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Umpqua Post
Weekly news from the Heart of the Dunes AN EDITION OF
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Wednesday, January 22, 2014 | Serving the Reedsport area since 1996 | theworldlink.com/reedsport | $1.00
Wisehart era to begin on Friday
Superintendent recommends district hire a principal BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
The superintendent of the Reedsport School District has suggested the board start looking for a new principal for Highland Elementary School and a halftime superintendent in the next few months. Jim Thomas made that recommendation at the school board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15. He currently serves in both positions. “I will recommend that the board consider a full-time elementary principal, with a background in curriculum and instruction,” he told the board, “and to hire a .5 or .6 superintendent so they can have more oversight on the overall program. There’s so much that isn’t getting done and I don’t think, honestly, after two years I’m seeing that one person can’t do everything.” Thomas was hired two years ago to do both jobs and still has a year on his contract. “With close to 300 kids, state mandates, board expectations, community and staff expectations,” he said, “we need somebody that can walk into a classroom and see what’s going on, instructionally, and have a background (where they can say) ‘You might try this’ or ‘You might try that.’ My field is in trying to pull everybody together and get the ship going in the right direction. You need someone with more skills than I have, frankly, to move forward in curriculum and instruction.” The district will soon begin a review of the 2014-15 budget and Thomas said that might be a perfect time to advertise. “That probably would be the appropriate time to plug it in and see what kind of resources we have,” he told the board. “We’ll have more information by then.” He said one position might get some quick consideration. “The principal,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt to start thinking about it March or April.” Thomas said the board could take advantage of a job fair in Portland in April. “We want to get it out (about) what our expectations are and what the requirements would be for that position,” he said. “I totally support this,” board chairwoman Kerrie Palermo said. She said the board would have to look at the budget “trade-offs” to see how it might be accomplished. Thomas said it’s for the best. “My concern is that things aren’t getting done,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t think I’ve been
BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
By Steve Lindsley, The Umpqua Post
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., takes time out after a town hall meeting in Bandon, Saturday, to meet with constituents and answer their questions. The town hall was one of eight such meetings in western Oregon in three days.
Sen. Merkley supports Wyden’s O&C plan BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., was on the South Coast on Saturday for a town hall at The Barn in Bandon. He took time, after the meeting, to talk about a number of issues important to southern Oregon counties and the South Coast. The House has passed a plan that would allow for some timber cutting on Oregon and California
Railroad lands, meaning an increase and timber harvests and increase funds for O&C counties. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden’s own O&C plan will get a hearing in his Senate committee on Feb. 6. Merkley is a supporter of Wyden’s idea. “The committee in the Senate that considers this is Energy and Natural Resources,” Merkley said. “Sen. Wyden is the chair and he’s working to craft a plan
SEE MERKLEY, PAGE A7
No need to ‘duck’
Reedsport’s newest police chief should be on the job on Friday, Jan. 24. A ceremony, including the swearing-in of Duane Wisehart, will be held at the Umpqua Discovery Center at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will also include recognition of Acting Chief Tom Beck, the introduction of Wisehart and comments from him after he takes the oath of office. Wisehart will replace former Chief Mark Fandrey, who died of a heart attack in July of last year, after three years on the job. Wisehart, 50, has been with the Hemet Police Department in California for 27 years. He worked his way to lieutenant and oversaw the investigations bureau. He began his drive to Reedsport on Sunday. “I’m pretty excited about it,” he told The Umpqua Post in a phone interview. “I’ll have to get used to the weather. It’s about 80 degrees here, today, which is really odd for January. I know it’s going to be a change in the weather, which I’m kind of looking forward to a little bit.” Reedsport began the search for a new chief a month after Chief Fandrey’s death. Wisehart was one of three finalists. He was offered the job on Nov. 27. The city went through an extensive background check and negotiations with Wisehart were ongoing. “A lot of anticipation for the last couple of months,” Wisehart said. “We’re trying to separate
SEE WISEHART, PAGE A7
No action on water options in Lakeside BY EMILY THORNTON The Umpqua Post By Steve Lindsley, The Umpqua Post
LAKESIDE — They discussed many things, but no decisions were made. The task force dedicated to finding a way to clear Tenmile Lakes of its blue-green algae bloom issues met Thursday to discuss its options. One of the solutions considered was forming a special district. Gary Nees, a representative from the Special Districts Association of Oregon, said the “I knew Dr. Duncan since I was group needed to make a decision in medical school,” said Law, who before the SDAO could help them. worked for Dunes Family Health He also said he didn’t really know Care in Reedsport since he finished much about setting up special dishis medical residency in 1991 until tricts, even though he was supNovember, when he made the posed to be at the meeting to do transition north. “He’s been my that. Nees was sent in lieu of family’s doctor, along with Sue someone else, he said, and offered Skinner, since this clinic was some advice. established. “It’s already done,” Nees said, “I like this clinic because they referring to resources the district practice old-time medicine, in might need. “You just need to taiterms of how they value the lor it to this area, and the only folks patient relationship, but they who can do that are you folks.” remain up-to-date. The SDAO gives special districts
A small flock of geese paddle around the east basin at Salmon Harbor on a sunny winter day on Friday. Also enjoying the water were several groups of ducks and ducklings.
SEE THOMAS, PAGE A7
Update on Dr. Law’s relocating to Astoria BY EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian
A 20-something Robbie Law, oldest son of the famed seafood researcher Duncan Law, left Astoria more than 40 years ago as a high school valedictorian, canning fish and working in Alaska to help pay his way through Stanford University, where he studied psychology. Now Dr. Law, 60, is back permanently as a family practitioner Contributed photo by The Daily Astorian Former Reedsport doctor Robbie Law now works at Lower Columbia Clinic. at the Lower Columbia Clinic in He recently went back to his hometown to practice medicine after working Astoria, joining doctor-owners Tom Duncan and Sue Skinner. at Dunes Family Health Care in Reedsport for the last 23 years.
Just
SEE LAW, PAGE A7
Dune
SEE LAKESIDE, PAGE A7
It
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