ambassadors
oday it’s all about the
tone — the way you guys
sound,” Bruce Morganti
told the Viking Gold Choir in class at
Siuslaw High School on Thursday.
Every-
By Chantelle Meyer
thing
the
Siuslaw News
choral stu-
dents
did
in that class worked together toward
building a unified sound, from warm-
ups through the rehearsal of complet-
ed numbers.
“Don’t close off your ears to the per-
son next to you,” said Morganti, who
conducts the class from both behind
CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
the piano and from a music stand
in front of a semicircle of students. Bruce Morganti and the Siuslaw High School Viking Gold Choir pro-
“Listen really hard to them as you try motes a unified sound while amplifying student successes through
to homogenize your tone. ‘What? I academics, solos and the Oregon Ambassador of Music program.
the Blue Choir.
thought this was about being an in- sounds.”
The Viking Gold Choir is Siuslaw
Senior Heaven said, “The Gold
dividual.’ In choir, yes, you’re an indi-
vidual, but you’re trying to create an High School’s advanced choir, requir- Choir is basically like a chamber choir.
individual sound out of 15 different ing a greater time commitment than We travel and are more advanced than
the Blue Choir.”
Blue Choir is currently all girls —
what Morganti called a treble chorus
— but that is likely due to enrollment.
It can be a nice first step for younger
high school students or those who are
inexperienced.
“You have to audition to get into
Gold Choir, which is why we have
freshmen this year,” Layla, another
student, said. “There are some special
times when (Mr. Morganti) is like,
‘Hey, you’re really good.’ For the Blue
Choir, you can sign up, even if you
don’t have experience.”
“You could also say it’s like JV and
varsity,” one girl added.
Jack, a junior, said, “Cool kids who
aren’t afraid to audition get in here. I
haven’t had any musical experience in
my life, but I auditioned here and got
in.”
Sunshine and wind
with a high of 63 and
a low tonight of 47.
Full forecast on A3
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112th annual
Rhododendron
Festival
Approaches
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Kyle revival
Due to an
off-campus
incident
over the past
weekend,
Siuslaw
Middle and
High School
instructor
Clint Tatum
was arrested
by the Flor-
Clint Tatum
ence Police
Department and placed on admin-
istrative leave from the school dis-
trict.
According to Commander John
Pitcher, “On May 1, the School Re-
source Officer with the Florence
Police Department was contacted
regarding a possible assault against
a juvenile that resulted in minor in-
juries.”
After the police investigation,
Tatum was arrested for first-degree
criminal mischief and first-degree
criminal mistreatment. He was
transported to Lane County Cor-
rections and released after 27 hours
on May 2 at 8 p.m.
Florence Police report that the
investigation is ongoing.
On Thursday, Siuslaw School
District sent an official notice to
school district families that Tatum
had been placed on administrative
leave.
See ARREST page 7A
RANK
— A3
Port saves
4th of July
Fireworks
Camping spots to be
used to stage display
Siuslaw News
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
Kyle Building awarded Oregon Main Street Grant
O
regon Heritage,
Hogeland.
a division of the
The matching
Oregon Parks
grant award of
and Recreation Depart-
$69,314 will fund
ment, announced today
installation of
that the historic Kyle
a new roof and
Building in Historic
gutters, completion
Old Town Florence was
of structural and
selected to benefit from
flooring repairs,
an Oregon Main Street
updates to the
Revitalization grant
plumbing sys-
award. As an Exploring
tem and exterior
Downtown member of
painting of the
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOANN HENDERSON
the Oregon Main Street
118-year-old build-
Network, the Florence The historic Kyle Building is ing. The rehabil-
now a cornerstone of Historic itation project is
Area Chamber of
Old Town Florence, compared expected to begin
Commerce submitted
to the dereliction of 1971.
the application in col-
in August and be
laboration with Kyle Building owners
completed by April of 2020.
Joann and Stuart Henderson and Ron
See KYLE page 8A
Residents asked to
weigh in on Siuslaw
academics, facilities Florence City Club presents
Review, update of
Florence Housing
Code begins
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
education candidate forum
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The Siuslaw School District cre-
ated the new Facilities Advisory
Committee (FAC) from the previous
Bond Advisory Committee. Accord-
ing to committee member Bob Orr,
the committee is seeking communi-
ty input on the state of the district’s
facilities and academics. It held two
public workshops at the end of April
to go over four topics in small groups
and get some additional feedback.
