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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2021)
SATURDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 20, 2021 | $1.00 STARTING TODAY VOTE FOR 0 202 VOTED F O T S BE E SN THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM F LO E N C R YOUR FAVORITE FLORENCE BUSINESSES Go online today https://rebrand.ly/BestOfFlorence2020 to vote! Siuslaw News Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 15 F EBRUARY 20, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Rain followed by clouds with a high of 49 and a low of 43. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY ‘Safe Families’ holds meeting INSIDE — A3 LIFESTYLE Siuslaw kicks off soccer 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 Florence honors Black History Month differing sides of the issue directly against one another. The divide was not only reflect- ed in large cities across the U.S., uring Black History Month, but also in repeated local demon- this year’s recognition of strations on street corners at the the contributions and struggles of intersections of Highway 126 and African Americans takes place af- 101 in Florence, ter a summer of which alternate- racially charged ly advocated for protests across the “This February, during Black History Month, I call on the American people Black Lives Matter country, and the awareness as well to honor the history and achievements of Black Americans and to reflect on the ground-breaking as in support of law election of Amer- centuries of struggle that have brought us to this time of reckoning, redemp- enforcement. ica’s first female tion and hope. We have never fully lived up to the founding principles of this The issues of vice president, Ka- nation that all people are created equal and have the right to be treated equally cultural imbalance, mala Harris, who throughout their lives. We know that it is long past time to confront deep racial financial inequity is of African and and social justice inequities and the systemic racism that continue to plague our nation.” Asian descent. were the focus of a That milestone — President Joe Biden on Black History Month, Feb. 1, 2021 KXCR Communi- in the nation’s his- ty Radio broadcast tory was a stark last Monday, which contrast to the May 25 murder of George Floyd, and — eventually — heal on a jour- of a broken system whose barriers included poetry, music and readings of inequity remain in place. from archival letters written by Af- a Black American whose death at ney to something better. The contrasts of those two mo- Demonstrations following the rican Americans over the past 150 the hands of a Minneapolis Police Department officer captured the at- ments — one of inspiration and the killing of Floyd took place across years. other of horror — sparked action U.S., often pitting protestors on See HONOR page76A tention of the nation. By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News D EMAC holds meeting with new members By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 The City of Florence En- vironmental Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) met Feb. 16 for the first time since the seating of four new members: Lisa Walter-Sed- lacek, Laurie Green, Anthony Cavarno and Erick Oshel, each selected by Florence Mayor Joe Henry to advise the council and city staff on environmentally related matters. The meeting was chaired by Vice Chair Michael Titmus, who coordinated the presenta- tions from staff related to the main focus of the evening — committee training. There were a number of writ- ten public comments submitted to the committee and entered into the record, including one from past EMAC member Britte Kirsch. Kirsch, who has been very active in the area of waste re- duction and recycling, request- ed support from EMAC and the city in sponsoring three future recycling events. The “Take Back” events would be conduct- ed by Eco-Generation, a waste reduction nonprofit which held a successful local event in November 2020. At the January EMAC meet- ing, Kirsch introduced the idea of city participation in more recycling events this year and she revisited that hope in her comments. “At the last meeting, I men- tioned these ‘Take Back’ events and I wanted to give you a little background to help you to un- derstand more about them See EMAC page 6A The two are a sobering juxtapo- sition representing both the prom- ise of America, and the continuing struggle against systemic racism that has been a continuing thread woven through the nation’s history as it works to understand, mitigate not only among the Black commu- nity but among Americans of all ethnicities, genders and economic status. On one hand, the election was a celebration of a barrier being broken; on the other, the summer’s protests were an adamant defiance Siuslaw gets February update School board meeting includes Lane ESD, vaccination update, policies Siuslaw School By Chantelle Meyer right now, for my District Board of Di- senior year, to get a Siuslaw News rectors continues to little bit of football in meet mostly virtually there,” Blankenship as the district prepares for on-site said. learning, which is scheduled to be- According to Burns, “The board ing at Siuslaw Elementary School thought it was really important to this Monday, Feb. 22. The board have more of a student represen- met with a full agenda and an exec- tation on the board so we could utive session on Feb. 10, along with have a better relationship with our two special meetings. student body. And Elijah has been Board Vice Chair Paul Burns led gracious enough to be that go be- the meeting, as Chair Bob Sneddon tween. So, thank you for doing was absent. All other board mem- that.” bers were present, with directors During the meeting, the board Guy Rosinbaum and John Barnett went over several action