As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
November 30, 2011
The picture of the young boy on the front of the Nov. 27 issue of Parade, which appears in newspapers across the country, was sad.
But what made it even sadder was when I learned that the little boy was from Oregon, where nearly 30 percent of our children need food assistance. To strip away the political correctness: that means they would be hungry without the help of food pantries across the state.
I learned today that Oregon is No. 1 in the country for the number of children who are hungry.
In another part of the same paper (Sunday’s Register-Guard) was an editorial titled “Parting the curtains,” which comments on the recent unveiling of the salaries paid to Public Employees Union System recipients.
When you learn that a former Oregon football coach, Mike Bellotti, is making nearly $44,000 a MONTH, yes that’s a month, for the rest of his life, it begins to put our screwed up system in perspective.
Ironically, several of the top 10 recipients have ties to Eugene, including Steve Goldschmidt, a former Portland School District human resources director, who is fourth on the list with a monthly benefit of more than $21,500. Former UO President Dave Frohnmayer is fifth with more than $21,000, and two former UO professors are seventh and ninth, with monthly benefits averaging $20,000.
Bellotti is right: there’s nothing magical or mystical about his PERS benefit. “I don’t make the rules. I chose to say in this state when I had offers to leave for more money.”
Earlier he said that his salary (of about $2 million a year) came from the athletic department. If that’s true, and his salary wasn’t coming out of public funds, how did he amass such a huge PERS benefit?
The “good” part of what the information revealed is that 68 percent of the 105,000 retirees receive $36,000 or less a year.
Mike Bellotti, who still lives in Eugene and has high-school age children, is 61 years old. Can you imagine how much he will have received if he lives into his late 80s or early 90s … at nearly half a million dollars a year … for coaching football at the University of Oregon.
I hate to even think about it.
* * *
My three sisters and I had fun this weekend shopping for each other at the Continuum Center plaza in Old Town. Bandon has a lot of great shops, but some of our favorites are right there in the middle of Old Town. We all love the gaily colored scarves, beautiful flowing skirts and fragrant soaps at Lisa’s Gypsy Wagon shop, and we spend a lot of time browsing through Kim Jonas’ book store and Courtney Gaspar’s Whiskey Run Jewelry store. And that was after we’d eaten some of the best vegan food in town at Jason Tree’s Pacific Blues. Then we crossed the street to see the great gifts at Winter River Books, and we plan to visit Patina (on the Pedway) next weekend. People also love to receive gift certificates from their favorite restaurants, and we have a lot of them in town.
We had fun buying each other gift certificates at many of these stores. It’s a lot easier than trying to figure out what the others want for Christmas. A gift certificate is easy, it’s a great way to shop at home, save up receipts for the Chamber’s “Shop at Home” glasses and guarantee that we will all have fun after the holidays “spending” our gift certificates.
It’s a sharp contrast from people who gathered on Black Friday and much earlier (on the evening of Thanksgiving) to wait in endless lines as part of the “mob mentality” to secure that “once in a lifetime” item from China.
I can’t imagine wanting anything so much that I would go out on Thanksgiving Day to stand in line, unless it were at the wonderful holiday dinner at the Bandon Community Center.
It’s way too much commercialism for me.
I still say it’s way more fun to shop at home, and that’s what I intend to do.
* * *
Speaking of favorite restaurants, a lot of us die-hard Thai Thai fans were devastated last week when Charlie and Nan finally decided they’d had enough and closed up shop. They had a huge following of people, but the steep rent and a long-standing feud over who was to pay for more than $15,000 in repairs to the building (the landlord, Andrea Gatov, or Charlie and Nan) finally was too much for them to bear. And they left town.
Charlie told me that he’d spoken with Jane Rich a month or so ago about possibly moving their business to her restaurant building south of town, but he had not heard back from her, so decided it was best to just close down and walk away. I wish he’d told me that he’d contacted her as I would have called her myself. She and her late husband, Benny, had operated a very popular Italian restaurant in the building, and it would have been perfect for Nan and Charlie.
I went to lunch that last day, and ordered three take-out meals, and then my family and I gathered there that night for one last meal. They were slammed with people who had heard the news through the grapevine that they were leaving, and all of us wanted just one last taste of that wonderful Thai food.
