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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
from 1A surface,” Knabe said. The debris recovered Saturday included an old refrigerator, a reclining chair, 12 tires, a toilet, a sink and assorted bottles, cans and dis- carded household items. The hardest part of the process is often getting the debris to shore. “We had to work really hard to get the refrigerator out,” Knabe said. “It was buried pretty deep and the visibility down there is very limited.” FEC from 1A Rhodes joined the FEC staff in 1996, just months before the center opened its doors on Aug. 31, 1996. “Opening the FEC was one of the highlights, or even the highlight, of my terms as For more information on Project Aware, call Eugene conceived to celebrate the events center and its impact on the Florence area. FEC Marketing Specialist Connor brought the event to the Florence City Council in April 2015. Florence City Councilor Susy Lacer said, “I have to give huge props to Jennifer, DENTURE SERVICES INC. 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It was going to benefit our economy, the businesses in town, tourists and, of course, the artists, for they would get a front-row seat for displaying their talents. It was a very well-designed project.” Connor formed a committee to plan a timeline, create the logo, design the fiberglass sea lions and find artists and spon- sors. “I had a wonderful commit- tee,” Connor said. She went on to thank Calista Cates, Rhodes, Reynolds, City of Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller and his staff, the FEC staff, Friends of the FEC, the Florence Public Art Committee and volunteers. “They really encouraged this project and gave me lots of support,” she said. Lacer, who served on the Dancing with Sea Lions com- mittee said, “It’s been a won- derful project, and I am very pleased to be a part of it. Tonight, we are celebrating the end of this wonderful journey and finding permanent homes for the remaining eight sea lions.” Auctioneer Bob Sneddon Land WOMEN & MEN I N B USINESS Name of Business "! #$%&' # , !3(&&54 6*!4 ' & *% ) ) &# '(%" # " " (&"&& '## 74!55!8$29 :&4*;0/4! !' ! # %&#" ' $'#" #% #% !#% '" #" Women in Business will run on 6& October 15 - Deadline: October 4 -$<4 -% 13 Men in Business will run on & October 19 - Deadline: October 17 4 ;-<4 -. %&& " + #" (!% <54= 4!5!& + 4' ! )#%& #% && #(' ' $%&#" '(% 545 *3344' from 1A The business park original- ly had 24 lots. If this deal closes, nine will be left unsold. “He wants to build a facto- ry here in Florence, starting with five employees that he thinks over time could grow to 20 employees,” Henry said. Reynolds said, “The excit- ing thing about this deal is that it has all the aspects that the council has been working toward. We have been able to sit down with this individual and work through some com- plex issues regarding the land use process and zoning. This is the kind of business the city wants to attract.” Henry added, “These will be the type of jobs we need in Florence. My goal since the get-go, and I’m a big support- er of youth, is that our kids can graduate from high school here, get an education, either here through LCC or elsewhere, but come back here, buy a home and raise a family. There is really no opportunity to do that today.” This exposes the need for the third element of the city’s economic development plan, affordable housing. then auctioned off the sea lions. The other 12 full-sized sea lions had been bought before the auction. All 20 sea lions, hand-paint- ed and created by area artists, sold during the event. Most will be available for public viewing. Porter Performs, by Colleen Goodwin-Chronister, and Rhody the sea lion pup, by Frances Rogers, will remain at the FEC. Siuslaw Public Library and the Friends of the Library had one triumph of the evening: they were able to secure Eco and the Ecosystems of Oregon, by Benjamin Cahoon, to remain at the library’s main location in Florence. Connor thanked the artists and the original sponsors. “We know that the beautiful art that was done would not be possible without you. Without you, this project would not be possible. It’s incredible the work that you’ve done,” she said. Pavilion Catering provided hors d’oeuvres, beverages and cake for the event. “This has been a wonderful evening,” Reynolds said. “Most of all, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have this fab- ulous facility. We’re very grateful to have the opportuni- ty to celebrate 20 years of the FEC and look forward to many more years in Florence.” Connor said the event raised $68,000 for Friends of the FEC, the nonprofit group who fundraises, volunteers for and in many ways supports the events center. “We give tours all the time, and people are just amazed at what a nice facility we have for a small town,” Rhodes said. “They also think it’s about four or five years old. That we attribute to the Friends of the FEC, who con- tinue to support us.” The Friends also help the FEC pay for remodels and “recent enhancements,” Rhodes said of the brand new dance floor and new video pro- jectors. “We need to remain state of the art. It not only is beneficial for our clients, but it is benefi- cial for our patrons. We ask that you continue to support us and buy tickets to our events. We just thank you for coming here tonight,” he said. Connor is working on a map of the finalized, public loca- tions of the Dancing with Sea Lions. When completed it will be available at eventcenter.org and dancingwithsealions.com. “A month ago, there was not a single rental available in the city of Florence and pretty much everything in multiple listing under $350,000 is under contract,” Henry said. “We have a definite housing shortage.” Henry said the good news is that the city has had discus- sions with more developers and contractors within the past 60 days than it has had in the past two years. “We have had discussions with developers on apartment buildings, affordable housing, condos and small houses all the way up to upscale,” Henry said. “If one-third of the peo- ple we have talked to do what they said they were going to do, we will have a whole bunch of houses. Some are doing their due diligence as we speak. “I personally believe if we had 50 houses for sale at $250,000 they would sell immediately; if for no other reason than rentals, because there are no rentals avail- able.” Henry said the city also has been working to improve relationships with Lane Community College (LCC) Florence Center and the Siuslaw School District to facilitate courses conducive to higher paying jobs and col- lege careers. “LCC is now offering courses that were discontin- ued in the past, like culinary arts,” he said. The council also approved the purchase of a one-acre parcel adjacent to the north end of the Florence Events Center for $180,000. Henry said the assessed value of the property was more than $300,000. “Part of our rationale to purchase is because the Friends of the FEC has offered to help raise funds to do something with that prop- erty,” Henry said. “The city will also have to spend money on it. My own specu- lation is that we will pave that and use it as additional park- ing for the events center. We will have some nice addition- al parking that is not gravel and weeds.” Reynolds also said the new city public works building is expected to break ground at the Pacific View Business Park in January or February 2017. “It is good to see some activity in the business park,” Reynolds said. “We haven’t seen that for a while.” MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT IS OCT. 15TH THRU DEC. 7TH EVERY YEAR I offer FREE REVIEWS & FREE QUOTES with no obligation and I represent MANY COMPANIES! Get in touch with me, Jodi Newby soon to get answers to any questions you may have. Schedule appointments now to reserve an appointment spot. %,-..$/,,- 0%,-..$$.$. JODI NEWBY 541-997-3466 EXT. 404, 875 HWY 101, FLORENCE OR. (& ) )& -,1(' ''0-2343).$,/. ()* 7 A *+ Your one stop shopping for all of your MEDICARE AND LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE needs! 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