Cost Cutting Measures could put Dialysis Clinic back on track.
Florence planning commissioners are being asked to approve modifications to a proposed dialysis clinic that developers say will significantly reduce construction costs and get the project moving again. The original design review for the 62-hundred square foot facility on Kingwood Street was approved in November. But construction estimates came in several hundred thousand dollars over budget.
The initial design has been reworked to reduced costs while still providing for 60 to 70 dialysis patients each week. The new plan features a flat roof structure. A wooden fence intended to screen the clinic from any future neighboring properties will also make way for a lower cost metal chain link fence with sight obscuring slats. The Florence Planning Commission will conduct a hearing on the changes this evening at city hall beginning at seven. Planning staff is recommending approval.
The applicant’s revised plan can be viewed here.
Tax Evasion and Witness Tampering
A former Florence Realtor has been convicted of tax evasion, witness tampering and failure to file tax returns. 53-year old Randall Blair Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced September 5th, says the U.S. attorney’s office. Prosecutors say Johnson, who currently lives in Sisters, filed federal tax returns for most of his adult life, but ten years ago fired his accountant. Johnson, according to officials, also quit paying income tax and instead sent tax protest materials to the Internal Revenue Service and the Oregon Department of Revenue. One IRS agent testified that Johnson owes more than $238-thousand in taxes.
Child Porn Convictions
Two Lane County men were convicted of several counts each of child pornography charges in separate cases last week. Both of the convictions stem from the distribution and possession of electronic images of child pornography and are not connected. Danial Netz, of Eugene, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. 31-year old Nathan Combest, formerly of Florence was sentenced to three years.
Combest has been in the Lane County Jail since late February when he was arrested. Lane County Sheriff’s Deputies worked with the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children to identify the victims of child porn on the computers. The two convictions stem from seven different search warrants involving child pornography served by the Sheriff’s office in the past year. Of those seven warrant services, six have resulted in guilty pleas and prison sentences ranging from 18 months to three years.
Thousands of Visitors to Agate Beach
The Japanese dock washed away in last year’s tsunami that beached near Newport last week is attracting thousands of visitors. Oregon Parks and Recreation spokesman Chris Havel said 11-thousand cars were counted at the Agate Beach parking lot between Wednesday of last week and Sunday. He says a typical Saturday in June will see about 400 cars coming and going. Some of the visitors are leaving flowers, or are paying heed to the devastation that caused the dock’s trip across the Pacific. Others, though, are in search of souvenirs, pulling chunks of flotation material out of the inside of the dock. Officials are taking bids for removal of the structure through tomorrow.