Weathering the debris

Plastic coverings on greenhouses at the former Oregion Coast Garden Center are shredding under the onslaught of weather, time and lack of maintenance. Oregon Pacific Bank of Florence took over the property last September, and several neighbors would like to see the site cleaned up and secured to keep trash off their properties. (Photos by Terry Dillman)

Neighbors near former garden center concerned about blowing trash

Last September, Mary and Jack Eriksen watched as 52 years of providing what they called “largest show of color on the Oregon coast” at Oregon Coast Garden Center near Waldport was uprooted.

After reaching a record high of almost $1 billion in sales in 2007, Oregon’s nursery industry wilted into a historic slump, and has since been laying off employees and cutting costs in every category just to survive. Oregon Coast Garden Center’s fortunes mirrored that trend. Business at the corner of Eriksen Ave. and Azalea Lane withered the family-owned-and-operated nursery business beyond recovery.

For the complete article see the 06-27-2012 issue.

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