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Work group reverses decision on opt-out provision BY CHELSEA DAVIS The World
COOS BAY — A group of area leaders decided it was right the first time when it comes to Jordan Cove’s annual property tax exemption renewal. Last month, the Community Enhancement Plan work group considered a clause that would have given Jordan Cove the opportunity to let their property tax exemption expire after seven years, halting community service fee payments and ending the CEP.
On Monday, the group decided the first draft of the agreement between the four Bay Area Enterprise Zone sponsors was better: Make Jordan Cove commit to the full 15 years of community service fee payments. The renewal provision now reads: “The zone sponsors hereby set the period of the property tax exemption for purposes of ORS 285C.409(1)(c) to be 15 consecutive years, notwithstanding any shorter period that may be allowed by law.” But North Bend City Attorney Mike Stebbins, who drafted the
Meetings The CEP work group will meet again at 1 p.m. Oct. 6, in Coos Bay City Council chambers, 500 Central Ave. The South Coast Community Foundation board will meet at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 10 ,at South Coast Education Service District, 1350 Teakwood Ave., in Coos Bay.
agreement, was concerned that this “does not put an end date to the property tax exemption period.” “The paragraph simply allows an automatic renewal with no final end to the property tax exemption,”
Stebbins wrote to Margaret Barber at Coos Curry Douglas Business Development Corporation. “I fear that this runs a foul (sic) of the state statutes. I do not know what has been discussed with Jordan Cove about an end date, but this should be negotiated and written into this paragraph.” A long-term rural enterprise zone property tax exemption can last seven to 15 years, according to state statute, but the proposed agreement with Jordan Cove would lock them in for the full 15 years of community service fee payments.
“The original thought was that would be something necessary to negotiate this contract,” work group chair Jennifer Groth said of the draft giving Jordan Cove an opportunity to not renew its property tax exemption. “My understanding is that’s no longer the case.” Instead of Jordan Cove having to start a renewal process each year after the seven-year mark, the agreement will automatically renew unless one of the enterprise zone sponsors makes a move to end it. SEE CEP | A10
4,500 attend Brown funeral
Table for one
Mourners urge black Americans to take action ■
BY JIM SUHR The Associated Press
about $30 per month over the normal operating costs of the system,” Nicholson said. He anticipated an increase of $15 per month for the average household by the project’s completion. The existing plant treats about 1 million gallons per day, while the new one will be able to do 4.8 million gallons per day. In addition, the new plant “will utilize activated sludge to remove biological matter from the wastewater,” Nicholson said. The current one “uses a trickling filter, which is much less effective.” Coquille began construction of its wastewater plant in 2011, said Kevin Urban, public works/planning director for the city. He said they
ST. LOUIS — The mourners filled an enormous church to remember Michael Brown — recalling him as a “gentle giant,” aspiring rapper and recent high school graduate on his way to a technical college. But the funeral that unfolded Monday was about much more than the black 18-year-old who lay in the closed casket after being shot to death by a white police officer. The emotional service sought to consecrate Brown’s death as another in the long history of the civil rights movement and implored black Americans to change their protest chants into legislation and law. “Show up at the voting booths. Let your voices be heard, and let everyone know that we have had enough of all of this,” said Eric Davis, one of Brown’s cousins. The Rev. Al Sharpton called for a movement to clean up police forces and the communities they serve. “We’re not anti-police. We respect police. But those police that are wrong need to be dealt with just like those in our community that are wrong need to be dealt with,” Sharpton said. Two uncles remembered how Brown had once predicted that someday the whole world would know his name. “He did not know he was offering up a divine prophecy,” Bernard Ewing said. More than 4,500 mourners filled Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis for the service, which at times seemed like a cross between a gospel revival and a rock concert. It began with upbeat music punctuated by clapping. Some people danced in place. The crowd included the parents of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed African-American 17-year-old fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida, along with a cousin of Emmett Till, a 14year-old murdered by several white men while visiting Mississippi in 1955. Till’s killing galvanized the civil rights movement. Also in attendance were several White House aides, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, moviemaker Spike Lee, entertainer Sean Combs and some children of the Rev. Martin Luther King. The Rev. Charles Ewing, the uncle who delivered the eulogy, said Brown “prophetically spoke his demise.” And now his blood is “crying from the ground. Crying
SEE UPGRADES | A10
SEE BROWN | A10
By Lou Sennick, The World
What was a railroad trestle many years ago in Coquille is now part of the Coquille Riverwalk trail along the Coquille River. Monday afternoon, a small table was being carried by a bicyclist along the trestle. So, why did the table cross the bridge? ... To get to the other side.
No proof vets died because of delays BY STEPHEN OHLEMACHER The Associated Press
Police reports . . . . A2 40 Stories . . . . . . . A2 South Coast. . . . . . A3 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A4
Wastewater facility upgrades continue throughout region BY EMILY THORNTON The World
SOUTH COAST — Several cities in the region are getting some much needed wastewater upgrades. In Myrtle Point, construction crews broke ground on the city’s new wastewater treatment facility in July and plan to complete the earthwork on the project by mid-September. Construction won’t start until next year, after the city receives bids from companies. Following the Department of Environmental Quality’s standards wasn’t an easy venture. “It’s not a simple process,” said Barbara Carter, mayor of Myrtle Point. The DEQ keeps changing its
Comics . . . . . . . . . . A8 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . A8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Classifieds . . . . . . . C3
requirements, spurring the need for updated wastewater facilities locally, she said. “The new wastewater treatment plant is necessary in order to meet chemical and biological treatment limits for the water that is ultimately discharged into the South Fork Coquille River, adjacent to the site,” said Darin Nicholson, city manager. The city received a $7.8 million loan and a $1.7 million grant from USDA Rural Development. The city also kicked in $684,000 for designing and engineering. In anticipation of the plant, the city gradually began raising sewer rates 50 cents per year over the past 10 years, Nicholson said. The cost from the “construction and engineering loans is expected to require
Mary Desrosiers, Coos Bay Dolores McNeill, Coos Bay Roy McGill, Allegany Virgil Conley, Coos Bay
Everett Chamley, North Bend Ann Murray, Coos Bay Phyllis Swartling, Coquille
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
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SEE REPORT | A10
Contributed photo
Crews begin earthwork on Myrtle Point’s new wastewater treatment facility. The city will begin construction next year, after it receives bids from companies.
DEATHS
WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department says investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix, deflating an explosive allegation that helped expose a troubled health care system in which veterans waited months for appointments while employees falsified records to cover up the delays. Revelations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital rocked the agency last spring, bringing to light scheduling problems and allegations of misconduct at other hospitals as well. The scandal led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. In July, Congress approved spending an additional $16 billion to help shore up the system. The VA’s Office of Inspector General has been investigating the delays for months and shared a draft report of its findings with VA officials. In a written memorandum about the report, VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald said, “It is important to note that while OIG’s case reviews in the report document substantial delays in care, and quality-of-care concerns, OIG was unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the death of these veterans.” McDonald acknowledged that the VA is “in the midst of a very serious crisis.” He also promised to follow all recommendations from the inspector general’s report. “We sincerely apologize to all
Mostly sunny 65/55 Weather | A10