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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 25, 2015 O PINION Full agreement or no, it's time to pass the Refi nement Plan BY JON STINNETT Sentinel Editor O n Monday evening, the Cottage Grove City Council cast its fi rst vote in favor of the Main Street Refi nement Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for re-envision- ing downtown Cottage Grove between its historic buildings. The Refi nement Plan has been a part of the public discourse in Cottage Grove for some time; the Council began combing through the two-inch thick document containing the plan and the appendix of all public testimo- ny pertaining to it at an introductory work- session on Feb. 2. The fi rst opportunity for a governing body to examine the plan came last year for the Cottage Grove Planning Commission, which extended a public hear- ing to allow all interested citizens a chance to make their opinions known, then recom- mended adoption of the plan to the City Council while suggesting a few changes. Taken together with the three public meet- ings that began in December of 2013, the meetings and recommendations from a group of stakeholders including downtown business owners, meetings organized in op- position to the plan by a group known as “Friends of Main Street” and a lengthy pub- lic hearing at the Council’s Feb. 23 meeting, and it’s clear that the Refi nement Plan has seen as much public scrutiny as any docu- ment developed by this community in recent memory. Yes, it seems everyone has an opinion regarding the Refi nement Plan, and most who have chosen to comment have shared grievances or concerns with specifi c issues the plan attempts to address, issues such as whether or not to widen sidewalks and re- duce the width of travel lanes; what to do (or not) about the trees lining Main Street and whether to attempt a redesign of All-Ameri- ca City Square (which the plan recommends tabling for a later date.) Few involved, however, appear ready to support the plan in its entirety and in its cur- rent form. Councilor Heather Murphy stated as much recently. “I have heard very little consistency with regard to the entire plan,” Murphy said, later adding that the plan is “not in any way going to please everybody.” It was disheartening to hear Murphy say these words, true as they may be, as some- one who’s followed the formulation of the plan from the outset and understands the countless hours that went into crafting it. The notion that members of this community could come together and hammer out a plan that no one involved can enthusiastically, wholeheartedly support casts quite a bit of doubt on the ability of a group of people to get together to hash out a vision for their own future. And yet support the Main Street Refi ne- ment Plan we must, and for much the same reason: It is our plan, developed by us, for us and our successors, the generations that will one day call Cottage Grove home, and it addresses problems in just about every- one’s favorite part of our fair City that have required solutions for too long. Yes, the plan was partially developed be- fore some community members had the op- portunity to (or for whatever reason, chose to) weigh in. Yes, it was drafted with the aid of consultants living far away in exotic Portland. Yes, it’s likely that everyone with a vested interest in the plan’s outcome can fi nd something in it they dislike. But by now, it’s diffi cult (at least for me) to believe that those with grievances about specifi c aspects of the plan that they have not yet aired in public have anyone to blame but themselves. The public process that led to this plan may have started slow in terms of inclusiveness, and it may have dwelt heavily on some aspects to the detriment of others (talk of little besides the ornamental street trees served to distract many from the more pressing safety issues at hand, in my humble opinion). Still, the process has over time grown to include the effort and opin- ions of hundreds of well-meaning members of this community, and there has been give and take from just about all of them. In a town as opinionated, as proud and involved in its own well being as Cottage Grove, it is as diffi cult for this reporter to envision a blueprint for the future of down- town Cottage Grove that we all can enthu- siastically agree upon as it is to imagine a realistic way to involve more of our citizens in a heartfelt, productive discussion of that future. Journalists often hear laments from both sides of planning processes that nei- ther side — planning offi cials or the general public — participates in full, productive co- operation with the other, and these laments are often true. But somewhere in the forma- tion of the Main Street Refi nement Plan, it became obvious, at least to me, that the op- portunities for participation and cooperation from all sides of the process have been more than adequate to help advance the goal at hand — a safer, more inviting and structur- ally sound downtown Cottage Grove. Should we not act