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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2021)
6A | SATURDAY, JUNE 26 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS For residents who pur- chase legal fireworks, the OSFM encourages every- one to practice the four Bs of safe fireworks use: • Be prepared before lighting fireworks: keep water available by using a garden hose or bucket. FLORENCE from page 1A There are dozens of steps and inflection points on the way to realizing this goal, according to Hauer, and she and Lanier are engaged in the first step, which is in- forming municipalities of the program and its oppor- tunities as it moves forward. “We have a multi-year authorization process for offshore wind, and it is a four-stage process which includes planning and anal- ysis, leasing, site assessment and construction and oper- ations. Where we are right Shoppe LOCAL #MyFlorence Shop. Eat. Support. SAVE. SHOP SUPPORT • Be safe when lighting fireworks: keep children and pets away from fire- works. • Be responsible after lighting fireworks: never relight a dud. Please wait for 15 to 20 minutes, then soak it in a bucket of water before disposal. • Be aware: use only le- gal fireworks and use them only in legal places. Oregon law prohibits the possession, use, or sale of any firework that flies into the air, explodes, or travels more than 12 feet horizon- tally on the ground with- out a permit issued by the OSFM. Fireworks, common- ly called bottle rockets, Roman candles, and fire- crackers, are illegal in Ore- gon without a permit. Officials may seize ille- gal fireworks and charge offenders with a class B misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of up to $2,500 per charge. Those who misuse fire- works or allow fireworks to cause damage are liable and may be required to pay fire suppression costs or other damage. Parents are also liable for fireworks damage caused by their children. The OSFM has pub- lished FAQs for commonly answered questions about the sale and legal use of consumer fireworks, per- mits for the retail sale of fireworks, and state rules for their use and enforce- ment activities. OSFM’s fireworks educa- tion materials for sharing on social media also can be found at www.oregon.gov/ osp/fireworks. now in Oregon is data col- lecting to inform our leas- ing decisions,” Hauer told councilors. Lanier’s portion of the presentation spoke more specifically of the digital tools which are being em- ployed to gather and share the data which will be used to determine the best loca- tion to harvest future wind energy resources. This includes the Oregon Wind Mapping Tool, which measures the force and fre- quency of the winds off of the coast. Lanier also went through the way these tools can be accessed by interested members of the public and suggested that would be a benefit to those interested in understanding the scope and scale of the project. “We have provided a bunch of resources for you to access a lot of additional information. I would espe- cially point your attention to the BOEM.Gov page be- cause that has a lot of the relevant studies as well as the public events that have taken place,” he said. The council was attentive during the comments from Hauer and Lanier before Councilor Woody Wood- bury asked, “This looks like a very long-term project. When might we see this coming to fruition off our coast?” Hauer responded, “That’s a great question. We are in the very, very, early stages of planning, so we can expect by next year that we would have a formal start to our authorization process, and it can be 8-10 years later be- fore a project is approved. Where we are right now is collecting data and infor- mation to inform our site areas and our lease area, and then it would be quite a few years before we see plans of what a windfarm might look like in the lease area, subject to technical and environmental approval, so say a decade later.” “We are a little shorter term than that,” Henry said in response, getting a laugh from the other councilors. Next up, public com- ments were limited to local climate activist Mike Al- len, who again reminded the Florence City Council of opportunities to partic- ipate in Lane County pub- lic meetings about how the county can address climate related matters. Allen pointed to July 27 as a date to keep in mind because that will be the meeting which will discuss the Oregon Coast. As the meeting pro- gressed, City Planner Wen- dy FarleyCampbell asked councilors to consider Or- dinance 11, Series 2021, which would provide a one- time, automatic one-year extension to all approved land use approvals that are currently active. The or- dinance was open to dis- cussion during a required public meeting, with no speakers involved, and Far- leyCampbell moved for- ward with her request. “The proposal will allow these development projects that have already under- gone extensive public pro- cess and received city ap- proval, but may be slowed down or stalled due to dif- ficult economic conditions or materials and employee shortages associated with COVID, to have more time to be completed,” she said. “For projects with multiple phases, this one-time ex- tension will address those as well, because deadlines for subsequent phases are conditioned upon the fu- ture approvals of previous phases.” FarleyCampbell’s request was then approved on a 4-1 vote, with Councilor Mar- garet Wisniewski opposed to the extension. Next, Oregon RAIN (Re- gional Accelerator and In- novation Network) Catalyst Ariel Ruben made a presen- tation regarding a proposed extension of a current Mem- orandum of Understanding between the city and RAIN. RAIN works with startup businesses providing a sup- port, workshops and net- working, Ruben has been involved in RAIN’s work to support and encourage local entre- preneurs and those consid- ering ways to improve their businesses, working with city staff. City of Florence staff sup- ported the RAIN request, and after a brief discus- sion, the Memorandum of Understanding, which ap- proves the expenditure of $40,000 over the next two years, was approved on a 4-0 vote. Remaining action items on the agenda included a re- view of the Audited Finan- cial Statements for the fiscal year ending June 20, 2020. The audit was conducted by Merina and Company