County Reaches 65% Goal
While the Oregon Health Authority still showed that Lane County needed a full percent to reach the 65% goal needed to permanently move to the lower risk, Lane County Public Health announced yesterday the over the weekend the county did in fact reach its goal. Lane County Commissioner delivered the news to the public via LCPH’s weekly Tuesday update.
“Since we’ve surpassed the 65% mark, Lane County can now move permanently under the Governor’s framework to low risk within the Oregon County Risk Framework.”
Businesses can now prepare to accept a greater number of shoppers as well as restaurants can now serve up to 50% of capacity indoor, and outdoor seating can hold up to 10 people per table. Indoor recreation and fitness organizations can also move to 50%. Mayor Joe Henry says everyone is ready for some good news.
“This is exactly what we have been waiting for and the Florence City Staff and the Council are looking forward to opening up our community.”
The next change to come will be when the state reaches the 70% mark and all state restrictions can be removed.
Club Seeks New Director
Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County is looking for a new Chief Executive Officer following the abrupt departure of the newly hired Josiah Pleasant who, according to Trent, resigned to pursue other interests. Trent says the complexity of operating an emergency child care center during the COVID pandemic and dealing with multiple state agencies with shifting priorities exceeded the expectations of the role over the past year. He points out that the Boys and Girls club as a non-profit organization that focuses on kids, needs to have a leader with heart.
“And so I think that’s the most important part of being a CEO or any kind of executive of a non-profit serving children. You’ve got to have that heart. You’ve got to have that commitment.”
Trent will once again be assuming the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer as they begin their nation-wide search.
Siuslaw Awards Announced
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing for the annual Siuslaw Awards. This year there will only be one of the regular categories associated with the awards and that will be the Stu Johnston Business of the Year award. The chamber is looking for nominations. Deadline for nominations will be June 20th. nominations are also being accepted for the First Citizen Award that recognized an individual that has given selflessly to the community. Nominees for Future First Citizen were released last week. The event will be Thursday, July 15th at Three Rivers Casino Resort. Information on tickets will be publicized in the coming weeks.
COVID Vaccination Goal
With just under 2 weeks to go before the state’s date of reaching the 70 percentile goal of individuals vaccinated, less that 100,000 individuals are needed to reach the goal. The Oregon Health Authority announced yesterday that 97,168 first dose shots are needed to fully reopen the state’s economy. With daily doses now running at approximately 14,000 per day it is expected that the state will reach its goal on or before the 21st of June. There were 307 new cases of the virus reported yesterday statewide and Lane County reported 27 new cases. Florence area case count stands at 255.
Three Rivers Hires HR Director
Three Rivers Casino Resort has announced the hiring of a new Human Resource Director. Dana Barbato comes to the casino with more than 20 years of HR experience. Barbato, as the CEO and founder of InvestiPro developed a workplace investigation software platform allowing employers to ensure consistent complaint workplace investigations.
