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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
Beyond the Grove — 8A S School l Z Zone o one on ne e Dorena teachers retire School Gardens Lion King Pageant page 9A Lions on track — 1B Fire Board election — 3A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 44 Petitioners hope to place Main Street plan on ballot BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A plan to remodel Main Street, Cottage Grove between its historic buildings downtown will appear before local voters on their ballots this September, should a group of petitioners gather the appropri- ate number of signatures in the next few weeks. The Cottage Grove City Council approved the Main Street Refi nement Plan with two majority votes this month, though Oregon law allows pe- titioners to gather signatures to place any ordinance adopted without an emergency clause on the ballot within 30 days of its passage. This means that those seeking to place the referendum on the ballot have until May 13 to collect signatures represent- ing 10 percent of the registered voters in Cottage Grove, which amounts to 478 signatures, ac- Construction planned for Highway 99 cording to Cottage Grove City Recorder Trudy Borrevik. Cottage Grove’s planning de- partment held public meetings in cooperation with a Portland- based consultant to formulate the Refi nement Plan beginning in December of 2013. The plan — which spells out the widen- ing of Main Street’s sidewalks and narrowing of its travel lanes, adds outdoor utilities and does away with the pro- nounced “crown” of the street itself — was presented to the Cottage Grove Planning Com- mission, which conducted two lengthy public hearings of its own before approving the plan with conditions. Along the way, the plan was (and continues to be) the subject of much public scrutiny, with many objecting to an early plan to remove the trees lining Main Street. (The current plan calls for the systematic re- moval and replacement of the trees in order of need.) AFTER ALL THESE YEARS ! photo by Greg Lee Bookmine founder Gail Hoelzle (second from left) celebrates 40 years in business with, from left, Kathy Wamsley, Holli Turpin and JoAnn Gray. BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel O ffi cials with the Oregon Department of Transportation are eyeing the start of another road construction project in the Cottage Grove area as one project draws nearer to completion. Last week, ODOT again warned drivers to expect long delays on Sunday afternoon and evening through a work zone estab- lished to repave a section of Interstate 5 be- tween Cottage Grove and the Highway 38 exit. Spokesperson Dan Latham said delays of two hours or more have been experienced by motorists at the project, especially on Sundays, when motorists returning from the coast via Highway 38 encounter the lane closure at approximately the same time. Latham said ODOT was working to open lanes at the construction site over the week- end but added that congestion will persist there for some time. The agency suggests drivers consider alternate routes to bypass the construction zone, though Latham said ODOT does not spell out those routes. “We really don’t want to encourage people to go up into the hills that may not be familiar with those areas,” he said. Latham said nice weather, falling gas prices and a late Spring Break for Washington stu- Please see ODOT, Page 12A Chief petitioners listed on the paperwork fi led for the ref- erendum are Mary McNamara and Michele Rose. On Friday, McNamara said petitioners will work to gather 600 signatures in advance of the deadline. “I don’t think it will be easy, but it’s doable, especially with the number of people who have already offered to help,” McNa- mara said. McNamara said she fi led the petition because she believes Bookmine turns 40 at Art Walk the plan will completely change the downtown feel of Cottage Grove that she knows and loves. She said her biggest complaint involves widening the sidewalks and narrowing travel lanes. “It’s not safe,” she said. “It leaves drivers no room to open their car doors. Some little old lady is going to get hit because she’s not going to know she has Please see REFERENDUM, Page 12A Three local vets to take May 15 Honor Flight BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel A seemingly endless stream of patrons and well wishers came to visit the Bookmine on Friday night — the fi rst Art Walk event of the year, which coincided with the Bookmine’s 40th anniversary. The shop, located at 7th and Main streets, was decorated for the occasion with mementos from its past; newspaper clippings from the Sentinel and collages from book-signing events, which have included authors Lois Barton, Benjamin Hoff and Howard Zinn. But these keepsakes served less as history lessons and more as prompts to reminisce, as many of the Bookmine’s guests on Friday were there for every step of its journey. “People just keep coming up to say ‘thank you,’ and it’s been so nourishing for us,” said co-found- er Gail Hoelzle. “We’ve shared so many ups and downs and ins and outs with so many precious people. And we’ve seen this town grow in all kinds of ways.” Gail started the Bookmine with her sister, Birdy, in 1975. Gail had graduated from college as an English major and had plans to teach at South Eu- gene High School, but Birdy suggested opening a bookstore. So, for a $150 a month, they found a location on the south side of Main Street, and with borrowed money, they took a station wagon down to the independent book distributor, Bookpeople, in Berkeley, Calif. and purchased the store’s initial inventory. Six months later, with the help of friends and a few borrowed grocery carts, they moved to their current location. Since that time, the store has become a commu- nity gathering place, where people come for more than just shopping. The Bookmine regularly hosts local authors and poets, supports literacy through various other programs and has been a place for generations of kids to discover a love for reading. “As with most things, you get back what you put in,” Gail said. “It