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THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
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I NSIDE — A8-A12
Siuslaw reviews
updated in-person
education metrics
Siuslaw News
Board also discusses
superintendent
evaluation
VOL. 130, NO. 94
F LORENCE , O REGON
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
WEATHER
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
On Wednesday, Siuslaw School
Board met for a regular meeting,
held via Zoom and streamed live
on YouTube at the district’s “97-J”
channel.
During the brief 6 p.m. work ses-
sion, Siuslaw Superintendent Andy
Grzeskowiak gave an update on
school metrics based on Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown’s press confer-
ences in October and early Novem-
ber, as well as Oregon Department
of Education’s (ODE) “Ready
Schools, Safe Learners.” This pro-
cess is what schools across the state
will follow as they transition from
comprehensive distance learning
to limited in-person instruction
while following safety guidelines
under the COVID-19 pandemic.
The metric changes include
looking at county positivity rates,
rather than the whole state; ana-
lyzing data more comprehensively;
and increasing access to in-person
instruction at the elementary level.
What this means for Siuslaw is
that the school district may begin
transitioning into limited in-per-
son instruction in the coming
weeks — depending upon Lane
County’s numbers of positive
COVID-19 tests. Even while the
county remains in the transition
phase, some in-person instruction
will be able to get started.
“Limited on-site, in-person in-
struction is a maximum of two
hours per day to support primary
instruction,” Grzeskowiak said,
adding that primary students will
be the first back in classrooms.
“We’re talking about academic
supports, assessments, social and
emotional health supports and
relationship building. That is all
preparation for getting kids used to
being on campus again.”
One of the back-to-campus met-
rics is that students are limited in
their interactions. They must stay
in cohorts of no more than 20 and
participate in no more than two co-
horts per week.
Coming back will be “very rigid
and very structured,” Grzeskowiak
said. “It will be limited not just by
the amount of time and space, but
See
SSD 6A
Sunny skies with a
high of 54 and a low
tonight of 36.
Full forecast on A3
COMMUNITY
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
Though recent weather events and COVID-19 restrictions have altered the City’s holiday decorat-
ing and activities, such as last year’s tree display (above), plans are moving forward to bring holi-
day cheer to the community in different ways.
City spreads holiday cheer
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
W
ith
Thanksgiving
approaching
this
Thursday, Florence is
well on its way into the holiday
season. Soon, the streets will be
glittering with lights and the rest
of the markers of merriment that
make up this special time of year.
However, with safety precau-
tions in place due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, the City of Florence,
Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce and other partners
will not be hosting the annual
Florence Holiday Festival and
Tree Lighting, which usually hap-
pens the weekend after
Thanksgiving. Instead, creative
thinkers at all levels of the com-
munity have come up with ways
to brighten some moods and
spread a little holiday cheer.
According to Florence Project
Manager Megan Messmer, the
city is working on three main
LIFESTYLE
components to bring the holidays
into Historic Old Town, city facil-
ities, businesses and homes.
These activities are for people to
do on their own, within their
cohorts, and all around town.
“It keeps it bright and cheery,
and that’s something we’ll bring
to Old Town,” she said.
The first of these is the tradi-
tional holiday decorations and
lights put up by Florence Public
See
CITY 5A
Florence committees discuss annexation, work plans
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
City of Florence boards and
committees continue to meet,
with several of them finalizing
plans presented to the Florence
City Council on Nov.16.
The
Florence
Planning
Commission met Tuesday, Nov.
10, to consider Resolution PC 20
22 and Resolution PC C 20 23 —
applications from Michael
Farthing, on behalf of Benedick
Holdings, LLC, requesting to
annex approximately 48.82-acres
of property and a right-of-way,
and also to apply a City of
Florence zoning designation to
annexed lands.
All commissioners, with the
exception of Eric Hauptman,
were in virtual attendance at the
meeting.
The applicant’s proposal con-
sists of annexing Oceana Drive
and property described as
Assessors Map No. 18-12-10-40,
Tax Lots 400 and 401 and MR
18-12-10- 34 Tax Lot 801.
Oceana Drive is located east of
Rhododendron Drive within
Idylewood, and the property is
located south and west of Heceta
Beach Road; south of Kelsie Way
and Kelsie Court within the
Heceta South subdivision; east
and south of Sandrift Street; and
east of the eastern terminus of
Cloudcroft
Lane
within
Idylewood and Idylewood 1st and
2nd Additions.
The property is proposed to be
See
Ceramic artist Mike
Schwartz
INSIDE — A3
SWC announces top
photos.
INSIDE — B1
RECORDS
Obituaries &
emergency
response logs
Inside — A2
SIDE SHOW
Activities and
comics every
Saturday
Inside — B4
CLASSIFIEDS
Listings and public
notices
Inside — B5
PLANS 7A
FOLLOW US FOR THE
LATEST NEWS :
Environmental Management Committee reviews Tree City USA designation
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
— Arbor Day Foundation Chief Executive Matt Harris
steps needed to retain that sta-
tus, and if there were ways EMAC
might support that retention and
increase participation by land-
owners in the region in the goal of
planting more trees locally.
Titmus is also the lead individu-
al on the EMAC Tree subcommit-
tee, and he walked EMAC through
a review of the history and future
requirements associated with the
Arbor Day Foundation designation
of “Tree City.”
The Arbor Day Foundation has
put in place a number of easy-to-at-
tain standards required to continue
recognition as an accredited Tree
City. Florence first achieved Tree
City recognition in 2019 by meet-
ing the program’s four require-
ments: a tree board or department,
a tree-care ordinance, an annual
community forestry budget of at
least $2 per capita and an Arbor
See
EMAC 7A
@S IUSLAW N EWS
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2020
The Environmental Management
Advisory Committee (EMAC) met
Nov. 17 with a short agenda and
action required on only one issue:
trees, and more specifically, Flor-
ence’s official designation as a Tree
City USA through the Arbor Day
Foundation.
EMAC Vice-Chair Michael Tit-
mus chaired the meeting, which
was primarily focused on the next
“Everyone benefits when elected officials, volun-
teers and committed citizens in communities like
Florence make smart investments in urban forests.”
/S IUSLAW N EWS
WOODED RETREATS & WATER VIEW HOMES FOR SALE...LAKES, RIVERS, OCEAN & TREES!
S IUSLAW R IVERFRONT
S OUTH L AKES A REA
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5080 McCRAE ROAD
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#12110 MLS#20381061
DESIRABLE SOUTH LAKES LOCATION
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NEW CUSTOM COMMERCIAL GRADE ELEVATOR. This
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great buy! $396,900 #12085 MLS#20488478
541-997-7777
“We’re next to the Bridge”
100 Hwy. 101
See all Florence Listings at
cbcoast.com