Bond Shortage Possible?
The Siuslaw School Board recognized January as School Board Recognition Month at last night’s meeting, urging the community to honor the dedication of local board members in preparing students for the future. The board approved the appointment of Lisa Sedlacek to the Budget Committee and deferred several discussions to February’s consent agenda, including updates to policies on family and medical leave, paid leave insurance, and sick time for substitutes. A second reading on Lane Education Service District budget and support will also occur next month, with the board requesting a breakdown of service costs. Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak informed the board that the 2008 bond measure is expected to fall short of its timeline due to investment underperformance and increased payroll costs, potentially leading to the consideration of a new bond measure sooner than planned.
“That bond investment is coming to an end, but it’s going to come to an end a little sooner because of general payroll increases and PERS recalculation for years of reduced growth they thought we would make on our investment.”
The meeting also included a presentation by Benjamin Cohn of KDP Advisors, who reported a “clean, unmodified opinion” from the district’s first-year audit, highlighting strong financial compliance and performance. Additionally, Arturo Ruelas, head of schools for Siuslaw Valley Charter School, was introduced to the board during a pre-meeting work session.
Making Way for New Business
One of the very first commercial buildings on Highway 101 in downtown Florence is coming down. Jack Ponsler owned the Ford dealership that was located on what was, at the time, the main highway into Florence in the early 1930s at 2nd and Maple. When construction on the new bridge in 1936 meant a realignment of the highway, he knew he needed to be on the new stretch. Notoriously frugal, Ponsler struck a deal with the bridge builders to dispose of the large timbers they used to build the concrete forms for the bridge. Those timbers went into the new dealership which opened, also, in 1936 on the new highway 101 at Laurel Street, just two blocks away from his original location. In 1939 Ponsler sold the dealership to the Johnston Family, keeping the real estate. 18 years after that, a fire in the shop damaged the building and when planning for repairs, Stu Johnston, who had taken over the dealership from his father wanted to remodel the building. Ponsler reportedly didn’t want to pay for the modifications, so Johnston built a new building near 21st street, moving into it in 1958. Gas station operator Irl Ziemer moved into the 101 and Laurel Street building, eventually selling the station to his daughter and son in law, Wanda and Gary Hoberg. The gas pumps and tanks were removed several years ago and the Hoberg’s daughter Shasta and her husband Kevin McMullen retired two years ago, selling the property to a Colorado businessman who is planning on building a natural grocery. We’ll have more information on the three family-owned businesses with roots in that original building, two of which are still operating, tomorrow.
Day Care Woes
Nearly 9-thousand families are on the wait list for the Oregon Employment Related Day Care program, and family advocates are calling on lawmakers to ramp up funding to meet the growing need. Child-care prices in Oregon can exceed college tuition and have outpaced growth in household incomes, according to research by Oregon State University. Dana Hepper, with the Children’s Institute, says most families, even if they don’t qualify for the ERDC, cannot afford child care.
“And most child-care providers do not make living wages. So we can’t rely on just parents paying tuition to solve this child-care crisis.”
Hepper says the state needs to spend at least 500-million dollars more on the ERDC program this year. This would serve the families that are on the wait list, as well as those who have vouchers for the program but cannot find a child-care provider.