I ate the same thing, commonly referred to as “Mary’s usual,” for several years, but in my sorrow over their closing, I forgot to ask the name of it so I could try to re-create it or at least order it at a Thai restaurant in Coos Bay. I’m hoping someone has their address so I can write and find out.
Maybe Charlie would share his recipe with me.
* * *
There’s a lot going on in Bandon during the holiday season, and Saturday night I spent a little over an hour at the Sprague Theater enjoying “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens and adapted and directed by Bandon’s own Don Van Dyke. Don and his bride moved to Bandon last year after buying one of the late David L. Davis’ homes in his subdivision along Seabird Drive.
I first met Don when he worked with Peg Broadcasting …. televising Bandon’s City Council meetings and I often saw them at Thai Thai.
I always like to support activities at the Sprague, but this show was a little more important to me since my sister Maggie’s granddaughter, Sophia Lowery, played the role of Belinda Cratchit. It was the eight-year-old’s first time on the stage and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself.
Unfortunately she won’t be around for many more plays because the family is moving to Oklahoma where her mother Jenny will enroll in nurses training.
The Christmas Carol is an uplifting story, and even though I couldn’t always hear all the lines, I definitely knew the story and enjoyed the evening.
The Bandon Playhouse is presenting a holiday musical titled “The Legend of Old Befana” beginning Friday, Dec. 9, at the Sprague, and continuing for two weekends. Harpist Candace Kreitlow is directing the musical, and I’ve heard it will be a great show.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
November 23, 2011
If you read the local papers, you’ve probably read a lot of negative things about Bandon’s Urban Renewal Agency in recent weeks.
Believe me, this is one of those issues where there are definitely two sides. When I think of the projects that Urban Renewal has made possible in Bandon in recent years, it definitely tips the scales on the side of Urban Renewal.
To begin with, Bandon is trying to extend its Area 1 plan, with the hope of being able to develop the former cheese factory property. The City is in negotiations with a private developer to build a new cheese factory and a brewery, which are expected to provide an estimated 30 new private-sector jobs. The property was purchased by the City with Urban Renewal dollars, and our part of the project would include a new eco-tourism center and public restrooms, as well as paving public parking areas.
The impact to the local taxpayers is zero. If the plan for Area 1 is amended, it means that the overlapping taxing districts (schools, hospital, port, county, 4-H, library, airport) continue to collect tax revenues at the same rate that they have been, but they will forgo collections on the increased value for a longer period of time.
The request is basically to maintain the status quo, and does not involve any increase in property tax rates for the taxpayers.
But before the City can continue, the Urban Renewal Agency must receive an OK from at least 75 percent of the taxing districts involved. It has received the approval of the Bandon School District, the Port of Bandon, the SWOCC board of directors, the Southern Coos Health District Board and the Bandon City Council, which amounts to just over 74 percent.
Tuesday, City Manager Matt Winkel will appear before the County Board of Commissioners in the hope of getting their approval.
It is a win-win situation for them. As new private development comes into the area (whether it be Bandon, Coos Bay or Coquille), the county will ultimately benefit, as will all the other taxing districts.
The Bandon Urban Renewal has provided funds for a number of past and ongoing projects, including the popular Port of Bandon boardwalk and crabbing dock, sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, Fillmore Avenue and Highway 101 traffic signals and crosswalks, the Bandon Historical Society museum, the South Jetty tsunami emergency evacuation route, lighthouse renovation, South Jetty Park, the new library, Barn/community center and senior center, and the many improvements at City Park.
The City was able to pave and maintain all streets in Bandon by Urban Renewal agreeing to forgo its 84 cent (a thousand) “Special Levy” in exchange for the voter-approved Local Option Street Tax.
Unlike most cities in Oregon, who have a tax rate far in excess of $2 or $3 a thousand (Myrtle Point’s, for example, is $7.99 a thousand), Bandon City’s tax rate is 46 cents a thousand.
Without Urban Renewal many of the wonderful things that the City has been able to do – and hopes to do in the future – would not have occurred.
I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would fight that.
* * *
I don’t do a lot of comparison shopping, but I’ve learned recently that it’s an extremely smart thing to do.
It began recently when I wanted to buy a bottle of orange-flavored Metamucil. I recalled that the last jar I bought was just under $10, so that is what I was prepared to pay for its replacement.
