SOS buys neighboring building; Mapleton School District discussing Charter status; Rhody carnival passes on sale
Siuslaw Outreach Services recently entered into a contract to purchase the empty Nazarene Church building, immediately next door to their current location on 12th Street. A contractor is already working on necessary modifications and improvements. Executive Director Bob Teter is looking forward to eventually moving in. (SOS move 1) – “It’s gonna mean more space to do more things obviously, but what’s really exciting is that we’re bringing in some new partners. So, some veteran focused services, mental health services, services for people with disabilities. Kind of creating a one-stop shop resource center. So, it’s just going to allow us to do a whole lot more for this community.” Teter says they already have a tentative deal in place to sell the former medical clinic that has been SOS’s base of operations for more than two decades. But both sales need to clear a regulatory hurdle. Both properties are zoned for high density residential use and anything other than that would have to get a “conditional use permit” from the city. (SOS move 2) – “So the sale’s contingent upon us acquiring the Conditional Use Permit.” Hanna Hutcheson, the Associate Planner for the City of Florence says they only recently received the SOS application and are currently working on it.
The Mapleton School District Board of Directors had to postpone last Wednesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. Jeron Ricks, the district’s Business Manager, said it will be rescheduled at a later date. There was one item on the agenda that the board has been having a conversation about over the past several months. Superintendent Sue Wilson said directors are exploring what benefits, if any, they may gain by changing to a Charter School. (Mapleton Charter 2) – “I think what this affords us is some creativity to engage some of the home school community in our region and you get a little more flexibility with staffing, and I think that’s a way that can support our project-based learning.” Wilson said it wouldn’t mean any difference in funding, but they would operate under different guidelines than traditional kindergarten through grade 12 schools. (Mapleton Charter 1) – “We already share staff, students work together. I don’t know that there would be any felt difference there but on paper that would change.” She added that by changing to a Charter status they would be expected to “innovate differently”. Charter status for small rural schools is becoming more common. Triangle Lake schools and the Junior and Senior High School in Reedsport are a couple of nearby examples.
The Siuslaw School District Budget Committee will get their second and likely final look at the 2025-2026 budget when members meet Wednesday evening. The panel of 14 will meet at six PM Wednesday at Siuslaw Middle School. Superintendent Andy Grzeskowiak and District Business Manager Cece Howell will review questions posed by committee members after last month’s first presentation. Following that discussion it is likely the panel will consider approval of the document. If so, it will go to the School Board to be finalized May 14th. The board is scheduled for the final budget hearing and approval on June 11th.
An Oregon college softball team traveling from a game was involved in a two-vehicle crash late Friday that killed an athlete and coach, authorities said Saturday. Oregon State Police said the driver of a pickup crossed a center line and crashed head-on into a bus carrying 10 members of the Umpqua Community College team in Coos County following a game against Southwestern Oregon Community College. Jami Strinz, 46, head softball coach, was driving the Chevrolet Express bus. Police said she was later declared dead at a hospital. Kiley Jones, 19, was declared dead at the scene. The freshman from Nampa, Idaho, played first base. The other eight occupants of the bus suffered “moderate to serious injuries and were provided emergency medical services,” according to police, and some staff and students remained in hospitals in Eugene and Portland on Saturday. The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado truck was also seriously injured and was taken to an emergency medical center. Police said “Impaired driving is considered a primary cause of the crash,” and that a criminal investigation was ongoing.
