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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2015)
More I-5 work — 3A City Beat — 5A Talking Toureen Leash-training humans — 7A page 1B Years after a stellar high-school career, Lion's legacy lingers $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 40 Also E-cig law also adds to buildings' no-smoking barrier inside: Smokers must be 25 feet from entrances, exits, windows, air intakes BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A law recently passed by the Cottage Grove City Council puts restrictions on the use and sale of electronic ciga- rettes within the city limits, but the law includes restrictions that may also affect smokers of old- fashioned tobacco products. The law, passed by the Coun- cil at the end of February, bans the sale of electronic smoking Big plans Armory's designs approved, page 3A Quiche! One of everybody's favorites, page 6A devices to those under 18 and their use by those under 18; it prohibits the sale of those de- vices or liquids in a self-service display or the distribution of free samples and requires that retailers check the identifi cation of those believed to be under 18 who wish to purchase them. The law also subjects e-ciga- rettes to the same requirements of the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act that currently govern their tobacco counterparts, in addi- tion to increasing the distance a smoker of any device must maintain from the entrances and exits to a business, an open win- dow or ventilation system intake from 10 to 25 feet. The Council decided to in- crease the acceptable smoking distance from exits and entranc- es during a lengthy discussion on e-cig regulations, though the change of distance itself came about with very little discussion. The new regulation took effect one month after its passage, on March 23, and has already made it diffi cult for some city staff to fi nd a legal place to smoke out- side City Hall. “You’d have to be 25 feet away from the building in gen- eral,” said City Manager Rich- ard Meyers, who explained that the open windows and entrances around City Hall make it a tough place to legally smoke near these days. Meyers said smokers will likely have to walk all the way to the sidewalk to light up. The responsibility for enforc- ing the new distance limit falls to the Cottage Grove Police Department, whose Chief Mike Grover recently reached out to offi cials in Corvallis, a city with a similar 25-foot smoking Boating accident claims life of CG man City moving water line to make way for trail undercrossing Thomas Whiting, 56, died when his boat overturned Saturday County hopes to build bike, pedestrian bypass under Row River Road by end of summer BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T Family and friends mourn the loss this week of a 56-year old Cot- tage Grove man who perished when the fi shing boat he occupied with his nephew capsized at the mouth of the Rogue River. Laurie Colton said Monday that her son, 36-year old Charlie John- son, and brother-in-law, Thomas Whiting, made frequent trips to Gold Beach over the years to fi sh in the ocean beyond the bar. On Saturday morning, she said the pair observed the scene at the bar for a long time before proceeding toward the ocean. About 300 yards before reach- ing the bar, Colton said, a wave courtesy photo Relatives say Charlie Johnson (left) and his uncle, Tom Whit- ing, were very close. The two were aboard an 18-foot boat when it capsized near the mouth of the Rogue River Saturday. grabbed the estimated 18-foot boat and fl ung both men into the water. “It was open; there were no waves at that point or they would never have tried it,” Colton said. Sheriff John Ward of the Curry County Sheriff’s Offi ce said wit- nesses to the accident called 911 to report it at 7:38 a.m. Ward said via press release that three sheriff’s deputies were nearby at the boat barn at the Gold Beach airport and responded to the scene. “The bar was breaking halfway across from the south side, and there were six to 10-foot swells on the north side,” Ward wrote, adding that the deputies came into contact with Johnson, who was holding Please see WHITING, Page 11A Cafe Sheilagh closes after 12 years in Cottage Grove Owner plans to retire, spend more time with family BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A barrier around its buildings, for advice on enforcement. Grover said Monday that CGPD will enforce the law on a complaint basis; breaking it subjects one to a fi ne not less than $100 but not greater than $500. Meyers said the City Coun- cil may explore an additional ordinance in the future to out- line regulations for those local businesses that have built desig- nated smoking porches for their patrons, structures that comply with the state’s 10-foot limit but not