Since I generally shop at one or the other (or both) grocery stores in town, I went to the first store and found it was $10.99. Wow, I thought, that’s more than I paid last time, so I went across town where, much to my shock, I discovered the exact same bottle was $14.99. And I don’t believe the $10.99 bottle was on sale. That was their regular price.
Then I wondered how much it would be at a drug store, since it is actually more of a drug-store product than a grocery product. I came out of one of the drug stores with the same bottle – for $8.99. True, it was on sale . . . . but who cares with that kind of a savings.
Bear in mind that is a $6 difference on one item.
Interestingly enough, I have found in the past that the store with the highest price on this item had the lowest price on other items.
My suggestion is: if you have the time to comparison shop, DO IT. You can save big bucks on your grocery bill, without ever leaving town.
* * *
People don’t really know how important Southern Coos Hospital is until someone in their family really needs it. As her doctor was out of town, my mother was advised to go into the emergency room Friday, where it was determined that she had some form of pneumonia behind her heart. Since she is nearly 95 years old, things like this can get very serious very quickly.
Doctor Pasternak, the ER doc, put her into the hospital, where she spent two nights and on Sunday morning, he said it would be OK for her to go home, which is where she wanted to be.
Someone in our family spent nearly every waking minute with her while she was in the hospital, and it would have been so much harder had she been hospitalized out of town.
The care was great and I continue to be so thankful that we have a hospital in our community.
The financial picture has looked up: the district received an $840,000 payment from Medicare, the layoffs have helped the bottom line, and the volume of patients has increased.
They are certainly “not out of the woods” financially, but it was good to hear some positive news after all the publicity the hospital has gotten in recent weeks.
We need to do what we can to keep this hospital operating.
* * *
A good friend of mine, who is over 50, is an ardent runner, and just about every day he can be seen along the highway outside of Myrtle Point. It’s his passion, and he writes a column for the Herald encouraging more people to take up the sport of running.
But I read a story yesterday on the Internet about the Philadelphia Marathon, which saw two people die from heart attacks during the race. One was a 21-year-old man and the other was a 40-year-old man.
I’m pretty sure there is no fitness test administered to those who decide to run a marathon … but maybe there should be.
* * *
We’ve all been reading about the problem associated with PERS, and how costly the Public Employees Retirement System is to taxing bodies like cities, school districts and the county.
An article in the November issue of Governing magazine is titled “Pensions threaten to sink cities.”
Believe me, it’s not just here in Oregon where problems are occurring: it’s across the country.
This particular article came out of Long Beach, Calif., home to one of the world’s busiest shipping ports.
“Yet its fiscal woes are as big as the giant freighters that dock there. Despite paring back its budget by $188 million over the course of several years, the Southern California city of 462,000 can’t seem to shake its rising pension costs. If nothing changes, Long Beach will eventually have to devote its entire budget to funding workers’ retirement.
“Long Beach is just one of many cities facing serious budget problems because of ever-growing pension obligations. Central Falls, R.I., received national attention in July when city leaders asked current retirees to give up a portion of their retirement benefits to stave off possible bankruptcy.
“To cover ballooning pension costs, some cities have resorted to tax increases, worker layoffs and service cuts. But critics call this managing a city by decline and say it doesn’t address the real problem.
“Other cities, however, have begun to tackle the pension problem head on, making changes ranging from modest to radical that will put them on sound fiscal footing in the years ahead.”
It is interesting that this week (Nov. 21) is the date when the state’s two largest newspapers, The Oregonian and the Statesman Journal of Salem, will have access to the names of PERS recipients and the amount of their benefits.
I will be curious to see how these newspapers handle this information and if it will also be available to other news organizations.
And if it is, will they do anything with it?
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
November 16, 2011
I receive the Governing magazine each month and was surprised when I saw an article on vote by mail titled “Not-so-priority Mail.”
It seems that more and more states, who are considering vote by mail, are opting not to do it.
I didn’t know, and I’m sure you didn’t, that there are only two states in the nation that are so-called universal vote-by-mail states, conducting elections entirely by the mail. And that’s Oregon and Washington.
I have never been a fan of vote by mail and sent an email to the author of the article explaining my concerns, which were not ones that were brought up in the article.
Former Secretary of State Phil Keisling is quoted as feeling that much of the cultural resistance to vote-by-mail is rooted in the civic ritual of visiting a polling place in late autumn.
