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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2020)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | 7A Florence inns consolidate operations, remain available for essential workers After announcing recently that its two locally owned and operat- ed motels would remain open to those traveling for governmentally approved essential services, Hoag- land Properties, owners of the Old Town Inn and the River House Inn in Florence, is temporarily consol- idating guest lodging to one site. Through April 30, the Old Town Inn will transfer all its existing res- ervations to the River House Inn, 1202 Bay St. Guests are asked to continue observing physical dis- tancing guidelines, and house- keeping procedures have been redesigned to provide the safest environment for both guests and staff. Ron Moore, Hoagland Prop- erties’ president, said that on March 13, prior to the governor’s executive order and reports of other local hotels closing, he ap- proached city leaders and West- ern Lane Emergency Operations Group (WLEOG) to offer Old Town Inn as potential housing for COVID-19 related needs. Since then, all agencies expressing in- terest in using the inn are being directed to the city’s emergency response team so resources could align with the city’s needs. “Currently, nothing has evolved past an expressed interest by WLEOG and no other discus- sions have taken place, seeming to indicate the city has everything well under control,” said Moore. “With so few essential service employees coming to work tem- porarily in Florence right now, and with tourism banned, we made a decision to keep the Old Town Inn available for emergency operations should circumstances change as quickly as media re- ports project they might.” With two 40-room properties central to nearly everything in Florence, Hoagland Properties is uniquely situated to keep a facili- ty ready for emergencies and use by essential service workers cur- rently situated in Florence. “Every new decision from gov- ernment leaders, at any level, re- lated to COVID-19, forces busi- nesses to examine and reevaluate Visit us online: www.TheSiuslawNews.com Get Results...List With Jan. Jan Jagoe Broker 541 999-0879 2083 15th St – Great, well cared for home, updated throughout, including a Trane heating and air conditioning system. Downstairs master has a bath and large wrap- around walk-in closet. The three-car garage has a drive through door making a great shop area. $399,000. #3021- 19564454 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 their plans,” said Moore. “Our plan, and our desire, is to serve our city and retain our staff for as long as possible to survive this crisis. Changes from the original federal CARES Act to the version that passed, extension of safe dis- tancing until at least April 30, and cancellation of this year’s Rho- dodendron Festival, all forced changes to our initial plan.” Regarding the decision to re- tain most of his staff during this difficult period, Moore said staff have completed extra deep cleaning processes at Old Town Inn and have moved the work to River House Inn; but that staff- ing is currently a week-by-week decision and that these unique circumstances require thinking outside the box. “We try to attract, train and re- tain the best staff in the region. They know we value them as part of our team. So, one of our most interesting challenges is what to do when at least 75 percent of our employees could be laid off,” Moore said. “Hotels are not busi- Challenge from page 6A and during the pandemic do so from the safety of their homes,” Rogers said. Coordinated in partner- ship with the Wilson Center and the U.S. Department of State, Earth Challenge 2020 connects, builds, and enables global communi- ties to leverage the power of scientific research to drive meaningful change. The campaign uses a mobile app to collect billions of obser- S IUSLAW N EWS nesses where employees can gen- erally work remotely. That’s why we are looking at unique ways to better train our staff, including some online training possibili- ties.” Times are tough right now in the tourism and hospitality in- dustry, but the CARES Act will help small businesses like Moore’s to retain, rehire or hire additional employees. “Once we know where we stand, and the executive order is lifted, we will move quickly to re-wel- come recreational travelers and fully staff our properties in Flor- ence and our Wyndham-branded property in Utah,” he added. Recreational travel is current- ly prohibited by law per Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ edict of March 23. The order specifically permits travel for medical work, commer- cial delivery of necessities and construction, and allows hotels to serve essential service employees as long as they have procedures vations in air quality, plastic pollution, and insect pop- ulations, providing a plat- form and valuable environ- mental insight to promote policy change in these areas. All these goals have been more difficult during the COVID-19 Pandemic and activists are encouraged to embrace the new normal and take advantage of the hundreds of millions of in- dividuals that can now be engaged digitally. The Earth Day 2020 site also offers free digital tool- kits, quizzes, news and sto- ries. There is also an extend- ed schedule of virtual events that are being held during, before and after Earth Day, which provide context and in place that inhibit infection and have someone in charge to enforce them. “Our rooms are sanitized with the best disinfectants