Preliminary downtown plans on display this evening
An open house from five to seven tonight at the Florence Events Center will give the Florence Urban Renewal Agency a chance to show one example of what Highway 101 between the bridge and Ninth Street could eventually look like. City manager Erin Reynolds said it is still very early in the discussion, and there are many decisions yet to be made.
Erin Reynolds – “But basically we’re looking to break up that expanse of asphalt. Have a little bit more sidewalk to encourage walkability. And put in bicycle lanes, and then help traffic slow down. Just give some visual cues.”
Those cues would include curb extensions; landscaping; and other features. There is also, according to Reynolds, another goal.
Erin Reynolds – “Hopefully eventually a gateway into Old Town to allow people to understand that there’s more than just Highway 101. And then to extend also, in the opposite way, Bay Street up to Highway 101 so that it’s a larger footprint, a larger area, that people can walk and experience Florence.”
The work would be done in conjunction with an Oregon Department of Transportation project to resurface the highway through downtown. That’s expected to begin in 2017.
Tsunami information for hospitality industry
If you work in, or closely with, the hospitality industry in the Florence area, you’re being urged to take three hours of your time Wednesday morning to find out about what to do in the event of a tsunami.
Jim Langborg – “Florence is highly dependent upon tourism and I think it’s incumbent upon all of us that we take care of our visitors.”
Siuslaw Valley Fire Chief Jim Langborg says attendees will get an overview of tsunami risks.
Jim Langborg – “They’ll also get an in depth look at what they can experience here locally which will lead to some discussion about exploring our routes and revisiting those and hopefully they walk away from the meeting and they go out and find out where our safe zones are.”
It’s very important to talk about… and he disagrees that by doing so it might discourage people from visiting the area.
Jim Langborg – “You know, sometimes avoidance and denial isn’t always the best way to deal with something that could happen and it doesn’t mean that we should focus our entire life on it but it does mean we need to be focused and prepared.”
Wednesday’s session in Florence is at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue from nine to noon. Another session will be presented in Reedsport Thursday morning at the Port of Umpqua Annex.
City Lights to host red carpet
You don’t have to be in Hollywood to dress in your finest and walk the red carpet for the Academy Awards. For the second year City Lights Cinemas will be holding an “Oscars Watch Party”. Doors… and the red carpet… open at four PM Sunday and the show goes on the big screen at 5:30.
City Lights Co-Owner Susan Tive says experiencing the awards on the big screen with friends and neighbors “makes this evening the not-to-be-missed-event of the season”.
To help the celebration there will be food and prizes; as well as live music.
Tickets are just $20 for regular admission… City Lights Members pay $15.
Levy discussion subject of special meeting
The Siuslaw School District Board of directors will meet in a special session tomorrow evening to discuss the final wording of a ballot levy that would go to voters in May.
Administrators have been discussing the possibility of asking voters to fund construction of a new high school. That project has an estimated price tag of up to $35-million.
The Board must submit a proposal to the state prior to March 1st in order to be eligible for a $4-million matching grant that would go with the levy if it is approved by voters.
The board meets Wednesday evening at 6:30 at school district offices on Oak Street.