lo- cated in Tualatin, Ore., and presented to council by To- nya Moffitt. Moffitt went into detail on the aspects of the audit related to the use of federal monies, and the responsi- bility to report their results not only to the city council but also to state and federal oversight agencies. The report indicated no major problems in the audit, except some minor discrep- ancies which were attribut- able to accounting delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilors asked no questions, and the council acknowledged the receipt of the audit. Following this, Florence Administrative Services Di- rector Anne Baker present- ed Resolution No. 22, Series 2021, which requested ap- proval of an amended bud- get, which was passed by the council 4-0. The authorization of a previously discussed topic, submitting an application to the Oregon Business De- velopment Department to request redesignation of the Florence Enterprise Zone, was next on the agenda, which was also approved 4-0. The evening’s consent agenda included some items that have been discussed at previous City Council meetings. This includes the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and the city en- tering into a renewal agree- ment for the promotion of tourism, visitor promotion, Florence Visitor Center management and Florence tourism coordination. In addition, the Florence Public Works Department received council approval to accept a proposal from Kunert Electric LCC in the amount of $360,303 for replacement of the Auto- mated Weather Observa- tion System for the Flor- ence Municipal Airport and a proposal from Sierra Santa Fe Corporation for $134,832 for completion of the chip seal program at the Florence Events Center. During councilor com- ments at the end of the meeting, Councilor Sally Wantz reported the local support for the Juneteenth celebration on June 19 was strong. She also mentioned EMAC and work being done to expand Florence’s “Tree City” designation. Woodbury also extended an open invitation to all in- terested individuals to apply for city committees. Henry announced he would be judging the Fourth of July Pie and watermelon eating contests, coordinat- ed by Florence Habitat for Humanity on Sunday, July 4, and invited all to attend. City committee reports were brief, but, during her report, City Manager Erin Reynolds did confirm the Fourth of July celebration and then addressed a con- cern which had started to dominate social media plat- forms about the cleanliness of Florence’s drinking water. Reynolds stated that there was not currently any prob- lems obtaining supplies of chlorine, which is used at the water treatment plant, although there has been a supply interruption of the chemical on the West Coast. “Our tap water does re- main clean and safe to drink and there is no need to stockpile water as we are not experiencing a drinking water supply shortage,” she said. The next Florence City Council meeting is sched- uled for July 19, 2021. All materials discussed at the June 21 meeting are available for public viewing at ci.florence.or.us. We are open and ready to assist you! Buying or Selling? I can help. Drift wood Shores is off ering competitive wages for Housekeepers, Front desk, Restaurant, and Banquet staff . Full time or part time positions available. Stop by the front desk at the hotel and pick up an application or visit our face book page at Drift woodShores.com. Ed Kopilec Principal Broker 541 991-8630 Drift wood Shores 88416 1st Avenue, Florence 4836 Laguna Ave - Luxury lake living on nearly 5 acres. This 4,000 sqft, 4 bdrm, 5 bath home has lake frontage and views with private dock. Hard- wood fl oors, gourmet kitchen, high ceilings, and large master suite. Oversized 3 bay RV barn with shop and offi ce. $1,250,000. #2850-21052853 9 201 VO ❚ ✁ F BEST O E FIREWORKS from page 1A F LO E N C R 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Florence FARMERS MARKET Jim & Jerry Tuesdays from 3 to 6 pm WALK-IN MARKET- FRESH LOCAL PRODUCTS N eil’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 541-997-3825 AT INTERSECTION OF BAY & KINGWOOD Pick up your Summer Picnic Treats! Bento Boxes, Hand Pies, Cookies, Scones and More! Certifi ed – Bonded – Insured Property Services Contractor #39458 • SAM: #831298500/7E6J9 City License #2578 “Our commitment is to our customers cleaning needs with honesty and integrity” Pre-Order Online Shopping Available. Details at www.FlorenceFarmersMarket.org Thank you for helping keep our market safe. Broker Your goals are my top priority. Let’s get together! LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTERS Tires • Brakes • Shocks Alignments 4325 Highway 101 Florence, OR 97439 541-997-7178 Call, Text or Email Cell: 541-505-1180 Alva@CBCoast.com 541-997-7777 100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR COAST REAL ESTATE ESTATE JEWELRY AND ANTIQUE FURNITURE!!! Johnston Motor Company Since 1939 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 Since 1983 Alva Bracey We buy, sell and consign quality estate/heirloom jewelry & furniture. Gold, silver, platinum jewelry with precious & semi precious stones. Call 541-997-8104, Florence Antiques & Coast Jewelers Insect & Pest Removal Trapping • Mole/Gopher Dead Animal Removal • Honey Bee Removal Crawl Space Cleaning • Exclusion Work Fumigation of Antiques and Commodities. (541) 997-4027 MODEL TRAIN ENTHUSIASTS Auto, Home, Life, Business Flood, Antique Auto, RV’s Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare Supplements Health Insurance Phone (541) 997-9497 1234 Rhododendron Dr / Florence Over ars 50 Ye ce! rien x E pe CALL ME TO BUY, SELL OR TRADE! I’M LOCATED HERE IN FLORENCE. 541-255-9822 - Larry landl316@live.com Us TOO Florence Prostate Cancer Education Support on the Oregon Coast www.ustooflorence.org BOTH MEETINGS ARE CURRENTLY ON HOLD. WATCH SIUSLAW NEWS FOR RESUMPTION • Tuesday Evening Group (2nd Tuesday) 5-7 p.m. - Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant • Urologist Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff attends. • Tuesday Lunch Group (3rd Tuesday) 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. – Ichiban Chinese/Japanese Restaurant • Urologist Dr. Roger McKimmy attends. Contact Bob for more information: (H) 541-997-6626 • (C) 541-999-4239 maribob@oregonfast.net
