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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2020)
8A | SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS IN REVIEW 3 from page 7A “Throughout our nation’s history, women have served honorably and courageously both on and off the battle- field,” Brown stated. “Today, women comprise more than 16 percent of the country’s military force, with more than 25,000 women veterans currently residing in the state of Oregon and the number of women veterans continues to increase — as does Oregon’s commitment to promoting awareness of their contribu- tions to our nation’s military history and improved access to their earned benefits.” “As a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, this historic proclamation is something that is obviously very per- sonal for me,” said Oregon’s Department of Veteran’s Af- fairs Director Kelly Fitzpat- rick. “I am proud that here at ODVA, women veterans are represented at every level of our agency, including the very top. We are proud of all women veterans in the state of Oregon. You are a vital part of the Oregon veteran community, and we will con- tinue to work to anticipate your needs and help you thrive in our state. Thank you for your service to our country.” Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network Oregon RAIN returned to Florence with a frenzy in June and throughout 2019, getting renewed support from Florence City Coun- cil, area businesses and an entrepreneurial com- munity ready for training. New coastal venture cat- alyst Ariel Ruben met with new and existing business- es, partnered with Siuslaw School District’s Career Technical Education entre- preneurship instructor Ed- die Mielke and his students, helped the Florence Maker Space get established and hosted the Florence Entre- preneurial Activation Event at City Lights Cinemas. Mural Dedication In August, the most signif- icant example of public art in Florence was on full display at Wednesday’s long-an- ticipated dedication of the “Stitching Time” mural. A crowd of over 100 turned out for the ceremony, includ- (Aug. 10, 2019) Florence Mayor Joe Henry (left) and City Councilor Joshua Greene shake hands in a celebratory moment during the mural dedication ceremony. ing Chief Warren Brainard of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw, and Catherine Rickbone, Executive Direc- tor for the Oregon Coast Council of the Arts, along with senior members of City of Florence staff. Master of Ceremonies for the dedication was May- or Joe Henry, who offered praise and appreciation for the effort by all the partici- pants involved in the proj- ect, including the Public Art Committee and the artists, Angelina Marino and Joel Heidel, for their work. Public response and de- bate on the “Stitching Time” mural has been both mixed and at times heated, with differing opinions regarding the content and placement of the mural propelling the subject of what constitutes good art — and ultimately whether the city should be involved in the purchase and placement of art. Kari Westlund from Travel Lane County was on hand for the ceremony and said she be- lieves the mural is a great addition to the attractions offered in this area. “It was nice to see such a great turnout to celebrate the new mural. It is hard work to accomplish big community projects and Florence has many under- way,” Westlund said. “I can’t remember a time in the last 25 years where I’ve sensed as much momentum, civic pride and optimism. It re- ally feels different, from the new City Hall and public art projects, to the new streets- cape.” Perhaps the most mean- ingful moment of the dedi- GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION JAN. 10th starting @4pm Live music, New Menu, Unveiling of new taps-brewed in house! 294 Laurel St., Florence 541-997-4886 The Salvation Army – Western Lane County P.O. Box 1041 Florence, Oregon 97439 1 (800) 481-3280 Like us on Facebook: Salvation Army – Western Lane County Get Results...List With Amy. Amy Johnson Broker, CSA 541 999-7875 Mercer Creek Dr #00148 – Nice, wooded .32 acre lot near Sutton Lake in an area of fine homes. This wonder- ful North Lakes area lot is waiting to be developed and built on. Property has mature trees and native vegetation. Water and power available. $64,900. #2597-16420336 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 cation took place during the ribbon-cutting ceremony when both Henry and City Councilor Joshua Greene put aside past personal dif- ferences and warmly shook hands to the delight, surprise and applause of the crowd. WLFEA In September, SVFR and WLAD formally moved away from its previously formed Intergovernmen- tal Agreement (IGA) and toward the creation of the Western Lane Fire and EMS Authority (WLFEA), an or- ganization that will employ administrative personnel from SVFR and WLAD, while also allowing both boards to work more closely together. “One of the pitfalls of the IGA was that Western Lane didn’t really have input,” Schick explained. “Through this IGA, I had oversight through Western Lane, but really my bosses were the SVFR Board of Directors. Western Lane was allowed to have input, but that was just because the SVFR Board of Directors said they could have input.” Looking to find a way to give WLAD official say over matters, such as the hiring and firing of the chief, the agencies entertained three options. The first was just changing the language of the IGA to give WLAD more authority, but “that didn’t fix anything and was only good as long as the IGA lasted. It wasn’t a long-term solution,” Schick said. Another option would be that SVFR and WLAD could have decided to com- pletely merge into one entity, but neither agency was fully ready to commit to that step. The final option was to form a third entity that would have oversight by both agencies, while still al- lowing SVFR and WLAD to remain independent taxing districts. That third option eventually became WLFEA, which was officially ad- opted last September, with the dissolution of the IGA effective Oct. 1, 2019. To assure a smooth transition, members of the IGA com- mittee will serve as the first WLFEA board through this June, when two new board members — one from SVFR and one from WLAD — will be appointed to replace two current members through a nomination process. The process will be repeated on an annual basis to assure carryover of two previous board members each term. WLFEA employs the fire chief, two operations chiefs from each district and four administrative staff making up 3.5 full-time equivalent positions. It is the end re- sult of the next steps in the intergovernmental agree- ment (IGA) that SVFR and WLAD already had in place to share administrative re- sources. See IN REVIEW 4 page 10A
