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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016 City from 1A Then he listed specific suc- cesses, such as resurfacing parts of Rhododendron Drive, determining city code in regards to the sale of medical and recreational marijuana and developing the Economic Development and Public Arts committees. “Our second broad goal was to sustain and improve the city’s livability and quality of life for Florence residents and visitors. This goal is an impor- tant aspect of all of the goals,” Henry said. City staff focused on parks funding and development last year, with $240,000 dedicated to parks in the current 2015-16 budget year. Henry said, “We are part of discussions for improving the soccer program in Florence by reconfiguring the south section 11 A of Miller Park and adding a soccer field to be a public amenity.” Three committees also sought to address livability: Environmental Management Advisory Committee, Transit Advisory Committee and the new Public Arts Committee. Henry noted that several of the goals were intertwined together. “Our next major goal was to create a strategy and actions aimed towards sustaining and expanding the Florence econo- my,” he said. The Florence Urban Renewal Agency, Economic Development Committee and the city planning department are working with Lane County Economic Development Department, South Coast Development Council and Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network (RAIN) to bring and CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS (541) 997-6111 375 9th St Florence, OR 97439 www.spruce-point.com Learn how to embrace life changes while managing your health Maintaining a Positive Mental Outlook on Life Thursday, January 21st, 2pm Learn How to Keep Your Memory Sharp Thursday, February 18th, 2pm Diabetes and Diet—Making Food Choices That Work for You Thursday, March 17th, 2pm We invite you to join us. Florence Mayor Joe Henry meets members of the Siuslaw Middle School choir before his State of the City address last Thursday. The students sang the National Anthem to open the address at the Florence Events Center. expand businesses in the area. The fourth goal was to sus- tain and improve the city’s communication program and strengthen citizen trust. The city has accomplished that by increasing council and staff involvement in community activities and events and by increasing social media avail- ability. “The mayor, councilors and staff have spoken at many homeowners associations, social and civic clubs to get the message out that we are a ‘City in Motion’ and to encourage others to be involved,” Henry said. The final goal was to sustain and improve the city’s finan- cial position and organization- al structure. Interim Finance Director Andy Parks and City Manager Erin Reynolds were vital in preparing a balanced budget, updating and improving the long-term financial plan and increasing efforts on employee training. “As we move into yet another budget season, the city will need to explore financing for streets, economic develop- ment, emergency management and parks while providing all of our essential services,” Henry said. Now, the council and staff are finalizing goals for 2016. Follow Chantelle on Twitter @SNews_Chantelle. Email her at cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com. Watershed eries and hydrology, horticul- ture, timber and wildlife and to discuss road issues. A lively exchange between residents and Bauer over con- cerns ranging from road clo- sures to herbicide use preced- ed the group gathering around the three tables to get specific questions answered. Before the table discussions began, Greg Lindsey read a prepared statement to the group recapping the history of Mapleton and the surrounding area and lamenting the loss of timber revenue jobs. “At the end of the ’70s and ’80s we started to see a shift in the harvest levels and the spot- ted owl became the focus of our forest service and jobs began to go away,” Lindsey said. Lindsey requested a 90-day extension to the Jan. 30 com- ment deadline the forest serv- ice was proposing. “We, as concerned citizens, are asking the forest service to stop all activities in the Siuslaw National Forest until an assessment can be done,” Lindsey said. “We want the government to use our tax dol- lars to have an assessment done by three different private timber consulting firms. We request that the deadline you have of Jan. 30 be extended for 90 days for us to gather information regarding this matter.” In response, the forest serv- ice has decided to suspend the Jan. 30 deadline. District Ranger Michele Jones said, “We want to find solutions that meet the needs of the community and the for- est service. Making sure the community has been heard and that we work together is more important than a deadline at this time.” Jones said the forest service was not expecting the large turnout and that the format for the meeting was too crowded to be able to address every- one’s concerns. She said, “In the future, we will be contacting land owners to meet with them. I know they have some very specific interest related to their private lands.” According to Jones, the for- est service is working on set- ting up larger venues for future meetings to better accommodate the number of interested participants. Comments can be submitted to District Ranger Michele Jones, c/o Donni Vogel, P.O. Box 400, Waldport, OR 97394. Email comments can be sent to comments-pacificnorthwest- siuslaw-centralcoast@fs.fed. us. Include “Indian Creek Landscape Management Project” in the subject line. from 1A invasive plants following most project activities,” Bauer said. Three tables were set up with forest service personnel to answer questions about fish- •Wednesday, 7 p.m. - Family Connections •Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - Bible Study •Sunday, 10:30 a.m. - Worship Service Corner of 10th & Maple St. • 541-997-3533 www.florencecrossroad.org email: office@florencecrossroad.org 541-999-5083 HOLLOWAY & ASSOCIATES, LLC Certified Public Accountants 733 Highway 101, (across from Safeway) • Ph #541-997-3434 We specialize in Karla D. Holloway CPA Tax Strategies Bookkeeping and Accounting Services Payroll Services Preparation of Tax Returns for Individuals Corporation LLC’s Estates & Trusts Business Consulting Quickbooks Installation & Training Serving Florence for 37 years Proud to be a Florence and Reedsport-Winchester Bay Chamber member. Rod McCulloch CPA Call Now For Your Complimentary Consultation! “A sneak peek into the City Council’s goals for 2016 will be a continuation of the 2015 goals in a more condensed and focused manner,” Henry said. “We expect 2016 to be filled with staff activity focused on completing the work that was started in 2015.” __________ Port from 1A “This presents a win-win opportunity for the Port of Siuslaw, the public, the envi- ronment and the local econo- my,” Caputo said. Prior to closing the regular session and opening an exec- utive session to discuss other real property transactions, commissioner Nancy Rickard presented the design that was chosen by port staff for the port’s “Dancing with Sea Lions” art project, spon- sored by the Florence Events Center to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The life-size fiberglass sea lion is one of 20 that will be painted by local artists and displayed in Florence and the surrounding area this spring and summer. Ron Hildenbrand submit- ted the design that the port chose. The finished piece will go on display in April. __________ Follow Jack on Twitter @SNews_Jack. Email him at jack@thesiuslawnews.com. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Liing Life to the Fullest & Feeling Younger Longer