recom- mended by government and in- dustry leaders,” Moore explained. “Even with an outstanding record of cleanliness, we continue to monitor closely the continuing updates from the Centers for Dis- ease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and have adjusted our cleaning policies to further reduce risk for our guests. We continue to mon- itor developments daily and have been on several conference calls with officials in the two states where we run hotels. We are fol- lowing government and industry guidelines for businesses to pre- vent the spread of COVID-19.” For more information, contact general manager Amy Graham by calling 541-991-4674 or email her at bookkeeper@harborside.com. Other questions can be directed to Moore at 541-997-0305 or ron. moore@hoaglandproperties.com. background on climate change. The expansion of Earth Day to a week-long event al- lows organizers the chance to share more of the vast amount of information that has been and is continuing to be collected proving that many human activities have negatively impacted the planet. Over 100 speakers from five continents will partici- pate in Earth Day Week, the largest online climate con- ference ever held. Partners behind the conference have a total social media reach of over 85 million followers and include key representa- tives of business; the United Nations; governments; aca- demia and scientific think- tanks; entrepreneurs; social media platforms; artists; campaigners and civil soci- ety. The site also has numer- ous suggestions for environ- mentally positive actions that can be taken during a pandemic, studies linking air pollution to increased coronavirus susceptibility and 30 “Isolutions” activi- ties which can be undertak- en from home during the pandemic. For more information on virtual and digital Earth Day events, to join the Earth Challenge and for the com- plete schedule of speakers during Earth Week, see Earthday.org. WEEK #11 UPDATE Do you part and volunteer today to help support these organizations in our community. To include your organization in this directory, please call us @ 541-997-3441 Florence Food Share Ask us about volunteer opportunities. 2190 Spruce Street • P.O.Box 2514 Florence, Oregon 97439 (541) 997-9110 info@fl orencefoodshare.org Habitat for Humanity Florence Habitat for Humanity would like to thank our volunteers and the Florence community for their continued dedication and support. Thank you and stay safe! Helping Hands Coalition We are in need of volunteers on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. We need volunteers to serve food, set up for meals and also prepare meals beginning at 11:00 am and fi nishing at 2:00pm. New Location: Community Baptist Church, 4590 Hwy. 101, Florence (Across from Fred Meyer) Meals on Wheels and Cafe 60 Meals on Wheels are available to people over the age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness or advanced age and who are not eating properly, regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those who prefer to make new friends in a dining room setting. 1570 Kingwood, PO Box 2313, Florence 541-997-5673 laneseniormeals.org Contestant Name Weekly % Lost Season %Lost RESULTS Samantha Milbrett 1.59% 4.06% Nancy Robinson 1.12% 5.73% Robyn Barrett 0.66% 2.90% Matt Danielsson 1.18% 16.58% Jim Hecker 0.79% 5.25% Brad Koehn 0.76% 9.54% Franklin Spencer 0.47% 8.52% Dustin Williams 0.40% 9.67% Ed Wasco -0.10% 4.95% Lloyd Little -0.34% 7.80% Tyrell Hunt -1.97% 4.92% Hi Everyone! Coastal Fitness will be closed until further notice “in response to our President’s and Governor’s advice about public spaces”. We are still accepting home weigh-ins (instructions below) if you want to keep your momentum going, but we will also be waving this week and next from the penalties of missing the weigh-in for the contest. HOME WEIGH-IN INSTRUCTIONS • Use your scale at home • Have your camera phone ready • Place the piece of paper in view on the scale and then weigh yourself • Send the pic by 6pm next wednesday to 541-590-9093 or email jbartlett@thesiuslawnews.com • Please include your name in the text or email. Most of all, stay safe and healthy friends. We will see you again soon! “It is always wonderful for us at Coastal Fitness to see the determination, discipline and progress of those taking charge of their health, even in the face of adversity. As are normal lives have been disrupted, may we encourage you to not just “hunker down” but that you KEEP MOVING! NDS LOST TO L POU DAT A T E TO Oregon Coast Humane Society relies heavily on volunteers. There 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 Thrift Shop on Bay Street. www.oregoncoasthumanesociety.org/volunteer/ Peace Harbor Volunteers Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers, you will fi nd an area of interest in a caring organization. 400 9th Street, Florence 541-997-8412 ext. 2218 Us Too Florence Saving men one PSA test at a time. “Someone to talk to...who understands!” 541-997-6626 maribob@oregonfast.net www.ustoofl orence.org 717+ Th e best way to boost you immune system that fi ghts off disease and lower your stress is through exercise! It is such an important part of our mental and physical health. Keep Moving!” ~Coastal Fitness & Aquatics Sponsored by Siuslaw News 148 Maple St., Florence 541-997-3441 Diet Tip #11 Confusing hunger with thirst? Try drinking more water to prevent snacking in between meals. 2285 Hwy. 101, Florence 541-997-8086 Deadline for Press Releases Is Every Monday and Thursday by Noon. Email P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
