Truck driver takes wrong turn
Florence police say they don’t really know where the driver of a large box-van thought he was headed Thursday evening, but he wound up in the Siuslaw River.
Police commander John Pitcher said a large delivery van, owned by Eugene’s Automatic Heat Installation and Service, drove down the Port of Siuslaw boat launch on Harbor Street and into the river about 7:30 that night.
Pitcher said the driver told officers he thought it was a “through street” in the dark and didn’t realize it was a boat launch until it was too late.
Gabriel Cruz Lopez of Eugene was not injured, nor was he impaired in anyway. Pitcher said officers did a field sobriety test to confirm that.
A diver had to attach a cable to the van so it could be recovered by Mast Brothers Towing. Siuslaw Valley Fire responded to assist… the U.S. Coast Guard was also summoned, but were turned around before they arrived on scene.
Stiles leaving LCC Board
The chair of the Lane Community College Board of Directors stepped down from her post last week. Sharon Stiles of Florence submitted her resignation during the March 8th board meeting.
She is leaving the community and moving back to Washington State where she previously lived several years.
Stiles has served on the board eight years and has been chair twice. She also headed up the presidential search committee last year that sought and found a successor to college president Mary Spilde.
The board elevated vice-chair Rosie Pryor to take over the gavel for Stiles.
Stiles has represented the college’s Zone 1. That covers most of Western Lane County, including Florence, Veneta and West Eugene.. Fellow Florentine Sally Wantz had previously filed for election to Stiles’ post. She is opposed in the election by Jeffrey Gratreak (? – I’m saying GRATT-reck). The deadline to get on the May 16th ballot is next Thursday, March 16th.
Visitor Center getting interior facelift
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center is getting a bit of an upgrade this week. Executive Director Bettina Hannigan said they’re moving the front counter and relocating just where volunteers will ultimately greet visitors.
Bettina Hannigan – “We’re going to wall that space in and use the office that’s off to the left of when you walk in and we’ll put some openings in there and that way we’ll kind of recover some real estate that we haven’t really been using.”
An unused meeting room will become the volunteers’ new work space and the former front counter will be converted to an office. The work began last week and even with all the heavy rain, Hannigan said she was amazed at how many people came to the center each day. The work is expected to be completed before Spring Break.
Dancing Sea Lions get more recognition
The Friends of the Events Center earned another award for the group’s hugely successful Dancing With the Sea Lions promotion last year.
Jennifer Connor with the FEC said it was an “Ovation” award from the Oregon Festivals and Events Association.
Jennifer Connor – “We received an award for impact on our community. It’s called the Impact Award. It was for the Friends of the Events Center Dancing with the Sea Lions project.”
Connor accepted the award on behalf of the Friends group at the Association’s annual meeting last week in Seaside. The project was recognized for raising awareness of the Events Center not only in the community but around the state as well. It was also a hugely successful fund-raiser that garnered more than $70-thousand for improvements and upgrades at the center.
Kiwanis Trailer reported stolen
A small utility trailer used by the Florence Kiwanis Club as a ticket booth and the headquarters for their annual Fourth of July Duck Race has gone missing.
Kiwanis secretary Bill Craig reported the theft of the trailer last week to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
When last seen, it was stored in a parking lot at Northwest Travel Magazines near Twin Lakes Store north of Florence. The 12-foot white cargo trailer was festooned with Blue Kiwanis signs and logos. Craig says it’s likely been repainted and is long gone by now. The thief or thieves had to cut a lock off the hitch to take it.
The trailer is a familiar Fourth of July sight in Old Town and at other community events. The estimated value was $3-thousand.