Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2015)
City Beat — 5A Foundation grants — 3A School Zone — 3B Field of Dreams Wistful odes to the dawning of a new season,page 1B $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 39 Council gives Main Street plan its fi rst 'yes' vote Also inside: Two majority votes of approval are required for passage BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel N early every seat in City Hall was fi lled on Monday night for the City Council’s much- anticipated vote on the Main Street Refi nement Plan. The Council passed the ordinance unanimous- ly, 5-0. However, in order to adopt the plan, a sec- ond vote of passage will be needed at the Council’s next regular meeting on April 13. The Council had previously motioned to vote on the ordinance during its March 3 meeting. However, when several councilors expressed their concerns about voting on the plan as written, the motion was withdrawn in lieu of scheduling a worksession. Between the March 16 work session and Monday night’s meeting, city administrators worked to ad- dress the Council’s concerns. Changes to the plan included using stamped and/or colored concrete in- stead of brick along the Main Street sidewalk; opt- ing for traditional water fountains over “bubblers,” changing the name of ‘All-America Square' to On track photo by Greg Lee Cottage Grove's Sarah Pope serves up cream of mushroom soup with the help of daughters Bailey and Natalie at the Souper Fundraiser on Tuesday, March 17. Please see PLAN, Page 12A Souper still draws a crowd in ninth year Marijuana dispensary burgled, suspects captured BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel C Cottage Grove hosts season's Icebreaker, page 1B ottage Grove medical marijuana dispensary Apothecaria experienced its fi rst break-in last week. Police fear it won’t be the last, but the dispensary’s owner sought to share a message with those who would attempt the feat in the future. “We don’t keep the marijuana out where you can get to it,” Colleen Valley said. “These guys weren’t able to take much of anything — some pipes and other supplies, because everything’s locked up.” A burglar alarm at the dispensary on Row River Road was reportedly tripped just after 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Cottage Grove Police responded in about six minutes, Valley said, and a canine sweep of the area was negative for any suspects. Detective David Burgin said the Apothecaria break-in was the fi nal act in a crime spree of sorts by three local individuals, who allegedly began their Tuesday morning with a “beer run” at Safeway fol- lowed by the alleged theft of about $600 worth of property from the Cottage Grove Walmart at about 1:30 a.m. Surveillance footage eventually led to the arrests of 20-year old Marcus West and 19-year old Justin Hurst and a 17-year old minor. West and Hurst were cited into the Lane County Jail on theft and burglary charges, while the minor was cited into the Youth Services division and released to the cus- tody of his mother. Much of the property taken from Apothecaria, which included fl ower screens, metal grinders and glass pipes, was recovered a short time later. Valley said that the valuables at Apothecaria are kept in two 800-pound safes. “There’s nothing to steal; this is not the place to rob,” she said. “As soon as the store is closed, every- thing is locked and there are panic alarms and video cameras. We’ve spent thousands on this equipment, and it’s already paying off.” Burgin said he was impressed with the security measures taken at Apothecaria, though he’s not sure it will thwart all would-be thieves. “We think the dispensaries will be a perennial tar- get for break-ins,” he said, “though we hope that’s not the case.” n organizer called the latest installment of Cottage Grove Community Sharing’s popular Souper Fundraiser one of the best in the event’s nine-year history. Mary McNamara said the Souper, which features a plethora of nearly a dozen soups prepared by local chefs for the price of admission, appears to have raised about $9000 for Com- munity Sharing. “By all accounts it was a large success,” McNamara said. “I can’t believe it’s been nine years now, and every year it keeps getting better.” Guests at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church’s fellowship hall on Tuesday, March 17 chose from soups such as Gail Hoelzle’s classic minestrone, the Italian sau- sage soup of Beth Pool, pozole from Sara Meyer and Samantha Duncan and corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day prepared by Debbie Lavios and grandchildren of Old Mill Feed Store. McNamara said sponsorships secured 16 re- served tables before the Souper even began and added to the impressive fundraising total. OAHS Cottage Grove's passport to aviation history, page 6A City's new legal counsel features