7 February 2014
More of the same…
Coastal residents are faced with another day of Winter Storm Warnings as the second in a series of at least three storms swings on shore today, combining moisture laden air from the southwest with cold arctic air from the north.
The snow began falling early yesterday morning in round one. It turned to freezing rain by mid-morning on the coast, causing slick driving conditions and prompting early closure of schools in the area.
The snow continued in the Willamette Valley where it wreaked havoc with transportation, causing so many crashes between Cottage Grove and Portland that officials couldn’t keep track of them all.
One crash on I-5 north of Albany involved about two-dozen vehicles and traffic on the freeway was slowed to a crawl all day long.
Classes at schools in Mapleton and Florence were let out early yesterday because of driving conditions and Siuslaw schools were cancelled today as a precaution.
Winter Storm Warnings in Effect through 10 PM
Forecasters say the second storm headed our way today could drop more than a foot of snow in the Coast Range and in the Willamette Valley. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning until ten pm for snow, sleet and freezing rain along the coast.
A third winter storm is expected to arrive by midmorning tomorrow bringing additional snow… but it is expected to quickly turn to rain and temperatures are expected to begin rising by midday. Conditions in the Willamette Valley and the Cascades are expected to remain cold and white at least through Sunday
Smooth Sailing for County Budget
The budget process at Lane County may not be as stressful this year as it has been in previous years.
Jay Bozievich – “Overall we’re not having to make the large adjustments to our budget we’ve had to over the last several years. And that’s just because we were smart, put that money aside, knowing we were having this hole coming up.”
West Lane Commissioner Jay Bozievich said last year’s one-time extension of the federal Secure Rural Schools payment wound up providing an unexpected $10-million after the 2013 budget had been established.
Jay Bozievich – “Three-and-a-half million additional funds in the general fund and about six-and-a-half million into the road fund. And we just basically said we’re just going to hold on to that cause we know we have a deficit coming up in the following year and sure enough, it just about perfectly fills our hole for this year.”
The county budget process will begin in the next few weeks and Bozievich said the extra cash carried over from last year will smooth the process… but unless something turns around again in the next few months the county will be facing yet another shortfall in 2015.
Remembering Long Time Service
A long-time member of the emergency services community in Florence will be remembered tomorrow. Dale “Butch” Libby passed away last week at the age of 71 after a fight with cancer.
He served as Fire Chief with Siuslaw Rural Fire Protection district from 1975 to 1995; and was also a longtime EMT with Western Lane Ambulance.
Libby spent 29 years as an emergency medic; going to work for the old Western Lane Hospital in February 1977 and then retiring from Western Lane Ambulance District in 2004. He continued to work part time at the district until 2006.
Following his retirement he continued his public service by volunteering to patrol parks and beach access areas for the Oregon State Police.
Memorial services are scheduled for 2:30 tomorrow afternoon at Florence Christian Church at 2nd and Ivy.
