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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2021)
SN WEDNESDAY EDITION | MARCH 24, 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM Siuslaw News YOUR #1 LOCAL YARD, GARDEN, AND LANDSCAPE EXPERTS! WE’RE GLAD TO GET YOU GROWING! 32 YEARS 88493 Hwy. 101 Florence Open 7 days a week Senior Discount Every Tuesday 997-5973 Lane County to shift down to ‘lower risk’ thanks in part to vaccinations Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 24 M ARCH 24, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON New county metrics go into effect March 26 WEATHER By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News Rain showers with a high of 49 and a low of 41. Full forecast on A3 Strolling into spring break PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS COMMUNITY Yachats Arts Guild hosts Spring Show INSIDE — A3 LIFESTYLE W ith a break in the weath- er, people have enjoyed exploring Historic Old Town Florence this week with the start of spring break. While COVID-19 safety measures are still in place, the lessening restrictions to restaurants and business ca- pacity allowed people to return to Florence for a break from school and work. Mapleton water woes continue for customers District to hold virtual community meeting March 24 to discuss board, next steps By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Siuslaw XC sweeps Sky-Em INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 TV GUIDE Inside — B3-B4 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — A7 CLASSIFIEDS Listings & notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 Jawsome Kids Resale 1901 Highway 101 Florence 541-997-5183 Yesterday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced updates to coun- ty risk levels for the community spread of COVID-19. Lane County will again shift down on Friday, this time into the “lower risk” designa- tion after a steady progression from “extreme” to “moderate” risk assess- ments over the past four weeks. “This week, we continue to see the majority of counties at lower and moderate risk, and I want to thank Oregonians once again for making smart choices throughout this pan- demic,” Brown said. Effective March 26 through April 8, there will be only two counties in the extreme risk level, six at high risk, 14 at moderate risk and 14 at lower risk. See METRICS page 6A Residents in Mapleton continue to have problems related to one of life’s essentials requirements — wa- ter. The Mapleton Water District (MWD) has been the subject of nu- merous customer complaints since a “Water Boil Notice” was issued last August. The boil notice was lifted in December, after an analysis of the problem and months of un- certainty. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the issues surround- ing the district. A protracted investigation of the problem with distributing clean, drinkable water eventually deter- mined the damage was caused by equipment failure at the district’s main station, in the wake of the Sweet Creek wildfires in early Sep- tember and late August. The MWD water system was used by firefighters battling the blaze, which consumed nearly 400 acres and involved the deploy- ment of fire fighters from Oregon Department of Forestry, Mapleton Fire Department, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and other fire de- partments from across the state. The damage to the water system affected the storage capacity at the MWD and the water quality for res- idents until a new, portable water skid was purchased and installed in December. That repair was success- ful and residents now have clean, potable water. However, what they also now have are extremely high water bills for the period where they were unable to use MWD for their daily needs. One resident, on the condition of anonymity due to concerns of retal- iation, sent the following statement to the Siuslaw News. “I have a dilemma that I am deal- ing with at this moment, as our water district in Mapleton has now sent out bills to everyone on the water system that are outrageously expensive,” the resident said. “My water bill is normally between $40 to $60 and now, because the letter says they [MWD] have been read- ing the meters wrong for 10 months now, all of our water bills — not just mine but every person — are astro- nomical.” According to the resident, some water bills came in at $500. “These are people that can’t af- ford a $500 water bill, especially when they are used to paying a nor- mal monthly rate,” they said. While skyrocketing water bills are one major concern for MWD customers, just as frustrating to many has been what they say is a lack of communication from the MWD Board of Directors — not just over the inflated water bills but regarding the inconsistent manner in which the board has communi- cated with residents. “Mapleton’s had too many prob- lems and too many issues with the water district and this is kind of the last straw,” the resident said. See WATER page 5A Hyak begins prep for major project Digital Opportunity Fund awards local broadband business $1.6 million By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The COVID 19 pandemic has caused Americans to realign their lives in many areas and in many unexpected ways. The changes that have resulted from this have rippled through many aspects of people’s lives, including the man- ner in which they meet, learn and generally communicate. The shift from working from office to home has been especially significant, as well as the change for students now learning from home. One of the results of this change has been the realization by school districts, businesses and govern- ments of the need for a secure and reliable internet connection be- tween employers, educators, stu- dents and employees. Unfortunately, in many rural ar- eas of Lane County and in some of the communities around Florence, there is either no internet access or limited broadband width below what is necessary to remotely learn or work effectively. That will change in the coming years thanks to a contract awarded to Florence internet, fiber optics MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Hyak, now located at 1535 Ninth St., will be working to bring higher speed internet to rural areas over the next six years. and security firm Hyak. Federal Communications Com- With the Rural Digital Op- mission (FCC) has undertaken a portunity Fund (RDOF), the See INTERNET page 5A Meet The Easter Bunny Saturday, March 27th, 1PM to 5PM Come by for a photo with the Easter Bunny! He will be handing out goodie bags! We are going to have a hoppity good time!
