Coast Guard Chief Reflects on First Year
With just over a year under his belt, Senior chief bosun’s mate Jay Nilles is enjoying his tenure as the head of U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River. Nilles says being stationed in a Coast Guard City has been a great experience, especially when it came to going through a government shutdown this past year. He said the outpouring of support was incredible.
“the community members in Florence and the outlying communities, as far away as – I’ve seen some names from Arizona that reside part time of the year that were sending donations to the Chief Petty Officers association to benefit the members of the Coast Guard here in Florence.”
Nilles says he is incredibly thankful for the support the Coast Guard has received. He is looking forward to the summer season and says the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be working with boaters to prepare for safe boating. Nilles will be a guest on July’s Our Town.
Mural Moving Along
Progress on the Central Lincoln PUD building is moving along. The artists have moved their focus to the south end of the building. City Manager Erin Reynolds says they are working on a plan for the dedication of the mural upon its completion but for now things are moving along.
202: “The work is going along well, there’s been a lot of people who have dropped in and helped paint over the course of the last month since we had the first public paint day back in May.”
Reynolds says the Public Art Committee will be finishing up the projects that are currently funded through the Florence Urban Renewal Agency, which includes the mural and the steps at the north end of the Siuslaw River Bridge. She says there are some city projects that will be upcoming after that. The PAC is still looking for funding for projects they would like to see accomplished.
Fireworks
The 4th of July is just over a week away and this year the fireworks will be held on the property of the Port of Siuslaw. There was no available barge to shoot off the display this year and the Port offered up a section of the property for the celebration. Port property will be closed to onlookers for the event and only be open for campers that are on site. If you are coming to Old Town to view the display, extra parking is available at the Florence Event Center. A reminder that personal fireworks are not permitted in the area or on public streets, right of ways throughout the community, beaches on the dunes or in forested areas.
