AN EDITION OF
Bandon
WESTERN WORLD Thursday, February 27, 2014
theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Poetry winner:
Lions Club title:
Inside this edition:
Gordon heads to regionals, see page A2 for the full story
HLMS wins tourney, see page A10 for the full story
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4
Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8-9
Dam leak must be repaired soon BANDON — A leak in the dam that provides a significant portion of Bandon’s water will cost the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife $150,000 to fix, according to City Manager Matt Winkel. A leak was discovered in the Ferry Creek dam in January. Along with the Geiger Creek dam, the Ferry Creek dam provides for the impoundment of water to supply both the city of Bandon and the ODFW fish hatchery. After drawing the water level down, doing some camera work courtesy of the city of North Bend and meeting with the
city of Bandon engineer, ODFW has determined that the spillway needs to be replaced as soon as possible, Winkel said. ODFW is considering whether it would be appropriate to use gunite with a rock facing to temporarily patch the leak under the spillway so the water level could be increased between now and when full project funding can be secured. The new spillway construction will be funded by the ODFW, with the city of Bandon’s contribution being the demolition and removal of the old spillway
utilizing city crews and equipment, which may involve renting some equipment to expedite the process. At an estimated cost of around $150,000, the new spillway construction will be started as soon as ODFW can secure the necessary funding, and will hopefully be completed within the next several months before the summer water usage increases. Bandon’s water is a closed system, it travels by pipe from the source, which includes both Ferry Creek and Geiger Creek, then is controlled manually by valves and forced into ponds below the
fish hatchery, then into the city’s system, where it is treated. The city’s water treatment plant is just minutes away from the dams. As a backup for both this project and as a means to more effectively deal with potential future water supply and reservoir issues, the city also is planning for the replacement of the existing manually operated pump system downstream from the fish hatchery with an automated control system. Fish Hatchery manager Kevin Cutler
■ See Dam, A6
Couple’s deaths are ruled suicide Police: Couple left paperwork behind, but no suicide note was left at the scene Bandon Western World
Contributed graphic
Additional sign proposed This graphic shows what a proposed electronic readerboard would look like above the current Welcome to Bandon sign. The electronic readerboard will be considered by the City Council at its April 14 meeting.
Readerboard proposed for Bandon entrance By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — After considering various sizes, configurations and locations, the Greater Bandon Association has recommended that the city of Bandon proceed with adding an electronic readerboard sign on top of the existing “Welcome to Bandon” sign at the north end of the city. The readerboard is expected to cost approximately $25,000 and the
proposal will be considered by the City Council at its Monday, April 14, meeting, starting at 7 p.m. (Note, the meeting is on the second Monday rather than the usual first Monday). The sign would be centered and secured to “float” just above the welcome sign located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 42S. At 3 feet, by 16 feet, three inches, the new readerboard sign would be roughly the same total square footage as the banners that are
often erected in the same area to advertise various community events. First, however, the City Council must approve the idea, though the money for the sign is available and was included in last year’s fiscal budget. The Greater Bandon Association is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization working to revitalize the local community and to preserve Bandon’s historic assets. It was formed after
■ See Sign, A6
BANDON — A Bandon couple took their lives as part of an apparent suicide pact last weekend. According to Sgt. Larry Lynch, the couple was found at about 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at their home on 560 Franklin Ave. Concerned neighbors checked the home after not seeing the couple for a few days and called police when they found two people dead inside the residence. Lynch found the couple, Sydney Fanning, 62, and Astrid Battle Fanning, 67, inside, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Following an investigation, Lynch said the deaths were ruled suicides and that there were no signs of foul play. Paperwork was found on the table in the residence, including the couple’s wills and other important papers. There was no suicide note. The couple had been married 10 years and at least one of them has family in Florida but none locally. Sidney Fannick was a member of the City of Bandon Budget Committee and Astrid Fannick had been a teacher at Blanco Elementary School in Port Orford from 2003 for several years and was a volunteer with the Bandon Chamber of Commerce, as well as a member of Unity of Bandon.
Bandon investor implicated in Delay in sentencing for federal case against Calderons ex-Ocean Crest director By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
CALIFORNIA — A former Long Beach hospital executive with Bandon ties has admitted to bribing State. Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, in an effort to protect an insurance fraud scheme worth hundreds of millions of dollars — the biggest such fraud in California history, according to state officials. On Friday, the U.S. Department of
Justice announced that Michael D. Drobot, 69, has pleaded guilty to running a sophisticated operation center around spinal fusion surgery, according to news reports. Drobot has Bandon real estate holdings that include several ranches on Randolph Road and Lower Four Mile Lane. Drobot also owns The Colony at Bandon Cove, a multi-million condominium development on Beach Loop
■ See Investor, A6
Bandon Western World
COQUILLE — The former head of a South Coast senior living facility was scheduled to be sentenced in Coos County Circuit Court on Monday morning on more than 60 felony charges related to stealing from his residents, but the state got a delay in sentencing and the procedure will now take place in March. Bandon resident Gary Brink, formerly the executive director of Ocean Crest
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Assisted Living in Coos Bay, was set to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Richard Barron on 60 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, two counts of second-degree forgery, two counts of first-degree theft, four counts of third-degree theft, 23 counts of second-degree theft and a single count of aggravated first-degree theft. Under ORS 163.205, a person commits the criminal mistreatment in the
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■ See Brink A6