Florence Livability Status
There is a new report out that scores cities and towns for livability for seniors. AARP has compiled research on Oregon cities and how they rate in 7 different areas including environment, housing, transportation, and opportunity. Elaine Friesen-Strang is a volunteer with AARP Oregon and says for the most part Florence and other Oregon communities are doing good.
201: “We do some things very well – that access to exercise and to walkability, and being engaged in our communities. Housing is something that we need to continue work on, both in terms of affordability and accessibility.”
Housing is something statewide that affects communities like Florence, but with changes coming to state law on july first it could improve rapidly. AARP has put together a map that will allow visitors to look at their community simply by inputting their zip code. Friesen-Strang says it is also a great resource for community leaders to access.
202: “It allows our planners, our public leaders, to look to see what we are doing in our communities, where we can make those improvements. And it helps in policy and in planning.”
The link can be found at livabilityindex.aarp.org
Bond Advisory Committee Meeting
Tomorrow evening at the Siuslaw High School Library there will be a School board Bond Advisory Committee Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss communication information and public outreach information regarding the proposed school bond. This meeting is open to the public and they are encouraged to attend and observe. The school board issued a release that states a quorum of the school board may be in attendance. The meeting will begin at 5:30 at 2975 oak street.
Gas Prices Dip Again
Independence day gas prices are beginning to go down as we enter the holiday week. 48 states have shown a decrease in fuel prices including Oregon which has slipped only a penny in the last week, but in usual fashion, Florence has shown a greater decrease than the state average. Florence gas is currently 6 cents lower than last weeks average at $3.04 a gallon. AAA Oregon predicts that prices will continue to drop over the next week due in part to OPEC’s decision to increase production. AAA also predicts that more than 47 million people will be traveling over the holiday which according to their research is a record breaking number.
