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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2021)
SN SATURDAY EDITION | JANUARY 30, 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM N ATURE H IKES I NSIDE — B1 Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 9 J ANUARY 30, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Rain throughout the day with a high of 49 and a low of 46. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Chamber continues plans for the 114th Rhododendron Festival 2021 Rhody Days will not include the royal senior or junior courts The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is proceeding with plans for its 114th Rhododendron Festival with the theme “Rhody Wonderland.” The event is sched- uled on its traditional date, the third weekend of May, May 13 to 16. A contract is in place for the Davis Shows NW Family Carni- By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News LIFESTYLE Cinema updates ‘Greene’ Screen INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B4 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B5 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM “We are unable to safely conduct our ceremonial duties with the court. It’s a sad result of the pan- demic,” said Chamber President/ CEO Bettina Hannigan. “These young people bring so much class and hard work to the event and are such valuable ambassadors for Florence. It’s such a shame to lose this joyful tradition this year.” Members of the court tradition- ally sell commemorative pins to raise awareness of the event as well as funds for scholarships. Their coronation at the Florence Event Center on Wednesday evening of Rhody Week has traditionally been the official start of the festival. See RHODY page 8A Mapleton adapts to reopening metrics School district plans to expand LIPI, elementary on-site learning Boys and Girls thank cafeteria staff INSIDE — A3 val and contingencies are being made for the rhododendron show, parades, car cruises and vendor fair. But the one element that brings the most pomp and ceremony to the annual event is the naming of the Rhododendron Court and crowning of Queen Rhododendra and King of the Coast. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 Oregon Department of Educa- tion and the Oregon Health Au- thority, with guidance from Ore- gon Gov. Kate Brown, are allowing school districts across the state to begin transitioning students back to school after nearly a year of comprehensive distance learning (CDL). Following the successful roll out of limited in-person in- struction (LIPI), Mapleton School District is on track to bring more students back to campus. “It has been kind of a whirlwind just trying to figure things out,” said Mapleton Superintendent Jodi O’Mara. The district has been hard at work since mid-December consid- ering options for a second semes- ter where students will be allowed back on campus, providing all safe- ty measures are followed and coun- ty COVID-19 levels do not rise any higher. O’Mara has met in two planning sessions with staff on the reopen- ing plan. Together, they created a survey for Mapleton families ask- ing for their input. “We have put out a survey to all of our families to fill out to gath- er information about whether or not students are going to return to school virtually, or in person when the option is available, as well as about transportation and best ways to communicate,” O’Mara said. “We also have a board work session next week for me to present the plan and say, ‘Here’s what we’re thinking for reopening at both levels — at the middle school/high school level and the elementary level.” Based on metrics released through Ready Schools, Safe Learners, Mapleton will be able to phase in elementary on-site learn- ing this February. Middle/high school students will remain in CDL and LIPI until the district is allowed to include more students on campus. See MAPLETON page 5A Dine-in restrictions initiate pushback, disagreement among local restaurateurs Florence features several restaurants with outdoor dining options, including heated decks, in Historic Old Town and around town. However, some area restaurants have begun allowing indoor dining against current governmental guidelines under the COVID-19 pandemic. Story & Photo By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News T he long-term effects of the pandemic on local businesses are not yet known, but the short- term impacts have proven chal- lenging — and potentially fatal — for some area businesses due to the current restrictions associated with Lane County’s “extreme risk” designation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular peril are local restaurants, which have taken the brunt of the restrictions im- posed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. The struggle to navigate the path forward during a time of lit- erally unprecedented challenges to the restaurant industry, which has some owners saying they are being forced to make a choice be- tween following the law or openly breaking it in order to survive — in many cases, with the support of sympathetic community members. There are three tables, with six chairs, outside of the Little Brown Hen Café on Highway 101. At lunchtime on Thursday (Jan. 28), Siuslaw News observed no cus- tomers at any of those tables. Inside the restaurant, however, there were five tables with a total of 12 cus- tomers sitting, eating and talking amongst themselves. The kitchen was bustling, there were three to-go orders placed and two orders to go were picked up within a few minutes of each other. See DINE page 6A Port starts creation of strategic plan By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Port of Siuslaw Board of Commissioners met Thursday, Jan. 27, for a work session to begin the process of updating the district’s strategic plan. The evening meet- ing was held virtually with staff from the Lane Council of Gov- ernments (LCOG) in attendance to share their thoughts on the best way to begin the process of iden- tifying, contacting and conversing with stakeholders involved with the port of Siuslaw, for inclusion in developing the plan. Jacob Callister and Rachel Dorf- man, representing LCOG, pre- sented their initial work product, which laid out the process that would include as many individuals and organizations as possible that are involved with the port. Have Your Say IT’S ALMOST TIME TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE FLORENCE BUSINESSES “We want to get as much of your thoughts as we can tonight as pos- sible,” said Callister, who took the lead during the meeting. “We want to get a lot of information from you and one of the best ways to do that is to give you information, something to chew on — and for a project of this size, we will let these conversa- tions become central to our discus- sion as we move forward.” He then walked the commission- ers through the steps LCOG sug- gested in order to include as many voices in the creation of a broad, community-based plan for the up- dated strategic plan. “Some of the stakeholders we have identified here are groups or individuals we might consider in- cluding in the main focus groups we hope will contribute to the dis- cussion,” Callister said. He then ran through a Power- 0 202 VOTED F O T S BE E Siuslaw News F LO E N C R Point presentation which listed groups that would be central to the project, like the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, the Con- federated Tribes of Coos, Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the City of Florence Planning Department, Florence City Manager and the Mapleton School District. Commissioner Craig Zolezzi wanted to ensure the inclusion of the group most critical to the suc- cessful operation of the port — area anglers. “Most of the time when I hear about the port, or I get asked ques- tions, it is usually about the facil- ities available to the fishermen,” Zolezzi said. “And I just want to make sure we include them in any groups that we are working with because, after all, they are our main customers.” See PORT page 8A JANUARY 31 to FEBRUARY 17 Go online today https://rebrand.ly/BestOfFlorence2020 to nominate!
