SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 | 5A
BUS from page 1A
“We’re excited to make
this vehicle available for the
Florence community. This
vehicle was ordered in June
2020 and was delivered in
May 2021,” he said.
The new vehicle is a 25-
foot Ford Eldorado Aero-
tech cutaway, with has space
for 10 ambulatory passen-
gers and comes equipped
with space for two addition-
al passengers using mobility
devices.
“The minimum expected
useful service life of vehicles
of this type is seven years,
but we’re hoping it will last
even longer,” Ahlen said.
number will increase as
The cost of the vehicle
the new bus is added to
was $102,539 and was
the vehicle mix.
made possible because
Josh Haring owns Riv-
of the Statewide Trans-
er Cities Taxi, the Flor-
portation Improvement
ence company which
Fund in 2017. These
holds the contract for
funds encourage and
mass transist service in
support projects that
Florence. He explained
meet local needs while
how the Rhody Express
aligning with state public
benefits the community.
transportation priorities. The new Rhody Express is a 25-foot Ford Eldorado Aerotech
“It is really good to have
“The Rhody Express cutaway with space for more than 10 people.
this new bus. And even
serves as a central fixed Yachats buses,” Ahlen stat- through RideSource.”
though we are doing about
route service and key trans- ed. “While wheelchair ac-
Ridership numbers for half of the ridership we nor-
portation hub in the city cessible and outfitted with a the first half of the year mally do, it shows the real
of Florence and provides a 1,000-pound lift, Rhody Ex- show that 3,111 individuals need the people that are us-
connection point with other press services also include used the Rhody express in ing the express have. These
services such as the Flor- a complementary ADA and around Florence.
people rely on the bus for
ence/Eugene and Florence/ paratransit service offered
Organizers hope that making it to the store and to
the doctor’s office,” Haring
said. “The Rhody Express
is essential for many older
people in town who have no
other way to get around and
take care of themselves. It is
great to have a new, reliable
bus for the folks that really
need it.”
The Rhody Express op-
erates Monday to Friday
between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Fares are $1 for a single trip,
$2 for a day pass and $20 for
20-Ride ticket book. Ticket
books are sold only at River
Cities Taxi, 1699 Pine St.
For more information,
call 541- 902-2067 or learn
more at www.ltd.org.
the construction and future
closures.
Jon Tipple has been surf-
ing at the South Jetty for
years.
“This is a major tourist
attraction and there are a lot
of surfers that come down
here as well,” he said. “I just
don’t understand what is
happening out there. There
was a major repair a couple
of years ago at this same
spot, and I just hope they
get it right this time. I was
told that the repair might
take months and that is to-
tally unacceptable!”
Tipple’s questions about
the timeline and project,
along with inquiries from
other users of the area, have
prompted a response from
the Forest Service on the
repair and the time expect-
ed for the construction.
According to Holman,
“Funding for the South Jet-
ty Road project came at a
crucial time. For nearly 20
years we’ve been making
temporary fixes aimed at
slowing down erosion from
ocean and river currents,
which has been undercut-
ting the road. At this point,
without this project, our
engineers don’t think the
road would endure much
longer.”
The project will close the
final mile or so of the road
leading to the South Jetty
beginning on Aug. 16, and
there will be limited access
to the crab docks and the
South Jetty for an undeter-
mined period of time.
“We recognize the in-
convenience it creates for
some visitors, but in the
long run we’ll finally have a
more stable and long-last-
ing road,” Holman said.
“The northern portion of
the South Jetty Road will
be rerouted, restricting
all access to the crab dock
and two beach day-use
sites for the duration of
the construction. Visitors
will continue to be able
to use beach access points
1 to 5 and the South Jetty
and Goose OHV staging
areas for most of the con-
struction period. We look
forward to reopening the
South Jetty Road as soon as
safely possible.”
In addition to the South
Jetty Road repairs, the
Great American Outdoors
Act is helping fund repairs
of the Carter Lake Camp-
ground access road. Start-
ing Sept. 7 and ending in
late October, Carter Lake
Campground Road will
be closed, along with the
campground, day-use area
and Carter Dunes trail-
head.
Visitors will be able to
access the Carter Dunes
Trail by foot from the
Taylor Dunes Trailhead,
which will remain open for
most of the construction
period. Parking at the Tay-
lor Dunes trailhead may
be limited by construction
equipment; the trailhead
will close entirely for ap-
proximately two weeks,
likely in October.
