Henley SkillsUSA seeks $5,000 to send students to national conference; residents raise odor and lighting concerns

During the public‑comment segment of the May 18 meeting, Darren Tyler, a Henley High School engineering student who identified himself as the Oregon SkillsUSA president, asked for local support after saying 11 Henley students qualified to compete at the National SkillsUSA Conference in Atlanta. Tyler said the group has raised $25,000 toward travel and competition expenses but still needs $5,000 to ensure all qualified students can attend.

"SkillsUSA gives us hands on career connected learning," Tyler said, describing competitions in engineering, drones, robotics and health care that the students will bring to the national level on June 1.

Separately, Marissa Davidson, speaking for the KFDA, told the council members a recent news article about an unpleasant downtown odor ran after the KFDA had already met productively with the city manager; she said the organization feels heard and looks forward to staff follow‑up.

A resident urged code enforcement to address floodlights installed at a building at 11th Street and Pine Street that she said now shine directly into her bedroom and prevent sleep. The commenter said she had asked the property manager to "get a hood on this" and alleged some out‑of‑town property management firms pursue actions that displace tenants; the council closed public comment and said staff would accept the complaint for follow‑up.

What comes next: City staff accepted the public comments and the meeting record indicates the city will follow up on code enforcement and staff said they will continue to work with downtown stakeholders.