People Gather For National Night Out
Last night the Florence community turned out in droves as the Florence Police Department celebrated National Night out. An estimated crowd of more than 2000 showed up during the 3 hour celebration that began at 5:30 with the dedication of the new Miller Park playground structure. Mayor Rob Ward.
“I can’t think of how many thousands of hours went into volunteers that actually built this park, I wish I had a list of them all, but it was an amazing effort, all volunteers, it took us about 3 years, but this is the start of Miller Park and it is an awesome facility.”
After the official cutting of the ribbon children spilled out onto the playground quickly filling the space. Mayor Ward recognized former mayor Joe Henry who flipped burgers alongside councilor Sally Wantz who was preparing hotdogs for the hungry crowd. The evening, however, belonged to the Florence Police Department who mingled with the residents and even offered themselves up in the dunking booth along with Lane County Sheriff’s deputies, Oregon State Police, Western Lane Fire and EMS and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Recycling Event
If you have been wondering what to do with that broken appliance in your garage or storage, the City of Florence is offering up a black and white recycling event on August 19th. details of the location of the event are still being determined, but items like freon appliances, propane tanks that are 5 gallons or less and tires that are smaller than 20 inches will be accepted. The Master Recyclers group will also be on-hand to accept clean, label free recyclables with a number 2, 4, and 5 designation. The event is sponsored by the city’s Environmental Management Advisory Committee.
Fire Danger Rises
Fire officials on Monday raised the fire danger level from High to very high in the Siuslaw National Forest. There has been no measurable precipitation since May meaning the forest floor is dry and the potential for fire is great. The forest service says human caused fires have increased over last year and now all campfires, charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires or any other open fires are prohibited outside of designated campgrounds. The exception will be for sand camping fires in the National Recreation Area and Sand Lake Recreation Area. Fires under the current conditions will spread quickly and potentially cause major damage.
