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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2021)
6A | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS RESCUE from page 1A said Schick who, at the time of the incident, said he didn’t know how the operator got from the bottom of the cliff back up to the highway. The rescue was the result of some quick thinking from bystanders who had been driving along the winding stretch of the highway when the collapse occurred. Gabrielle Colton, a Flor- ence-area photographer, was passing the accident and joined in the impromptu res- TAC from page 1A along with and City Eco- nomic Development Co- ordinator Kelli Weese, who gave an overview of the responsibilities of TAC members and the upcom- ing timeline for meetings this year. As she is doing for oth- er city committees, Weese presented slides covering the “do’s and don’ts” that are associated with being a member of TAC, the goal of the group and some of its limitations. The upcoming work for the committee includes an update to its workplan sug- gestions for the Florence City Council, the creation or continuation of TAC subcommittees, and the de- velopment of the Florence Transportation System Plan. “We try to have a good representation of people that are interested in differ- ent sectors of the transpor- cue effort. “I was on the way to Dev- ils Churn Friday to photo- graph an elopement when we pulled up right after the crane had fallen over the cliff,” said Colton. “The car in front of us had witnessed the accident; we had just missed it.” According to Colton, the occupants in the car ahead of hers began running to the line of cars that had become backed up in order to get others to help pull the opera- tor to safety from below. “He miraculously survived and crawled out of the ma- chine that had landed on the rocks just above the ocean,” said Colton. “We got out and helped unravel a very tangled rope to let it down so that he could tie it around himself.” From there, the rescuers were able to pull him up. “It took about 12 people to pull him up from the side of the cliff. There was no [cell] service, and it took a while for someone to call 911,” said Colton who, along with the group, was able to success- fully bring the operator back up to safety after about 20 minutes. It was shortly after that emergency responders ar- rived. “When the man finally made it to the road, he was smiling and looked thrilled to be alive and was thankful for our efforts,” Colton said. Today’s road closure, which will begin at 8 a.m., will be on Highway 101 be- tween Sea Lion Caves and Cooks Chasm, south of Yachats and north of Flor- ence. Local traffic will have ac- cess beyond the closures on either side of the project, but there will be no through traf- fic at any time. According to Angela Beers Seydel, Public Information Officer for ODOT, “Travel- ers should expect closures or extended delays in the area for the next few weeks as crews build a new retain- ing wall to hold the road in place.” After work is completed, there will be access through the project area on a single lane with flaggers controlling traffic — but travelers should expect extended delays for an additional week. Once the repair project is complete, the road will again be closed for several days for the drill rig to be recovered from the rocks below using a 200-ton crane, which will block the entire road. For more information on the status of the impacted area on Highway 101, check TripCheck.com or call 5-1-1 for the current road status. tation for our community,” said Weese. She also emphasized the distinction between speaking as a community member — where personal opinions can be shared — and as a member of TAC, where it should not. Besides Tomeny, Steele and Napoles, the current make-up of TAC includes Joseph Cullivan, Vicki Dunaway, Larry Farn- sworth, Susan Jones, Gary Plunkett, Stephen Raley and Gary Trevisan. Ex-of- ficio members include City Councilor Woody Wood- bury, Josh Haring repre- senting River Cities Taxi, David Hope representing Coos County Area Transit, John Ahlen representing Lane Transit District and Kelly Clarke from the Lane Council of Governments. Trevisan is a new mem- ber of TAC who was added during the January vetting process at the suggestion of City Councilor Sally Wantz. “My goal is to lend the handicapped vision of transportation,” Trevisan explained. “I am handi- capped. I am still able to walk fairly well but I do use a wheelchair, so I am try- ing to give an idea of what the transportation