familiar faces BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he City of Cottage Grove has new legal representation, though it’s possible to recognize fa- miliar faces among its new counsel. The Cot- tage Grove City Council announced at its Monday, March 9 meet- ing that con- tracts for legal services had been offered to Attorney John Wood- John Woodworth worth, who will serve as will serve as Cottage Grove's prosecutor at prosecutor; Cottage Grove Woodworth has Municipal Court; rep- already served resentatives the City on an of the Local interim basis. Government Law Group will serve as the City’s general counsel. Previ- ously, the jobs of both general coun- sel and city prosecutor had been fi lled by local attorney Sean Kelly. The job of local prosecutor is cer- tainly not unfamiliar to Woodworth, who has acted as a fi ll-in at the posi- tion for years, most recently on an interim basis during the absences of former City Attorney Kelly, who was suspended from his position in January of 2014 after he was charged with assault in response to an incident that occurred at the home of a Cottage Grove woman on New Year’s Day. City Manager Richard Meyers later reinstated Kelly on a “last-chance” basis, though the at- torney was arrested in Springfi eld last October on a charge of operat- ing his motorcycle under the infl u- ence. Kelly was dismissed again fol- lowing that arrest. Meyers reported to the City Council recently that seven highly qualifi ed candidates responded to the city’s request for proposal, and the evaluation committee was very pleased with its selections. Wood- worth was the only candidate to respond to the request for city pros- ecutor services only. Woodworth talked with the Sen- tinel following court proceedings Thursday, and he said that, while he’s practiced all manner of law in his 19-year career, serving as a defense attorney has perhaps gone furthest to inform his approach as a prosecutor. “You want to know what the other side is going to argue,” he said. “If you can’t do that, you’re not going to do well in very many cases. It’s my belief that prosecution and defense work under the same constitution and the same laws. There’s no need to be a ‘true believer’ either way; you’re seeking a just result among a lot of competing factors.” Woodworth said he attempts to al- low fi rst offenders in the municipal court system an opportunity to exit the process without a criminal con- viction; habitual offenders, though, are subject to another approach. “I tend to offer some kind of di- version device that we will later review for compliance by the de- fendant,” he said. “I’m generous on that front but I’m not very generous on the back end of things. Guys that obviously aren’t ‘getting it’ will be sent downstairs.” During recent court proceedings, Woodworth said he’s taken an espe- cially strong stance regarding those who fail to appear in court. “I’ve gone with a policy to charge everyone who fails to appear,” he said. “The criminal element in Cot- tage Grove seems to be a pretty tight-knit group, and I think the word is getting out. As a result, the rate of those who fail to appear has plummeted.” Cottage Grove’s jail is certainly an effective deterrent for certain criminals, Woodworth said. “People ask to be sent to Lane County because it’s more comfort- able than our jail,” he said. “Our jail has a deterrent value that exceeds that of Lane County.” Woodworth also had praise for Judge Martin Fisher, whom he’s known since law school, and the Cottage Grove Police Department. “Cottage Grove is lucky to have this group of offi cers,” he said. “If I don’t do my job, all the hard work of these guys goes to waste, and I’m not going to let that happen.” The Local Government Law Group, a member of Speer Hoyt, LLC, employs a team of fi ve at- torneys to handle legal matters for Please see COUNSEL, Page 12A Rain Country Realty Inc. O PEN 746 S. 2nd St. Saturday 12-3 cute, clean 3 bedroom, 1 bath with tile & granite trim counters, black and stainless appliances and tankless water heater. Come and take a look! TS O L VIEW Curtin Hill Rd. Two 5 acre lots with nice views. Seller is ready to look at all offers! Close to I-5 and 10 minutes to Cottage Grove. UDLQFRXQWU\UHDOW\#JPDLOFRP CONTACT US 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 Ron Schneider..................521-8713 Laurie Phillip....................430-0756 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 +Z\ WEATHER Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 67 43 P.M. Sun Brokers $54,900 ea $155,900 5DLQ&RXQWU\5HDOW\FRP Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 0 Curtin Hill Rd Calendar......................................... 9B Channel Guide ............................... 6B Classified ads................................. 7B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 75 CENTS