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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 6, 2015 T REES BOND COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Continued from page 3A have recently removed their trees. They cited extensive dam- age to the sidewalks surround- ing the trees, in addition to dam- age to the foundations of their buildings, as their reasons for removal. Ferguson said the City was aware that Solesbee wanted to remove the tree in front of the bank but was asked to wait until the MSRP could be completed. Solesbee said he he's wanted to take the tree out for two years but was asked to wait, adding that seeing Rosenthal take her tree down helped convince him not to wait any longer. “I think a number of them have been waiting for the out- come of the plan, and a number of others have already expressed interest,” Ferguson said. The fate of the trees colored public input into the Refi ne- ment Plan almost from the start and helped galvanize efforts against its approval. The origi- nal draft of the plan did not in- clude trees, but a change was made to stipulate that the trees should be removed in order of need and replaced over time. The plan was approved by the City Council last month, but a group of petitioners is currently seeking to gather signatures to place the plan before voters in a September election. They have until May 13 to gather a total of 478 signatures. Several downtown business owners will have little trouble acquiring approval to remove a tree, according to City Manager Richard Meyers, who explained that an arborist’s report sought out to develop the Refi nement Plan indicated that about 20 of the 40-plus trees needed to come out. The City says those property owners need only write a letter requesting approval to remove their tree. Meyers said Solesbee was the fi rst owner to request such approval months ago and only received it recently, stating that the City needed the extra time to to hammer out the terms of what the property owner would agree to do after the tree came down. The City will place wine bar- rels over the stumps of the trees, Meyers said. Rosenthal did not submit a letter requesting approval, Mey- ers said, and she has reportedly been cited into municipal court on charges stemming from the improper removal of her tree. Under city codes, business owners are responsible for the trees and sidewalks front- ing their businesses, which has irked some downtown business owners. On Monday, Schweitzer called the trees a “complete safety hazard,” stating that it has already cost extensive repairs to the roof on the adjacent building and caused several people to trip on cracked sidewalks. “The City is supposed to be helping downtown business owners, but it’s all been a hin- drance,” Schweitzer said. Meyers, though, bristled at the suggestion that business owners downtown shouldn’t be held re- sponsible for tree and sidewalk maintenance. “The ordinance doesn’t dif- ferentiate between commercial and residential,” he said. “Resi- dential owners are responsible for their sidewalks and trees in the planting strip, so why do downtown business owners think their responsibility ends at the end of their building?” South Lane County Fire & Rescue is looking for interested Fire District residents to serve on a Capital Equipment Bond Committee. Committee members will work with Fire District staff in analyzing Fire District needs, then prepare a recommendation to the Fire Board. Anyone interested should submit a letter of interest that includes a brief description of their background and why they believe they should be appointed to the Bond Committee. Letters of interest must be at the district offi ce at 233 E. Harrison in Cottage Grove no later than 5:00 pm May29th, 2015. BOND COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Senior Day May 11th Save an Extra 10% OFF UP TO 25% OFF KENMORE APPLIANCES UP TO 10% OFF OTHER APPLIANCE BRANDS F ORUM Continued from page 1A Krista Parent —who was present at the forum. “The relationship needs to be collaborative and cordial, but board members should not rely on the district and the superin- tendent as their only sources of information,” said Gary Mort, a longtime educator at Lane Com- munity College. “I feel that the school board has a responsibil- ity to the public fi rst and that relationship has broken down in recent years.” Candidates were asked for their opinions on the prospec- tive bond levy to replace Har- rison Elementary and address a yet-specifi ed list of other issues in the District. Jerry Settelmeyer, a retired South Lane teacher and admin- istrator who is competing with Ben Price and Nevin Beckes for PLUS GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF ALL APPLIANCES an open position, praised the dis- trict for its foresight of forming the bond advisory committee, even if the process was started a few years late. He offered his support for the bond, saying that problematic facilities make it all the more diffi cult for teachers to educate their students. One of the items that could be included on the bond levy is a renovation or replacement of the pool. The infrastructure of the facility is failing but it re- mains to be seen if the district can support day-to-day opera- tions without a long-term part- nership with the city. Tammy Hodgkinson, a former kindergarten teacher who is run- ning unopposed for reelection, reminded those in attendance that no South Lane student has drowned since the district intro- duced swimming lessons, and keeping the pool open is criti- cal to the board’s motto of ‘kids come fi rst.’ The school board became the target of intense scrutiny last year when it implemented a mandatory drug testing policy for student-athletes. Many who opposed the policy felt that the school board acted too swiftly and didn’t solicit enough feed- back from the community. Dur- ing her response to a question on this process, Martin acknowl- edged that the School Board could have gone about it differ- ently but added that its members are elected to make tough deci- sions, and she has no doubts that the policy was made in the best interests of district students. While there wasn’t a rebuttal element of the forum, Mort and Appeloff said that the policy lacked support of research, and Price expressed his frustration that an issue centered on athlet- into rewriting the TSP. Since the TSP was originally developed, the Urban Growth Boundary has also been ex- panded to the southwest to in- clude approximately 241 acres of primarily industrial and com- mercial lands on both sides of Highway 99, near the southerly interchange with Interstate 5. These identifi ed growth areas will be incorporated into travel- demand forecasts. According to the City, the TSP has become outdated in other key areas such as bike and pedestrian safety. The updated TSP will also refl ect new or amended federal, state and local, plans, policies and regulations. Ferguson expects there will be another open house held in late June; however, it has not yet been scheduled. She anticipates that public hearings will start sometime between late October and late November, with a goal for adoption by next spring. “We are still in the early beginnings of public involve- ment,” she said. “The document is constantly being updated, and we encourage all feedback, even if your thoughts are refl ected in the plan; it lets us know we’re on the right track.” Ferguson added that she has heard many concerns about maintenance of current infra- structure; however, she stressed that the TSP is about addressing gaps in the current system and draws from a separate pool of funding. Those seeking more infor- mation on the Cottage Grove Transportation Plan may visit cottagegrovetsp.org rine. Its identity remains a mys- tery to this day. We’ll talk about the other three Oregonians involved in the Doolittle raid in next week’s column. Oregonian archives, 1942; doo- littleraider.com; “Doolittle Raid Fact Sheet,” National Museum of the Air Force, 4-17-2015; Cain, Allan. “Pendleton Field,” Oregon History Project, ohs. org, 2005.) ics, rather than education, at- tracted so much attention. Another controversial topic in education, though certainly not exclusive to South Lane, is the Smarter Balanced assessments, which test student competency in the Common Core standards. Beckes, an employee of Wey- erhaeuser, said that he is con- cerned that the tests have been so negatively received, pointing to a rash of student opt-outs across the state, but he also believes that the School Board should let the process play out. Darin Hemenway, who is running for position seven, was not present, and Tony Appel- off withdrew from the election prior to the forum. Appeloff said that he and Mort, both running for position seven, share similar views and that it would be coun- ter-productive to run against each other. OR 12 months special fi nancing over $499 w/Sears Card OR Free Delivery over $499 w/Sears Card Almost Everything Storewide Save 20% Power Lawn & Garden Equipment* Sale Valid May 10 thru May 12th P LAN Continued from page 1A including improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes. The other key areas of the plan include Row River Road be- tween the I-5 northbound ramps and the Currin Connector, and Main Street between Highway 99 and Gateway Boulevard. Ferguson said that one of the challenges to creating this plan is predicting the amount of available funds over the next 20 years. The current TSP was adopted in 2008, and since that time sev- eral studies and plans have been completed including the Cot- tage Grove Development Code, the 2037 Vision and Action Plan and the Economic Opportuni- ties Analysis. The updated plans and land uses will be factored O FFBEAT Continued from page 7A service; he was commissioned a second lieutenant a year later in 1940. After the raid, Holstrom stayed in the China theater, command- ing the 11th bomb squadron. Af- ter the war, he was assigned to Strategic Air Command, where he fl ew every multi-engine jet bomber the SAC deployed: B- 45s, B-47s, B-52s and B-58s. He also commanded the 43rd Bomb Wing, the fi rst supersonic bombardment group, before his retirement in 1969. Holstrom died in 2000, one of the most decorated alumni in Oregon State University history. His awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, two Dis- tinguished Flying Crosses, fi ve Air Medals and two Commen- dation Medals. And on one of those Air Med- als hangs an interesting tale. Holstrom is the pilot who, while stationed in Pendleton, bombed a target that may have been a Japanese submarine off the mouth of the Columbia River on Christmas Eve, 1941. According to the recommendation for the air medal, Holstrom came unex- pectedly across a surfaced sub- marine while fl ying low over the water. Ordering his bombardier to get ready, he fl ew a low-level run over the sub, and the bom- bardier dropped three bombs on it. The resulting explosion oblit- erated the submarine and nearly knocked Holstrom’s B-25 out of the sky. However, according to his- torian Bert Webber, Imperial Japanese Navy records after the war say nothing of this subma- (Sources: Portland Morning Introducing StoveTec’s exciting new Firefl y Lantern, a dual biomass-burning cookstove/lantern! Designed with rugged stainless steel, the FireFly is a collapsible and portable device perfect for the summer. Now you can cook and provide light at night with this clean burning and effi cient new technology developed by Aprovecho Research Center right here in Cottage Grove! StoveTec’s SUMMER STOVE SALE! From now until July 31st, save $10 on all StoveTec stoves including the new FireFly Lantern, and just for our local supporters, save an -additional- $10 by visiting us and making your purchase at our storefront located at 76132 Blue Mountain School Rd. 9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday To learn more or purchase online with free shipping, visit our website at StoveTecStore.net 541.942.6472 - managerstovetec@gmail.com Shady Oaks Plants & Produce Girls Just Want to Have Fun! Giggles – Grins – Fine Wine – Food – Friends CHICK’S NIGHT OUT Friday May, 8th 5:30-Dark Get out of your coop and come “Free Range” Dinner served from 6:00-7 with shopping and live music By the Fret Boys We have a fun filled evening lined up just for the girls. Husbands are more than welcome. Enjoy some pampering, relax to music, have dinner in the garden and indulge in a bottle of wine from Saginaw Vineyards while lounging among the lovely flowers and plants. Then shop for Mother’s Day with a wide array of vendors to top off the evening We have many vendors who have arranged to stop by. We will offer Door Prizes. (Must be present to win) Dinner will be served in the garden under the Shady Oaks. Dinner - pasta with a variety of sauces, salad and a dinner roll. Beverages: Tea, lemonade and coffee. Cost will be $12.00 including your beverage. Scruptious desserts will also be available to purchase separately. Hope to See You here.