system could be like for some- one who is handicapped. I know when I was able bod- ied, I never gave it much thought. Now that I am not, it is right in my face.” The portfolio for TAC includes most aspects of transportation in the Flor- ence area. Over the past three years, the committee has overseen the addition of public transportation op- tions to Yachats, Coos Bay and Eugene from Florence. In addition to public transportation, TAC deals with parking issues, in- cluding the looming debate over parking in Historic Old Town Florence, bicycle paths and regulations, and other traffic-related issues. The group has also been central to the reinvigora- tion of the Florence Munic- ipal Airport, working with Florence Public Works to obtain grant funding to im- prove the lighting systems and the runway surfaces, which has led to an increase in air traffic to and from the airport. Tomeny, a pilot and a volunteer at the airport, said he is pleased with the recent higher profile of the committee and people who have joined the group. “I am very happy that we got some more volunteers. I’m sorry that we lost some folks that had been on the committee, but I think the backgrounds of people are fantastic and I think that will bring a lot to the com- mittee,” he said. He tasked the committee members with considering subcommittees to serve on. TAC meetings are gen- erally scheduled on the second Thursday of the month, with the next meet- ing planned for March 11, beginning at 2:30 p.m. For more information, visit ci.florence.or.us. the web T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS RV’ers, PARTS we are y complete RV a SERVIC We invite you to join us. We will be live streaming from Facebook at 11am Sunday mornings. Visit us on Automotive Repair Faci PARTS SERVICE On Site Repairs In shop or Mobil ASE CERTIFIED TECH Cele b rating over 30 Years We are doing everything we can to safely serve our community. We are open: 11-7 daily 9 201 VOTED E F BEST O F LO E N C R in Real Estate VOTED #1 REALTOR 6 YEARS 1285 Bay Street, Old Town Florence (541) 902-8338 www.1285Restobar.com Getting rid of 'Huh?' for over 20 years Siuslaw News Readers Choice INATE US M F O T S E B F LO E N C R Florence, Oregon • RESIDENTIAL • LAND • COMMERCIAL • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • Us TOO Florence Prostate Cancer Education/Support on the Oregon Coast www.ustoofl orence.org 1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR NO Florence's ONLY doctors of audiology JIM HOBERG INATE US M E F BEST O Call today to schedule an appointment. 541-997-8287 E Patio will be open for seating starting this Friday Dec. 4th. First come, fi rst served, no reservations. for Truck, Auto and RV Repair NO Open for take-out and patio seating! Corner of 10th & Maple St. • 541-997-3533 florencecrossroadeg.org email: office@florencecrossroadeg.org F LO E N C R 541.991.4475 Broker/Owner • • • BOB HORNEY, CHAPTER LEADER/FACILITATOR BOTH MEETINGS ARE CURRENTLY ON HOLD. WATCH SIUSLAW NEWS FOR RESUMPTION • Tuesday Evening Group (2nd Tuesday) 541.997.7653 Fax: 541.997.7654 VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW . JIMHOBERG . COM HEARING ING 5-7 p.m. - Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant Urologist Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff attends. • Tuesday Lunch Group (3rd Tuesday) 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. – Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant Urologist Dr. Roger McKimmy attends. Contact Bob for more information: (H) 541-997-6626 (C) 541-999-4239 maribob@oregonfast.net ASSOCIATES ATES of Florence nce Scott C. Anderson, Au.D. Steven G. Anderson, Au.D. Ambulance District FLORENCE • 1901 Hwy 101, Ste A HearingAssociatesofFlorence.com Invites You to LEARN CPR Current Library Services Free Wifi: Bring your own device and use our free public wifi outside of both Florence and Mapleton locations. Look for the blue signs in the parking lot with more information. INATE US M F BEST O E Item Returns: Mon-Thurs, 11 AM - 2 PM & Fri 11 AM - 6 PM in front lobby. S NO Hold Requests: Call Mon-Fri, 10 AM - 1 PM, or use our online form any time. Items are usually available the following business day. We now have weekly Thurs pickup in Mapleton; call for details. F LO E N C R CPR Certifi cations Adult CPR - $50.00 Child Infant CPR Supplemental - $25.00 Total - $75 for both 2nd Saturday of every month 9am to 1pm at Western Lane Ambulance District Go to siuslawlibrary.org or call 541-997-3132 to learn more! Siuslaw Public Library Call