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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
Oil slick downtown — 3A Bond survey results — 6A Lions score a stunner! Baseball team hands Sisters its fi rst league loss in four years page 1B CT peaks with 'Les Mis'— 9A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 Council adopts Main Street plan Full-day K BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A Slew of adjustments precedes start of full-day kindergarten BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel P urchasing school sup- plies, meeting the new teacher, adapting to a new schedule — parents and area fi ve-year olds are already eye- ing the adjustments they’ll photo by Jon Stinnett need to make when a new group of kindergarteners ar- Mina Christianson teaches a blended kindergarten/fi rst-grade class at London El- rives at area schools next fall. ementary. Kindergarten students will spend their entire day at school next fall. And when the new students get limits. in order to utilize that room as to school, they’ll encounter a to consider.” Adding kindergarten for a “We’ve been out of room for a kindergarten classroom. The group of educators that is itself adjusting to a new format for full day means twice as many a while,” said Bohemia Prin- other classroom the school kindergarten teachers for most cipal Jackie Lester, who ex- must provide formerly housed their school day. Back in 2011, Oregon’s Sen- schools, in addition to more plained that a plan to repurpose three special education groups, ate Bill 248 mandated a full day help from educational assis- part of that school’s beloved which will also share space. “It doesn’t leave a closet un- of kindergarten for the state’s tants and the addition of cur- library has been scrapped due riculum materials and furni- to the backlash it generated. used,” Lester said. “It’s really students beginning with the ture for new teachers and their Lester pointed out that Bohe- tight; we still don’t know ex- 2015-16 school year, and while teachers and administrators students. First, though, comes mia is home to many programs actly what it will look like.” Nice said that Harrison El- with South Lane School Dis- the task of fi nding the space not housed at other district for classrooms to keep the schools such as instruction in ementary also needs to add a trict say they’ve been preparing District’s youngest students in English as a second language, full classroom and will utilize for some time for the changes A Primary Connection and a a room that currently houses its it entails and are excited about class all day. At Harrison and Bohemia behavior support class offered reading specialist and special the opportunities full-day kin- Elementary, the District’s larg- in conjunction with South education teacher, who will dergarten can offer, there are est elementary schools, adding Lane Mental Health. Bohe- move to the school’s current still changes to be made and questions to be answered be- full-day kindergarten means mia’s computer lab is also in music room. Harrison’s music the shuffl ing of other groups high demand for state testing teacher will also go mobile, fore the fi rst day of school. “It will be a great program,” and even the re-envisioning of and other needs, but Lester carrying what instruments and said Harrison Elementary Prin- spaces in buildings that have said the school has elected to Please see KINDER, Page 9A cipal Ali Nice, “but there’s a lot already reached their capacity try out a mobile computer lab Presentation honors local Rosie the Riveters BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel F or those who did not live through those times, it can be diffi cult to imagine the reality of a total worldwide war requiring the efforts of all of a nation’s citizens to ensure vic- tory. On Wednesday, April 8, a panel of four local ladies came to the Cottage Grove Communi- ty Center to share their stories of such times and the efforts each played in helping overcome the enemy during World War II. America’s Rosie the Riveters have since become a cultural icon, the symbol of the real-life women who entered the work- force or changed professions during the war to take positions vacated by men fi ghting over- seas. The term was coined in 1942 with a song by Redd Ev- ans and John Jacob Loeb that became a national hit, and the image of a woman in a red ban- dana operating a rivet gun is still recognizable to many today. But much like their male counterparts, the real-life Rosie the Riveters are advancing past the age of 90 and are passing away at alarming rates, accord- ing to Yvonne Fasold, herself a VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 42 photo by Jon Stinnett "It still fi ts!" — Rosie the Riveter Opal Nelson (left) and ARRA President Yvonne Fasold show off Nelson's Red Cross uniform. “Rosebud,” the descendant of a Rosie, who also serves as the President of the American Rosie the Riveters Association. Sisters Fasold and Corolene Corriea also spoke of their connection to the Rosies at last week’s presen- tation, organized by the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society, which found a nice crowd on hand to hear the stories of local Rosies. “Our two main ARRA goals are to honor the women and to preserve their legacy,” Fasold said. “To do that, we need to spread the word and involve younger generations. When we talk to schools, it becomes ‘liv- ing history.’” Fasold pointed out that many local Rosie the Riveters have passed away recently, mention- ing Betty Fisher and Maggie Porter with a catch in her voice. Fasold credited Opal Nelson, one of Cottage Grove’s most recognizable Rosies, with help- ing her decide to pursue the presidency of the national orga- nization. “Once I met this group, I knew I had to step up,” she said. There are about 15 Rosies that remain active in the Eugene chapter of AARA, Fasold said, and three of the four Rosies with Cottage Grove ties were on