The Umpqua Post
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014 | Serving the Reedsport area since 1996 | theworldlink.com/reedsport | $1.00
Schools whittling down superintendent choices The Reedsport School District could have a new superintendent by the first of June. The school board is going through the process of reviewing applications and should name finalists Wednesday, May 28. The board is seeking to replace Jim Thomas, whose two-year contract expires June 30. He told the board he was stepping aside to allow the district to find a part-time superintendent and full-time Highland Elementary School principal. Thomas filled both roles. “We have seven applicants,” said Rebecca Wilkes, board secretary and administrative assistant. “The board members and admin-
istration are all reviewing the applications and we’re having an executive session Wednesday to narrow it down to three.” The following night there will be a meeting to allow the public to meet and quiz the candidates. The meeting is May 29 from 6-9 p.m. at the high school, according to Wilkes. It will include a round robin for the finalists. “We’re going to have three rooms,” Wilkes said. “One room is going to be for the public. One room is going to be for staff. And one room is going to be for the board and administrative (team). So, each area will have a chance to speak to each candidate.”
It’s expected the school’s library, auditorium and Braves Center will be used as the three rooms. Questions will be developed at the May 28 board meeting. “Everybody will get a general guideline of questions that they’ll go through with each candidate,” Wilkes said. There could be lots of activity after the Thursday night meeting. “At 9 p.m., (consultant) Michael Lasher, and his team, are going to tally everyone’s responses from all three groups,” Wilkes said. “We are setting a public meeting for 9 p.m., if they want to deliberate and make a
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decision that night. “ That deliberation is expected to take place in executive session. A decision would come in open session. If the board doesn’t make a decision that night, another meeting could come at 9 a.m. Friday, May 30. The names of the candidates, and where they’re from, probably won’t come until the night of the Wednesday board meeting. Thomas may have reapplied for the position. He had indicated, at a board meeting in April, that he would be interested in being an interim superintendent for a year. The board did not approve of that plan.
Memorial weekend activities schedule Saturday, May 24 7 to 11 a.m. Breakfast. Masonic Lodge, 626 Winchester Ave., Reedsport. Proceeds help provide youth scholarships. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hinsdale Garden “open day.” Third of three open days at the garden, east of Reedsport. Park at Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area.
Sunday, May 25 4 to 7 p.m. Veterans dinner, Presbyterian Church, 2360 Longwood Drive, Reedsport. Dinner is free to all veterans and open to all for a small donation. Diane Essig is host and organizer. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Patriotic concert, Pacific Auditorium, 2260 Longwood Drive, Reedsport. Donations accepted at the door. The night will include the group “Strange Brew”; The Reedsport Community Choir, under the direction of Amy Pedder and the themes of branch of the armed services. There will also be a patriotic singalong.
Monday, May 26
File photo
The dredge Yaquina heads toward the mouth of the Umpqua River during a recent dredging trip.
One step closer to funding BY THOMAS MORIARTY The Umpqua Post
COOS BAY — Small ports on the South Coast are one step closer to getting a long-term guarantee of much-needed dredging funds. Federal lawmakers filed a conference report Thursday reconciling House and Senate versions of legislation that would guarantee dredging funds for almost a decade. “With this legislation, we will ensure that harbor maintenance dollars are spent on harbor maintenance,” Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, said in a press conference Thursday. The bill, known as the Water Resources Reform and
Development Act of 2014, would force 100 percent utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The fund, fed by an import tax on marine shipments, is intended to be used for regular dredging of shipping channels. The Congressman has criticized Congress in recent years for what he’s described as inappropriate use of the fund, which has left small ports like Port Orford in a precarious position. Port Orford hasn’t been regularly dredged for several years, and the sediment buildup has forced fishermen to only launch their boats at high tide. Ports ranging from Brookings-Harbor to the Port of Siuslaw have also been affected
by the lack of maintenance dredging. The House bill would guarantee that small ports would receive at least 10 percent of annual intended for dredging for eight years. The bill’s movement in conference comes on the heel’s of a March announcement that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would allocate $4.5 million to dredge the small ports in 2014. The reconciled bill is expected to be considered by the House this week. Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at thomas.moriarty@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasDMoriarty.