In spite of the positives cited: more participation, dollars saved, etc., it is interesting that most states are not ready to follow Oregon and later Washington’s lead.
My concerns center on the privacy issue. The first time we had vote by mail, I went to the post office and found a handful of ballots casually thrown into the wastebasket, without even having been torn in half. I knew all of those who had decided they didn’t have time to vote and could have gone to them and asked them to sign their ballot (now making it legal) so I could “help” them vote. I didn’t, of course, but I could have. Many local elections have been decided by a few votes … and those ballots thrown into the easy-access wastebasket could have been the deciders.
Also I know people who toss their ballot aside when it gets there (two weeks early) and then forget to send it in before the actual Election Day. There’s also the chance that someone in the family may have strong opinions about one candidate or the other and intimidate others into voting as they request.
In the “old days” you could listen to everyone’s view, but in the privacy of the voting booth, you could vote your own conscience.
I fear a person’s vote can be compromised with our present system, and I can understand why the other 48 states are hesitant to follow in our footsteps.
P.S. I later learned, after receiving an email from the columnist, that my comments were added to the Governing.com blog.
* * *
I think I mentioned this earlier, but beginning Monday (Nov. 21), the names and benefit amounts for all retired members of PERS will be available to the public. Two state newspapers, The Oregonian and the Statesman Journal of Salem, filed public records requests for PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) to disclose the names and benefit amounts. Also, on March 9, the dollar amounts of benefits paid to survivor beneficiaries and alternate payees of members (former spouses), but not the names of those recipients, will also be available.
Although we can no longer buy the daily Oregonian on the newsstands in southern Oregon, it will be interesting to go on line (OregonLive.com) and see how they are handling this story.
I ran a lengthy story in the Myrtle Point Herald recently about this after one of the PERS recipients brought her letter into the paper, explaining that her benefits would soon be made public. She was extremely upset.
So far, I have seen nothing about this in The World, The Register-Guard or any other newspaper, for that matter, and I’m not sure why. I guess they don’t think it’s news (or possibly I missed it, but I pretty much read each paper each day, so I don’t think so.)
* * *
A lot of newcomers won’t remember her, but my long-time friend Joan Goodbrod called me Saturday to say that Joanne Metcalfe, who built the insurance agency where Joseph Bain now has his office, died Oct. 31 in Vancouver, Wash., at the age of 94. According to her grandson, Joanne had been very active right up to the end. Joanne was a wonderful person and a great supporter of Bandon.
* * *
I was sorry to learn that Edgewater’s Restaurant would be closing for the winter … except for private parties. There’s no doubt that winter is a much slower time of the year for most businesses ‑‑ restaurants included – but I hate to see them close. I’ve also heard from several good sources that Charlie and Nan, owners of Thai Thai, one of my very favorite restaurants, will not be renewing their lease with Andrea Gatov, and will be moving to Texas, where most of their family (including daughter Joyce) live. One person said it would be later this month. I pray that’s not true, but if it is, I wish them well and thank them for introducing me to Thai food, which I absolutely love.
We are fortunate to have so many good restaurants in Bandon, and I hate to see any of them close.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
November 09, 2011
I, like about 80 others, attended the special meeting of the Southern Coos Hospital board of directors last Tuesday at The Barn. There was a lot of information provided that day – particularly from those in the audience who were passionate on one “side” or the other.
There was a good article on the front page of the World the next day, but in case you didn’t read Amy’s article in Western World on Thursday (thinking it was the same article), you need to do so.
And don’t stop at the front page. Continue on to the run-over page and read the quotes from others who attended the meeting.
I seldom urge people to read a specific article, but if you haven’t read this one, please (if you don’t subscribe to Western World) go out and buy a copy of the paper (Nov. 4) and read that article. It helps to clarify a lot of things that have been happening in the community and may give you an idea of what needs to happen.
It is time for both sides to extend the olive branch. The boards of Southern Coos Hospital and the Bandon Community Health Center need to sit down and talk, and I mean really talk. We’re all friends and neighbors, and the future of the hospital could depend on that conversation.
Please have it.
* * *
Here it is Sunday, Nov. 6, and I’ve just come in from the deck where I’ve been soaking up the sun. A couple I met recently said they moved to Bandon on Nov. 1 last year and it rained all but two days in November. I am sure they are already happier this November. True, we may have had an occasional sprinkle, even today, but when the sun comes out bright and warm it makes it all worthwhile.
