Teen Center space at a premium
Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Chuck Trent is facing another challenge, but it’s one he’s happy with.
Chuck Trent – “We have a huge problem right now. I love to have these kinds of problems. And the problem is that we’re outgrowing the teen center.”
Popularity of the program was growing by the end of last school year and it’s not expected to stop.
Chuck Trent – “37 to 40 right at the end of the school year. We believe we’re going to open the school year with about 50. There’s no way we can hold that number of kids with all the kinds of things that we have to do, including serving meals.”
The club has a solution already in process. It owns the former Quality Child Care building on the Siuslaw Middle School campus. It’s been closed for more than a year. Several donors have committed to pay for moving the modular building from there to the Teen Center location on Airport Road. Once named, it will be named in memory of longtime club supporter Nan Osbon. Trent says until that project is complete later this year, things will be tight, but they’ll get by.
Coast Range Blazes Contained
Firefighters gained the upper hand on a pair of Coast-Range wildfires over the weekend. The High Pass 12.5 Fire ten miles east of Junction City in Lane County has burned 200 acres and is still expected to grow, but it is no longer threatening private land and structures.
Evacuation orders for homes in the area were lifted yesterday.
Hot and dry conditions, coupled with gusty winds continue to be a challenge.
In Northern Lincoln County, the 2500 Road Fire has burned an estimated 220-acres near Depoe Bay. Containment lines held over the weekend and crews have already begun to mop up hot spots within the perimeter. Fogarty Creek State Park is still closed to the public as fire crews are using it for a base camp.
Rhododendron Drive to get facelift
Yet another large infrastructure project is in the works for Florence this year. Public Works Director Mike Miller…
Mike Miller – “There’s a major project, which is the Rhododendron Drive from Highway 101 to 9th street.”
That project, which will also include work on Kingwood Street between 2nd Street and Rhody Drive, is for replacement of a water line to improve service and fire flows to the Peace Harbor Medical Center. It also includes a pretty good size project above ground.
Mike Miller – “Repavement of Rhododendron Drive and sidewalk and bike lanes from essentially Hemlock, back to Ninth Street.”
That will complete the southern and eastern links of a pedestrian and bicycle route between Highway 101 and the Greentrees area. Bids will be opened and awarded in October with construction expected to begin in November.
Body of drowning victim recovered
Searchers recovered the body of a man early Friday morning from Siltcoos Lake. Sergeant Greg Rice with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said 78-year old Robert Cook of Lake Oswego jumped from a boat Thursday evening to go swimming in the lake. Friends said he surfaced once, then went under and did not come up.
They began searching immediately, but soon called for help.
Siuslaw Valley Firefighters, medics with Western Lane Ambulance and a helicopter with the Coast Guard searched into the late evening.
A team from Lane County Search and Rescue found Cook’s body.