and approve a plan for refurbishing Main Street, the consequences could be unfortunate. Without a plan to en- hance Main Street, repairs to Main Street and its sidewalks (which are sorely needed) would likely need to be fi nanced by the City without any outside help, or the City could require downtown property owners to fund the repairs of the sidewalks in front of their businesses. Without a comprehensive plan for a construction process that it seems must necessarily be comprehensive in many ways (it’s foolish, at least to me, to imagine rip- ping up and rebuilding Main Street without simultaneously addressing the sidewalks, utilities and street trees it intertwines) we run the risk of having to dismantle improve- ments we’ve already made in order to make others in the future. The Main Street Refi nement Plan is not perfect by a long shot, but decisions reached by consensus seldom are, and the plan can certainly be modifi ed in the long run-up to the future date at which construction begins. We owe it to ourselves right now to gather up the fruits of our cooperation and produce a document that can effectively help guide our tomorrows. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Food is key The 'Bend Bulletin' headline read: 'Redmond aims to revitalize Mid-Town'. The story said, 'the city wants to revitalize the central part of town into a district where young and old can enjoy trendy restaurants, small retail shops and cafes...' Dick Robertson, owner of a local coffee company, said that restau- rants, whether cafes or upscale bistros, would be key to garnering attention for that part of the city. "People are drawn to food," said Robertson. Let me add drink. The suggestion here is to occupy all vacant space on Main and side streets with bars, cafes, diners, grills, bistros, buffets, lounges, Offbeat Oregon History Coast Guard ‘Sand Pounders’ kept Oregon coast secure BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel D uring the summer of 1942, the sleepy and ob- scure West Coast state of Oregon suddenly re- alized that if Imperial Japan should make any military moves against the continental states, it would be in the very front line. In that summer, the enemy was actually off the Or- egon coast — sinking merchant ships, shelling Fort Stevens and dropping bombs on the hills near Brook- ings in an attempt to start a forest fi re. Oregonians could be excused for wondering what might have happened if the submarine that caused all that havoc had, instead of heaving to and lobbing shells, simply slipped quietly into some obscure little inlet and sent a few dozen Japanese soldiers ashore. What could stop them? It was a fair question, and one that had the military authorities in Salem and Washington, D.C., very wor- ried. They were especially concerned after an incident on the shore of Long Island, just a few days before the shelling of Fort Stevens, in which an unarmed Coast Guardsman stumbled across a landing party of Nazi saboteurs disembarking from a submarine. These turned out to be the fi rst of several landing parties sent here in a campaign by Berlin to salt the Eastern Seaboard’s industry with German spies landed in the middle of the night from submarines. The answer to this new threat came a month later, when the U.S. Coast Guard launched the Coast Guard Beach Patrol — which quickly became known as the museums, taverns, galleries, brew pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, sandwich, donut and coffee shops plus an ice cream parlor. Then watch downtown once again become fun-fi lled and action- packed. Bob Hardy Cottage Grove “Sand Pounders.” The Sand Pounders patrol was staffed with recruits drawn largely from the Midwest and from east of the Cascades — horse country. That’s because, as anyone who’s ever strolled an empty Oregon beach knows, walking isn’t the optimal way to cover distance on the beach. That’s especially the case if you want to bring with you one of the giant 35-pound “portable” radio transmitters that were then the state of the art. So right from the start, the Sand Pounders were envisioned as a mounted service wherever geography would permit it. They had to wait for horses to be supplied by the Army, but by late 1942 the animals had started to arrive. Trained patrol dogs were already being add- ed to the patrols, and so by the end of the year, the Sand Pounders had grown into the form they’d take throughout the early war years: Pairs of Coast Guard guys, both packing .38 revolvers and Reising M50 submachine guns, usually mounted, one with a back- pack radio transmitter — doggedly making their way along the beach in the teeth of every kind of weather the Oregon Coast can supply, eyes peeled for any sign of Japanese marauders. The Coast Guard also built a series of watchtow- ers, similar to the one behind the Yaquina Bay Light in Newport, from which Coasties watched the river entrances 24 hours a day. The Sand Pounders had trouble at fi rst getting the authority they needed to do their job — authority to order people off certain beaches and