School Board Meeting Tonight
The Siuslaw School Board meets this evening. On the agenda are the policy manual updates and revisions. One hotly contested item is the new suggested policy on commercial advertising. Over the past week coast radio news has received several calls and texts from concerned citizens on both sides of the issue. Tonight will be the second reading of the newly proposed policy. At question is whether the new policy will prohibit local businesses from participating in fundraising if they sell products that are illegal for minors. The policy alone does not seem to indicate a problem in that regard as it clearly pertains to advertisement that is distributed to students on campus, but one concern is over the job fair that is hosted by Three Rivers Casino. Last year wording on the flyer promoting the fair had to be altered and then approved by the board and concerns that a tighter policy may effectively prohibit students from attending. Pam Hickson with Three Rivers Casino communicated to the board that strict interpretation of the rule could prohibit, not only Three Rivers Casino, but businesses like Bi-Mart, Safeway, and Fred Meyer from assisting the schools. The public is invited to this evening’s meeting at the school board offices at 2111 Oak Street. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm.
Florence Picked Again For Desireable Places
A publication out of Houston Texas has named Florence as one of the 8 coastal places to retire. The publication Where to Retire looked at several categories including cost of housing, quality of life, arts and community involvement. They also considered climate, the Rhody Festival and the Winter Music Festival. The publication’s editor Annette Fuller says though she has never visited, Florence sounds like an ideal place and some of the views she has seen from photographs, amazing.
201: “The Heceta Head Lighthouse, with that Red Roof, 1894, when that is on the horizon , oh my god, it is absolutely compelling for us to see.”
Other retirement destinations mentioned in the article were Washington, North Carolina; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Bainbridge Island, Washington; Carlsbad, California; Picayune, Mississippi; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Hudson, Florida.
OPB Promotes Erickson to Senior VP
Oregon Pacific Bank has announced that Residential Loan Manager, Kim Erickson has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Florence Team Leader. Erickson will take on the added responsibility of strategically leading the Bank’s market presence in the Florence area, while retaining her role in residential lending. OPB President and CEO Ron Green says the addition of a team leadership position is to help achieve the goal of performing at a level that allows the bank to remain independent and provide a high level of service to which its customers are accustomed.
201: “As a locally controlled, locally managed bank, headquartered in Lane County we can do a lot, say more than a regional bank that’s headquartered out of state. So we are a lot more invested in the success of the towns that we serve.”
Erickson’s position, according to Green, will do a lot to strengthen the banks ability to deliver world class service by local staff who are empowered to make decisions.
Gas Prices Continue Downward Trend
According to AAA Oregon gas is still on a slow decline in price as the winter months continue to be problematic for travelers. Oregon price for a gallon of regular gas has dipped a penny to $2.76 a gallon while Florence’s average is down another 5 cents to $2.37 a gallon.
