Florence City Council to Talk Trash in two-part meeting tonight.
Garbage haulers are basically breaking even in Florence. That’s the upshot of a special study that will be presented to the City Council tonight during a work session at six pm. The study was paid for by the two solid waste haulers that operate in Florence. It shows a profit margin of less than one-quarter of one-percent for the two companies… Central Coast Disposal and County Transfer. It also proposes a rate increase that would bring that margin to about nine-percent. Those increases would range between six and 10 percent for residential customers; considerably higher for commercial customers. City manager Jacque Betz says the council will hear the report tonight, but not take immediate action.
Betz – “Our next step would be to have a public hearing, probably at the March 19th meeting, so that the public can weigh in on that and then the council will make a decision.”
If ultimately approved by the council it would be phased in over a three-year period. Voters in Florence approved an ‘open market’ garbage hauler system with strong rate regulations several years ago.
Federal Disaster Declaration
President Obama signed a disaster declaration for Oregon late last week, making federal aid available to supplement state and local recovery efforts from the January storm and flooding. Severe damage was recorded in 12 of Oregon’s 36 counties, including Douglas and Lane although all counties are eligible to apply for assistance for damage that occurred between January 17th and the 21st. The Mapleton School District was one of the hardest hit by the storm, reporting nearly a half-million dollars in damage. Most of that from a landslide that damage part of the track facility above the school.
Olienyk Honored
Steve Olienyk was recently recognized as one of the state’s top volunteers. The 85-year old Florence resident was given the Governor’s Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award late last year for a lifetime of service. During a tour of the state capitol and the legislative session two weeks ago Olienyk got another surprise. He was invited to stand up and be introduced during the House session, then was invited to meet Governor John Kitzhaber who shook Oienyk’s hand and invited him to take a seat at the Governor’s desk. Olienyk said it was – quote – “a day I’ll never forget”.
Polystyrene Foam Recycling
There are only a handful of places in Oregon where residents can recycle the large blocks of polystyrene foam that come as packaging material. One of those locations is Three Rivers Casino and Hotel. The first Monday of every month, from nine to noon the casino accepts drop offs of the material. It must be marked with the triangular recycling symbol with a ‘6’ in the middle, food trays must be clean and rinsed with no other foreign materials and packed in clear, sealed bags. And while they may look similar, packaging peanuts and insulation cannot be recycled.
