25 March 2014
Gas Tax Survey Going To City Residents
The city of Florence will be gauging resident’s reactions to a possible gas tax in the coming weeks.
City Manager Jacque Betz says a survey will be included with utility bills next month asking residents not only if they would support a tax of a few cents per gallon to pay for street maintenance; but also how many cents they would support.
A third question will ask residents if they believe the tax should vary based on the time of year… going up in the summer time when more visitors are in town… and going down in the off-season.
Betz said the estimated $250-thousand collected from state gas taxes each year is inadequate to keep up with maintenance requirements and, in fact, the city has fallen behind in the past several years.
She says a gas tax would spread the cost burden over area residents who don’t live inside city limits as well as out of town visitors instead of focusing it strictly on city residents.
The City Council is considering sending a ballot measure on the matter to Florence voters in the fall.
Jordan Cove Gains Initial Approval
The effort to bring a major international shipping installation to Coos Bay took a big step forward this week.
The U.S. Department of Energy granted conditional authorization for liquefied natural gas to be exported from a terminal on the North Spit of Coos Bay at Jordan Cove.
The terminal would eventually ship gas to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States. It would be able to export up to 800-million cubic feet of natural gas each day.
Movement of the L-N-G could still be years away however.
The terminal still must go through an environmental review and final regulatory approval.
Opponents of the terminal say the gas comes at a great environmental cost because it’s collected using hyrdraulic fracturing… also known as “fracking”.
Supporters of the terminal say it will bring plenty of jobs and revenue to the depressed communities of Coos Bay and North Bend.
Florence Honor Flights
About a dozen World War II veterans from the Florence area have made the trip to Washington DC over the past 18 months to visit the national World War Two Memorial.
They made that trip through the “Honor Flight” program, a grass roots effort organized to get vets to the memorial before they pass on or became too old to make the trip.
In the past three years hundreds of World War Two vets have gone, but organizers say there are still many that have not.
The dozen from Florence who have will gather at Abby’s Pizza tomorrow at noon to talk about their experiences.
South Willamette Valley Honor Flights Director Mike Pungercar says the public is encouraged to stop by to listen to the Vets’ stories of their trip… and maybe their experiences in the 1940s.
Donations for future flights will be accepted.
At least one area veteran is scheduled to make the trip in May. Pungercar says applications are now being taken for another trip set for next fall.
Rock Dock Safety Repairs
A popular fishing and crabbing spot near the mouth of the Siuslaw River will be closed to the public next week while crews make safety improvements.
Lane County Parks Director Mike Russell says fasteners securing the handrails at the Rock Dock, near the end of South Jetty Road, have deteriorated in the heavy salt air near the mouth of the Siuslaw River.
Crews will spend the 1st, 2nd and 3rd between 7 AM and 4 PM making the safety improvements. Access to the dock will be closed off during those hours, but Russell says it will reopen at four pm each afternoon.
