Woodbury to receive Distinguished Service Award

Coast Radio News
Local News
21 January 2015

Distinguished Service Award to be Presented

Woody Woodbury will be honored this evening during the Siuslaw Awards with a special Distinguished Service Award.

The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce has handed out the award from time to time in conjunction with the First and Future First Citizen, but not for several years.

Chamber executive Cal Applebee says Woody is someone who “selflessly acts in each and every day”. Woodbury has served in several leadership roles; he was Chamber President for two years and was on the board for seven. He’s been on the Florence Food Share Board and is currently in the middle of his second three-year term on the Florence Urban Renewal Agency board.

It’s been his generosity however that has made him stand out. Applebee says Woodbury, through his Grocery Outlet, gives about 20-thousand pounds of food each year to Food Share.

He’ll be presented with his award this evening during the Siuslaw Awards at the Florence Events Center. The event is sold out.

City Manager under contract

Florence City Council members discussed a final contract last night with Erin Reynolds. Reynolds is the current finance director and soon-to-be City Manager. Interim City Manager Larry Patterson says she’ll officially assume the role March 1st.

Larry Patterson– “I think the council is excited about her candidacy for this position. I think she brings to it not only a knowledge of the organization and the community but I think a sharp mind and a desire to do this job and I think that’s very crucial.”

As manager, she’ll earn $105-thousand a year; about 11-thousand less than her immediate predecessor. That may seem like a lot of money, but Patterson says when you look at what Reynolds will be responsible for supervising it comes into perspective.

Larry Patterson – “You’ve got a $25.4-million operating budget, a capital plant around a hundred-million dollars in value, 55 employees and it’s a 24-7 occupation.”

Reynolds emerged as a possible candidate for the position when the previous council was unable to find a suitable manager last fall.

Gas Prices at 11 year low

Some of the lowest average pump prices in the country are here in Florence. According to Triple-A, the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.05. Locally, the average cash price is $1.98 a gallon.

That’s the lowest in Florence since 2004.

Prices at two of the five stations dipped below the two-dollar mark in the middle of last week, but by the weekend, all five stations had cash prices posted below that amount.

By contrast, Oregon’s statewide average price remains at $2.22 a gallon.

New editor takes the helm

For the past several years Ryan Cronk has been working beside Theresa Baer to put out the Siuslaw News twice each week. Baer left last week to be with her aging parents and Cronk took over the editorial helm. Today marks his first solo issue.

Ryan Cronk – “I’m going to greatly miss Theresa. You know we had a great working relationship, but I’m excited to see what I can do and see maybe what kind of changes I can make for better and for the community.”

Cronk is a native Oregonian and a 2008 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism. He’s been in Florence for the past seven years. In 2012 Cronk was appointed Features Editor; a role that put him in the middle of things from time to time.

Ryan Cronk – “For the past two years, you know any time Theresa’s been out of the office I’ve been filling in for her and so, to me, this isn’t new.”

That’s why he says he’s not overly nervous about this week’s paper… it’s something he’s very used to.

Boys and Girls Club Implements Fee

The financial crunch at the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County has become tighter. Last fall the club issued a desperate plea for donations to help fund after school programs through the end of the year. That didn’t generate enough cash, so earlier this month the Board of Directors decided to begin charging a $30-per-week fee to access the after school program.

Letters went home to parents earlier this month that in addition to a $25-annual fee, they would have to pay the weekly amount. Board president Mike Smith said it was unavoidable.

Mike Smith – “It was an unfortunate reality. If there was another way to do it, we would of course entertain that and probably already have entertained many of those ideas. But, we’ve gone through this and this is, we feel, the best decision in order to keep the club operational for as long as we possibly can.”

Smith said they will likely lose participants in the program because of the fee, but hoped they would be able to maintain services.

A parent meeting was held last night at the Elementary School to discuss the charge. Another one is set for tonight and then a final one tomorrow… both of those begin at six pm.

Motorists and Pedestrians Urged to Use Caution

A recent incident in which a Klamath Falls man was struck by a car and injured in Florence highlights the need for both pedestrians and drivers to be “extra aware” of what’s going on around them. Especially when conditions cause poor visibility.

It happened Saturday night, about 9 pm on 35th Street near Spruce. It was dark obviously, but it was also raining. Those conditions likely contributed to the accident in which 54-year old Victor Haley was struck by a car driven by 35-year old Rory Conner of Veneta. Haley was transported to Peace Harbor Medical Center with unspecified injuries and no citations were issued.

Florence Police Lieutenant John Pitcher said motorists need to be extra alert at times.

John Pitcher – “But you gotta be aware of pedestrians, you gotta keep an eye out.

But, he added, pedestrians also have a responsibility to make sure they are visible to drivers… and don’t take unneeded risks.