Health Care forum set for Thursday
A panel of administrators and caregivers from PeaceHealth Medical Group will talk this week about efforts to bolster the ranks of primary care physicians in the area. PeaceHealth has been under fire from some residents over a shortage of doctors after several left the area. Thursday’s panel will be hosted by the City of Florence at the Events Center. Spokesperson Megan Messmer (MEZZ-murr) said Mayor Joe Henry will be moderating.
Megan Messmer – “We had some citizens come to the city concerned and we recognize health care is a very important aspect to economic development.”
The panel from PeaceHealth will begin with a presentation on their current efforts to recruit additional health care providers. Messmer said attendees will be able to ask questions…
Megan Messmer – “As people come in we’ll have note cards for them to write their questions down and we’ll have some runners in the audience to collect those and Mayor Henry will be asking those questions of the panel.”
That forum will be Thursday afternoon at the FEC – 12:30 to 1:30.
Bronco roundup nets two tons of food
You may have noticed all the vintage Ford Broncos in town last week. If you didn’t, you just weren’t paying attention. It was the 50th annual Northwest Ford Bronco Roundup.
For the past five decades, owners of the vintage sport utility have been coming to Florence one weekend each summer to play on the sand.
This year’s roundup included several organized activities, including a car show in Old Town, along with an informal “cruise” through Bay Street.
One other annual event: a food drive to benefit Florence Food Share. Last year the group collected about 39-hundred pounds of non-perishable food for the local pantry. This year members of the group brought 4,667 pounds.
The group plans on returning next year on the second weekend in August for the 51st roundup.
Mapleton school water tested for lead
Lead testing results from the water at Mapleton Schools won’t likely be ready before classes start September 6th. Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said there was a delay in getting the tests ordered, but sample bottles are being filled this week. They’ll be returned to a lab in Eugene for testing by Friday. O’Mara says she won’t be too surprised if some of the tests come back positive.
Jodi O’Mara – “It’s a pretty old building so I wouldn’t be surprised if we did. And, depending on what the results say then we’ll get an action plan and figure out what we need to do to get our kids healthy drinking water.”
All drinking fountains, along with faucets in food prep areas and staff room sinks will be tested. O’Mara said there was a delay in ordering the tests. She thought the school district was on a waiting list, but it turned out they were not. On discovering the confusion last week she quickly rectified the situation.
An estimated one-in-ten Florence dogs are licensed
The City of Florence will likely reconsider the process in coming months for licensing dogs in the city.
During the process of compiling a list of all city fees it was determined while the city takes in between $1,500 and $2,000 a year in dog license fees, it actually costs about twice that to administer the program.
In a report to the council last night, interim finance director Andy Parks suggested the city review the dog license program in the near future. He listed two possible options: either increasing the fee or contracting with Lane County for the service.
A third option could be in finding some way to increase the compliance rate… it’s estimated only about ten-percent of dogs in the city are currently licensed.
Rare early edition Jeep on display in Florence
A new display at the Oregon Coast Military Museum this month will feature a rare early production model of the “G-P-W”.
It’s more commonly known as the “jeep” and many historians credit the substantial contributions of the vehicle for winning World War II.
Museum Director Cal Applebee says this particular model was manufactured in early 1942 by Ford Motor Company and is owned by a museum supporter in Albany. The unit on display in Florence spent its military life at Camp Young, a desert training camp in California. It has been completely and faithfully restored to its original condition, according to Applebee.
The jeep will be on display at the museum on Kingwood Street during regular hours of Thursday through Saturday between ten am and four pm. It will also be on display this Thursday evening during a special Chamber of Commerce Business-After-Hours reception.
Free Grant Writing Workshop in Florence
Last year the Lane Count Cultural Coalition contributed $35-thousand to groups in Lane County for a varied mix of cultural projects. They’re on track to do that again this fall and they’re reaching out to individuals and groups to help them prepare grant applications.
Meg Spencer, the Director of the Siuslaw Public Library, will co-host a grant writing workshop Tuesday, August 30th from four to five p.m.
Spencer says the LCCI is interested in helping to fund any activity in Lane County that “provides, expands, or stimulates access, education and-or awareness in the areas of arts, heritage, or humanities”.
The August 30th workshop at the library is free and there is no need to pre-register.