In addition, the committee has
a short, anonymous survey asking
many of the same questions. Peo-
ple can participate at https:/bit.
ly/SiuslawSurvey through July to
have their comments heard before
the Siuslaw School Board’s August
meeting.
At FAC’s April 30 meeting at Siu-
slaw Public Library, community
members were able to eat cookies
prepared by Siuslaw High School’s
culinary students and gather into
small groups to share their views on
See SURVEY page 7A
brother and father, both
The City Club of Flor-
By Mark Brennan
of whom served on the
ence held its month-
Siuslaw News
SSD Board.
ly meeting on May 2
King pointed to his
at Ocean Dunes Golf
Links. The guests for the meeting were experience as a teacher and his admin-
candidates for open positions on the istrative certifications as strengths he
Lane Community College (LCC), Lane brings to the race.
Current SSD board member Bill
Educational Service District (ESD) and
Siuslaw School District (SSD) Board of McDougle is facing a challenge from
Dianna Pimlot for Position 7 and pro-
Directors.
The forum, moderated by Maureen vided some background to attendees
Miltenberger, gave candidates the op- regarding his previous work as an ed-
portunity to introduce themselves to ucator. McDougle highlighted both
those in attendance and to the larger his time as a vice principal and former
community before the May 21 Special school board director as experience
Election.
that separates him from his opponent.
Pimlot did not participate in Thurs-
On the SSD board, Bob Sneddon and
Dennis King are running unopposed days’ candidate forum.
For Lane ESD, Nora Kent is running
for positions after accepting recent in-
terim appointments to the board. Each against Mark Boren for Director Po-
candidate made brief statements re- sition 4, and both candidates were in
capping relevant experience and com- attendance.
Kent spoke of her work as an in-
munity connections.
Sneddon highlighted his extensive structor at LCC and as a community
connections to the area and his de- organizer.
See CANDIDATES page 9A
sire to follow in the footsteps of his
The City of Florence Housing
Code Update Subcommittee, which
operates under the auspices of the
Community and Economic Devel-
opment Committee (CEDC), met
last Thursday afternoon at City Hall,
where the meeting was facilitated
by City Recorder Kelli Weese and
Planning Director Wendy Farley
Campbell.
The group’s agenda focused on
familiarizing the members of the
group with basic elements of the
Florence’s planning process and a
number of housing related code
changes that might be needed mov-
ing forward.
FarleyCampbell reviewed the pre-
vious steps taken in the creation and
funding for the group and turned its
collective attention to information
that included suggested changes to
code made by 3J Consulting, which
works with municipalities and civ-
ic groups to provide a range of
See HOUSING CODE page 8A
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Wednesday July 17th • 6pm
Saturday July 20th • 11am
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By Chantelle
Meyer
Siuslaw News
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Girl Scouts gather to celebrate 90 years of Camp Cleawox’s history
G
Donations for Food
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reminiscing about the history of
Cleawox.
Camp Cleawox is the smallest of
three overnight camps in the Girl
Scouts of Oregon and Southwest
Washington (GSOSW) council.
More than 140 people registered At just 63 acres, the camp is fo-
to spend the day adventuring in the cused on Lake Cleawox, the Ore-
camp, enjoying birthday cake and gon dunes and the Pacific Ocean.
irl Scout overnight
camps began this week
at Camp Cleawox,
which celebrated its 90th
birthday on June 29.
More importantly, it is a place for
girls to gather with other scouts in
the Great Outdoors for one to two
weeks at a time.
Camp Cleawox Director Pam
Mealy has been coming to over-
night camps since 2001. Each year,
her favorite moment is seeing the
camp lodge for the first time.
“I think, ‘Ah, I’m going to be
here for the summer.’ It’s my home-
away-from-home feeling,” Mealy
said.
Cleawox has been that “home
away from home” for generations of
Girl Scouts since it was founded in
the 1920s.
See CLEAWOX page 5A
Taking
New technology
ownership means better tool
of Singing for women’s health
Pines Dog
Park
Bark in the Park
Fundraiser seeks
to rehabilitate
Florence’s dog park
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
“I go to the dog park quite a bit,”
Jolene Medeiros said about the
Singing Pines Dog Park. “There
are a group of people that are there
all the time. And every time we’re
talking about the dog park, we’re
complaining about the landscape
and how dirty it is. And how it’s
just been run down and kind of
forgotten about. One day, I was
like, ‘I wonder what we need to do
to get it cleaned up.’”
