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Panel not so super at trimming budget, A5
Broncos beat Chiefs, have top record in AFC, B1
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013
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Deadly crash
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75¢
County budget process begins
‘Fast & Furious’ actor had area ties
Expenditures to be about the same, but departments will be asked for full accounting ■
Paternal grandparents lived in North Bend. ■
BY JUSTIN PRITCHARD AND JAKE COYLE
BY EMILY THORNTON
The Associated Press
The World
LOS ANGELES — Investigators sought to determine the cause of a fiery crash that killed “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker while the actor’s fans erected a makeshift memorial Sunday near where the Porsche he was riding in smashed into a light pole and tree. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said speed was a factor in Saturday’s one-car crash, though it will take time to determine how fast the car was going. Because Walker is so closely associated with the underground culture of street racing portrayed in the popular Paul Walker “Fast & Furious” film franchise, the fatal accident had an eerie quality — a tragic end for a Hollywood hero of speed. The crash also killed Walker’s friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas, according to Walker’s publicist, Ame Van Iden. She said Walker was a passenger in the 2005 red Porsche Carrera GT when they drove away from a fundraiser in the community of Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Sheriff’s deputies found the car engulfed in flames when they arrived at the site of the crash, near the fundraiser at Rodas’ sport car dealership. Officials have not identified either person found in the car. Walker’s grandparents Paul Walker II and June Walker had lived in Coos County since the 1980s and North Bend since 1990. The couple are both deceased, Paul Walker II, who was raised and educated in Coquille, died in April 2006 and June Walker passed away in September 2010. On Sunday, fans of Walker, 40, gathered to leave flowers, candles and memorabilia from the action movies. His “Fast & Furious” co-
By Alysha Beck, The World
North Bend’s new fire chief, Mark Meaker, looks at a leather fire helmet he has displayed in his office. Meaker received the helmet from the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522.
Fire chief arrives with experience; fresh outlook BY TIM NOVOTNY The World
NORTH BEND — Mark Meaker is back doing the job he always dreamed of doing. He’s just doing it in a different place. In 2010, after seven years at the helm of the Logan, Utah, fire department, Meaker decided it was time to retire from a lifetime of fighting fires. After becoming a firefighter in 1971, the now 60year-old worked his way through the ranks and ultimately served 13 years as a fire chief. The first six years were with the department in Elk Grove, Calif. Admittedly a type-A personality, he says it only took a couple of years before retirement started to lose its appeal. “I was just going nuts,” Meaker said. “So my wife said, ‘for crying out loud, go get a job.’” Six months after that pep talk from his spouse, Meaker was at the North Bend Fire Department earlier this week, working on situating four decades worth of memorabilia in his new office. He says that as he started searching for a new job he got some sage advice from an old friend from back in his California days. Ronny J. Coleman, former California state fire marshal, said that this time around he would be getting hired dependent upon finding a place that was the right
fit for both sides. It turned out to be exactly what happened, Meaker said, for him and the city of North Bend. “I’m not a 10- or 15-year chief. That’s not what North Bend needs,” he said. “They needed a good fire chief who’s very experienced, who knows how to build morale, and who knows how to mentor a team and then get out of the way and let that team meet their destiny and fulfill their potential.” He says the department has people coming up through the system, like the assistant chief and some captains, who either weren’t ready or just didn’t want to be the fire chief yet. In five years though he expects they will all be ready to take that next step in their careers. While mentoring those officers is one of his goals, he also faces two other primary challenges in this new job. One is working to overcome the funding shortage from the recent loss of the airport contract, which has led to a staffing shortage. The other challenge is working to boost morale while strengthening relationships in the community. But, Meaker says he has been pleasantly surprised to find that the pieces are in place to accomplish both of those tasks. “The chief that was here before me has built a good fire
department. The people they have here are high quality people,” he said. “It’s well-equipped and there is pride of ownership. You look at these facilities and this equipment — this is among the best maintained equipment and facilities that I’ve seen anywhere. So it is a fresh start. “There is far more good about this fire department and its personnel than not. And the challenges, of which there are a few, in terms of rebuilding relationships with elected officials and even with the general community; we’ll meet those challenges.” One of his core beliefs is that you have to build and maintain good relationships wherever you go. It is a belief that has served him well throughout the various stages of his 40-year career, and one he hopes to use to great effect in North Bend. “This is hopefully going to be an important part of my life for the rest of my life,” Meaker said. “I’m humbled by their willingness to hire me and I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity.” Then he looked around at the memorabilia in his office and added: “How many times can you have four careers and they are all great?”
