24 October 2014
Coos County Bridge Accident Claims Life of Florence Man
A Florence man died and the McCulloch Bridge will remain closed at least through later today following what may or may not be two related incidents Wednesday.
The body of 52-year old Mark Fortune, a mechanic for the bridge contractor working on a five-year, $23-million corrosion abatement project, was recovered from the waters of Coos Bay after his truck fell from a construction platform beneath the bridge.
Nobody witnessed the accident.
Earlier that afternoon, authorities were alerted to large pieces of debris on the road surface of the bridge that had apparently fallen from the work enclosure surrounding the northern arches of the bridge. High winds had apparently caused the structure to shift.
It’s not clear if the accident that claimed Fortune’s life is related, but the investigation is ongoing.
Oregon Department of Transportation officials say the bridge itself appears to be undamaged, but it will remain closed until they can assess the enclosure. Light trucks and cars are being routed through East Bay Drive; Heavy trucks are told to use I-5.
CM Search to Start Anew
The search for a new Florence City Manager will extend into the new year. City Councilors this week directed the interim City Manager to begin the process of recruiting and interviewing replacements for Jacque Betz all over again. Mayor Nola Xavier doesn’t see the inability to secure a viable candidate out of the first round of recruitment as a failure… but more of an opportunity, she says, to find the best person possible.
The plan… start all over again after the November 4th election.
Nola Xavier – “Certainly open the recruitment along about mid-December which would mean that it would probably run until the end of January which puts it then, the screening and the setting up of how the interviewing and all of that would go in the new council’s hands.”
The Council is required to name a city manager… without the “interim” title… by mid December. That formality will likely be handled by removing that interim title from Larry Patterson who is likely to assume the permanent role… on a temporary basis.
State of the Coast Features NY Times Best Selling Author
New York Times Best Selling Author Paul Greenberg will be in Florence Saturday to address the annual State of the Coast conference. The New York City resident’s second book, about seafood and sustainability, is called “American Catch” and describes what he calls a “real dilemma”.
Paul Greenberg – “The United States controls more ocean than any country on the planet and yet more than 85% of our seafood is imported, is coming to us from abroad. So that kind of conundrum sort of set me off across the country to understand why there was this weird disconnect.”
The State of the Coast begins at Nine AM Saturday at the Events Center… Greenberg is slated to speak at 9:15. Pre-registration is $35, that includes lunch and can be done at www.StateoftheCoast.com or that morning at the center. The conference is organized and presented by Oregon Sea Grant.
Sea Star Recovery Possible?
Divers along the Oregon Coast have faced a gruesome seascape of decomposing and dying sea stars over the past few months.
Now, there appears to be a turnaround of sorts… on the rocks at the Siuslaw River Entrance.
A volunteer science diver for the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport… Diane Hollingshead of Eugene… noticed hundreds of tiny juvenile sea stars during a recent recreational dive at the North Jetty Dive Park.
Hollingshead contacted the aquarium which responded with a science dive team to examine.
The thumbnail-size stars were densely concentrated… as many as 200 in a square meter.
Scientists say this could be the first sign of sea star recovery in Oregon where “wasting syndrome” has ravaged four different species of local stars. They say they’ll continue to monitor the progress of the juveniles.
Business Personal Property Tax Collection Effort
Businesses in southwestern Oregon that haven’t voluntarily filed their 2014 business personal property tax forms are the subject of a combined collection effort.
Lane County Assessor Mike Cowles said his agency is leading the way in working with assessors in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine and Klamath Counties. They’re trying to gain compliance from businesses that Cowles says, may not understand they are required to file. Oregon statute requires many businesses to file the returns by March 1st of each year.
Cowles said the seven counties are combining their resources with the primary focus this year being education.