That question led to a ground-
swell of community support and
some major cooperation from the
city that has quickly created the
dream of rehabilitating the dog
park, located on Kingwood Street,
a reality. With help from the City
of Florence, Medeiros and dog
lovers from around the area have
put in place a plan that will bring
new groundcover to the park,
fencing, trees and amenities that
can be used all year round.
See BARK page7A
One out of every eight wom-
en can expect to develop breast
cancer in her lifetime. In the
U.S., breast cancer is the sec-
ond-leading cause of cancer
death in women, behind lung
cancer. The two main risk
factors for developing breast
cancer are being a woman and
age, accompanied by family
history.
With Florence’s large ag-
ing population, it’s important
to be educated on and follow
preventative care routines, and
the resources are right at Peace-
Local brewpub
Crafting beer culture still in the future
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The buzz around beer is shifting
dramatically, yet again.
The last decade has seen unap-
parelled growth in the craft beer
industry, but a saturation of brew-
eries, coupled with a never-ending
increase in the number of available
styles of beer, has meant a shift in
the approach local investors and
brewers have taken when consid-
ering an investment in a future
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence brewpub.
July is Oregon Craft Beer Local craft beer enthusiasts Jon Tippler, Scott Waiss, Don Patton
Month and the public’s appreci- and Mike Whiteside form the core of a group of local homebrewers
ation for the diverse flavors and working on plans to bring a brewpub to Florence.
There have been a number of ex-
varieties created by smaller bre- to grab the attention of a more
whouses has become more than a sophisticated customer and keep ploratory efforts undertaken in the
See BREW page 6A
trend — it’s become a competition that interest over time.
Florence, OR CCB#195304
/S IUSLAW N EWS
@S IUSLAW N EWS
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By Victoria Sanchez
Siuslaw News Intern
Health Peace Harbor Medical
Center. Earlier this year, Peace
Harbor bought a new mammo-
gram machine, making Flor-
ence only the second location
on the west coast to have a Sie-
mens mammography machine.
According to PeaceHealth
VICTORIA SANCHEZ/SIUSLAW NEWS
mammography
technician PeaceHealth Peace Harbor’s new Siemens
Vickie Hunt, women’s mam- mammography machine comes with change-
mogram experiences in Flor- able mood lighting to make the experience
ence are about to change.
more comfortable for patients. PeaceHealth
See EXAM page 5A went live with the machine in February.
Interior and Exterior
House Painting
1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR
First Day Hikes start
the year outside
INSIDE — A3
Celebrating Camp Cleawox
Partly sunny with a
high of 70 and a low
tonight of 56.
Full forecast on A3
in Real Estate
JIM HOBERG
COMMUNITY
WEATHER
SIUSLAW NEWS READERS CHOICE WINNER
Voted Best Realtor for 5 Years!
• R ESIDENTIAL • L AND
• C OMMERCIAL • P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT
10% of ticket sales
will be donated to the
Oregon Coast Humane Society
C OMMUNITY C ALENDAR I NSIDE – A6
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in Real Estate
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TH
VOL. 129, NO. 56
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Florence’s Fourth of July Fire-
works celebration will take place as
originally planned, due to a major
effort made by the Port of Siuslaw
and Port Manager David Hunting-
ton.
Florence Area Chamber of Com-
merce Executive Director Bettina
Hannigan said she is extremely
pleased that a solution to the logisti-
cal problems surrounding this years’
celebration has been reached.
“It is my great pleasure to an-
nounce that the Port of Siuslaw is
now the home of the 2019 Fireworks
Launch!” Hannigan announced.
“Without a barge the chamber was
at a loss for how to provide fireworks
this year. With heartfelt thanks to
the Port of Siuslaw, Florence is now
a go for our amazing fireworks pro-
gram on July 4. David Huntington
and his team have not only made it
happen, they’ve saved the day.”
This year’s fireworks display on
the Siuslaw River was in serious
jeopardy due to the lack of a suitable,
legal location from which to launch
the Independence Day pyrotechnics.
The barge that had been used for
this purpose the past two years has
been sold and relocated.
Huntington has been working
with Hannigan to craft some type of
solution for the logistical problems
that were threatening the display.
“It didn’t look like, with the barge
leaving, the fireworks were going to
happen at all,” Huntington said.
See FIREWORKS page 9A
See GOLD CHOIR page 8A
Celebrating 30 Years
541-997-7653 • WWW . JIMHOBERG . COM
1870 H WY . 126, S UITE A • PO B OX 3040, F LORENCE , OR • F AX 541-997-7654
Siuslaw teacher
arrested, on
administrative
leave
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
More people than ever seem to be
discovering the beauty and charm
of the Oregon coast each year, many
deciding to relocate either their fam-
ily or their business in and around
Florence on a permanent basis. This
increased interest has been welcomed
by the business community and most
residents, but there have been some
tangential challenges that have aris-
en as Florence has gained positive,
high-profile recognition nationwide.
Perhaps the most impactful of these
unintended consequences is the cur-
rent shortage of available housing.
Jim Hoberg is a Florence native and has enjoyed growing up and working in this beautiful coastal town of
Florence. He has been working in Real Estate since 1989. Jim is proud to be celebrating his 30th year in Real
Estate.
Jim enjoys helping people fi nd solutions to their real estate needs and discovering why Florence is such a
great place to live. Jim and his West Coast Real Estate Services team thank you for your support and loyalty over
the years. Th ey look forward to many more years helping the Florence community fi nd their dream homes.
SHARI JAMES
Licensed Tax Preparer #31250-P
Housing Alliance
sets sights on ADUs
the attendees. “Each nominee is a
winner in my book.”
Chamber President Russ Pierson
delivered the State of the Cham-
ber Address, reporting that there
are more than 350 active members
of the Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce.
“We’re doing everything we can
to build our businesses with sol-
id training, networking, advocacy
and more each and every day of the
year. Our chamber, like our com-
munity itself, is driven by spirit of
service and collective collaboration.
This results in a veritable swarm of
amazing volunteers,” he said.
S TATION S IUSLAW R IVER F EMALE P ETTY O FFICER A CHIEVES S URFMAN
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See MURAL page 7A
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Evacuation Wayfinding Sign Grant
and the Safe Routes to School Proj-
ect engineering proposal were then
passed unanimously by the council
with little discussion.
The main topic of the evening, the
highly anticipated discussion sur-
rounding the PAC mural, began with
a question-and-answer period con-
ducted by City Attorney Ross
Listings and public
notices
Inside — B6
n Jan. 23, Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce held
the 11th annual Siuslaw
Awards at the Florence Events Cen-
ter to honor local individuals and
businesses for their contributions
to the Siuslaw region.
“I’ve lived in several cities and
I’ve pastored several churches, but I
don’t think I’ve ever lived in a com-
munity that has shown itself to be
so outgoing, accommodating and
loving people as this community,”
said Pastor Dale Edwards of Cross
Road Assembly of God, who gave
the invocation to begin the evening.
“Tonight, we’re going to recognize
individuals and businesses that re-
ally epitomize who Florence is in so
SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 4, 2019 | $1.00
Clint Tatum held on 2
felony charges
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
RECORDS
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
WEATHER
Accord ends current
government shutdown
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Siuslaw News
SERVING
WESTERN
LANE COUNTY
SINCE 1890
F LORENCE , O REGON
Mapleton falls to
Mohawk
INSIDE — SPORTS
The iconic Heceta Lighthouse marked 125 years with a
special birthday celebration held March 30th.
SN
VOL. 129, NO. 36
Barbara
Martin TAXES & BOOKKEEPING
Bookkeeping & Payroll Quickbooks Pro Advisors
Shari & Barbara
By Victoria Sanchez
Siuslaw News Intern
CLASSIFIEDS
11th annual Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Community gives
O
See SHINE page 9A
BARBARA MARTIN
Licensed Tax Consultant #71554 • EA #00107916
Henry, who offered praise and ap-
preciation for the effort by all of the
participants involved in the project.
Public response and debate on
the “Stitching Time” mural has
been both mixed and at times heat-
ed, with differing opinions regard-
ing the content and placement of
the mural propelling the subject of
what constitutes good art — and ul-
Local family nurtures deep roots in logging history
Activities and
comics every
Saturday
Inside — B4
VOL. 129, NO. 8
SPORTS
he Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of the most icon-
ic and spectacular locations on the Oregon Coast.
Often referred to as the most photographed light-
house in America, the adjacent home, which once housed
the lighthouse keepers and their families, is now known as
The Heceta Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast, which hosted a
party Saturday, March 30, for the community.
The celebration was in recognition of the 125 years
since the lighthouse was first lit and the spacious lawn
and panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean were the perfect
backdrop for the spring birthday party.
Members of Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River were
on hand to begin the afternoon with a stirring opening
ceremony. Hot dogs, popcorn, desserts and beverages were
provided, free of charge to visitors, and the line was long at
the food booths.
The lighthouse is named after Spanish explorer Bruno
de Heceta and construction on the site began in 1892.