SEE WALKER | A8
New traffic lights add new turn signal
Police reports . . . . A2 What’s Up. . . . . . . . A2 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
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include a yellow flashing left-turn arrow. A similar signal has been in operation for several years at the Southwest Oregon Community College/Walmart intersection on Newmark in North Bend. The thing motorists need to remember is that the flashing yellow arrow allows for left turns only when it is safe and when there are no oncoming vehicles, bikes or pedestrians. “I would advise drivers to be careful, don’t take chances,” said
Verna Wood, North Bend Donald Posekany, Bandon Gary Stoneking, Coquille Cody Thom, Coos Bay
ODOT traffic engineer Ray Lapke. “You don’t have to turn left when you have a flashing yellow arrow, but if it’s safe to do so, it’s a good opportunity to make a turn and not waste gas sitting there waiting.” But, Lapke added, you also need to remain patient with drivers in front of you. “Don’t honk. The flashing arrow may be new to them.” The yellow flashing arrows are used throughout Oregon and can also be found in Brookings, Grants Pass, Medford and Roseburg.
Betty Kroush, Coos Bay Donald Bohana, North Bend Jack Woodworth, Coos Bay
Obituaries | A5
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NORTH BEND — Don’t let the new yellow turn lights on U.S. Highway 101 confuse you, proceed with caution. The Oregon Department of Transportation is alerting Bay Area drivers about some new traffic signals at three Highway 101 intersections that come complete with new turn arrows. The new lights are part of ODOT’s year-long North Bend to Coos Bay Paving and Signals project that is nearing completion.
There are also new signals and poles that have gone up at four locations in North Bend: located at Virginia and Sherman (southbound U.S. Highway 101), Virginia and Sheridan (northbound U.S. 101), Florida and U.S. 101 and Virginia and Broadway. These new signals are all operational. The potential confusion comes from three other new traffic signals on 101; at Lewis Street (near the Mill Casino), Newmark Street and at Koos Bay Boulevard (near Motel 6). The signal heads on those lights
DEATHS
THE WORLD
COQUILLE — Next year’s Coos County budget will be similar to this year’s, but there are a few changes being made before departmental presentations even start. Expenditures are expected to remain much the same, according to Coos County Commissioner Melissa Cribbins. Specifics were hard to determine, but commissioners had an initial meeting last week to discuss the budget. “It’s too early to tell,” she said. Last year’s numbers were $22.9 million in expenditures with about $19.8 million in available funds, leaving a $3 million gap. Commissioners balanced that budget with forestry reserves. Officials also began making cuts six years ago to try to avoid problems, but they still face a shortfall. Commissioners may ask departments in the courthouse and annex to pay their own utilities next year. The maintenance department pays utilities now, but Cribbins said departments would see how much they were spending for their utilities. The maintenance department budget this year was $755,532, $130,000 of which was for utilities. “It’s a first step for cost accounting,” she said. They also may decide to give departments a percentage of the total cost, depending on size. Instead of automatically approving department budgets from last year, they must account for each dollar, she said. They’ve asked all departments to put together an itemized list, which will be presented to the budget committee in March 2014. “Departments must justify their spending,” Cribbins said. Commissioners will begin meeting with department managers in December 2013 with a final budget for 2014-2015 finalized in June.
Financial contingency planning An item that won’t help next year’s budget, but may improve the 2015-2016 budget is the commissioner’s financial contingency plan. Cribbins presented an outline last week, which commissioners Bob Main and John Sweet approved. It uses Oregon’s Kitchen Table website, which was put together by Portland State University and used in Curry County to help officials there gather public input. Now that it has been approved, commissioners and their staff will begin identifying in December what to ask the public. The Kitchen Table allows people to comment online about SEE COUNTY | A8
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