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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2020)
Open 7 days a week 11am-8pm 2020 RS Serving scratch made food, local beer, wine & spirits. E EA CEL SN BR WEDNESDAY EDITION | MARCH 4, 2020 | $1.00 S SIU THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM W 1890 AW NE L S AT I N G 1 30 Y Catering & private events available 541-997-5899 Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 130, NO. 18 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 56 and a low tonight of 40. Full forecast on A3 Education in Siuslaw and beyond COMMUNITY First Education Expo fills Siuslaw High School with educational opportunities Story & Photos By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News T here was something for ev- eryone at the inaugural Siu- slaw Education Expo on Feb. 29. From kid activities in the auxilia- ry gym, free hot dogs for lunch and more than 90 organizations sup- porting the event, it was easy to see that “there’s always something to do” in the Siuslaw region. “The goal of this event is very simple,” said Siuslaw School District Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak during the event’s opening remarks. “We want people to come out and see what’s available in the communi- ty for everyone. We’ve got opportu- nities in education, pre-school, K-12 here in the schools and, when you’re beyond 12, there’s always something to do here in Florence.” Siuslaw and Mapleton school dis- trict volunteer Bob Orr organized and planned the Education Expo, gaining support from 93 partici- pants who either sponsored or at- tended the event. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “And the sun’s out!” Orr ex- claimed. “It was supposed to be rainy!” People entered the expo through the front doors of Siuslaw High School, greeted immediately by Siuslaw students and volunteers who gave information and directed City Council to review petition for right-of-way ordinance Petition seeks to lessen safety hazards in traffic right-of-way By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News from possible accidents that could arise from such transactions. Opponents state that such or- dinances are an attempt to crim- inalize homelessness by way of stigmatization, placing the bur- den of enforcement on private property owners while ignoring larger issues that contribute to homelessness. In the following weeks, the Siu- slaw News will take an in-depth look at the issue, with an exam- ination of the ordinances them- selves, the barriers in solving the issues surrounding homelessness and the potential for political in- fluence to shade the discussion. Ordinances The petition that is being cur- rently distributed in Florence, and read into the record by Harvey, states: “Dear City Council and Mayor, “I am signing this letter in sup- port of our city adopting a Right of Way Safety Ordinance. I feel that pedestrians interacting with motorists in an active public thor- oughfare is a safety hazard — for themselves as well as other motor- ists and pedestrians in the vicinity. See PETITION page 5A Habitat encourages women to build INSIDE — A3 SPORTS See EXPO page 10A Florence proclaims ‘NO MORE’ to domestic violence Viks wrestle at state meet INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 NEW: TV GUIDE Inside — A7-8 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — B5 MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS SOS Executive Director Bob Teter and volunteer Shari Ostdiek received the “NO MORE: Together We Can End Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault” Proclama- tion from Florence Mayor Joe Henry. Florence City Council met Monday, March 2, for its regularly scheduled meet- By Mark Brennan ing at Florence City Hall. The city coun- Siuslaw News cil, minus Councilor Geraldine Lucio, began business with a proclamation issued by Mayor Joe Henry regarding domestic violence. The “NO MORE: Together We Can End Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault” Proclamation is a nationwide recognition of the continuing problem of domestic and sexual violence. See COUNCIL page 9A CLASSIFIEDS Listings and notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2020 During the March 2 Florence City Council meeting, a new pe- tition for the city to develop a “right-of-way safety ordinance” was presented to the council by resident Sherry Harvey. The petition, which had 182 signatures from local city resi- dents and businesses, requests an ordinance that would ban motor- ists on public streets from relin- quishing control of objects to pe- destrians, acting as a prohibition on activities such as panhandling. The petition gathered the sig- natures in just a few weeks, with signatures ranging from private citizens to businesses such as Safe- way. Harvey stated that she ran the idea through local authorities, including Florence Police Chief Tom Turner and Western Lane Fire and Ambulance Authority Chief Michael Schick “just to get feedback on the concept.” “There are many cities in Or- egon already that have passed similar ordinances,” Harvey said during her presentation during the public comments portion of the evening. Harvey presented the council- ors paper copies of a similar ordi- nance that the City of Springfield passed in 2016. At the close of her comments, Mayor Joe Henry said, “This is a matter that has been going on for quite some time. I’ve had nu- merous community members and businesses come to me about this. First, this isn’t something we can take likely and make a deci- sion this evening, obviously. I’m not even positive it’s a decision our council will make, but I do believe it’s one that’s worthy of further discussion on all of our parts.” The mayor requested that the ordinance be discussed in a fu- ture work session. During the past two weeks, the Siuslaw News has been research- ing the petition, speaking to law enforcement agencies and the City of Springfield, as well as re- ceiving comments from the City of Florence and other organiza- tions in the community. Proponents of the proposed ordinance state that the law is a safety measure, meant to protect pedestrians and vehicle owners people through the event. Dozens of participating community groups lined the commons and filled the high school gym. In addition, the auxiliary gym featured an inflatable jump structure, face painting, a ma- gician and other activities for kids. Outside the school, Florence Po- lice Department showed several emergency vehicles alongside a Siu- slaw School District bus.
