4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 13, 2015
O PINION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CG has a plan
Mike Ritter
Cottage Grove
To plan or not to plan, that is
the question.
Changing the words of Shake-
speare’s Hamlet seems appro-
priate when discussing the Main
Street Refi nement Plan and
current petition for a referen-
dum/vote. The City of Cottage
Grove has a plan; though some
may dislike parts of the plan, it
is still a plan.
Certainly no one can say
that the City did not follow due
process in developing the plan.
The City should be commended
for the substantial process pro-
vided over the last 18 months.
Multiple opportunities for the
community of Cottage Grove
to be heard allowed for fair and
informed decision-making by
City Offi cials.
A “plan” is a detailed pro-
posal for doing, achieving, ac-
complishing, building or im-
proving something. Plans can
change; they allow for unfore-
seen circumstances or change in
direction and can be amended.
Fortunately, the Main Street Re-
fi nement Plan is such, and the
absence of a well-thought out
plan can have adverse conse-
quences.
Hamlet is thinking about life
and acknowledges that, though
it’s sometimes diffi cult, the al-
ternative is worse. The City of
Cottage Grove has a good plan.
Are there risks and uncertain-
ties, yes, but the far greater issue
is to not have a plan at all. The
petition for the referendum is
looking to vote against the plan,
thus leaving NO PLAN. This is
why the Board of Directors for
the Cottage Grove Community
Development Corporation sup-
ports the Main Street Refi ne-
ment Plan as adopted.
Cottage Grove Community
Development Board of Direc-
tors
Let’s go
Where do I sign up to volun-
teer to help with the construc-
tion on Main Street? I would
love to help where I can. I’m
just a phone call away. Red-
mond, Oregon did a wonderful
job on their Main Street last
year. It’s super nice. Of course
that is Central Oregon. They
love to make their city beauti-
ful. It looks like my town of 58
years is becoming like that city
of Eugene to the north. Liberal
whack-jobs. I could use the fi re-
wood from the trees. Let the
work begin now. One more mat-
ter. Do not go by any of the so-
called gun laws made recently.
It’s against your constitution.
Extremely
expensive
It has come to our attention
that an editorial in the Cot-
tage Grove Sentinel on April
29, made an important point:
“Know the cost before you sign
the petition” — that a special
election to stop the “Main Street
Refi nement Plan” could be
“EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE”,
possibly costing up to $10,000.
When this plan was proposed
by the planners, from Portland,
it had an estimated cost of $8 to
9 million. From a business point
it is still unclear as to the return
on this investment. This sounds
EXTRA EXTREMELY EX-
PENSIVE!
Other large expenses would
be the negative impact on busi-
nesses. When they tear out the
sidewalks in front of the build-
ing to narrow the streets, this
will disrupt the traffi c into these
businesses. And the ultimately
result is a dangerous and less
user friendly parking situation.
And what about the potential
damage to the buildings when
the sidewalks are all torn up to
their foundations?
There is a solution to spend-
ing $10,000, on a special elec-
tion and/or $9,000,000+ on this
fl awed plan. The city counsel
could meet and reject the plan.
Then walk several blocks and
talk to the businesses owners.
With this information, they
could hopefully come up with a
plan that has an obvious return
on investment.
If they will not walk the walk
of representation: Let us demon-
strate that democracy still works
here in America.
Ron Davis, The Rosebud
Cottage Grove
Be your best —
without nicotine
We are working to foster a
healthier community, and we
want to thank the Cottage Grove
City Council for its recent pas-
sage of the ordinance to restrict
e-cigarette sales to minors and
ban the use of e-cigarettes where
smoking is not allowed. We sup-
port passing measures such as
this that protect our youth from
nicotine addiction.
Tom Wheeler and Beth Pool
On behalf of the Be Your
Best, Cottage Grove steering
committee
We support the
plan
I’ve been asked by the EBID
(Economic Business Improve-
ment District) board to address
the current issue of the circulat-
ing referendum petition for our
Main Street Refi nement Plan.
Our earlier public testimony
zeroed in on the proposed rec-
ommendations for All-America
City Square, which was built
under the voluntary auspices and
fi nances of EBID, local property
and/or business owners.
I recognize that everyone who
cares about this plan for the
heart of our community, wheth-
er they live within or outside the
city boundary, only want what’s
best for our town. Obviously,
perceptions matter, and this has
resulted in two sides dividing
over a downtown controversy
that most everyone agrees needs
attention. Our Board has gone
on record in supporting the fi -
nal resolution as voted on by
the majority of our elected City
Council representatives. We un-
derstand that it is a plan, imper-
fect at best, but one that allows
us to move forward for more fu-
ture discussions because we all
know that change is inevitable.
