26 August 2015
Iconic forested ridge will be incorporated into plan
The nearly 100 units of senior housing slated for development on the site of the former high school football field will be designed to preserve the wooded ridge that protects the property from summer winds.
Chris Looney — “We learned early on in our due diligence on the property, we can’t do anything with that. That’s basically set up as a wind break between, you know, the west side of Florence and the highway and Old Town.”
Chris Looney, with Paradigm Properties Northwest, says the ridge… identified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan as being a significant feature… enhances the property.
Chris Looney — “It’s actually not such a bad thing. because we’re going to use that, as sort of a, on the west side of the property, really nice outdoor courtyard kind of space four our residents, that with that hillside, is going to be kind of sheltered from some of the weather. So, it’s going to make for a very very nice outdoor space.”
Plans for the combination Alzheimer’s, assisted and independent living facility are expected to be submitted to the city this fall for approval. If all goes well, Looney says they’ll be ready to accept residents by the end of 2016.
Kindergarten ribbon cutting
Incoming kindergartners will begin classes on a different schedule than other grades at Siuslaw next month.
Siuslaw Elementary Principal Mike Harkelrode said classes for most grades begin Tuesday, September 8th. But, kindergarten students won’t begin attending until the following Monday, the 14th.
Parents will have scheduled half-hour family conferences with the Kindergarten team on the 8th, 9th or 10th. Students will be assessed for appropriate classroom placement, he said; and parents will have a chance to share important details about their children.
Kindergartners will attend classes all day beginning this year, instead of just half-day. Two additional teachers have been hired and a new kindergarten only building next to the elementary school was recently completed.
A ribbon cutting, along with an open house at the new facility will be held from 4:30 to 7:00 Thursday.
Mussels ok; razors remain off limits
Levels of a dangerous paralytic toxin found in shellfish along the Oregon Coast have fallen, leading the Oregon Department of Agriculture to lift bans on harvesting of mussels.
Meanwhile, the taking of razor clams remains closed because of elevated levels of domoic acid.
The latest portion of the coast to reopen to mussel harvesting was between Heceta Head and Cape Meares, south of Tillamook Bay.
The Ag Department will continue to test for shellfish toxins weekly, as tides permit. Reopening of an area requires two consecutive tests in the safe range.
Not guilty plea entered in murder for hire plot
A Westlake woman accused of hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband has pleaded not-guilty to charges related to the failed murder-for-hire-plot.
57-year old Pamela Jean Gygi (GHEE-ghee) entered not-guilty pleas to four different federal charges Monday.
Federal officials allege Gygi paid a parolee to kill her ex-husband. She was arrested in July after the parolee told an FBI agent that the woman paid him $600 and promised him a Utah home, among other things, for his cooperation.
An investigator’s affidavit says the would-be hit man had several audio-recorded meetings with Gygi and even alerted the woman’s ex-husband to the plot.
Gygi remains in the Lane County Jail.
Buckle up… be safe
Authorities say buckling up properly can save lives. Last year in Oregon, six children under the age of 12 died in vehicle crashes. Only one of those was in a child restraint system.
In fact, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the leading cause of death for children through 12-years old is related to motor vehicle crashes.
Between now and Labor Day there will be more families on the road, getting one final adventure in before school starts.
There will also be more police officers on the road looking for people speeding or talking on their cell phones; as well as making sure drivers buckled up.
The added patrols are funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation which channeled $580-thousand into seat belt education and enforcement last year.
Labor Day gas prices at lowest level in 11 years
Drivers in Oregon are paying less on average for gas headed into the Labor Day holiday than they have since 2004. Marie Dodds with Triple-A of Oregon says a steep decline in crude oil prices gets the credit. The national average price fell eight cents this week to $2.58 a gallon; while Oregon’s average price lost six cents and is at $2.93.
Locally, the average cash price fell by three cents a gallon this week and is at $2.84.
Gas prices are running almost exactly a dollar a gallon less than at the same time last hear.