When I tell people I’ve become sort of a sun worshiper, they look at me sadly and explain that I may be in the wrong location for that. But I’ve gotten “my fix” for today and look forward to whatever sun the weatherman brings, no matter how brief.
Others say how much they love the wind and the rain. I guess they’re just trying to make themselves feel better as we head into our seven (?) months of winter.
I’d even settle for a 6-6 split, but maybe that will occur this year.
* * *
I’ve had several people tell me lately that they don’t know how to get in touch with me. My number (the correct one) is no longer listed in the book and apparently whoever puts out the phone books does not put in Comspan numbers. True, I don’t have an answering machine, so the landline is not the best way to get in touch with me.
I’m always glad to take calls from people who may have concerns about something that is going on in the City, and the best way to reach me is to call my cell at 541-404-7291 or to email me at marys@coosnet.com or marys@mycomspan.com. I will always answer an email right away (as long as I am not working that day in Myrtle Point).
And if you have still tried and haven’t been able to get in touch with me, just drop by City Hall and ask the gals to leave a note in my box.
* * *
Now that Halloween is over, people’s thoughts are definitely turning toward Christmas. As money gets tighter and tighter, I urge people to go through out local stores and shops to see what they have to offer BEFORE they head out of town or to the internet to do their Christmas shopping.
I know there are many people who have never been in a lot of the shops, and I think they would be pleasantly surprised by the kinds and quality of the merchandise you will find right here in Bandon.
I cringe when I hear people say they’ve purchased something out of town that was available right here in our shops. I know a lot of them are struggling right now and are headed into the winter months (mostly without tourists).
But we could give them a big boost by spending our limited dollars here at home.
It really does make sense.
* * *
I just picked up my issue of Golf Digest for October and was thrilled to see Bandon mentioned. The writer was talking about various golf trips he’d taken, and a large sidebar headline said: “I hope to visit Bandon and Pinehurst eventually. For now, this kind of trip makes the most sense.”
He was referring to a trip by 12 guys, who go to “nontraditional areas where there’s a lot of good golf. Our first year, we went to Lexington, Ky. This summer we went to Indianapolis. Everybody drove, which helped keep costs down.”
He tells about some of the places they’ve stayed to help keep costs down for their four- or five-day trip.
He ends by saying “Golf and lodging came to $370 a person (for the four days). Add food, gas and maybe a little wager, and it might have reached $460. I absolutely understand the appeal of a trip to Bandon Dunes or Pinehurst or Sea Island, and I hope to visit them eventually. But at those places you could spend $460 a day. I’m 33 with three young kids. For now, this kind of trip makes the most sense.”
It is still fun to see Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst mentioned in the same sentence …
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
November 02, 2011
Having written last week about the vicious attack on Pat and Sue Reed’s dog by a pit bull, I thought it might be timely to talk about what Australia is doing about those dogs.
The Australian newspaper carried an interesting article recently titled: “Owners of killer dogs face jail.”
New offenses to the Crimes Act were to be introduced in parliament following the death of four-year-old Ayen Chol, who was mauled by a neighbor’s pit bull mastiff in August, when the dog ran into her house. Four new offenses will be created for failing to prevent a dangerous, menacing or restricted dog breed from endangering a life or causing death. And all four offenses will be punishable by jail.
Fines for owners of dangerous dogs who fail to meet their obligations will also be increased. Owners of dangerous or restricted canine breeds who fail to notify the local council when their dog escapes or when they change address can be fined up to $2,442. Owners of restricted breed dogs will also be required to ensure their dogs wear a warning collar when not at their property.
Laws have already been passed to end the amnesty to register restricted breed dogs.
Any American pit bull terrier not registered by Sept. 30 in Victoria was to be destroyed.
I have not seen an update on how many dogs weren’t registered, but it is clear they consider certain breeds to be a menace.
Also after I wrote that article last week I received an email from a woman who said that same dog had killed a cat in the neighborhood last year.
And she emailed me again on Friday to say that she had talked to a woman who lives across the street (in the area of Wilson’s Grocery). “Yesterday she told me the dog is still tethered in the yard. My experience is the dog is tied up most of the time, but other times is loose in the yard, loose in the back of a pickup or loose running the streets.”