There were no roads along the coast in the 1890’s so travel
and transport of materials was difficult, especially during
winter months.
The lumber and cement needed to build an adequate
residence for lightkeepers had to be brought by horse
drawn wagon or dropped in the ocean by supply ship and
ferried to land.
Remarkably, the construction of the lighthouse and
made three proclamations that rec-
ognized Military Child Month, Child
Abuse Prevention Month and Earth
Day. City Manager Erin Reynolds
next introduced Florence’s new ad-
ministrative services director, Anne
Baker. Lastly, Florence Police Chief
Tom Turner then introduced three
new police officers, Bailey Goodwin,
Michael Cirilo and Keenan Walker.
Consent items consisting of the
Approval of Minutes, the Tsunami
for the ceremony, including Chief
David Brainard of the Confederat-
ed Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw, and Catherine Rick-
bone, Executive Director for the
Oregon Coast Council of the Arts,
along with senior members of City
of Florence staff.
Master of Ceremonies for the
dedication was Florence Mayor Joe
SIDE SHOW
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
The Florence Emergency Cold
Weather Shelter gave its end of the
year report this week, detailing the
numbers of people they served,
giving an overview of the patron
demographics and providing an
update on two clients that were
featured in a Siuslaw News series
about the shelter, which was pub-
lished in February.
“It was a good year,” said Pastor
Greg Wood, who is also president
of the shelter program. “We did
what we were supposed to do. We
were open on the coldest nights
and we provided good food and
a safe place to be. That’s our mis-
sion, and that’s what we did.”
see SUPPORT page 7A
volving around the Public Art Com-
mittee’s (PAC) application for final
approval to move forward with plans
to in-stall a mural along Highway 126
at the corner of Quince Street, on the
Central Lincoln Public Utility Dis-
trict (CLPUD) building.
The crowd in attendance arrived
early and filled most of the seats, with
many residents standing at the rear of
the room. Florence Mayor Joe Hen-
ry welcomed the full house and then
Obituaries &
emergency
response logs
Inside — A2
Number of nights open
increased, usage
decreased & community
gave support
Siuslaw News
Wedding Guide
INSIDE — A9
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The April 1 meeting of the Flor-
ence City Council was held at the
Florence Events Center with the ex-
pectation that the turnout for the
meeting would require more seat-
ing than available at City Hall. That
expectation was primarily due to
considerable community interest re-
Working with dozens
of partners and funding
from National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administra-
tion, the council created
the films with videogra-
pher Brian Kelly and pho-
tographers Sean Gutierrez
and Morgan Heim. The
films were made in the
course of one week last
September as a “snapshot”
of the many projects hap-
pening concurrently in the
watershed.
“My background is in
geology, geography and
community planning, so
I’ve never learned any-
thing about film or com- See WATERSHED page 9A
RECORDS
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The most significant example of
public art in Florence was on full
display at Wednesday’s long-an-
ticipated dedication of the “Stitch-
ing Time” mural on the corner of
Quince Street and Highway 126.
A crowd of over 100 turned out
541.997.8202
Recognizing the signs of at-risk students
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
munications
strategies,”
Tome said. “I had this idea
to make like a 20-minute
documentary about the
Siuslaw. Luckily, Brian
had the wisdom to tell me
that nobody would want to
watch that. … He steered
us in a different vision and
a different direction. That’s
how we chose to tell the
story of restoring the Siu-
slaw and the coastal lakes
through a character-driven
narrative.”
The first video was re-
leased on Feb. 11 and fea-
tured Jesse Beers, cultural
director for the Confed-
erated Tribes of the Coos,
Lower Umpqua and Siu-
slaw Indians. The next six
videos — featuring Johnny
Sundstrom, local rancher
and conservationist; Seth
Mead, watershed conserva-
tionist at Siuslaw Soil and
Water Conservation Dis-
trict; Bob Bateman from
Bateman Forestry Man-
agement; Kyle Terry, pro-
gram manager with Siu-
slaw Watershed Council;
Wednesday’s mural dedication ceremony was upbeat and well attended
Vik football to host
4-day camp next
week.
INSIDE — SPORTS
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Mural dedication bridges differences
Emergency
Shelter gives
end-of-season
report
Rain showers with a
high of 49 and a low
tonight of 43.
Full forecast on A3
• Deck and Railing Staining
• General Repairs
• Pressure Washing
• Mossy Roof Treatment
• Gutter Cleaning
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Siuslaw Softball
hosts free skills
camp.
