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SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014
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Alternate LNG route proposed The World
COQUILLE — Residents spoke and one company listened. An alternate route for the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline — not yet finalized — was submitted last month to the Coos County Planning Department. The pipeline’s latest proposed route, called the Blue Ridge alternate segment, was rerouted to bypass areas such as the National Resources Conservation Service’s Brunschmid Wetland Reserve
Program easement, Stock Slough and multiple tracts of privately owned timberlands. It is the route preferred by the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee, according to Bob Peacock, with the PCGP. He said the group Blue Ridge LNG proposed the route. “They asked us to investigate that alternative and we did because they asked us to do it,” Peacock said. He also said FERC had sent him several data requests about the project. The Blue Ridge application seeks a determination from Coos County
on whether a previously approved 49.72-mile segment of the pipeline within the county is consistent with all applicable land use regulations. About 15 miles could be changed with the proposed Blue Ridge route, Peacock said. It also increases BLM timber lands crossed from 1.43 miles to 7.64 miles, but decreases private timber lands from 9.32 to 5.31. There could be slight changes in the other counties it crosses, but Peacock said he “couldn’t speak to that.” “We’re submitting that (alternate route) because regardless of
The World
COOS BAY — The area’s homeless can now stay longer at Coos Bay’s shelter. The Temporary Help in Emergency, or THE House, 745 Koosbay Blvd., extended the number of nights those in need can stay at the shelter as of Wednesday. Previously, people could only stay at the house for three nights; then they had to leave for two weeks before they could come back to stay another three nights. The new policy allows them to stay for five days before they have to leave for one week. “It gives people a little longer stay,” said Robin Pace, THE House’s director since May. “We just thought we’d give it a try and give everyone a chance to have a longer, more comfortable stay.” The decision was not based on any complaints THE House had received, she said. “We can have a full house on one night, then people don’t even show up even though they have the opportunity to have three days,” she said. “It’s ever-changing. We’ve always had that policy in place and it worked well for us.
But we decided so people could feel a little more comfortable and have that home feeling, they can have a longer stay. It can be tiring, it can be mentally taxing being out in the weather.” Because THE House is a private organization, Pace said they’re always applying for grants and looking for donations, though she emphasized that locals have helped out tremendously over the years. On average, 10 to 12 people stay in THE House every night. The facility has 19 beds, 10 for men and nine for women. “We’re probably filled more in the spring and summer months,” she said. She was surprised the shelter wasn’t packed during the winter months. “We’re not running at full capacity but there are other places people can be or they’re couchhopping or whatever,” she said. Those who stay at the shelter are also provided three meals a day and a resource guide. The facility also provides showers and meals for those not staying overnight. Those in need can get a shower Monday through Saturday as well as three meals a day seven days a week.
By Lou Sennick, The World
INSIDE
WASHINGTON — Expectations are rising for a stronger U.S. economy in 2014 after reports Thursday showed solid growth in manufacturing and construction spending at the end of last year. Factory activity in December stayed near a 2 1⁄2 -year high. Americans are buying more cars and homes, increasing demand for steel, furniture and other manufactured goods. Manufacturers have boosted hiring to meet that demand and may add jobs at a healthier pace this year. And builders stepped up spending on home construction in November, despite recent increases in borrowing rates. That
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suggests many remain confident in the housing recovery. The economy has had bursts of healthy growth since the recession ended in June 2009, only to be followed by disappointing slowdowns. But many analysts think growth is now more sustainable. “There was strength in some important sectors of the economy at the end of last year,” Paul Dales, an economist at Capital Economics, said. “2014 could be the year where the recovery really starts to gain some ground.” The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Thursday that its index of manufacturing
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DEATHS
The Associated Press
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Gabriel Castelli wields Bandon’s spirit stick, a decorated pole with a tiger on top, and helps lead the cheer Friday night during the boys and girls games on the first day of the Bandon Dunes Holiday Tournament. Castelli is new to the school and is in charge of the stick during the basketball games this year. See game stories on Page B1.
Factory and construction growth boost 2014 outlook BY CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
pushed further east to avoid harming wetlands and crossing private land. The landowners formed a group, Blue Ridge LNG, listing several reasons to reroute the pipeline. Those included: it was shorter, it lessened impact on small tract rural residential, farm and forest lands, industrial forests, impacted governmentowned property instead of private property and minimized impact on the Coho salmon habitat. He said the Blue Ridge LNG
Getting in the spirit
Shelter extends overnights for area homeless BY CHELSEA DAVIS
what way FERC directs us to go, we’ll have it as an option,” Peacock said. The 36-inch-diameter pipeline spans 49.72 miles of Coos County and is 232 miles long, crossing Douglas, Jackson and Klamath counties, to Malin, where it would connect to existing pipelines. It would provide natural gas to be liquefied at the Jordan Cove Energy Project, which would market it domestically and internationally. Another route was proposed in 2009, but was questioned by several landowners, who wanted it
Beatrice Knutson, Coos Bay Laura Slattery, North Bend Elton Dwire, North Bend Steve Rosier, Coos Bay Grace Krambeal, Gold Beach Sharon Danielson, Bandon Hazel Wells, Coos Bay
State government looks at managers BY HANNAH HOFFMAN Salem Statesman Journal SALEM — The state of Oregon has completed an extensive evaluation of what its managers do, how many people they supervise and how much money they’re in charge of, as the first step to completely changing how the state’s management system is structured. Michael Jordan, head of the Department of Administrative Services, said the relationship between managers and the state administration “is less than perfect. I would say ‘broken,’ but that’s probably too strong a term.” The Enterprise Management Solutions Jon Mikels, Bandon Lucile Hennig, Coos Bay Melody Holwuttle, Coos Bay Robert Jones, Coos Bay Carol Hall, Coos Bay Douglas Freeman, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
BY EMILY THORNTON
Reform Project was created this fall to change nearly every aspect of how managers in state government are treated: how they are recruited, trained and hired, how they are paid, how their performance reviews are done, how they are held accountable and how they interact with staff. Union employees work under a contract that is renegotiated every two years, and it provides the opportunity to change job classifications, descriptions, pay differentials or pay ranges. However, managers in state government don’t renegotiate their contracts. Their jobs can go unexamined for years, as SEE MANAGERS | A8
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