Humane Society to Acquire Vet Clinic
The sale won’t be final for a few more weeks, but the Oregon Coast Humane Society announced Friday they are in the process of buying Oceanside Veterinary Clinic at 1739 21st Street. Elizabeth Thompson, the Executive Director of OCHS, said once the acquisition is complete the first priority is on transferring current veterinary services for shelter animals to the clinic.
“Plan is that we will not be open for public animals probably for this entire year, maybe into 2026.”
Thompson acknowledged the shortage of veterinary care in the Florence area. Unfortunately, it will be several months before they’ll be able to open to the public.
“The goal will be that we can focus on high quality, high volume spay and neuter when we do open to the public so that we can really try to get a grip on this community cat situation and all these unexpected litters that people are not planning to have because they can’t get access to care for their animals.”
Buying and staffing the clinic means volunteers will no longer have to shuttle ailing shelter pets to other clinics out of the area. That will save time, and ultimately money. The Oregon Coast Humane Society is a “no-kill” shelter that has been operating in Florence for more than three decades.
Fishing Dock Reopens
A favorite destination for crabbers and fishers in Winchester Bay has reopened after a lengthy closure. The Windy Cove Crab and Fishing Dock near the mouth of the Umpqua River reopened late last week after undergoing extensive repairs. A severe winter storm last year caused severe structural damage forcing the Douglas County Parks Department to close it. The dock was originally built by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939 was used primarily as a mooring and shipping dock until 1959 when the Coast Guard moved into a new station at Winchester Bay. Douglas County acquired it 45 years ago, converting it for recreational use.
City of Florence
It is a light week for City of Florence meetings. There is no Planning commission meeting for tomorrow and the Environmental Management Advisory Committee meets on Wednesday this week at 3pm at City Hall. There is currently a request for applications for a position on the Florence City Council that will be vacant as of the end of this month after the announcement by councilor Bill Meyer last Monday that he would be resigning at the end of the month. Interested applicants have until February 19th to apply. Applicants must be residents of the City of Florence for at least one year and a registered voter. Application information can be found on the city website at ci.florence.or.us.