The Umpqua Post
Weekly news from the Heart of the Dunes AN EDITION OF
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 | Serving the Reedsport area since 1996 | theworldlink.com/reedsport | $1.00
First big donation for Lions Park Fundraising continues to upgrade the playground equipment at Reedsport’s Lions Park. Vik Schaaf, a former Reedsport resident who is now the youth pastor at Salem’s Westminster Presbyterian Church said they’ve received a big donation. “We received our first grant from KaBoom for Lion's Park last week in the amount of $15,000,” she said. “We are working on raising funds to purchase the equipment, which is about $24,000 total.” She said they’re asking for community support in the project. “Donations can be made at the Reedsport Umpqua Bank Location and are tax deductible,” Schaaf said. Checks can also be written to Lower Umpqua Hospital Foundation, specify Lion's Park on the memo. Dr. Rio Lion, of Dunes Family Health Care, has also been raising funds in the community for the project. Schaaf said the goal is to break ground on the project in late March.
By Steve Lindsley, The Umpqua Post
Emesha Jackson, the Main Street Program coordinator for the city of Reedsport, displays submissions for a proposed logo for the fledgling program. Some of the logos came from local students.
City hires coordinator for Main Street Program BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
Reedsport’s participation in the Main Street Program is gathering steam and is helped with the hiring of Emesha Jackson as the city’s program coordinator. Jackson is a temporary employee who came to the city as a RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) participant. But, she said, it’s not just her. “It’s a community driven program,” she said. “The Main Street Program doesn’t function without the support and participation of community members, whether it be an event, and idea or a weekend project.” Jackson said, normally, the Main Street Program is designed to revitalize downtowns. “We’re kind of going off track from the normal Main Street Program, where they concentrate on downtown only,” she said, “we’re doing a hybrid approach and we’re going to be trying to tie together the downtown, midtown and uptown. Reedsport isn’t a very large town, and we’re really spread out ... we really want to be more inclusive than exclusive.” The program is in the process of planning more meetings and collecting possible logos.
A board of directors training session was also held. A recent meeting also saw the development of committee work plans. Another meeting is coming on December 3. “We’re going to hold the committee training and work plan development,” she explained, “for all the community stakeholders.” Sheri Stuart, Oregon Main Street Coordinator, will facilitate that meeting. Personal invitations were handed out for the December 3 meeting. Jackson said she went door-to-door to hand out those invitations. “There was a lot of positive feedback,” she said, “once people had taken the time to kind of hear about the program, what we’re doing, ideas and I’ve seen a lot of participation and I’m hoping that December 3, too, will have a really good turnout.” She said people are already volunteering for committees and projects. The logo contest netted a lot of entries. “We had some ideas for a logo, or image, for the Main Street Program,” she said, “which should be representative of Reedsport as an asset and what Reedsport represents.” Jackson says part of her job will
be to help the city take the next steps. “Help to continue to find additional financing,” she said, “look at grant opportunities to fund my position from here on out.” Jackson is a 11-month employee who has just nine months to go. Someone will be needed to run the program once she’s gone. “The Main Street Program isn’t something that just operates for a few months,” she said. “It’s a continuous program. Within a few years we apply for certain designations that are considered for a functioning, strong Main Street. In that time there would be funding through the program to have a permanent position.” Jackson says the community may start seeing some banners and flags touting the program. “They would be similar to ones you see lining the streets in Main Street communities,” she explained, “such as McMinnville, Bend and Oregon City is actually implementing them. I think we have a few of these small banners in Winchester Bay.” They’re seeking grants for the banner project. They’re hoping to raise $10,000 for that project.
Moving day
By Steve Lindsley, The Umpqua Post
The Reedsport School Board held a work session, and regular business meeting, on Nov. 19. Members of the Association of Reedsport Educators also attended and spilled out into the corridors outside the meeting room. The district is in negotiations with teachers for a new contract.
Sides are still apart on teacher contract BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
At least one teacher spoke up, again, as the Reedsport School District continues negotiations for a new contract. Neither the school district, nor the Association of Reedsport Educators, commented on where negotiations are after mediation.The last mediation session was on November 10. “I’ve very concerned about current contract negotiations,” Highland Elementary School Teacher Jennifer Wright said in the community comment section of the regular board meeting on November 19. She said she was frustrated because of an email she received from interim superintendent Dennis Friedrich. “While I agree with his comment that information is, often, one-sided and inaccurate at best, he then goes on to talk about a 5 percent salary
increase I’ve received over the past five years,” Wright recounted. “That is totally inaccurate.” She then went on to spell out all the salary increases, step increases and furlough days she’d received. During the 2010-2011 school year she said she did receive a three percent increase, but there were 10 furlough days. She said there were step increases in 2011-2012, which she did not receive but there were also 10 furlough days that year. At that point, she said, she was down 2.6 percent for pay. “In 2012-2013 there was a one percent, mid-year increase,” she continued, “which factors out to half of a percent. So, my pay was up to negative 1.76 percent.” She said there were also six furlough days that year,which was a loss of more than 3.6 percent. She continued explaining a halfa-percent increase the following year.
SEE SCHOOL., PAGE A10
Parties still searching for answers to DEQ loan question THE UMPQUA POST
By Steve Lindsley, Umpqua Post
Staff from Salmon Harbor move a ramp from a closed dock to another dock in the east basin, where the ramp failed.
No real answers from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality when a representative attended a board meeting of the Gardiner Sanitary District on Nov. 19. Dave Belyea, the regional environmental solutions manager for the western region of the DEQ, attended the October board meeting. At issue is a $215,000 DEQ facilities planning loan to the dis-
trict in 2009. The DEQ said the district should have already been paying back on that loan, while the new district board maintains that loan should never have been made. Board member Richard Nored and the DEQ attorney have been in contact. “Richard had an opportunity to
SEE DEQ, PAGE A10
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