Kitzhaber praises efforts to acquire funds for ports Governor John Kitzhaber praised action in the U.S. Congress regarding dredging and maintaining small coastal ports. Funding was included in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. “This decision is a huge step to help stabilize the availability of dredging funds for Oregon’s coastal communities,” Kitzhaber said in a news release. “Commercial and recreational boating and fishing and small businesses along Oregon’s coast all rely on predictable dredging of these ports for their economic well-being. This bill will help create jobs while improving safety in communities up and down the Oregon coast." Meanwhile, Rep. Caddy McKeown, D–Coos Bay, chair of the Oregon Coastal Caucus, also applauded the inclusion of dedicated funding for dredging and maintaining small coastal ports “One in every six Oregon jobs is tied to a port,” McKeown said in a news release. “This decision is
an important step to ensure that commercial and recreational fishing, ocean research, and international shipping will continue to play a key role in Oregon’s coastal economies.” McKeown said the WRRDA will regulate how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may use the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund which, she said, is the traditional source of federal funds for dredging and harbor maintenance. As written, she said, the bill will guarantee the nation's small ports receive at least 10 percent of annual dredging funds for the next eight years. At current funding levels, this means approximately $90 million annually for small ports nationwide. “This bill will provide the stability that coastal businesses need, help create jobs, and improve safety in communities along the Oregon coast,” McKeown said.
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10 a.m. A ceremony at the Masonic Cemetery on Longwood Drive. The ceremony will be hosted by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. 12:30 p.m. The Memorial Day Parade will form at 12:30 p.m. and begin to move from 22nd Avenue, near the Reedsport Community Charter School, to U.S. Highway 101, down 10th Street and finish at Hahn Park in downtown Reedsport. Grand Marshals are Army Command Sgt. Maj. Daryl Thies, his wife, Charlene Nehl Thies and Vietnam veteran Robert Bozman. 1:45 p.m. Memorial Service at Hahn Park War Memorial. The service will begin with the raising of a new 20-by-30-foot flag, musical numbers by the Church of God Choir and an address by Command Sgt. Maj. Thies. There will also be the laying of wreaths.
Gardiner Sanitary recall election June 17 BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
The recall election for all five Gardiner Sanitary District Board members will be June 17. Only the petitioner, Gardiner business owner Mack Holman, will have a statement on the ballot. Jackie Degman, Dennis Conger, Marc Fullhart, Cathy Kent and Charlotte Hinshaw are the focus of the recall. They did not provide statements. Holman collected the 12 signatures needed to place the recall on the ballot. “The deadline was May 13,” said Douglas County Clerk Patricia Hitt. “We received no response from any (board members) and I am not aware that any have
The Gardiner Sanitary District board and the public heard the numbers after a rate study from a local engineering firm. Matt Wadlington of Civil West Engineering Services gave the third of three presentations to the board Thursday, May 15. “This is to determine the best rate structure for the district,” he told the board. “This (presentation) is going to have the most up-todate, and final, numbers.” Wadlington said he first had to determine what revenue was need-
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SEE RECALL, PAGE A6
Rate study gives Gardiner options on sewer payments
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resigned. Going forward, they had five days from the date of our notice to them to either resign or supply our office with a ‘statement of justification.’” None of that was provided to the clerk’s office by any of the five candidates. Hitt says it may have just been a misunderstanding. “We did not have a deadline — a specific deadline in our letter to them,” Hitt said. “We could have been a little clearer on that matter. But, we can’t change anything at this point because the law is the law and there were only five days.” Holman has said the recall comes because he doesn’t believe the board has been open about
Susan B.
Juli H.
ed for the district to remain solvent. GSD recently signed an agreement with the city of Reedsport, which provides wastewater treatment, to bill the district’s customers. “How big is the pie?” Wadlington asked. He said his company had to
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