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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013
Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878
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Displaying our history Smoot in charge of museum’s maritime exhibits BY EMILY THORNTON The World
o p h o d teb u tiC ro n t
Contributed Photo
Scott Partney, general contractor with Scott Partney Construction, talks with executive director Frank Smoot and Mark Johnson, the primary architect with the Miller Hull firm in Seattle, at the site of the new Coos Historical & Maritime Center.
NORTH BEND — Visitors may never see the face behind the displays they will see, but much of it will be a result of his expertise. Frank Smoot has spent countless hours putting together stories — in the form of exhibits and articles — for other entities. He now does it for the Coos Historical & Maritime Center. He took over as executive director on Nov. 4, replacing Annie Donnelly, who held the position
since 2005. She moved on to the Oregon Community Foundation. “I think both organizations got great hires,” said Steve Greif, member of the museum’s board of directors. He said Donnelly was a major player in planning and designing the new museum, or “center,” as it will now be called. Smoot immediately immersed himself in the rich history of the region. It enabled him to adequately and accurately depict the area’s history, he said. Talking with people and reading books were his keys to success.
Man suffers broken leg after stepping in a beaver trap ■
BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
Salvation Army distributes toys, food
Hundreds of games and toys are separated by age on tables inside the gym at the Salvation Army on Wednesday morning for distribution. Brad Finch helps out at the toy and food distribution Wednesday at the Salvation Army headquarters. He helped by unloading and passing out turkeys for the Christmas meal boxes.
Photos by Lou Sennick The World
COOS BAY — Vessels on the Coos Bay boat dock could see a spike in moorage rates. The city of Coos Bay’s finance committee has proposed increasing moorage rates from $4 per foot per month to $6 per foot per month for long-term (anything longer than 30 days) moorage vessels. They compared the city’s moorage rates to those at the Charleston Marina, though Coos Bay harbor master Dan McCutcheon said that’s an unfair comparison. “Their argument is that Charleston charges $6.80 a foot for long-term,” he said. “What they’re not acknowledging is if you get an annual rate at Charleston it’s $4.08 a foot.” It’s also an unfair comparison, he said, because Charleston is a genuine marina, whereas Coos Bay’s is a city dock. “Proper marinas have amenities that we don’t have here: restrooms available 24 hours a day, showers, laundry, oil disposal facilities, recycling, security ... the ability to lock the gates after a reasonable hour, parking,” he said. “The kind of rates they’re talking about are reflective of a private marina.” McCutcheon sits on both sides of the issue. As the city’s volunteer harbor master he receives his parking space free; but he also leases space on the docks alongside 19 other vessels and is against the proposed rate increase. SEE MOORAGE | A8
Wyden bill promotes eastern Oregon logging BY JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press GRANTS PASS — Sen. Ron Wyden is introducing his longawaited bill to promote logging on national forests in Eastern Oregon. The Oregon Democrat’s Senate Natural Resources Committee is to take up the bill on Thursday in Washington, D.C. Wyden’s bill creates a 15-year pilot project to streamline forest
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restoration on national forests in eastern Oregon, where many stands are thick with small trees that are of little value to struggling mills, but are a tinderbox for wildfires and insect infestation. It also produces timber to keep mills working. Timber industry and conservation groups that had once come together to support Wyden’s efforts are not so happy with the latest changes.
Julie Lowry, North Bend Jessie Howerton, Cottage Grove Marnella Lyons, Las Vegas, Nev. Alvin Gage, Coos Bay Patricia Creson, Port Orford
Tom Partin of the American Forest Resources Council said it puts ecological restoration ahead of economic considerations in national forest management. He added the bill would make it harder for the U.S. Forest Service to harvest burned timber after wildfires, and slow down restoration projects already underway. “We need legislation that will address the needs of all of our national forests,” he said in an
Daniel Ostrom, North Bend Richard Westgaard, North Bend James Veal, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
SEE TRAP | A8
Lt. Kevin Pope, center, helps to load a bike in the back of a vehicle along with Walt Evans on the right Wednesday morning. The Salvation Army had its distribution day for the bikes, toys and food gathered for families to help celebrate Christmas. Evans is the coordinator for the annual Bykes for Tykes Toy Run held this past Sunday.
DEATHS
COQUILLE — One young man recently learned the hard way that wandering off the beaten path can be dangerous. Coquille Police say the man, whose identity they have not released, suffered a broken leg after accidentally stepping into a beaver trap. The trap was located in some marshy land near Sturdivant Park, along state highway 42. Police Chief Janice Blue said the man’s dog had gotten loose and he was trying to retrieve it when the accident happened on Sunday afternoon. Two vehicles with good Samaritans stopped after they spotted a shirtless young man hanging over the highway’s retaining wall. One of the drivers, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the man was screaming “Help me! Help me!” They called 911 and tried to free the man, but were unable to get the trap loose. It took a firefighter with bolt-cutters to get the job done. Chief Blue says the trap was one of the ones that were put there, by permission, by a trapper trying to solve a nuisance problem. Beaver dams have been causing flooding in that area, she said. “The traps are in places where people would not normally be walking,” Blue said. “People should be aware, when entering marshy areas, that there could be traps.” The incident coincided with the release of a warning from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They say trapping seasons are underway throughout the state and people need to be cautious when hiking. Pets can also become unwitting victims of these traps. Traps set for coyotes, bobcats and raccoons are the types of sets most likely to inadvertently capture a dog. The organization UtahPAWS has tips on how to release pets from traps on their website: utahpaws.org/pet_safety.
INSIDE
SEE SMOOT | A8
City may increase rates for moorage
Watch where you step
Police reports . . . . A2 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A3 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
“There are an amazing number of books on the Southern Oregon coast history,” he said. He said depicting history was a little easier at his last job, editor of the Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire, Wisc., because he had spent 45 of his 52 years there. His title there put him in charge of exhibit and research design — skills he’ll need here. “Where we’re at with our facility, the timing couldn’t be any better,” said Joe Slack, president of
email. “State-based legislation ...is not adequate for what is needed nationwide.” A bill to boost logging on national forests nationwide has cleared the House, but is given little chance of passing the Senate, and faces a veto threat from the White House. Wyden’s bill has languished since 2009, when he first introduced it to SEE WYDEN | A8
Sunny 46/34 Weather | A8
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