Rain and high water causes chronic transportation challenges

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126 at Cushman faces daily delays at high tide

Highway 126, four miles east of Florence, has been closed or reduced to one lane of traffic for several hours each day because of flooding beneath the railroad bridge at Cushman.

Midday high tides cause the water to back up beneath the bridge. As the water recedes, traffic is allowed through one lane at a time, causing significant backups. Some drivers waited two to three hours to get through. After closing around noon yesterday, two-way traffic was restored just after five pm. Tides and high water will likely combine to create traffic restrictions in that area for several more days.

Damage has been reported on several other area roads. A slide covered a portion of Bernhardt Creek Road earlier this week. County road crews cleared that quickly. They’re working on another closure today. Ten Mile Road between Highway 101 north and the North Fork was closed yesterday at milepost six due to a slide.

Closer to the ocean, the U.S. Forest Service has closed South Jetty Road five miles west of the intersection with Highway 101 due to river erosion. That has cut off the South Jetty and the popular Rock Dock near the mouth of the river. Officials are trying to determine the best way to reopen that road.

Florence Mayor Joe Henry, an avid SCUBA diver stands with Porter Sea Lion, the first of 20 7 1/2 foot tall fiberglass sea lions that will be decorated and displayed next year as an attention and fund raiser for the 20th anniversary of the Florence Events Center. Pictured behind Porter and Henry are members of the committee organizing the effort. (Siuslaw News Photo- Chantelle Meyer)
Florence Mayor Joe Henry, an avid SCUBA diver stands with Porter Sea Lion, the first of 20 7 1/2 foot tall fiberglass sea lions that will be decorated and displayed next year as an attention and fund raiser for the 20th anniversary of the Florence Events Center. Pictured behind Porter and Henry are members of the committee organizing the effort. (Siuslaw News Photo- Chantelle Meyer)

Dancing Sea Lions Beginning to Arrive

The first of twenty white fiberglass sea lions for the Dancing With Sea Lions fundraiser was unveiled Thursday afternoon. Committee Chair, Jennifer Connor uncrated Porter Sea Lion with the help of Florence Mayor Joe Henry and committee members at the Florence Events Center. The remaining nineteen seven-and-a-half-foot sea lions are expected to arrive in Florence later this month from Cowpainters of Chicago, Illinois. All twenty will be decorated by Oregon Coast artists whose designs were blindly selected from 42 submitted entries. Each sponsored sea lion will be presented at the April 9th Splash Off event prior to being publicly planted for display during the 2016 tourist season. Sixteen of the twenty sea lions will be auctioned off in October of next year during a fundraising event for the Friends of the FEC that will commemorate the center’s 20th anniversary.

(CC)

From books to building

Miss Gayle is turning from books to building this weekend. Gayle Waiss, the Youth Services Librarian at Siuslaw Public Library, says they are hosting a “Holiday Family Fun Day” tomorrow from ten until one in the Bromley Room.

Families are invited to come and decorate a gingerbread house. Supplies will be provided.

Waiss stresses children under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult.

Keeper’s House Victorian Christmas

Each year for the past 20, volunteers and operators of the Heceta Light Station Bed and Breakfast have decorated the vintage keeper’s house with “festive Victorian Holiday” décor.

This year’s version of the open house will be Saturday and Sunday evening, then again next weekend.

Michelle Korgan operates the bed and breakfast, she says the event will feature live music and Santa Claus will be on hand. Visitors are encouraged to bring a flash light and a jacket to make a night-time walk to the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Parking is available at Heceta Lighthouse State Park. A shuttle from there will deliver visitors to the front door of the house. There’s no cost for the open house, but there is a parking acess fee.

The open house is from four to seven tomorrow and Sunday, then again next weekend.

Organizer of springtime job fair seeking employers

The call is going out now for potential employers who want to participate in a Community Job Fair next spring.

Pam Hickson, recruitment specialist for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians says businesses know the challenges when trying to find good employees. Likewise, job seekers face similar challenges.

The Free Community Job Fair set for March 24th at Three Rivers Casino Resort will bring all those parties together to form a network according to Hickson. She’s already recruited several different businesses but would like to find more. The job fair is an “ideal opportunity”, she said, to reach out to job seekers in advance of the busy summer season. Potential employers can call her at 541-902-6504.

Whatever floats your boat… as long as it’s lit

The first ever holiday lighted boat parade on Siltcoos Lake is set for this Saturday evening. Lori Olson with Darling’s Resort and Marina says they’re ready for anything.

Lori Olson – “Because it’s the first year we don’t really have any expectations. We’re just going to see how it goes; see how many people show up.”

All boats must be lighted… and arrive at Darlings’ by four PM Saturday to launch. There’s a $10 entry fee with proceeds going to the Salvation Army Home Front War Relief Program. The parade begins at five…

Lori Olson – “The route is going to be along the north shore of Siltcoos Lake and then we’re going to head on over to Dunes City.”

Olson said the Westlake Area will get a good view of the parade as it passes.

She’s keeping an eye on the weather, but she’s not too terribly concerned:

Lori Olson – “Being coasties we can handle a lot of rain, so rain shouldn’t hinder us at all. Wind will hinder us.”

Olson says she intends to make it an annual event.