THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JULY 21, 2021 | $1.00
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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
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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
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Broker/Owner
1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR