Several hundred baskets filled with Christmas dinner and some much needed food supplies were distributed on Saturday at Siuslaw middle school. The recipients were families in need. 
Along with the fixings for a traditional meal for the holiday the Soroptomists of Florence also added snacks and staples to get them through the day. Meanwhile across town toys were being distributed to many of those same families. Carol Bennett says that it is something that her small group has been passionate about. Some help with toys, some with food.
“There are only 12 members of the Soroptomist Club. And they’re all involved in some way. Many of them do toys, many of them do food. It just depends on where their interests lie.
Bennett says that more than $20,000 worth of food was distributed on Saturday as well as hundreds of toys. Bringing joy to many families here in Florence and Western Lane County.
”We served somewhere in excess of 350 families, we had lots of volunteers, great volunteers, and weather cooperated beautifully, it was really a great day.”
Bennett says they also distributed toys for about 200 families.
Planners Review HEOP Report
The City Planning Commission will be having it’s final meeting of 2017. Tomorrow evening also marks the last meeting at the city hall for several months as construction is set to begin soon. The commission will be looking at the Housing and Economic Opportunities Project report on options for properties that can be incorporated into the cities plan for growth and affordable housing. The Report was issued last week. The meeting will be at 7 pm at Council Chambers in City hall.
Bridge Construction May Cause Delays
Construction on the Siuslaw River Bridge continues even as the holidays approach. The Oregon Department of Transportation say they are continuing to replace sections of railing while shoring up the foundation with increased seismic protection. For the next 2 days you can expect delays of up to 20 minutes as traffic, at times, will be restricted to one lane until about 11 am each day. Crews are still operating mainly during overnight hours to cut down on congestion problems. Much of that work should end by 11 am Tuesday morning.
OPRD To Consider Increases
Oregon Public Recreations Department is planning a January 3rd meeting to discuss the possibility of changing fees for camping use in Oregon parks. They are seeking public comment on the issue. The department is wanting to change the fees to a sliding scale that will be slightly higher during peak season and actually decrease during less popular times. the fees will range from 5 dollars higher during seasonal times to 3 dollars lower in off-peak months. If you would like your input heard you can submit it to their comments page at:
http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/RULES/Pages/Rulemaking%20Notices.aspx