to prosecute those who defi ed their orders. The commanding gen- eral of the Western Defense Command refused out- right to grant them authority to do more than report stuff. Finally, in late summer of 1943, the governors Please see OFFBEAT, Page 9A Soups — essential for a high-nutrient diet BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel S oups, along with salads, are an essential part of a high-nutrient (Nutritarian) diet, and for good reason. Vegetable and bean soups and stews are nutrient-rich, fl avorful and easy to prepare. They can be served as a complement to a meal or as the cen- terpiece. Soups can easily be cooked in bulk to pro- vide several days’ worth of leftovers, convenient to have on hand at home or to $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424 ADMINISTRATION: JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher.............................. 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In foreign countries, postage extra. No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable. Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Local Mail Service: If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know. Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Advertising ownership: All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval. Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2015 Cottage Grove Sentinel. take along to work or school. Soups and stews are warming, satisfying and satiating and can widen your nutrient diver- sity. They can be made from a variety of fresh, frozen or even leftover ingredients and allow for experimentation in a pot, pressure cooker, slow cooker or even right in a Vitamix or other high-powered blender. Since soups are gently cooked with a liquid base, nutrients are retained and some are made more absorbable. Many nutri- ents, like niacin, folate and a range of minerals, are water soluble. Normally, with water- based cooking, like boiling, wa- ter-soluble nutrients are leached into the cooking water and dis- carded. However, with soups, the liquid and the water-soluble nutrients are retained and con- sumed. Cooking soup heats, mois- turizes and softens vegetables and beans, which dramatically increases the potential digest- ibility and absorption of the nutritious compounds contained within them. Recent studies confi rm that the body absorbs more of the benefi cial anti-can- cer compounds, carotenoids in particular, especially lutein and lycopene, from cooked vegetables as compared to raw vegetables. Scientists speculate that the increase in absorption of these antioxidants after cook- ing may be attributed to the de- struction of the cell matrix or connective bands to which these compounds are bound. Additionally, cooking veg- etables in soups breaks down the cellulose within them and alters the plants’ cell structures, which facilitates digestion. This way of cooking also prevents foods from browning and form- ing toxic compounds, like acryl- amide, which is formed in dry, high-temperature cooking, like baking, frying and grilling, and is a potential carcinogen or can- cer-causing agent. For superior nutrition, become an expert at making great soups. Make your soups with some of the G-BOMBS, like greens, beans, onions and mushrooms, which are some of the most nu- tritious foods on the planet and combine so well in a big pot for a super nutritious and savory meal! Start your soups with a base of water and fresh vegetable juice, like carrot, celery or to- mato juice or a no-salt-added vegetable broth, with less than 200 mg of sodium per cup. Next, add some dry beans, as they take the longest to cook. Then, add some onions, leeks or other members of the Allium family, leafy green vegetables, other vegetables that you have on hand, and some herbs, spices or fruits like parsley, black pep- per or lemon. Be sure to include some cru- ciferous vegetables into the mix, such as kale, bok choy or cab- bage. Chop or blend most of the vegetables before adding them to the pot to form organosulfur compounds in the onions and isothiocyanates (ITCs) in the cruciferous vegetables, which are very important disease-fi ght- ing phytochemicals. To make a creamier soup and add another layer of fl avor blend some nuts into the soup. Cook a large pot of soup at least once a week and store leftovers in individual containers, in the refrigerator for fi ve days or lon- ger in the freezer. Be wary of commercially available canned soups, as they are often high in sodium. Quick, hot, tasty and nutrient dense—soups in all of their va- rieties are a great way to experi- ence the pleasures of the Nutri- tarian diet. Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a family physician specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medi- cine. Visit his informative web- site at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to newsquestions@drfuhrman. com. The full reference list for this article can be found at DrFuhrman.com. Letters to the Editor policy The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.