Cottage Grove’s 25-foot limit. gift from family has become an early retirement present for one longtime Cottage Grove restaurateur. Sheilagh Earnest has offered cuisine at her restaurant, Café Sheilagh, in two local locations for 12 years, though she planned to retire this June, when the mortgage on her home was due to be paid off. Earnest said, however, that family members recently fi nished the payoff for her, and she promptly responded by re- tiring a little early. Thus, Café Sheilagh has been closed since the fi rst part of March. “I had a restaurant in Cottage Grove for 12 years, and I loved it,” she said. “Not everyone gets to have a job that they’ve wanted forever. I was very happy.” Earnest came to Oregon in 1982 and operated a food cart and catering busi- ness in Eugene, hosting events at the Hult Center and Cuthbert Amphithe- ater, among other venues. The fi rst Café Sheilagh in Cottage Grove occupied a building at Sixth and Main Street for fi ve years before giving way to the Fleur de Lis Bakery. Café Sheilagh then moved to its most recent location on Highway 99. “I’ll still be operating a booth at the Country Fair, and I’ll still be doing pri- vate catering,” Earnest said. “I want to thank the people that have supported me; I’m very grateful for your business.” photo by Jon Stinnett Earnest said she’s personally called Sheilagh Earnest closed up her restaurant off several of her “regulars” to let them Highway 99 at the beginning of March. know about her closing. he Cottage Grove City Council found itself gath- ered at an unusual time of day for the recent award of a bid to relocate a city water line. The Council met at noon on Monday to award the $39,003 bid to H&J Construction for the relocation of a line that runs under Row River Road from the City’s water treatment plant to Schwarz Park. The need to move the line stems from an upcoming project spear- headed by Lane County’s planning department to build an undercrossing of the popular Row River Trail that will take the trail under Row River Road. The County partnered with the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the trail, to seek solutions to the danger at the intersection of the road and trail, the site of two recent cyclist fatalities. City Manager Richard Meyers said Monday that the water line is buried about four feet deep in the County’s right-of-way and would be in the way when the County began construction of the culvert that will eventually house the undercrossing. The water line will be moved around the crossing about 25 feet away and will then be buried at an 18-foot depth, a depth Meyers said is too great for city crews to handle themselves. Meyers said the City was notifi ed of a short timeline to move its water line due to the timeline of the under- crossing construction. The line must be moved by the end of April, Meyers said, though he added that offi - cials with H&J said the job shouldn’t take more than a week. A short closure of the Row River Trail may be necessary, and the Sentinel will work to update readers regarding any potential closure. The County is hoping to have the undercrossing at Milepost 4.0 of Row River Road constructed by the end of the summer. Its transportation supervisor, Lydia McKinney, said the project has been in the design phas- es throughout the winter and is very close to going out for a bid. McKinney said the “stars aligned” to get the under- crossing approved and built on a short timeline and that she’s excited for construction to begin. “We were able to secure federal funding through a partnership with the BLM and were able to partner with the City of Cottage Grove and local citizens to fi nd solu- tions that everyone seemed to like,” she said. The proj- ect is expected to cost $1 million. McKinney said the County hopes to build the under- crossing at the end of this summer, adding that it aims to keep Row River Road open, though fl aggers at the intersection may be necessary. A closure of the trail may also be required. Rain Country Realty Inc. W NE 1908 E. Whiteaker Log Cabin on nearly an acre of lawns, gardens and flowers. County says it’s 4 bedrooms and one bath. Will not lasst long even with I-5 in the back yard! U Q I UN E 29 acres with large manufactured home and 7.13 acres of which is rural industrial. High Visibility property with 3 tax lots. 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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 $399,900 $154,900 5DLQ&RXQWU\5HDOW\FRP Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 81510 Sears Rd. +Z\ WEATHER CONTENTS HIGH LOW 54 33 Thunderstorms Licensed in the State of Oregon Calendar......................................... 9B Channel Guide ............................... 3B Classified ads................................. 5B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 75 CENTS