I immediately contacted Pat and Sue to warn them that it is not safe to walk their dog in that neighborhood as the dog is apparently still there.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the dog’s owner goes to court.
* * *
Members of the Bandon High School alumni group are planning a Christmas-time get-together in Portland on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Francis Xavier’s Restaurant, 1933 NE 181st St., Portland, off I-84 at Exit 13.
I received an email from Sharon Ward Moy recently asking me to spread the word in case any grad might be in Portland that weekend.
“We are asking each person to bring a fun gift, suitable for the gift exchange; and please do not spend more than $15. Bring spouses, family members and other BHS grads.”
People can RSVP to Sharon at moy_seaglass@msn.com or to Harvey “Skip” Longanecker at harlou2000@gmail.com.
Sounds like fun. Social media has really helped people keep connected.
* * *
The late John Conrad, who was an outstanding baseball player for the Bandon Tigers back in the ‘60s and went on to be the sports editor of The Register-Guard in Eugene, was one of three journalists honored last week during the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication’s 14th annual Hall of Achievement program.
John suffered a stroke in 2002 and died at the age of 57. He was a three-year letterman in baseball for the Ducks before graduating in 1967. He turned down an opportunity to try out for the New York Yankees to pursue a career in sports journalism and went to work for the R-G in 1969.
He was promoted to sports editor in 1984. Earlier the press box at Oregon’s new baseball stadium, PK Park, was named in his honor.
Although the Register-Guard never bothers to mention his ties to Bandon (he was born and raised here), I am proud to say that I handled sports (and just about everything else in those days) at Western World when he began writing sports stories for me while he was still in high school.
His was a wonderful success story … of a friend who died way too young.
* * *
I know I may sound like a broken record, but every day I hear of another Bandon resident who has either been ticketed for “rolling through” a stop sign (usually on First Street at Fillmore, which is a great hiding place) or speeding in the 25-mile zone on Riverside Drive. I just wish this particular officer were as concerned about what I consider real speeding on Highway 101 through Bandon, but I guess it’s easier to sit on Riverside Drive knowing that just about everyone has the potential to exceed that 25-mile limit. Everywhere I go someone has been stopped by this officer and the tickets keep piling up.
Just remember a stop sign ticket is nearly $200, and one person said he thought his was closer to $300.
So it’s important to come to a complete stop (even if you hold up the traffic behind you) if you don’t want to get a ticket.
I saw a friend of mine pull up to a stop sign near the post office last week, slow way down, look both ways and then proceed with great caution through the stop sign. But she didn’t come to a full and complete stop.
* * *
The Bandon Showcase completely outdid themselves last week by bringing the world famous Vienna Boys Choir to Bandon. Members of the 24-voice boys choir ranged in age from 10 to 14, and they were superb. There are really no words to describe the evening’s concert, but the packed house let them know how much they appreciated them with several standing ovations.
Mr. Showcase himself, Joe Sinko, told the audience that it had been thanks to months of hard work by Peggy Backholm that we were able to bring this premier concert to Bandon.
Sponsors helping to make it possible were Heritage Place, Bandon Inn, Bain Insurance Agency, Bandon Bill’s Seafood Grill and Beach Loop Realty.
Florian Schwarz, choirmaster, told the audience that the boys had been performing in Russia three weeks earlier, which was an indication of how special it was to have them in Bandon.
Bandon Showcase has three more events planned this season, including Deadwood Revival on Jan. 6; II Voce, Feb. 11; and the Harry James Orchestra on May 19, which will be the third annual dinner theater.
All seats are reserved, and with the increasing popularity of these shows, it is best to get your tickets as soon as possible, or buy a season ticket to guarantee you will have a seat.
Thank you Bandon Showcase for what you bring to our community.
* * *
Kirk and Elizabeth Day, owners of Bandon’s Harbortown Events Center, have announced this week that Nancy Evans will be joining their management team in January. We understand that the former manager, Colleen Showalter, was asked to stay on as a volunteer coordinator, but she and her husband have declined.
Management of the Barn/Bandon’s Community Center will be taken over by Jeff Norris, who also manages the Sprague Community Theater.
Jeff has a lot of big plans for the facility, including the use of volunteers to help keep costs down and usage high.
previous columns by mary schamehorn