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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 15, 2015 Chatterbox Survey details response to potential school bond The BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel It must be spring fever! BY BETTY KAISER For the Sentinel O n these glorious, sunshiny days, I do not like to be inside, tied to my desk and a keyboard! Outside there is real work to be done: moss to be scrubbed off planters and walkways; weeds to be pulled; bushes to be shaped; roses to be uncovered and winter’s damage to be repaired. And of course, roads to be traveled. In springtime, if it’s a sunny day outside, then I’m a gloomy inside person. So now that I’ve got that out of my system, here comes another confession—I’m not get- ting much done inside either. I’m sitting here looking at the blank computer screen with a road trip brain, dreaming about new places to explore. One of the many things that I love about Oregon is that it is such a compact state. In our RV days we traveled to just about ev- ery nook and cranny possible in the PNW. Now, for the fi rst time in 35 years, we are touring by car, bus or train and there aren’t many places we haven’t been. Where to go next? That is always the question. The answer usually arrives when the monthly edition of Travel Oregon ar- rives in my inbox. They have great sugges- tions for cities and regions to visit, places to stay, things to see and do in places large and small. Last month their visitor information concentrated on the “Seven Wonders of Oregon.” In no particular order, they are: Crater Lake, the Wallowa Mountains, Painted Hills, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood and the Oregon Coast. I was able to check off fi ve of those areas as well explored. We had been near the Painted Hills but were unable to stop on our way to Baker City. Baker City is worth the long drive just to visit the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. There, the story of the Oregon Trail comes alive before your eyes. The 23,000 square foot facility is more than a museum or monument. The story of tens of thousands of men, women and children who walked for 2,000 miles comes alive through life-size exhibits, in- terpretive trails, special events and Oregon Trail ruts. The living history performances bring life to the trail experience. I even bonded with one of the oxen over its long eyelashes! Having been-there-done-that, its time to visit the Wallowas and the Painted Hills. Both destinations make me a little appre- hensive. First, I’m not fond of deserts— high or low. We took a trip one year from our home in Ventura (on the California coast) to Death Valley—the lowest, driest and hottest area in North America. Not our favorite trip. It was, however, one of the last Califor- nia National Parks to check off our list. We had to go. The valley is known for its iso- lation, sizzling temperatures and lack of rain. But it was only May. How hot could it possibly be? Well, we would soon fi nd out. This was the early 1980s. Information was limited. There were no computers or cell phones. Word-of-mouth, maps and encyclopedias were our guides. As I recall, we drove into the town of Ridgecrest at dusk. We had plenty of wa- ter and snacks in our ’81 Oldsmobile but only about a quarter-tank of gas. Our maps indicated Death Valley was just down the hill. We decided to head down and fi ll up in the valley. I can still see the long, winding, iso- lated road to nowhere that greeted us. We promptly turned around, fi lled up the gas tank and ate a hamburger (our last meal!) at the only café in town. Down, down, down we went. There was no traffi c. We were the only car on the road. It was almost dark and we had a sinking feeling wondering if the road would lead to civilization and a comfy, air-conditioned motel. We gratefully arrived about 9 p.m. and the heat was tolerable. The next morn- ing we woke up to brilliant sunshine and (gulp) 100-degree heat. By the time we had breakfast and headed out on a tour bus to Scotty’s Castle, the temperature had climbed to about 117° F. Scotty’s Castle was 53 miles from the Furnace Creek Resort where we were stay- ing. The castle and grounds are famous for opulence in the middle of nowhere. In the early 1900s, Albert Johnson grubstaked a gold mining expedition for Walter Scott (Scotty). The gold never panned out, but Scotty convinced everyone that he had money from secret mines in the area and built a castle. Actually, Johnson and his wife built the spectacular $2 million home as a vacation getaway. The National Park Service now owns it. Today Death Valley State Park is quite the destination spot. The Furnace Creek Inn has luxury lodging as high as $370 per night. Its amenities are endless and of course, include swimming pools. A nearby mini-town built by the Pacifi c Coast Borax Company today features another hotel and the Amargosa Opera House. Things are a wee bit different than during our visit. Now, back to Oregon’s desert hot spots. The stunning Wallowas Mountains are said to be one of Oregon’s most beauti- ful secrets and a multi-day adventure. Pictures of the Painted Hills are spectacu- lar. The colors shift and change with the difference of light and the seasons. Wild fl owers fl ourish at this time of year. Both destinations sound wonderful. But they’re still far away in a hot, desolate setting. To go or not to go? That is the question. But the road is calling... T he South Lane School District bond-advisory committee is expected to pres- ent its formal recommendation at the May 4 school board meet- ing. Based on conversations thus far, it seems likely that the committee will endorse a gen- eral obligation bond to replace Harrison School. Last week, the group indicated strong sup- port for a 25-year, $29.8 million bond as opposed to a 20-year, $23.2 million levy. Helping guide many of these discussions has been the School District’s bond survey, a six-part questionnaire completed by 485 respondents. Of those respondents: The most represented groups were elementary-school parents and school-district employees. Fifty-seven-percent