The Great American
Outdoor Act was passed
by US Congress in 2020 as
a response to the growing
backlog of deferred main-
tenance for critical facilities
and infrastructure on feder-
al lands, including national
forests and grasslands.
For more information,
visit www.fs.usda.gov/rec
main/siuslaw/recreation.
Arts, Culture Roundtables continue with ‘Finding Our Why’
JETTY from page 1A
As part of a continuing
series of Arts & Culture
Roundtables, Lane Arts
Council and partners pres-
ent “Finding Our Why — a
Discussion Facilitated by
Sarai Johnson and Pattrick
Price” on Monday, Aug. 16,
from 5 to 7 p.m. virtually
through Zoom.
“Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion work can feel
overwhelming at times.
Where do we begin?” the
discussion asks. “What can
we shift in our work as art-
ists or organizational lead-
ers? How do we get others
on board to contribute to
this important work?”
In this workshop John-
son will guide participants
through an exploration of
Visitors will have access
to beach access points 1
to 5 and South Jetty and
Goosepasture OHV stag-
ing areas throughout most
of the construction period.
Sites north of beach access
#5, which includes the crab
dock and two additional
beach access points, will be
closed to all traffic (vehicle,
bicycle, foot) for the dura-
tion of the project.
The entire road will be
closed for up to a week,
likely in October; the tim-
ing of that closure will be
posted online once the
dates are identified by the
contractor.
For some residents, the
Forest Service hasn’t done
enough to alert travelers to
their motivation and goals
to drive equity-minded
work and craft personal-
ized inspiring “why” state-
ments. Participants will
walk away with a greater
understanding of where
to start and how to vali-
date the importance of this
work to their collaborators
and constituents.
Lane Arts Council en-
courages people to tune in
and identify how they can
best strive to be an advocate
and/or ally from their place
within the community.
Participation in Arts &
Culture Roundtables is free
and open to all, but regis-
tration is required. Register
at http://lanearts/roundta-
bles/.
Johnson is a best-selling
author, speaker and execu-
tive coach, now parlaying
her experience working to
transform lives, organiza-
tions and systems. She has
two decades of experience
managing businesses, non-
profits, people, projects,
and as a creative entrepre-
neur.
Price was born and
raised in southeast Alaska,
where his life has been cul-
turally enriched. This is re-
flected in his art and when
creating murals, paintings,
wearable art and in sto-
rytelling. He is currently
a teaching artist for Lane
Arts Council and a resident
artist for the Ritz at the Or-
egon Country Fair.
Let me Showcase your property.
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FLORENCE
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS
WASTE COLLECTION
It’s easy.
It’s free.
Friday, August 20 Noon - 5pm
Saturday, April 21 8am - 2pm
LEGACY
PORTRAITURE
Portraits that will show
your innermost self.
Florence transfer site, 2820 N. Rhododendron Drive
Many common household products contain hazardous ingredients. Anything with a caution label such
as Danger, Warning or Caustic can become a pollutant to groundwater and streams. Avoiding these
products saves money and protects people, wildlife and our environment.
BRING:
DON’T BRING:
Limit to 35 gallons from each household
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Arts and crafts products
Car care products
Cleaners
Fluorescent tubes
Lawn and garden chemicals
Paints and solvents
Other household hazardous waste
Keep products in original labeled container
or label known items.
Asbestos
Drums
Electronics
Empty containers
Explosives
Infectious waste
Pressurized cylinders
Radioactive waste
RODGER BENNETT
PHOTOGRAPHY
1234 Rhododendron Drive #7 | Florence, Oregon 97439
541-991-0777 | www.photobyrodger.com
We are open and
ready to assist you!
For information about how to dispose
of these materials, call (541) 682-4120.
Year Round Disposal Options:
Batteries & Sharps—accepted at all transfer stations.
Electronics—accepted at 9 transfer stations or, visit www.oregonecycles.org 1-888-5-ECYCLE (532-9253).
Fluorescent Lamps—visit, www.lanecounty.org/lamps.
Paint—visit, www.paintcare.org.
For more information on any of the above, visit www.lanecounty.org/hazwaste or call (541) 682-4120.
Johnston Motor Company
Provided by Lane County Waste Management Division in partnership with
The City of Florence. For More Information, call (541) 682-4120 or (541) 997-8237
Since 1939
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475