Interim becomes permanent
The Dunes City Council hired a permanent administrator last week. Jaimie Mills has been serving as the interim administrator since last fall… Mayor Rebecca Ruede said now it’s a permanent situation.
Rebecca Ruede – “Jamie has been a long time resident of Dunes City, tireless worker for Dunes City. On the council, she’s been council president; she has a good background knowledge of what’s going on at the city and her resume came out far and above the other applicants and we’re just so pleased to have her on board.”
Mills resigned from the council last fall to step in after former administrator Fred Hilden suddenly retired. Ruede had high praise for the new administrator.
Single links combine to make path system
Work on the Rhododendron Drive walking and bike path through the Greentrees area will get underway in June. The stretch between 9th street and Wildwinds is just one link in a larger chain.
Florence City Manager Erin Reynolds said about 75 people attended an open house last week to learn more.
Erin Reynolds – “This is a part of a system that will be a very nice connection to the 12th street bike path that goes between Rhododendron Drive and Kingwood Street. But also we’re planning to transition, if you head southeast through the hospital and back down to Highway 101. So there’ll be quite a bit of path added in the next six to seven months and we’re pretty excited to see that.”
The southern and eastern extensions are part of a larger overall water line project that will bring improvements to that stretch of Rhododendron Drive. Plans are in place to extend the path north all the way to Heceta Beach Road; but Reynolds said those parts will have to await funding before they can be installed.
North Coast mussels off limits due to toxins
The Oregon Departments of Agriculture and Fish & Wildlife have jointly announced the closure of recreational and commercial mussel harvesting along the Northern Oregon Coast. Officials say increased levels of paralytic shellfish toxins have been detected.
The advisory does not affect mussels from Cascade Head in Tillamook County and south.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture will test toxin levels twice weekly as tides permit.
Voter deadline next week
The voter registration cutoff for the May 17th Oregon Primary election is coming up next week. New voter registrations must be received no later than April 26th… that’s just one week from today.
If you’re already registered, but not affiliated with either major party; and you want to vote in their primary; you’ll need to update your affiliation by that date as well.
The Lane County Elections Department will begin mailing primary ballots on Friday, April 29th. They’re due back by 8 PM Tuesday, May 17th.
Voters in Oregon will be deciding on presidential election delegates; as well as voting on several key statewide races.
Locally, Lane County voters will decide the District Attorney and Justice of the Peace races; as well as school capital levies in Mapleton and Siuslaw.
To check your registration, go to www-dot-lanecounty-dot-org; click on departments; then on elections.
Making a memoir
Eugene newspaper columnist, author and motivational speaker Bob Welch will present a workshop in Florence this weekend about writing your memoir.
The session is “designed for people interested in telling stories involving their lives”. Welch says it’s aimed at people across the spectrum of potential writers, including those who just may not know where to begin.
Welch promises the class to be “relaxed, fun and affirming”.
Information on how to register can be found at the Lane Community College website; as well as at the Florence Center on Oak Street.