were be- tween the ages of 30 and 49. Over 88 percent said they would support issuing a general obligation bond to build a new Harrison School, if there were no increase to the high school bond tax levy rate; 55-percent said they would support more facility upgrades by increasing the high school bond tax levy rate. In addition to replacing Har- rison School, the most highly prioritized projects included adding classroom space to fa- cilitate full-day kindergarten; safety and security upgrades at all schools in the district and Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about peo- ple, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com B OND Continued from page 1A desire held by many to up- grade the District’s theater, as evidenced by a recent survey. Architect David McClean, himself a member of the com- mittee, told the group that he’d compiled a rough $5.5 million estimate for a new theater, and it was eventually agreed that sig- nifi cant upgrades such as a new sound booth and lighting could greatly improve the current the- ater’s function. Local business owner Tim Schweitzer represented a voice of skepticism the committee. Schweitzer pointed out Wednes- day that, as the owner of four taxable properties in Cottage Grove, he is not excited about the prospect of paying more property taxes through a pro- spective bond. He inquired about remodeling Harrison as opposed to building a new school. Superintendent Krista Parent responded that the footprint of the current Harrison Elementary is not big enough to expand the school in ways such as building a gymnasium that doesn’t have to double as a cafeteria. She said the footprint also doesn’t include enough space for park- ing and that there would be no- where to house nearly 500 stu- dents while the renovations took place. McClean added that the seismic upgrades necessary to expand Harrison to two stories would also be cost prohibitive. The committee elected a small group that will work to craft an offi cial recommendation for the South Lane School Board. They plan to present their recom- mendation at the Board’s May 4 meeting. Container Planting Workshop Sunday, April 19 th 1-3pm E R O T R E S NOW OPEN EVERY W EDNESDAY AND F RIDAY FROM 10 AM -4 PM Douglas G. Maddess, DMD FAMILY AND GENERAL DENTISTRY Brightening Lives One Smile at a Time We need volunteers for the ReStore ~ a few hours each month! Will you help? #OMPREHENSIVE &AMILY $ENTISTRY .OW /FFERING $IGITAL 82AYS &INANCING /PTIONS !VAILABLE DAN’S PLANTS network upgrades for technol- ogy throughout the district. Respondents also recom- mended other projects that were not listed, including an audi- torium for the high school and renovations to Lincoln. The bond committee has since taken these under consideration. The informal survey was available on the school district’s website for about a month this past winter and was promoted through email and social media. School District spokesperson Garrett Bridgens, who helped develop the survey along with members of the committee, said that he was very pleased with the rate of response, especially given the lack of formal adver- tising. “One of the goals we’ve had for this process was to create a community conversation about what we want to do,” he said. “The questionnaire was meant to be an initial survey of the community that would help guide some of the decisions of the bond committee. And I think it accomplished that goal.” Depending on what transpires at the May 4 meeting, Bridgens expects that a more scientifi c polling of the community would take place before the bond mea- sure is placed on a ballot. If the school board accepts a recommendation to move forward with a bond levy, the school district would likely seek to form planning and voting committees before summer be- gins, Bridgens said. 7ELCOMING .EW 0ATIENTS #ALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT TODAY $15 (includes container with Habitat Offi ce and Warehouse 2155 Getty Circle ~ Unit #1 in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park South on Hwy 99 past the High School I ONS T A N O D S AL W AY ! ME WELCO Call 541.767.0358 for more information Email info@habitatcg.org plants of your choice) Door Prizes ~ Other Vendors Drawings every 30 minutes DAN’S PLANTS 82243 Davisson Rd. Creswell 541-953-3661 3OUTH TH 3T s #' s See our new website: douglasgmaddessdmd.com Cottage Grove Board of REALTORS® Joe Ward, Broker Territorial Land Company, REALTORS R %AST -AIN 3TREET #OTTAGE 'ROVE s 75426 WILLIAMS CREEK LOOP, COTTAGE GROVE Êx{££ÓäÎ{ÊUÊ" Ê*" É8Êx{£{ÓÎxn joewardproperties@gmail.com www.joewardrealestate.com A1-REALITY JOHN & LUCETTE REAKSECKER Real Estate Brokerage & Property Management “We Sell Real Estate” FOR RENT (541) 683-6241 541-221-4004 cell www.a1-reality.com (Member Lane County Realtors Million Dollar Club) REAL ESTATE SPRING IS HERE DUPLEXES FOR RENT- BENJAMIN AVE. All units are 3 bedroom, 2bath, 1100+/- sq. ft., 1 & 2 car garage units. Oak cabinets, w/w carpet, most have skylights/back covered patio. Lawn maintenance provided. Rents are $855/mo 1 car and $875/mo 2 car $895/mo for corner units. Standard $1,000 deposit with decent credit and good references. No smoking, some take pets (under 18#’s) with extra $1,000 added to deposit. DOUG PERKEY, Broker ppp'm^kkbmhkbZeeZg]'\hf LAKEVIEW RANCHETTE: 15.68 ac. w/fenced pastures, timber, organic garden, orchard, berries and more. 4 bd, 2 ba, 2800 sq. ft. updated tri-level w/stunning views of CG Lake and Williams Lagoon. Large barn, shop, greenhouse, machine shed, RV pad, springs and more. $565,000. NEED A Horsey place west of Cottage Grove A house for the people would be nice too! Up to about $325,000. WANTED: Private little place in Creswell area up to about $225,000 We Appreciate our Affi liates Commonwealth Financial Network Cottage Grove Sentinel Cynergy Pest Control Eagle Home Mortgage ENG Lending Evergreen Land Title Escrow First American Title & Escrow First American Home Warranty Siuslaw Mortgage State Farm Insurance Umpqua Bank PayneWest Insurance White Water Well Drilling & Pump Service Williams & Mathis Accounting Service
