December 6, 2012
PUD Backers Ask For Cash Assistance
The Heceta Water District Commission conducted a hearing in front of a packed house at Driftwood Shores Tuesday evening on a request for the district to pay application fees to Lane County on behalf of a group seeking to convert the agency from a “special district” under Oregon law to a “People’s Utility District”. Heceta Commission chair Bob Hursh said at first it didn’t look like there would be much of a turnout.
Bob Hursh – “By about quarter to six it didn’t even think like ten people were there and all of a sudden they all just start coming in and we try to accommodate everybody but I think there’s still had a few people had to stand.”
Lane County has told petitioners that the up front cost for staff work will be just under $25-thousand.
Bob Hursh – “And if the expenses come up less than that then we’ll pay the lesser of the two. Personally, if we vote next Tuesday to go ahead with this, I think one of the things we would ask the county to do is give us some sort of the accounting, you know, of where that money went.”
Hursh says the water district is required by law to remain neutral. And, he adds, just because the response this week seemed overwhelming, no decision has yet been made.
Bob Hursh – “We have not decided whether we’re going to do it or not, I mean, that’ll happen next Tuesday night. But, just because we’re fronting the money to have an election doesn’t make us one way or the other. The reason for the hearing was what do the people want and it was pretty apparent they want to take a shot at having an election to see if we do or do not want to become a PUD.”
The 25-grand won’t be the only expenses incurred… Lane County says there will also be a charge for the election itself. Something that is expected to cost around $3-thousand. The water district meets next Tuesday, four pm at district offices on Highway 101 north.
Lane County Gauging Support for Tax Levy
Lane County Commissioners approved spending some money on advance work for a possible vote of their own this week. Commissioners approved a request to spend up to $20-thousand on a second survey of county residents to gauge support for a public safety tax that would help fund jail operations.
149 prisoners were released from the Lane County lockup this week because of a lack of space. 109 of those were pre-trial prisoners awaiting court proceedings but 40 were convicted prisoners who were let go before their sentences were complete. They were in jail for a variety of offenses including possession and sale of heroin, cocaine and meth; theft, assault, driving under the influence, trespass, forgery and more. The jail has a physical capacity of 472 prisoners, but Sheriff Tom Turner has funding to provide supervision for only 135.
Community Christmas Baskets
Members of the Florence Soroptimist are at it again… they’re busy planning and raising money for the annual Community Christmas Basket project. Food distribution chair Carol Bennett says they need about $21-thousand to put together food boxes containing a holiday meal for 425 households.
Carol Bennett – “We have about $6500 in the bank and we have a commitment for about another 23-hundred from Rotary which will be going for turkeys and chickens.”
Bennett says they don’t need the cash this week, but they do need to know how much is coming their way.
Carol Bennett – “If they’re going to give us the money for the project, if they tell us what they’re going to give us, I don’t care if they don’t give it to us until the 20th, I can take care of that. I have to know that we’re going to have it because I can’t spend money that we don’t have.”
The food distribution is set for Saturday, December 22nd at Florence Food Share. Bennett says cash donations can be mailed to the club at Post Office Box 1209 in Florence, or dropped off at Hoberg’s Auto Repair.
A Christmas Memory
It’s fruitcake weather… so goes the first line in the Truman Capote short story entitled “A Christmas Memory”. The Last Resort Players have built a production around that story that also includes a vintage radio play complete with old fashioned commercials, even a sound effects man. “A Christmas Memory” tells the story of two best friends, played by Jim Wellington and Annie Schmidt, as they prepare for Christmas in the poor and rural south of the 1930’s. Three shows are set at the Florence Events Center… four and seven pm Saturday, then again at two pm Sunday. Tickets are just $15 at the FEC box office or online at www.eventcenter.org.
