City of Florence officials, including Florence Mayor Joe Henry (center, with scissors), the Florence City Council, Public Works employees and city department heads, along with Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, held a ribbon cutting ceremony f

Aug. 11, 2021 — On Aug. 3, in connection with National Night Out, the City of Florence performed a ribbon cutting for the new concession facility at Miller Park, 1651 18th St.

The long-awaited new restrooms and concession stand project at Miller Park is complete. The restrooms were utilized in June 2021 during the Siuslaw Baseball Softball Association annual Rick and Corrine Gehlke Allstar Tournament. The concession facility, which wasn’t ready for use in June due to a delay in acquiring commercial quality refrigerator and freezer, is now completed and was utilized for the first time last week.

Thanks to a grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s (OPRD) Local Government Grant Program, a “Boost” grant from Lane County Economic Development and $5,000 from Rotary Club of Florence, this project has become a reality.

These grants provided funding for the demolition of the existing structure, construction of a new restroom/concessions/storage facility and room for an outdoor grill and grill storage.

The new facility is located adjacent to a project that was completed several years ago aptly name “Project Grand Slam,” which was a result of a grant from The Ford Family Foundation Leadership Class of Florence in 2007. The project constructed the “home plate” picnic area in Miller Park and added picnic tables.

The new building nicely compliments the work that was already completed, which ultimately envisioned the area with the concession building.

The new restroom/concession/storage facility includes a men’s and women’s restroom; a family restroom; storage lockers for area baseball, softball and soccer teams; a large storage area for the Siuslaw Baseball Softball Association; concession facility and outdoor grill storage room.

Miller Park is a multi-use facility which plays host to a number of local organized sports programs, skate park, playground and walking pathways. With this major project — valued at over $438,000 —the park will continue to serve as a gathering place for families, friends and out of town visitors.

For more details about Miller Park or the new restroom and concession facility, call City of Florence Public Works at 541-997-4106 or visit ci.florence.or.us.