Bridge rehab going slower than expected
Residents in and around the Old Town area still face several more months of noise from the machinery being used by crews applying a corrosion resistant coating to the Siuslaw River Bridge.
Angela Beers-Sydel – “The noise is hard on people. Especially the compressor noise because that’s not consistent. The generator, that’s kind of a consistent noise, but that compressor going off and on as people are on a respirator system, that can be kind of tough for the people nearby and we understand that so we want to make that they know the hours to expect that people are working.”
Angela Beers-Sydel with the Oregon Department of Transportation said except for Monday, January 2nd, work will continue Monday through Thursday from four am to ten pm. Part of the slowdown, she says, is that workers are finding small bits of waste metal that were dropped into the concrete as the bridge was built 80-years ago. In order to make the coating work properly, those bits near the surface have to be dug out and the holes patched.
Angela Beers-Sydel – “These projects, you never really know what you’re getting into until you get into it. They’re still within the timeline of the project estimate. It’s really not estimated to be wrapped up until 2019, but it is going a little more slowly than is, than what was planned in the first place.”
The anti corrosion work is expected to move to the southern end of the span in late spring 2017. But, that’s when a separate project, the replacement of the bridge railings, will move to the north end.
Victim assistance approved by Dept. of Justice
Three members of the Oregon Congressional delegation teamed up earlier this year to urge approval of a sizeable grant from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at helping reimburse the costs of assistance to the victims of the 2015 shooting at Umpqua Community College.
That effort paid off this week when Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with Representative Peter DeFazio announced the $1.2-million payment from the department’s antiterrorism and emergency assistance fund.
Merkley, who was raised in southern Douglas County, called last October’s on-campus shooting an “unfathomable trauma” and said the last thing victims and responding agencies should have to deal with is the financial cost of the attack.
Most of the money will be used to reimburse Douglas County and the City of Roseburg for their costs. But, much of it will be used to support crisis response and services for victims, witnesses and first responders.
Minor offshore quake Tuesday
Geologists say another mild earthquake was recorded Tuesday morning off the Central Oregon Coast. This one was at 7:51 am and was a 4.1 magnitude. The U.S. Geologic Survey says it was pinpointed 200 miles west of Newport and was about six miles beneath the ocean floor.
No impact was reported on shore, and the quake was not of the type that would trigger a tsunami.
Tax volunteers sought
The call is going out once again for seasonal tax counselors. Frank Williams is a local AARP volunteer. They’ll begin providing free tax preparation assistance to low income and senior residents in February. But Williams says they’re looking for potential helpers right now.
He said they can always use more tax counselors and says as long as you have some tax knowledge and are “computer literate”, they can teach you to become a counselor.
Classes for the volunteers will begin January 11th and continue over a three week period. Williams said anyone interested in helping out can call him at 541-997-7836.
Library adds language learning to lineup
You can add assistance in learning another language to the long list of things you can do at Siuslaw Public Library.
The Friends of the Library recently assisted in the acquisition of an ‘online’ service that offers help with 60 different foreign language courses. That will be offered to library users at no cost.
Library Director Meg Spencer said there are 60 languages… including “pirate”, American Sign Language, and “medical Spanish”.
The service also offers English courses based in 17 different languages.
An open house is set for January 7th to introduce the system, but Spencer says it is available right now.