items, joining school district staff in-per- including a first reading on four son at the district office. policies. Three — “2 IJ – School To start the meeting, the board Counseling Program,” “IKFB – went through mandatory reporter Graduation Exercises” and “LBE/ training, which requires that people LBEA” concerning public charter report known or suspected child schools — moved to the consent abuse. agenda at the March meeting. The “That was a good synopsis of a last, “GCPC/GDPC – Retirement very important responsibility of of Staff,” concerned the Public Em- the board and all within the school ployees Retirement System (PERS) district to remember and to pro- and if they can still work. tect our children that we care for so Director Suzanne Mann-Heintz much,” Burns stated at the end of proposed just approving the poli- the video. cy, since the change was just a few Following this, Elijah Blanken- lines to existing policy. Director ship, the Siuslaw High School stu- Dianna Pimlott seconded Reso- dent liaison, gave an update on lution 021021-6.11, which passed school matters from a student per- unanimously. spective. He also talked about his Next, the board approved Res- experience starting limited in-per- olution 021021-6.3, which con- son instruction (LIPI). cerned Lane Education Service “Personally, for me, I really enjoy District (ESD) and its 2021-23 Lo- being able to be back in the build- cal Service Plan for the first year of ing two times a week,” Blankenship the biennium. said. “It’s supposed to be for more Lane ESD Superintendent Tony of a study hall, but I use it more as a Scurto, accompanied by Nora Kent, social hour, such as a lot of the stu- Lane ESD board member for West/ dents in there. They’re getting to North County, presented the chang- see each other, which is nice, and es to the plan. see our teachers. I’ve really enjoyed “It still has the same four main that.” services that we’ve always had — He also talked about sports that special education, technology, are now able to be in session, in- school improvement and adminis- cluding soccer, cross country and tration,” Scurto said, “But I want to football. highlight some new areas.” “It’s nice to at least be practicing See SIUSLAW page 5A City Council holds second work session on work plan By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Florence City Council met on Feb. 18 for a work session to fin- ish the overview of the current City of Florence Work Plan. The recap was primarily a review for new councilors Bill Meyer, Sally Wantz and Maggie Wisniewski, bringing them up to speed on the range and complexity of the work being done by various city departments and committees. The work session was the sec- ond time the new council has met to review the progress made on the existing work plan, with the first taking place Feb. 10. Earlier reviews were provided by City Manager Erin Reynolds, City Recorder Kelli Weese, Pub- lic Works Director Mike Miller and Florence Police Chief Tom Turner to update councilors on the specifics of their depart- ments or areas of responsibility. Thursday’s session began with a review provided by Adminis- trative Services Director Anne Baker, followed by presentations from Assistant City Manager Megan Messmer, City Planning Director Wendy FarleyCampbell and Miller. The areas covered in the latest presentations included a recap of the work done in the past 12 months to further the work plan objectives in their specific realms of authority and, perhaps more importantly, what areas needed to be continued this year — and which projects are presenting challenges to complete. The questions from council- ors were few as the presenters covered a number of subjects including communications and See CITY page 6A COAST REAL ESTATE 1728 32ND STREET “OAK STREET COMMONS” - New Townhomes! This is the last & most desirable phase. Units are selling fast. Don’t miss out. Great room open floor plan, stainless appliances, quartz counters, Medallion Cabinets. Ductless heat pump, waterproof laminate & carpeting. Covered deck & balcony. Attached fin- ished insulated garage. Interior laundry closet. The escrow will close with the issuance of Occupancy Permit. Currently, under construction, other finished units can be shown. Showings by appointment ONLY. $297,000 #12132 MLS#21200033 110 PARK VILLAGE LOOP Recently updated home with an open style living area and high-speed fiber-optic internet. Located near medical clinics, hospital, library, shopping, and post office. Completely updated kitchen with Corian style countertops, stainless steel appliances. Bathrooms have Corian Style counters, & energy-efficient showerheads. New LVP flooring, lighting, and painting. A laundry room, covered deck, and a beautiful fenced yard. This home is immaculate and won’t disappoint. Hurry this one won’t last long. $394,900 #12128 MLS#21453154 541-997-7777 1613 1ST ST. Vintage Charmer. Charming 1907 home located in the heart of Old Town District. Beautiful views of the Siuslaw River, board- walk and bridge. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths in 2487 SF of living. Bay windows, landscaped yard, deck, carport and storage garage. Built-in wall clock and Barber pole included. All appliances stay. Come see this one before it’s gone. Shown by appoint- ment only. $539,000 #12126 MLS#21666570 1501 WILLOW LOOP A fantastic open floor plan in a quiet neighborhood makes for an excellent 1st home or a home to settle down for retirement. This well cared for 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home boasts a large kitchen, spacious great room, and a step in tub in the master bathroom. The home has a large fenced back yard with a large outbuilding. A covered back patio allows for year-round outdoor living. $385,000 #12138 MLS#21174480 “We’re next to the Bridge” 100 Hwy. 101 See all Florence Listings at cbcoast.com