Public meeting in Florence honors volunteers
Four Florence men were honored Thursday evening for the part they played in clearing the Cottonwood River of a log jam at the Fifth Street bridge. The presentation took place at Florentine Center during a town meeting sponsored by Florence Economic Development and city officials.
Alan Hayes, Joel Hayes, Dale Miller, and Josh Vines were recognized by Florence Mayor John Lehman.
Each was presented with a plaque from the city council as well as a monetary stipend for the many volunteer hours they donated to clearing the river.
Following the presentation community members heard from Judy Mills representing Florence PRIDE Committee and Cathy DeForest for Florence Economic Development.
Mills told the gathering that PRIDE placed six new benches downtown and has implemented an "adopt-a-bench" program to encourage more participation.
She also said PRIDE is looking at new planters and welcome flags for the downtown area.
The committee is soliciting suggestions and ideas from the community for future projects. A group interested in landscaping and developing city parks also is seeking suggestions and help.
Mills encouraged people at the meeting to become involved in PRIDE.
DeForest said Florence Economic Development is hoping to help retain current businesses in the community as well as recruit new ones.
She said a step in this direction will come from an improved image of Florence made possible by enforcing city ordinances on cleaning up the city, re-establishing the standards board, and protecting property values.
She said her group also is interested in selecting a specific theme for Florence which will help promote the community. Recruiting new families is another goal they would like to pursue.
Suggestions for improvements made by members of the audience included cleaning streets and getting storm debris from the gutters, washing downtown windows and perhaps painting a scene in some to prevent the buildings from looking vacant. Prizes for good looking lawns were suggested. Getting rid of junk vehicles, rodents, and unsightly trash also were mentioned.
City councilman Randy Mills explained the new city sales tax to the group. Mills said it is projected to bring in about $34,000 per year.
The money will go into the city's general fund. Mills said no determination has yet been made about spending the money. He encouraged citizens to contact their council representatives with suggestions for areas they would like to see improved by the additional funds.