hand to share their stories Wednesday, minus Arlene Williams. Cottage Grove’s Alice Heiney is proud to be the oldest local Rosie at age 97, and Doris Graham and Nelson also shared their stories, in addition to Springfi eld’s Lor- ette Wedlake. Heiney brought along a car- tridge of the type she inspected during the war. She and others would inspect the weight and gauge of each bullet before placing it in a big hopper bound for another part of the Denver- based factory. Heiney said that all those working there were a patriotic bunch. She added that it was diffi cult during those times to obtain housing for working mothers. Please see ROSIES, Page 12A plan to remodel Main Street in downtown Cot- tage Grove that was developed over a year and a half and drew hours of impassioned testimony in the council chambers of City Hall was approved without a trace of fanfare at the City Council’s Monday, April 13 meeting. Over that time, the debate over many aspects of the Main Street Refi nement Plan drew large crowds and led the leaders of the Cottage Grove Planning Commission and City Coun- cil to extend public hearings so all who wished could add their opinion to the record. The MSRP also put a spotlight on the condition and eventual fate of the two rows of trees lining Main Street, which became a hot topic in public hearings and in the public sphere beyond. And yet on Monday night, the crowds were gone, and but a few of the stalwart participants in the plan’s public process remained to see the fi nal approval. Among its more notable im- pacts, the Main Street Refi ne- ment Plan calls for a narrowing of the width of travel lanes on Main Street from 16 to 12 ½ feet. It removes the pronounced crown or hump of Main Street itself and widens the sidewalks that line it; adds utilities outside and calls for the systematic re- placement of the street trees. The remodel the plan lays out carries a price tag of about $9 million, and it will be used by the City’s planning department as the basis for efforts to gar- ner grant funding to implement those changes. The Council fi rst voted 5-0 to adopt the plan on March 23 with two councilors absent. Council- or Jeff Gowing returned from a trip to New Zealand to provide the only ‘Nay’ vote Monday night. After the meeting, Gow- ing reiterated that he had spoken to about 20 downtown business owners and said the majority of them were not in favor of the Refi nement Plan. He talked again of Main Street as the main corridor between the east and west sides of Cottage Grove and how narrowing Main Street would hamper that corridor and said that he was sticking to his guns and maintaining his oppo- sition to the plan. Maintenance, security prioritized for bond BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel D eferred maintenance projects, safety and se- curity upgrades, the renovation of the Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center — a committee charged with exploring a local bond levy to replace Harrison Elementary School in Cottage Grove had an additional list of projects to consider with po- tential funds left after the con- struction of a new school, and on Wednesday, April 8, the committee agreed nearly unani- mously on fi ve items. Upgrades to South Lane School District’s security sys- tems and computer networks also made the list, and coming in fi fth was a hybrid of upgrad- ing some of the District’s ath- letic fi elds and the theater cur- rently in place in Cottage Grove High School’s cafetorium. The committee was formed early this year and charged with exploring the bond for a new Harrison, a 70-year old building tapped for replacement by dis- trict offi cials for some time. The District feels a recovering econ- omy and the upcoming expira- tion of the bond used to replace Cottage Grove High School may make the timing right for the passage of the bond, with the likely target of either the May or November of 2016 elec- tion to put the issue before local voters. Among the fi rst questions fac- ing the committee last week was whether to attempt a 20 or 25- year bond, with an overwhelm- ing majority of those present seeking the 25-year option. This time frame means that, after the estimated $21 million necessary to rebuild Harrison, the District would have some $8.8 million in bond money remaining. A list of fi ve deferred main- tenance projects that included replacing the roof at Lincoln Middle School and the heating and cooling system at Bohe- mia Elementary came in at an estimated cost of just over $2.5 million. Security upgrades in- cluding the addition of cameras throughout the District totaled $915,740, and network and computer upgrades are expected to cost about $1.5 million. Committee members seemed in agreement that something needed to be done about the aquatic center, with many ex- pressing their desire for a new pool but ultimately choosing the renovation option at an estimat- ed cost of almost $2.8 million. Members of the committee also liked several of the possi- bilities of a new recreation com- plex at the Cottage Grove High School site, which could include new turf fi elds, a fi tness center and other amenities. Many also sought to respond to a recent survey indicating a Rain Country Realty Inc. N EW 1131 Ash Ave. 1480 sq. ft home, with new carpet and roof. Has hardwood floor, large rooms and heat pump/ac. Fresh paint inside and lots of updating. Fenced back yard, G E! N O 5DLQ&RXQWU\5HDOW\FRP Pending in 3 days. With Interest rates still phenomenally low, let's see what you can buy! 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 60 35 Sunny Brokers Call one of us today! UDLQFRXQWU\UHDOW\#JPDLOFRP CONTACT US Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 1039 Ash Grove, Creswell $169,900 Please see BOND, Page 9A Calendar......................................... 9B Channel Guide ............................... 3B Classified ads................................. 5B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 75 CENTS