hasn’t just been a business; I was 25 when we opened this place, and I turned 65 yes- terday, so it’s defi nitely the fabric of my life.” trio of Cottage Grove-area World War II veter- ans have booked a fl ight in mid-May that will introduce them to our nation’s capitol and the memori- als built there in their honor. The Honor Flight Network works to fl y veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korea confl icts to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials, and last week, Mike Pengercar, director of Honor Flight’s op- erations in the south Willamette Valley, confi rmed that Glen Bricker, Roy Haymes and Carlton Woodard will be among the veterans visiting D.C. on a fl ight that departs Portland on May 15. A total of 46 veterans from Lane, Linn, Lincoln and Benton counties will make this fl ight, Pengercar said, and it will hold the distinction of being the fi rst fl ight to carry Korean War veterans. Priority for fl ights has thus far been given to World War II vets due to their advancing age, and the local Honor Flight group has transported 254 of them in the past two years. “Unfortunately, a number of the veterans aren’t able to make the trip due to their age and health status,” Pengercar said. “Any veterans of any confl ict that can certify that they are terminally ill are also put on the next available fl ight.” The Honor Flight itinerary includes a packed sched- ule. Veterans will overnight in Portland before board- ing a Southwest Airlines fl ight to Denver, where they are scheduled to be recognized by the USO, according Please see FLIGHT, Page 12A Historical library named for prominent area historian BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel N photo by JoAnn Gray Marcia Allen said she was 'very hum- bled' that the CGHS library was named in her honor. ewspaper clippings that detail the history of Cottage Grove and South Lane County can be found in abundance at the Cottage Grove Historical Society’s library, and re- cently, the Historical Society named the library in honor of a local histori- an that saved many of those clippings for posterity. On Saturday, April 18, the His- torical Society renamed its library in honor of Marcia E. Allen, who, along with a small group of locals inter- ested in their own histories, began the process of collecting Cottage Grove’s historical records decades ago. “The Historical Society’s library is the research library for our communi- ty, and we thought what better way to recognize Marcia for her efforts than to name it after her?” said past His- torical Society president and friend of Allen’s, JoAnn Gray. “It makes a great statement about her efforts, her passion and her knowledge of local history.” Gray said Allen was aware that she would be recognized but was uncer- tain exactly how. “I had no idea,” Allen said. “I thought I had all the honors I had coming to me several years ago. I was just very humbled, and when I started to think about how it (the library) go there, I guess I did have something to do with it.” Now approaching 94 years old, Al- len said her quest to compile docu- mentation of Cottage Grove’s history came about from a desire to learn more about her own. Her father, An- drew Brund, and the father of Joan Penniston, operated a mercantile in the early days of Cottage Grove. Along with Eileen Trunnell Grimes, the trio began their own collections of newspaper clippings about their own histories. “I guess we were the original ‘clip- to-maniacs,’” Allen said. After retiring and raising her chil- dren, Allen said she had more time to discover the location of her dad’s store, and the information she uncov- ered shed light on the earliest days of Main Street, Cottage Grove. She served on the Cottage Grove Muse- um board with Grimes and Penniston, and when Allen’s son, Steve, who was serving as fi re chief at the time, mentioned that the Museum might not survive a fi re, the trio ramped up their collections in earnest. In the late 1980s, a representative from the special collections department at the Lane County museum taught Cot- tage Grove’s Historical Society many of the fi ner points of compiling and maintaining a historical library, and Cottage Grove’s Matt Parker later began the process of compiling the information online. “We realized that it’s no use saving anything if you can’t fi nd it later,” Al- len said. “The content list was typed and added to about fi ve times.” Over the years, the library has moved to the historic Vealey House and, later, to its present location on Main Street, and there are plans in place to move it again to the Boots and Sandals Square Dance Barn. Through the years, Allen said, one revelation has led to another. “The more you read about a place, the more you want to know,” she said. Over the years, Allen has become a go-to source for nuggets of Cot- tage Grove history, operating under the mantra that, “If you don’t write it down, it’s lost.” Her own recollec- tions of local history can be found in a compilation entitled “I Remember When” that can be checked out at the Cottage Grove Library. Rain Country Realty Inc. CO F L O G S K O O OVERL URSE LaRae Cottage Grove This is a very nice large lot and was already a fantastic deal but now the owner is willing to carry the note with 50% down. RMLS #14473129, Check it out! See it Soon TES A T S E D L E I MIDDLEF Lovely home in adult community on the golf course. 3 bedroom, 2 baths with attached garage.Many wonderful club privileges. add to the value! RMLS # 142866194 $32,000 5DLQ&RXQWU\5HDOW\FRP www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person Brokers Ron Schneider..................521-8713 Laurie Phillip....................430-0756 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 $205,000 UDLQFRXQWU\UHDOW\#JPDLOFRP CONTACT US Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 128 CHAD DR +Z\ WEATHER CONTENTS HIGH LOW 62 39 Mostly Sunny Licensed in the State of Oregon Six-day forecast, page 5A Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 6B Classified ads................................. 8B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 75 CENTS