25 August 2014
No Northwest Finalists for Florence City Manager Job
None of the eight finalists for the City Manager’s position are from the Pacific Northwest.
The closest candidate geographically is William Kohbarger (KO-bar-grr) from Pahrump, Nevada, followed by Regan Bolli (BO-lye) of Ephraim, Utah.
Three hail from Colorado, Roy Eckert of Montrose, Steve Golnar from Loveland, and Catherine Sinnard (suh-NARD)… the lone woman on the list, is from Monument.
David Varley is from Broken Bow, Nebraska and Allen Rothermel (RAW-thur-mel) is from Delaware, Ohio.
The furthest away… Jim Pascale (PASS-cal) from Hopewell, New Jersey.
All have been invited to interviews in Florence on September 12th and 13th.
It’s possible at least one will not make it. Bolli is a finalist for another position in Oregon and is reportedly in contract negotiations.
Lane County Tops in Receipt of Military Hardware
The Lane County Sheriff’s Department is reportedly at the top of the list of Oregon law enforcement agencies that have received surplus military equipment from the federal government.
In recent years an estimated $10-million worth has flowed into Oregon.
$2.2-million worth has been sent to Lane County, much of that in armored trucks and other heavy equipment that is used by the Sheriff’s special operations team.
The federal program has gained attention with the police response to demonstrations following the shooting by police of Michael Brown Ferguson, Missouri.
Police officials say the equipment is needed and matches the sort of weaponry available in the community and that officers can be confronted with in dangerous situations.
Art by the Bay
Three weeks ago, it was a horde of off-road enthusiasts that converged on Winchester Bay for a weekend of action on the sand.
This weekend it will be a quieter and much calmer crowd for the Art by the Bay event.
It will feature live painting demonstrations along with food vendors, winery displays and even light house tours.
The weekend will feature Tomas Vrba, a noted woodcarving and sculpting artist.
It will also feature the kickoff to the annual thousand-dollar crab bounty hunt that runs through September 30th.
Wet Paint!
A crew from Lane County will be striping streets in Florence tomorrow, weather permitting.
The weather forecast shows conditions should be ideal for the painting… dry and at least 50 degrees.
Florence spokesperson Shawn Penrod says the crew uses a special water based paint that dries quickly and is more reflective. Immediately after the stripe is painted, thousands of tiny glass beads are deposited on it.
He says if you’re following a painting truck, don’t change lanes as you may wind up driving over fresh paint. If you get paint on your vehicle, wash it off with warm soapy water immediately.
The work is being done under a cooperative agreement between the city and the county.