Florence considering utility rate increases; shopping cart derby nets 10,000 pounds of food; Senior Companions featured on radio forum; and grad night

The Florence City Council will conduct a public hearing this afternoon at a special time to consider the creation of a new fee and increases in water and sewer rates. The hearing, at City Hall at four pm, will also be broadcast live on Charter Cable Channel ten and on the website oregoncities.tv which is accessible on the city’s website.

Public Works Director Mike Miller says utility bills are currently sent every other month, but soon they’ll be mailed out monthly. He’s proposing a new two-dollar fee that would be used to pay for street lights. Currently that is funded through the city’s street fund. Miller says increased electrical costs and reduced funding have prompted the need for the new charge.

The water and sewer rate increases would amount to about nine dollars each month under the proposal. Currently residential customers in the city get a bill, on average, of about $115 every other month. Under the proposed increase residents would get a monthly bill that averages $66… that’s a 13% increase.

City staff estimates an additional $545-thousand would be generated each year by the increases. By not enacting them, they say the alternatives would include violating debt service commitments, possibly turning off street lights and continuing a cycle of large amounts of deferred maintenance.

They were out in force yesterday morning at Florence Grocery Outlet… 41-teams of shopping cart racers, each paying up to $150 for the privilege of racing through the aisles, filling carts with food that will go on the shelves at Florence Food Share. It was the Need For Speed shopping cart derby, the second half of 11-year old Taylor Graham’s Read for the Need Booksale that raises money to feed area hungry.
205 – This year we raised $13,000 from the book sale. We raised $3,500 from the shopping cart derby. All together it’s $16,500 this year.

Using the $35-hundred from the derby and $35-hundred from the book sale each team filled their carts and raced the one-block to food share where it was weighed and put on the shelves. The total amount of food… ten-thousand pounds. That sounds like a lot, but it’s not as much as you might think.
207 – “With this drive we could probably feed everybody for a couple weeks. At least. Not our whole clientele for the month, but at least a couple of weeks.”

Food Share Manager Karen Lyn says they routinely help as many as 600 households each month with an emergency food box.

By the way, there’s another chance to help stock the shelves this Saturday when the Siuslaw Ministerial Association holds their annual Pastors Drive By Food Drive from ten until noon at the Florence Events Center.

More than 500 seniors and disabled adults spend time each month with a cadre of volunteers through the Senior Companion Program. It’s administered by Lane Community College and the director of the program, Barbara Susman, says they need even more than the 70-some volunteers who give their time each month. Susman, along with local volunteer Ginny Murray, will be on the first half of this afternoon’s KCST Community Forum to talk about the program. The second half of the Community Forum will focus on the proposed new senior center in Florence. Jan Nieberlein has spent many hours working on grant requests to help fund the new center that will be built on the grounds of Singing Pines Park near the airport. Ground is expected to be broken later this year. Today’s KCST Community Forum airs from four to five pm on FM 106.9.

109 graduates at Siuslaw High School will walk down the aisle tomorrow night at eight pm. Ceremonies are a week earlier than usual due to budget reductions made last year that reduced the number of school days. Several students will speak at the commencement. Jacob Mitchell and Kay Robertson were recipients of the Richard N. Whitmore outstanding senior boy and girl of the year awards. Mitchell, along with Sam Pearson, Jackie Fitch and Amanda Pilcher are all Valedictorians with four-point-oh grade point averages. Daniel Scott is Salutatorian.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

Several Siuslaw Vikings received nods from Far West League Softball coaches for their efforts this season. Freshman Kati Thrall earned first-team honors as a utility player and designated hitter. Second team honors were awarded to Sarah Jennings in the infield and Stephanie Stonelake behind the plate. Honorable mention was given to Makahla Huff and Tammy Flood. The Vikings ended the season tied for fourth place in the standings under second year head coach Terri Gehlke with a 3 – 12 record… they were 6 – 18 overall.

The second annual Siuslaw Triathlon to benefit the Siuslaw Regional Aquatics Center is set for June 28th in Mapleton. Registration for the sprint level triathlon ends June 12th. Competitors will swim 600 yards, bike 13.6 miles, and run 5 kilometers to the finish line. Participants can register for the whole event or for a leg as part of a team. Sanctioned by the United State of America Triathlon, last year’s event drew 88 registered racers, and raised a little over $8000 for the aquatic center.