Greene Steps Down From FURA
Last night’s FURA meeting saw a changing of leadership as the agency voted in a new Chair and Vice-Chair. Heading the agency for the next year will be Port Commissioner Bill Meyer and vice-chair will be Mike Webb from Oregon Pacific Bank. FURA also saw the resignation of City Council member Joshua Greene. Greene has been an outspoken supporter of the Public Art Committee that has recently undergone some criticism over the choices made for public art displays. The city council decided not to continue to fund the PAC through monies allocated through the FURA budget. Councilman Greene and Mayor Joe Henry have been at odds over the issues regarding public art funding after PAC’s controversial choice for a mural on the Central Lincoln PUD building. Greene told coast radio news that it was time to move on and relinquish his position on both FURA and the Public Arts Committee so that the work could go on.
“Right now I feel like that story in the bible of Solomon where urban renewal and public art are my two children and the story is I better give up the children so they can live instead of the children being cut in half.”
Greene said this will not affect his council position and that he says there is still work to be done there and plans on seeing that through.
Sewer Project Completes
Crews removed the traffic cones from north 101 yesterday evening as the extension of city sewer services are completed from just north of Fred Meyer to just south of Heceta Beach Road. The project went out for bid on January 24th of this year and paving crews were replacing driveways on Tuesday. Services were expanded to allow for growth on the North side of Florence as the city tries to cope with housing issues. City Sewer services are now available on both the east and west side of the highway.
Chip Seal on Florence Streets
On Monday morning the city will begin the process of chip sealing portions of Rhododendron Drive between Fawn View Lane and Sebastian Street as well as Spruce Street from 25th to 32nd Street, 32nd Street from Spruce to Redwood, Redwood Street between 32nd and 35th Streets and 42nd Street from Highway 101 to Spruce. Chip sealing can extend the life of roadways while offering a good driving surface. In addition to the chip seal the city will also be adding a micro-coat surface to the bike paths on Spruce and along Redwood. Expect delays if traveling in the area and find alternate routes. Work is expected to be done by August 1st.
Miller Park Lot Resurface
Miller Park’s 55 thousand square foot parking lot will be resurfaced with a seal coat beginning Wednesday of next week. The work will begin at 7 am that morning and patrons of the park are asked to avoid the parking area during the work. The surface needs time to cure before traffic can resume. The city thanks the public and patrons of Miller Park for their patience with this and other construction projects around the city. Crews are also completing resurfacing projects along street adjacent to Highway 101.
