City Council Meets
Prior to the Florence city council meeting this evening the council will meet in executive session to discuss real property transactions with the city attorney that meeting will take place at 4pm. At 5:30 the city council will convene and will have a public hearing on an annexation and zone change request brought about by Laurel Anderson for property located at 88385 1st avenue. The city will also consider the purchase of an aquatech combination sewer cleaner used in daily operations as part of wastewater collections. The $470,000 unit purchase is part of the biennial budget for the Capital Improvement Plan. The current unit is 21 years old and has lasted 6 years past its intended life cycle. The Florence Public Works department has had several demonstrations from various manufacturers before choosing the Aquatech that has a rear mounted hose reel which according to city staff is a huge advantage in the case of noise reduction for operators and extreme heat generated by the unit’s engine. As part of future capital projects the city will also consider a grant that would assist in upgrading the Florence Municipal Airport’s work on the runway, taxiway and aprons by providing funds to move the current fueling island. The current placement can obstruct partial portions of the taxiway during refueling and can limit access to nearby hangars. The grant would provide $200,000 dollars toward the relocation with an additional $60,000 provided by the City.
Siuslaw River Bridge Work
This week ODOT crews are expected to begin the replacement of the Siuslaw River Bridge Deck. Preliminary set-up has been completed and motorists can expect delays during the daylight hours from 8am until 5pm Today through Friday. Traffic will be limited to one lane at times. Traffic will be controlled by a flagger.
Frost Advisory
According to the National Weather service out of Portland conditions could be right for frost in the area. The NWS is predicting temperatures in the low to mid 30’s overnight tonight and could damage outdoor vegetation. If you have potted plants it is recommended that you cover them or transport them to an inside area. The frost advisory will be in effect from midnight tonight until 9am tomorrow morning. in additions to
Burn Ban Still in Place For Backyard Burning
There has apparently been some confusion after last week’s notice by the Oregon Department of Forestry to reinstate burning privileges in Lane County. The notice was for commercial use only and mainly affects operations performed by logging companies. Outdoor backyard burning is still prohibited until October 15th, but it is possible that the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency will update that timeline today according to recent information received by the agency. Cooler, wet weather has made conditions more favorable for outdoor burning.
COVID-19 Numbers
Lane County Public Health’s numbers on Friday added another 7 cases of COVID-19 to the 97439 zip code. Countywide numbers dipped below the 100 mark for the first time in more than 8 weeks as cases continue to drop. Death rates still continue to be relatively high with 23 new deaths reported. The Oregon Health Authority reports that deaths continue to be a result of the recent surge of new cases and will likely continue to be high in the near future as it is often a lagging result behind numbers. The state is reporting an increase in vaccinations mainly due to the booster shots. The state went from a daily average of about 7,000 new shots to more than 11,000 daily vaccinations.
