City says local contractor going extra mile
Construction crews began work last week on two 6-foot wide shoulders along Rhododendron Drive through the Greentrees Area. Instead of using heavy equipment to cut back the brush, workers with Ray Wells Incorporated started with hand tools.
City of Florence Spokesperson Megan Messmer said the workers used chainsaws, and hand-trimming tools to make “clean cuts” on the existing vegetation, preserving as much of it as possible. She added the city and Ray Wells both understand the concerns of residents, particularly those in the immediate area, about the importance of leaving as much brush and vegetation as possible.
Initial plans unveiled more than two years ago stirred up a firestorm of protest from residents who said it would destroy too much. Plans were redrawn and work is finally getting underway. The roadside pathways… actually extended shoulders… will run on both sides of Rhododendron Drive beginning at 9th Street and running to the entrance at Wildwinds Subdivision.
Bird gets blame for outage
A curious seabird is getting the blame for a brief power outage throughout much of Florence Saturday morning.
The bird landed where he or she should not have in the Kingwood Substation around eight a.m. Saturday, causing power to go out throughout a wide swath of the community.
Central Lincoln PUD crews responded quickly and simply had to reset several breakers to restore power.
Tribal land bills in U.S. Senate
Three bills advancing through the U.S. Senate would benefit Oregon Tribes. One bill, the Oregon Coastal Land Act, would place almost 15-thousand acres of federal land now managed by the Bureau of Land Management into trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
The other two bills would provide forest land for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Indians and the Coquille (ko-QWELL) Tribe.
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sponsored the bills. All have passed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Similar legislation has already been approved by the full U.S. House. It was sponsored by Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio.
Port expected to require liability insurance
Port of Siuslaw Commissioners will consider requiring liability insurance for boat owners who moor their vessels. The requirement would extend to both commercial and recreational vessels.
Under a resolution under consideration by the commission Wednesday evening, all commercial vessels would be required to provide proof of insurance to cover wreck removal and salvage of up to $250-thousand… and $300-thousand for pollution. Recreational vessels would be required to provide $100-thousand and $200-thousand limits for the same coverages.
The requirement has been brought up more than once in the past few years. Port Manager Steven Leskin said it can be very expensive to clean up after a sunken vessel. He added many other Oregon ports require the coverage.