Dental Mission to Grenada
Dr. Brian Holmes of Florence Dental Clinic is planning his next dental mission to Grenada. Holmes has been serving the underserved in the country for years and prior to going to Grenada, his team of volunteers went to Ecuador. He said when he first moved to Florence in 2000 he had been asked to help some of the students at Mapleton Schools and that grew to Yachats, Waldport and here in Florence. By happenstance he read an ad that was looking for western trained dentist to help children outside of the US.
“so we went, my daughter and I kind of not really sure what to expect and realized, guess what? 90 percent of kids had decay, very similar to here.”
Dr. Holmes says he continues the work today with help from Drs. Linton and Alcorn. The trip planned for early 2024 is completely staffed, but they are looking forward to 2025 for volunteers that would like to help. He added that the hours are long, its often hot, but the benefits far outweigh the minor inconvenience. Last year they served about 600 children. Dr. Holmes full Our Town Interview can be heard on the Coast Radio Website.
Elks Children’s Christmas Party
Tomorrow the Florence Elks Lodge will be holding a children’s Christmas party at the lodge from 11am until 2 pm. there will be a magic show, mini corn dogs, tater tots and ice cream. Each child will also get a stuffed animal to take home.
City Council Meeting
The Florence City Council will meet on Monday at City Hall at 5:30. On the council’s agenda will be several items of note. The city will move forward on the realignment project of Rhododendron drive along the riverfront. The council will consider accepting the bid from K&E Excavating which came in at 7,346,982.75. The city hopes to begin the project in 2024. The council will also consider awarding a water meter contract for the green trees subdivision to Ray Wells Incorporated. That project will cost about $207,412. Another item on the agenda is the annual evaluation of the City Manager which will include Employment Agreement amendments and a salary adjustment to begin in January.
Equipment Sale at Siuslaw Schools
The Siuslaw School District is selling off some of its obsolete inventory to the general public. The sale will be on Wednesday December 20th through Friday, December 22nd from 9 am until 2 p.m. in the gym at Siuslaw Middle School. It is a cash only sale and will include items like student desks, computer lab tables, a pair of sewing machines and even a 3D printer. Items in the sale have been deemed unusable for the district and have no value to the district. Doors open promptly at 9 am. There is no allowance for early entry or holds.