AN EDITION OF
Bandon
WESTERN WORLD Thursday, October 23, 2014
theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Quite a haul:
Bump in the road:
Inside this edition:
BHS Speech Team earns trophies. See page A2.
Tigers now need two wins. See page A10 for the story.
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 Arts and Entertainment . . . A5
Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10
Council votes to oppose sanctuary By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
Photo by Amy Moss Strong
Home and studio destroyed Local wood artist Philip Clausen died in an early morning fire Oct. 15 at his home and studio in Riverton.
Local artist dies in fire By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
RIVERTON — Bandon residents were saddened to hear that award-winning wood sculptor and longtime resident Philip A. Clausen died in an early morning fire Oct. 15 that started in his Riverton studio and home. He was 88. According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, at about 12:45 a.m., sheriff’s deputies and the Coquille Police Department were dispatched to 93937 Highway 42S, Coquille, in response to a residential fire occurring there. Upon arrival, the residence was found to be fully engulfed in flames. The structure was a two story wood structure that had been converted into a myrtlewood shop that sits right along the highway in the unicorporated community of Riverton. Fire units from the Coquille Fire Department and the Bandon Fire
A table and chairs that were created by wood sculptor Phil Clausen. Department responded and the Bandon Police Department and Coquille Police Department re-directed traffic from Highway 42S. Coquille firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, according to the Sheriff’s Office, but the home, shop,
art and two cars are a complete loss. After the fire was extinguished, a man believed to be Clausen was found deceased, as well as the family’s dogs. A positive identification of the victim and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials believe it may have been electrical. The Coos County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the following agencies: Coquille Fire Department, Bandon Fire Department, Coquille Police Department, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, Coos County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Red Cross of Oregon. Clausen’s daughter Ingrid and her husband Shane Wakeley, Shane’s father and Clausen’s son Sam were all displaced by the fire. Ingrid works at the Minute Cafe in Bandon. A fund for the family has been set
■ See Clausen, A6
Moving healthcare forward
■ See Sanctuary, A6
Film fest sees growth opportunity
Southern Coos Health Center project begins
By Tim Novotny Bandon Western World
Bandon Western World
In October 2013, the SCHC project team began the necessary steps for a project of this size. They worked on an initial design of the proposed facility, sent out bid packets to local and regional contractors (as required by SCHC’s public charter) and initiated property and land assessment with representatives from the city of Bandon, Coos County, Oregon Department of State Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. An initial assessment of the property performed by the Oregon Department of State Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of
BANDON — As the film industry in Oregon continues its resurgence, a local film festival is looking to grow right along with it. The Oregon Coast Film Festival held its “Best of the Festival” event Oct. 11 at Bandon’s Sprague Theater. The daylong event featured a storytelling workshop, feature film and an evening of short documentaries. Festival organizer Dave Wilhite was appreciative of the community support. “We’re really pleased with the attendance today,” he said following the event. “We wanted to expand this year’s event, and the workshop and feature film additions were well received.” According to the state’s main film industry website, www.oregonfilm.org, Oregon’s history in the motion picture industry dates back to the silent film era. With over 400 feature films and television projects shot in Oregon since then (as well as hundreds of commercials). There does appear to be an opportunity for great growth for the festival, and the film industry in general. This month the Governor’s Office of Film and Television welcomed a new executive director, Tim Williams, who came
■ See Clinic, A6
■ See Film, A6
Photo contributed by Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center
BANDON — On Oct. 6, a contractor crew arrived bright and early at the corner of June Avenue and 11th Street Southeast. Dressed in bright orange safety windbreakers, the crew spent a few minutes gathering themselves and assessing the work ahead of them. They had come to demolish the yellow modular building on the lot, which for over 10 years had served as an office building housing employees of Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center. Construction on the new Southern Coos Health Center building will begin in the next two weeks and continue until the middle of January.
New center In July, Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center broke ground on a new infrastructure improvement project that will increase Bandon residents’ access to healthcare, expand its service capacity and position SCHC for future growth and expansion. SCHC is constructing two new buildings on its campus. The first will be a new facility to house its health center medical staff, including primary care physicians and outpatient physicians. Located at the corner of June Avenue and 11th Street, the new health center building will be constructed over the next few months, with a target open
BANDON — At the request of the Port of Bandon Commission, the Bandon City Council voted 5-1 at its October meeting to adopt a resolution opposing the creation of a federal marine sanctuary off the Southern Oregon Coast. While there are no federal marine sanctuaries currently proposed for the Oregon Coast, the port is hoping to garner support from local ports, cities and other governmental agencies to oppose future proposals. City Councilors Brian Vick, Chris Powell, Geri Procetto, Claudine Hundhausen and Nancy Drew voted in favor of the motion; Councilor Mike Claassen voted against. In September, Port General Manager Gina Dearth presented information to the council, asking for support. Dearth said the state already has many layers of protection of the offshore fisheries, so there is no need for federal involvement. Port commissioners from Bandon and Port Orford also spoke to the issue at that meeting. Brent Webb, Port of Port Orford commissioner who has been active in the marine reserves process, said he believes in the environmental goals and objectives involved. However, Webb said, a federal marine sanctuary is another matter. Webb said such sanctuaries have a history of expanding and he referred to one in Michigan that expanded from hundreds to thousands of miles. “This is not a partisan issue, but a common sense issue,” Webb said. Port of Bandon Commission president Reg Pullen said almost 50 percent of the state of Oregon is managed by the federal government. The establishment of a federal marine sanctuary would result in more loss of local control. Coos County Commissioner Bob Main said he found in his experience being a member of a local marine reserves committee that the majority of those in favor of a federal marine sanctuary are not from the area. Marine reserves and
Ground breaking Southern Coos Health District board members break ground for the new clinic building to be constructed on the Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center campus. With “golden” shovels, left to right: Carol Acklin, Bob Hundhausen, Brian Vick, David Allen and Esther Williams. date of February 2015. Currently, the SCHC medical staff is housed in temporary facilities under separate roofs. The new facility will bring, for the first time, the following SCHC services under one roof: Podiatry, surgery, family practice and the wound care clinic. The new facility will improve SCHC’s ability to meet the healthcare needs of the Bandon community. “This is a major step to upgrade and modernize the services of the Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center,” said hospital CEO Charles Johnston. “I am very proud of our staff and doctors who have worked so hard to make this possible.” The new building represents a significant step forward for SCHC in its ability to serve more patients with a wider variety of health services. The facility will feature 12 new exam rooms (up from a current four rooms), a three-bay IV infusion room, office space for medical staff and a 300-square-foot conference room. The exam rooms at the new health
center building will follow industry best practices and be equipped with modern, up-to-date medical equipment. The new conference room will help SCHC expand its community education services, such as diabetic education, men and women’s health events and CPR classes, to name a few.
Wetland mitigation