INSIDE — SPORTS
PHOTO BY MARK BRENNEN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence Mayor Joe Henry (left) and City Councilor Joshua Greene, who have often been at odds in the debate over public art, shake
hands in a celebratory moment during last Wednesday’s mural dedication ceremony, prompting a round of smiles and applause from
fellow councilors and members of the Public Art Committee.
• Deck and Railing Staining
• General Repairs
• Pressure Washing
• Mossy Roof Treatment
• Gutter Cleaning
Osborne
2018 First Citizen Dee
Residents get
prepared at Disaster
Prep Expo 2019
INSIDE — A3
Florence residents
participated in a
nationwide event
INSIDE — A10
SPORTS
See WALL page 7A
Siuslaw Watershed Council looks to past to build up watershed for future
Siuslaw News
COMMUNITY
experience for themselves.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C., draws millions of visi-
tors a year to look at its polished granite
surface, covered with the names of those
that died during the controversial conflict.
A three-quarter scale replica of the memo-
rial wall currently stands in the field be-
hind Siuslaw Middle School, offering an up
close and personal history lesson to anyone
interested to stop there until it closes Sun-
day afternoon, April 7.
Restoration of the Siuslaw
“People have different
ties to this region for dif-
ferent reasons and lengths
of time, but we’re all work-
ing together toward this
common goal of restoring
the Siuslaw,” said Siuslaw
Watershed Council Exec-
utive Director Eli Tome.
“One reason I love working
in watershed restoration
and health is because rivers
connect us, and we’re all
downstream of someone
else. Water is just a really
important part of being a
human.”
Tome was speaking at
“Stories of Restoring the
Siuslaw” on March 27 at
City Lights Cinemas as
the watershed council de-
buted its series of eight
short films explaining res-
toration efforts through-
out the Siuslaw and coastal
lakes watershed. The films
are part of the council’s
process to update its web-
site, logo and newsletter
and introduce the Siuslaw
to the digital world.
Mostly cloudy with a
high of 67 and a low
tonight of 55.
Full forecast on A3
NATIONAL
NIGHT OUT
Story & Photos
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Replica of ‘Wall That
Heals’ arrives in Florence
Florence, OR CCB#195304
997-5973
Editor’s note: This is the first in
a four-part special collaboration be-
tween the Cottage Grove Sentinel,
The Creswell Chronicle, Siuslaw News
and Newport News-Times focusing
on the rising suicide rate in Oregon.
Each Wednesday through April, the
four newspapers in this collaboration
will each be contributing a part to
the series and will be publishing them
together. The hope is that, by sharing
our resources and readerships, we can
begin establishing a dialogue within
each of our communities about this
important subject.
Postal Customer
Florence, Ore. 97439
C OMMUNITY C ALENDAR — I NSIDE A7
Artfelt moment
Interior and Exterior
House Painting
NEW!
P ROGRESS
E DITION
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LCB#6718
Veterans Memorial
Wall offers ‘hands on’
history lesson
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Viks land top marks
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NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
F LORENCE , O REGON
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Community
VOL. 129, NO. 64
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DAR celebrates 11
years in Florence
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F LORENCE , O REGON
YOUR #1 LOCAL YARD, GARDEN, AND LANDSCAPE EXPERTS! WE’RE GLAD TO GET YOU GROWING!
88493 Hwy. 101 Florence
Open 7 days a week
Senior Discount Every Tuesday
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down of the federal govern-
ment, which took place from
late 2018 and extended into
the start of the year.
U.S. Coast Guard Station
Siuslaw River was one of the
organizations that was di-
rectly impacted by the bor-
der emergency declared by
President Donald Trump in
December 2018. Unfortu-
nately, during this time, ser-
vice members stationed in
Florence were not paid.
Local veteran organiza-
tions, community groups,
retail establishments and
restaurants stepped up
during the shutdown, raising
more than $30,000, which
was distributed directly to
the 38 Coast Guard mem-
bers stationed at Siuslaw
River to help pay the bills.
Another large issue was
the issue of the area’s chronic
housing shortages. With the
hope of increasing all types
of available housing, the city
updated and streamlined the
residential codes governing
residential construction in
city limits.
Planning Director Wen-
dy FarleyCampbell led the
Florence Planning Commis-
sion through the first major
rewrite of city regulations
which govern residential
construction in more than
three decades. The process
took just over six months
to complete and includ-
ed numerous commission
meetings and public hear-
ings related to the hundreds
of changes — some minor,
