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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JULY 21, 2021 | $1.00 SN 83578 Kiechle Arm Rd. Lake View Home on .95 acre 3/2 with 3 car garage MLS 21470186 $555,000 Off ered by: Maureen Hewlett Principal Broker, CRS.GRI.ABR Licensed in the State of Oregon Cell: (541) 991-7794 Siuslaw News Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 58 J ULY 21, 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON WEATHER Sunshine with a high of 65 and a low of 49. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Power of Florence makes comeback 11th annual event continues tradition of ‘making a difference — together’ By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News T he 11th annual Power of Florence took place on July 17, with hundreds of volunteers and members of local organiza- tions taking part in various ac- tivities to improve and enhance the quality of life in this area. The motto for the day is “Each one. One day. Making a Difference To- gether,” and that goal was reached on Saturday. Projects undertaken included clean-ups of local parks and rec- reational areas, food collection for Florence Food Share and a free book distribution for stu- dents, among others. One of the larger events this year was a combined effort or- 2021 wildfires pose threat Legislators push for preparedness Adopt a Highway unites people INSIDE — A3 SPORTS Going off the sandrails INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & response logs Inside — A2 By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Oregon’s Congressional delega- tion, including U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio — who serves as the Chair of the House Transporta- tion and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency (FEMA) — and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley are leading U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. representatives Earl Blu- menauer, Kurt Schrader, Suzanne Bonamici and Cliff Bentz in push- ing FEMA for maximum readiness for Oregon’s 2021 wildfire season, See FIRE page 8A ganized by Western Lane Am- bulance District, Safe Shelter for Siuslaw Students and a new or- ganization in town, Sea Scouts, which is working towards obtain- ing a charter to operate in Flor- ence. WLAD provided dozens of bike helmets to many of the youth who received 35 free bikes from Sea Scout alumni Dean Lundie, who is working to establish a local branch of the Sea Scouts. “These kids are great!” Lundie said during the event. “After be- ing locked down for the last year and a half, I really wanted to do something for the kids, so I bought a bunch of bikes up and Groups from all across the area joined in making a difference on July down the coast, and we are going 17 for Power of Florence, a tradition started and continued by Flor- to give them all away today.” ence youth. See POWER page 7A Fuller Center Bike Adventure ‘builds community’ 18 cyclists pass thru Florence on 1,600-mile journey On July 16, the West Coast riders for the Full- er Center Bike Adventure gathered just outside the front doors of the By Zeahna Young Presbyterian Church Siuslaw News of the Siuslaw for their morning cir- cle-up. Having just finished preparing breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen in the church togeth- er, riders congregated in the church parking lot to receive updates and participate in a morning devotional led by Bike Adventure Founder Ryan Iafigliola. “I founded the event 14 years ago,” said Iafigli- ola. “I plan the routes, and we set the structure with the tour teams. Everyone is pitching in, but you can see we’ve got a great group of people. Ev- eryone helps out, we support each other, and we build a community.” The Bike Adventure’s West Coast ride takes 18 cyclists from Seattle, Wash., where they left See BIKE page 6A Fuller Center Bike Adventure riders cross over the Siu- slaw River Bridge on Highway 101 headed south to North Bend and, eventually, San Diego, Calif. Back in session Spruce Point takes precautions after COVID-19 detected in staff, residents TV GUIDE Inside — B4-B5 KIDS CORNER Activities for kids Inside — B3 CLASSIFIEDS Listings & notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 18 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 On Monday morning, members of the Florence City Council prepared to return to in-person meetings later that evening with a tour of recent improvements to the technological plat- forms and physical layout of Florence City Hall, 250 Highway 101. The improvements have been put in place since the council last met in early 2020 and will allow for better video and audio of public meetings. Since that time councilors Bill Meyer, Sally Wantz and Margaret Wisniewski have joined the council. This will be the first time these councilors have met at city hall. During the tour, City Manager Erin Reynolds coordinated with staff to provide the facility update. (From left) Councilor Wisniewski, Mayor Joe Henry and councilors Sally Wantz and Bill Meyer attended the first Florence City Council in-person meeting that night. Councilor Woody Woodbury was absent. Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care, a premiere assisted living community situated within the town of Florence, Oregon, ex- perienced positive COVID-19 cases on July 15, 2021, within its Memory Care community. In a response to the reported outbreak, Spruce Point provided the following news release. Spruce Point administrators are working collaboratively with Lane County Public Health during this time to ensure all public health safe- ty measures are being met. “Our team is providing excellent care to all of our residents,” stated Billie Wingfield, Senior Executive Director at Spruce Point. “We are working in close collaboration with Lane County Public Health and following all state and county guide- lines for protocols, procedures, and counter-measures.” See SPRUCE page 7A C elebrating Over 30 Years in Real Estate LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner 1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR
