Burns to Take Interim Position
The Siuslaw News reports that the owner of Burns’ Riverside Chapel, Alan Burns, will be stepping into the role on the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Board of the seat that was vacated by Woody Woodbury last week. Burns will serve in the interim until after the May special election. According to the Siuslaw news Woodbury tendered his resignation after a letter was sent to the SVFR board citing a possible conflict of interest since SVFR is part of the special taxation district that helps to fund FURA, and Woodbury also is a city councilor. Alan Burns is on the ballot for the May election to the SVFR board and he is unopposed.
Beach Dangers
KOIN TV reported yesterday that a woman was seriously injured when a wave crashed the beach in Nehalem Bay and the piece of driftwood that she was sitting on rolled over on her crushing her. Now while this is a good distance from Florence it serves as a reminder as to how dangerous the ocean can be. Access to the beach at Dritftwood Shores is littered with logs and stumps that are 3 to 5 times the size of a full grown person and are far from the shoreline showing how powerful the ocean can be. Storms and the waves associated with them are often not seen until it is too late.
Prices Jump in Florence
Gas prices have jumped in Florence. They have increased .50 cents a gallon in the last 6 weeks and are currently sitting at $2.90 a gallon. Florence is usually about .25 cents a gallon cheaper than Eugene’s prices, but are within a dime of catching up. While changes to spring blends and refinery maintenance can be blamed for some of the increases, local competition seems to be another factor. Prices in Florence have historically been lower than the surrounding communities prompting travelers to stop in Florence to refuel. A quick search on gasbuddy.com shows that both Newport and Coos Bay are showing lower prices than Florence. A savings of up to .15 cents a gallon.
Construction Update
Construction is moving slowly through the ReVision Florence project along highway 101, but according to Florence Police Commander John Pitcher there has only been one reported accident in the last month along the corridor. In addition to this project along highway 101 the Oregon Department of Transportation is also working on several bridges north of Florence including the Cape Creek Bridge near the Heceta Lighthouse and the Cape Perpetua Half-viaduct bridge. Flaggers are in place daily and at times traffic is limited to one lane of traffic causing minor delays according to ODOT.
