Mapleton Pool to get State Money; ODOT Says July 4th Holiday is Deadliest; More Money Needed to Cover Fireworks; Volunteers Needed for Dunes City

Mapleton Pool to get State Money

The Mapleton pool is in need of renovation.  The project to restore the pool and provide amenities like water safety instruction and classes for youth will cost close to a million dollars to complete.  Mapleton School Board member Marilyn Fox has spearheaded this campaign and see got the attention of state legislators like Senator Arnie Roblan and Representative Caddy McKeown.  McKeown said she knows the importance of rural community pools and how important it is to teach children to swim.

“…am really interested in making sure that our kids growing up on the coast and are surrounded by water are water safe.”

McKeown says she has been involved in pool restorations before and knows the benefits that they provide.  She worked on getting funds earmarked for the project and was able to secure some of the monies to get the process started.

“There will be a $500,000 allocation that is earmarked for that facility.  They are in a fund raising mode now and they will have to raise some money locally to help match that money.”

There is no timeline set yet for the project.  Several other coastal facilities have received money including a 5.1 million dollar stipend for upgrading the Coos Bay Rail line.

ODOT Says July 4th Holiday is Deadliest

The Oregon Department of Transportation says that the 4th of July holiday is one of the deadliest in Oregon for crashes involving alcohol.  Statistics show that over the past 5 years 38 people have died on Oregon roads during the 4th holiday period and 23 of those involved alcohol.  ODOT has a few tips for partiers…Get a ride.  If you are going to drink make sure that someone in the group is a designated driver, or you plan to secure a taxi.  If you are hosting a party, have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available and plenty of snacks.  Scale back and even remove alcoholic beverages several hours before the end of the event.  And make sure your friends and family don’t drive drunk.  Take keys and make arrangements for people to get home safe.

More Money Needed to Cover Fireworks

Fireworks are still set to go off tomorrow evening but according to Bettina Hannigan with the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce they are still about $3000.00 short of the $8000.00 needed to cover the costs of the event.  Small donations have been trickling into the chamber, including some from private citizens via the chamber website.  Fireworks are set to go off around 10 pm tomorrow evening on the Port Property.  Residents and visitors can set up west of Harbor Street along the boardwalk and in the parking lot just east of the Bridgeport Market and Wine shop.  In addition sign-ups for the pie and watermelon eating contests will begin at 1 pm and the competition will begin as soon as everyone has signed up.

Volunteers Needed for Dunes City

Dunes City is still looking for volunteers to help gather water samples on Siltcoos Lake.  Volunteers will be trained on sampling procedures and water testing.  The testing will be given to the Department of Environmental Quality as part of the clean water act.  Sampling begins at 9am and is completed by 2pm.  It will take place 7 times over a year period.  Interested parties can contact Dunes City Hall for more information.