Coquille Schools Face Reality of Declining Enrollment

BRAVES REACH PLAYOFFS MAKING HISTORY Reedsport tops Myrtle Point, B1 First woman to do this job, A7 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2013 theworldlink.com I 75¢ Shutdown handicaps outdoor enthusiasts BY THOMAS MORIARTY The World COOS BAY — Southwestern Oregon’s res- ident congressman says the government shutdown is leaving recreation-based economies high and dry in the middle of hunting season. According to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D- Springfield, the $135 million spent annually by Oregon hunters and fishermen is too high a cost to pay. “This shutdown is bad for outdoor enthusiasts, it’s bad for communities on the Ore- By Lou Sennick, The World gon Coast that need this economic activity Jeff Philley, principal at Coquille High School leads a group of interested and concerned parents on a tour of the school building and what they could expect and it’s bad for business,”DeFazio said. for their seventh- and eighth-graders if they are moved to the building. In session last week, the congressman told House colleagues that hunters in his district were already being impacted by the shutdown. DeFazio said blacktail deer hunters have Coquille schools face reality been turned away from the popular William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge near Cor- vallis, and pointed to Bandon Marsh as a site that will be impacted in the near future. Duck season in Zone 1 — the Oregon of declining enrollment Department of Fish and Wildlife regulatory area that covers the Oregon coast — is scheduled to open Oct. 12. BY CHELSEA DAVIS school,”he said. “By the time they’re jun- Traditionally, duck hunting on the The World iors, they have almost everything checked refuge’s 256-acre main unit has been allowed “We’re at a situation where except government and English.” seven days a week. COQUILLE — As enrollment continues we don’t have the student Out of this year’s class of 46 seniors, “Right now, the only thing it’s open to is to fall, Coquille school officials rallied par- only six have a standard seven-period swarms of mosquitoes,”DeFazio said. ents again to explain their vision of a com- population to maintain the school day. Arlene Holmes, membership coordinator bined junior-senior high school. “I don’t want to tell you things are bad, for the Oregon Hunter Association, said the Parents walked the halls of Coquille buildings in our district in but that is reality,”he said. organization hasn’t kept track of the federal High School Monday night while school the future. If seventh- and eighth-graders moved lands closed off to hunters since the shut- officials explained how seventh- and ” to the high school, that would add 108 stu- down. eighth-graders could be worked into the Tim Sweeney, Coquille Superintendent dents to the hallways. And since they “I did have a person call last week asking fold next year. would run on the same bell schedule, those whether the gate at such and such place Currently, there are 253 students at the junior high students would get a seventh would be open, but it’s not like they send out high school, which was built to hold 650. period, compared to their six-period day at that information,”Holmes said. Next school year, that’s projected to “As long as the mill stays, we believe Coquille Valley Middle School. Although most national forest lands increase to 272 students, said Superinten- we’re going to have low classes in the 45s This expanded schedule would give jun- remain open to hunting, the closure of dent Tim Sweeney. and high classes in the 61s,”he said. “And ior high students more opportunities for campgrounds means sportsmen choosing to But after that, the numbers will likely you’re seeing this across the region: in electives, he said, including shop, art, hunt on them may need to find a hotel. fall, he said. By the 2018-2019 school year, Bandon, in Myrtle Point, in Reedsport. health or music. On the South Coast, recreation sites in the high school is projected to house only “But I’m the lemons, the bad news. High school junior Caitlin Ford worried both the Rogue-Siskiyou and Siuslaw 196 to 213 students. (Coquille High Principal Jeff Philley’s) job, that while this shift would give more national forests have been shuttered under “We’re at a situation where we don’t his task, is to turn this into lemonade.” opportunities to seventh- and eighth- the federal shutdown. have the student population to maintain Philley said when he attended Coquille graders, it would also take away from Firearm hunting season for blacktail deer the buildings in our district in the future,” High, he didn’t have time in his schedule to sixth-graders, who would move to a more will remain open through Nov. 1 in most he said. take every class available. Today, he strug- traditional elementary school. parts of the Oregon coast. At this time last year, the district was gles to fill students’ schedules by their jun- “They’re bound to lose out on some The first rifle season for coast elk is sched- made up of more than 900 students. ior and senior years. things they’ve had in the past,” said uled to open Nov. 9. Today, that has dropped to 872, which “I’m sad to tell you and a little embar- Coquille Valley Principal Geoff Wetherell. Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached equates to about an $180,000 drop in rassed right now, that we don’t have at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at funding. enough classes for students at the high SEE COQUILLE | A8 [email protected]. Ken Hollembaek, job Oregonians rush supervisor with Ram Jack, climbs out from under the Chandler Building, which was to arm themselves raised with a hydraulic jack about 8 inches over the weekend.The build- with handguns ing’s northwest corner has been sinking for sev- PORTLAND (AP) — The Oregon, like Washington and eral years. number of concealed handgun Idaho, is a “shall-issue” state, licenses has jumped by more meaning the law requires than 20 percent in Oregon dur- authorities to issue a license ing the first six months of this unless the applicants are dis- year. qualified for criminal records, Just over 200,000 Oregonians mental illness or drug use. had a license as of July 10, up California, by contrast, is a from 163,000 at the end of 2012, “may-issue” state, where appli- By Alysha Beck, The World The Oregonian newspaper cants must make a persuasive reported. About one in 15 adults case before authorities will issue in Oregon is licensed to carry a a license. The difference is dra- concealed handgun — up from matic, with about one in every Chandler at its level best one in 22 adults in 2010. 550 California adults holding The increase followed the Dec. concealed-carry weapons 11 shooting at Clackamas Town licenses. BY TIM NOVOTNY the building’s sagging northwest they locked-up with the 35-foot Center, which left two shoppers Reasons for obtaining a con- The World corner. level that we (originally) anticipat- dead and one wounded, and the cealed handgun license vary, but Ken Hollembaek, job supervisor, ed,”Hollembaek said, as he toured massacre that occurred three personal safety is at the top of COOS BAY — Except for the 11 said the job started picking up the northwest corner crawl space days later at a Newtown, Conn., the list. Ram Jack workers who were sweat- steam when the company decided on Tuesday. elementary school. “I regard carrying a defensive ing through the final lift, the actual to go with bigger steel pilings to dig Once the 21 separate helicals Though the shootings started weapon to be cheap insurance in hoisting of the Chandler Building in beneath the building. Resem- locked-up at that depth the work a nationwide push for stricter the category of seat belts, life over the weekend was anti-climac- bling giant screws, the pilings, also of boosting the building could gun control, they also sparked a jackets and bike helmets,” said tic. called helicals, had originally gone start. But it was no piece of cake, rush to buy guns before more retired airline pilot Eric Rush, 71, Ram Jack of Oregon had been down more than 100 feet as they taking almost a day and a half to restrictive laws might be passed. of Hebo. “I try to avoid situa- working on raising the historic were looking for some solid footing raise the corner of the building In December, the number of FBI tions in which I might need to structure in downtown Coos Bay for the building. That was deeper about 7 or 8 inches, with all pilings background checks for gun pur- use any of those.” for more than a month. On Satur- than they wanted to go, so a change having to move at the same time and rate. chases through federally According to Oregon State day, with almost double their usual was made. licensed dealers soared by 39 crew on hand, they commenced “We switched up to a bigger hel- percent. SEE HANDGUNS | A8 the hydraulic process of boosting ical, with a 14-inch dish, so now SEE CHANDLER | A8 Glenn Moen, Coos Bay Can’t we all just get along? Police reports . A2 Comics . A6 Donna Sturdivan, Coos Bay T S S E N The CEO of Starbucks wants to set a good A H Gayle Bultmann, North Bend O D What’s Up.

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