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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2020)
8A | SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS at press time. Hours before the SVFR meeting on March 26, OHA released new modeling that suggested the state’s so- cial distancing regulations may be strong enough “to not just slow the growth of coronavirus cases in Ore- gon but to reduce the num- “We know that is going to be very hard to achieve in the short-term and prob- ably hasn’t been achieved, and will be very difficult to achieve in the long term.” In The Oregonian, Sidelinger stated that it was too soon to end the state- wide shutdown, and that restrictions have on rural businesses and the commu- limited crowds, the parks nity they served. were full. Forsythe brought up Earlier this week, the Siu- Darlings Marina, and how slaw News reported on — its restaurant was affect- and photographed — full ed by Brown’s decision to parking lots at Honeyman, limit in-house dining. He as well as beach sites up and wrote a letter to the gover- down the coast. nor, which stated Darlings Florence and the inci- was an essential busi- dent command worked ness, and “mentioned “I think hard times brings out the true character of an it to her on the phone, with the main Lane County EOC to express individual, and I believe it does in our country. In my life, which I received no re- their concerns regarding when we’ve gone through hard times, I’m proud to be an sponse.” the number of visitors, American. I think we’re handling this pretty darn well, ev- “Since then they’ve while Reynolds spoke eryone around. It’s a hard time, but we’ll get through it.” had to shut down the with Travel Lane Coun- restaurant because — Dunes City Councilor Duke Wells takeout wasn’t an op- ty to urge tourists to stay home. tion, and they were Still, the crowds came. ber of infections,” as report- “This is a long-term issue losing money every day “The City of Florence, ed by The Oregonian. to keep social distancing in they were open,” Forsythe along with cities across The OHA data also sug- place.” said. “I think my comment Oregon, participated in a gests that the state’s hos- How to handle those re- to the governor was that phone call last Sunday with pital system appears to be strictions is not clear. ‘one size does not fit all’ Governor Brown that she capable of handling the For example, Dunes City and I would appreciate it held with Oregon mayors. COVID-19 cases that are Mayor Robert Forsythe if she would look at rural Coastal mayors, including expected in the next month. pointed out that restric- Oregon anytime they make [Florence] Mayor Henry, It’s possible that Oregon tions for some areas may these overarching edicts, if were vocal about their con- acted early enough in the not be needed, particularly you will, on these types of cerns related to the influx crisis to flatten the curve, when it comes to rural areas things. The only other may- of visitors last weekend potentially buying itself like Dunes City and more or that seemed to be of my to our coastal communi- time to help mitigate the densely populated areas like mind was Port Orford.” ties despite the governor’s spread of the virus. If larger the City of Florence. As for the current oper- message urging people to amounts of testing can be Calling the governor’s re- ation of Darlings, Forsythe stay home,” Messmer said. done soon, a more targeted cent social distancing poli- reported that while the “These efforts by our coast- approach to social distanc- cies a “knee-jerk” reaction restaurant portion of Dar- al communities assisted in ing could be implemented. — particularly in regards lings was closed, the store moving the date up to clos- Instead of the entire state, it to restricting recreational had expanded its grocery ing state campgrounds the could be just certain areas activities such as hunting list and is still doing food next day. … That particular wherever outbreaks occur. and fishing — Forsythe said delivery. The mayor also action may have actually Rolling restrictions in the state was not “paying encouraged locals to con- flattened the curve of the isolated waves until a vac- attention to the multiple tinue to support Darlings. virus spread, according to cine is found could help environments that you have During Dunes City’s Oregon Health Authority mitigate economic impacts within the state. It’s easy meeting, Mills stated that (OHA).” and help with isolation. to say, ‘stay home, don’t go many Lane County part- Before the restrictions But all of this is contin- out,’ but leave out the sen- ners are still grappling with were put in place, predic- gent on whether individu- tence that says those of you what the overall orders tive models showed Lane als continue to follow the who live in rural areas, pro- mean. County getting hundreds restrictions imposed by the ceed as normal as it comes “Are we supposed to call of thousands of cases of state in the meantime. The to fishing and hunting. It’s law enforcement if we see COVID-19 by August, with data assumes that nine- just another one of those someone on the street?” peaks occurring anywhere out-of-10 Oregonians will things where it’s easier to she asked. “They have al- from April to June. continue to stay home and make a broad statement ready started to receive Oregon would have be- practice social distancing and not worry about defin- complaints from people come one of the first and standards. ing it.” saying, ‘Oh, they didn’t hardest hit states in the If the regulations are not While neither Forsythe close their business down, country, particularly since followed, there could be an nor the council said that the they’re serving food inside.’ it was one of the first states increase of patients in May, orders should be ignored, They’re investigating those in the country to have a with a surge in April and and stressed the impor- complaints right now. How confirmed case on Feb. 28. beyond. tance of social distancing, far are we willing to go?” The virus found hotspots Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s there were particular wor- Councilor Duke Wells in the country soon after, state epidemiologist, said, ries about the impacts such said, “I think hard times logging thousands of cases in New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Louisiana and nearby Washington, while the U.S. itself recently became the epicenter of the virus around the world with the most active cases. But Oregon’s cases have remained comparatively low, with only one hotspot in Washington County, which makes up 122 of the 414 reported Oregon cases LOCAL from page 7A Tackle your dreams with help from our HELOC. Mapleton to apply for grant to fund pool improvements The Mapleton School District is applying to the USDA Rural Development Community Facility Pro- gram for funding of roof and building improvements to the Siuslaw Regional Aquatic Center. The esti- mated total project cost is $1.2 million. The Mapleton School District will hold a board meeting open to the public via online attendance (due to the COVID-19 pandem- ic) to discuss the application and provide an opportunity for the public to comment. The meeting is a require- ment of the USDA applica- tion and will be held April 1, beginning at 6 p.m. at Ma- pleton High School, 10868 E Mapleton Rd. in Maple- ton. Visit www.Mapleton.k12. or.us for login info to attend the meeting online. For more information on the USDA Rural Develop- ment application, contact Jodi O’Mara at 541-268- 4312. S IUSLAW N EWS With a Home Equity Line of Credit, you can use the equity in your home to finance all sorts of plans - from home improvements to paying off bills. For a limited time, you can lock in a great fixed rate as low as 3.24% APR* and no annual fee for 12 months on your HELOC. I’m proud to be an Ameri- can. I think we’re handling this pretty darn well, every- one around. 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Volunteer as a Cashier or Donation Ambassador At Florence Habitat for Humanity Contact Floyd at (541) 997-5834 Assisting those in need in our Community. Free Hot Meals Mon-Wed-Fri 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM HELPING HANDS COALITION New Location:Community Baptist Church 4590 Hwy. 101, Florence (Across from Fred Meyer) Call 541-997-5057 to Volunteer relies heavily on volunteers. Th ere are many opportunities to volunteer and a variety of skills and talents are always in need. Volunteer interest forms may be found online, at the shelter and at our Th rift Shop on Bay Street. www.oregoncoasthumanesociety.org/volunteer/ Memory Care Respite of Florence Your Memory Care Respite Center needs you! Seeking volunteers for our Coffee Club: Conversation & companionship in a caring setting while providing respite for caregivers. Contact us at memcarerespite@gmail.com Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers. <RXZLOOÀQGDQDUHDRILQWHUHVW in a caring organization. Florence Branch 777 Hwy 101 541-997-3486 Peace Harbor Volunteers 400 9th Street, Florence, OR 97439 541-997-8412 ext. 2218 *APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is fixed for the first 12 months, followed by a floating rate of WSJ Prime plus 0.24% with a floor rate at 4.49%. Rate includes discounts of 0.25% with auto-pay and 0.25% for having a Banner’s Best checking account. Annual fee of $75 is waived the first year. Loan-to- value up to 80%. Requires a minimum FICO score of 750. Excludes existing Banner Bank HELOC clients, purchase money, construction and non- owner occupied transactions. Residential appraisals only, no commercial appraisals. Subject to credit approval. Available for applications submitted March 2 through May 1, 2020. bannerbank.com brings out the true charac- ter of an individual, and I believe it does in our coun- try. In my life, when we’ve gone through hard times, Member FDIC Meals on Wheels are available to people 1570 Kingwood • PO Box 2313, over the age of 60 who cannot get out much Florence due to illness or advanced age and who are not eating properly, regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those who prefer to laneseniormeals.org make new friends in a dining room setting. Operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday 541-997-5673 Saving men one PSA test at a time. 541-997-6626 maribob@oregonfast.net Someone to talk to... who understands! To include your organization in this directory, please call us @ 541-997-3441