In the end, I hope people will
appreciate the thought that if this
is our most diffi cult challenge,
we should be the envy of every
small town in America. Please
feel free to contact any of your
EBID representatives, which
are as follows: George Devine,
Karen Winters, Kevin Pillow,
Liz Kline, Juli Timperley, Sha-
ron Scarpelli, Danny Solesbee
and Brent Hoover. We, like
you, love our community.
Jim Gilroy
President Pro Tem
EBID
Kudos, CT
We have just seen the last
performance of the Cottage
Theatre’s production of “Les
Miserables” and wanted to pub-
licly congratulate the theatre’s
producers, actors, orchestra, and
volunteers for the extraordinary
job they have done. The play
was a smash hit with us — the
coordination of the hidden or-
chestra and with the actors on
stage seemed perfect, the action
and staging was great, and the
singing voices were very good.
Thanks to all involved for a very
special afternoon at the theatre.
We have enjoyed theatrical
productions from the big-city
theaters in Washington, D.C.,
Cleveland, southern California,
Eugene’s Hult and others, and
this small city community the-
ater ranks up with the be best.
Ruth and Lew Kazebee
Cottage Grove
Hemenway for
School Board
I am writing to endorse the re-
election of Darin Hemenway to
the South Lane School Board.
Darin has proven that he has
the ability to recognize the best
interest of our students and our
community. Being a life-long
resident of Cottage Grove, Da-
rin also understands the specifi c
needs of our school district and
is able to make tough decisions
when needed. You will fi nd that
Darin is considerate of others
and works well with all board
members, staff and community
members, making his role as
a board member a productive
one. Darin’s experience as a lo-
cal businessman and a graduate
of Cottage Grove High School
gives him the background need-
ed to help assure a stable direc-
tion for our School District.
Thank you for joining me in
supporting Darin Hemenway
for re-election to South Lane
School Board.
Bill Thompson
Retired Teacher, CGHS
Likes things as
they are
Well I think that it is foolish
that we would spend $9,000,000
on downtown. I happen to like
things as they are. Private prop-
erty owners have every right to
get rid of trees that are now caus-
ing major problems with their
buildings. I have nearly come to
a nasty “face plant” a few years
ago when in just a fraction of a
second was not paying attention
and my foot caught one of those
irregularities in the sidewalk on
Main Street. A little bruised and
scraped, but otherwise ok.
Yes, the crown on Main Street
is too high, and this road can be
re-profi led. Anyone who drives
knows this. If you have ever had
a passenger get in on the right
side of your vehicle and now the
right side door is stuck — well,
need I say more?
I have signed the petition to
put this scheme on the ballot for
September. I plan to vote against
it. Re-profi le Main Street and
put in better wheelchair acces-
sible crossings.
I think we can spend a good
deal less than $9,000,000 and
get an outcome that will work.
Charles Ames
Cottage Grove
Main Street board
supports plan
The Cottage Grove Main
Street Program Board of Direc-
tors supports the decision that
our elected City Councilors
made when they approved the
Main Street Refi nement Plan
and the points made against a
referendum by Chamber Execu-
tive Director Travis Palmer’s re-
cent letter to the editor.
The purpose of the Main
Street Program is to support
activities that enhance Historic
Main Street, so we are con-
cerned about the damaged side-
walks that are tripping hazards,
high curbs that cause damage
to car doors, building vacancies
and lack of ADA compliance
that the Main Street businesses,
suppliers, customers and visitors
deal with every day. The Main
Street Coordinator discussed
the refi nement plan with sev-
eral, if not all of the downtown
businesses during the planning
process to educate, encourage
participation in the process and
advocate on their behalf. While
there were strong opinions on
certain portions of the plan, she
heard agreement that the streets
and sidewalks needed to be
fi xed.
Granted, these are only part
of the improvements proposed
in the refi nement plan, yet the
Main Street Board believes that
the public process did its job of
providing ample opportunity
for the community of Cottage
Grove, business and property
owners and subject experts to
research the issues and voice
their opinions throughout the
planning process. Credit should
be given to City staff, the Plan-
ning Commission and the City
Council for making changes to
the plan that refl ected public in-
put prior to adopting the plan.
That is true public process at
work, and we hope that public
dollars will be spent on the re-
fi nement project instead of a
referendum to give us a vibrant
heart for our community — a
refi ned Main Street.
Shauna Neigh
on behalf of the Cottage
Grove Main Street Program
Board of Directors
Expensive and
unnecessary
Looking through my ballot I
received in the mail recently, I
didn't see a measure regarding
the $9 million facelift being pro-
posed for downtown Main Street
in Cottage Grove. Without any
public vote, the city is planning
on widening the sidewalks on
both sides of Main Street, from
Highway 99 to River Road.
Aside from the unnecessary
and expensive construction
costs this will incur, my main
concern is the back-channeling
of this proposal. Something that
affects all residents of Cottage
Grove needs to be voted on by
all residents of Cottage Grove.
At least 80 percent of business
owners along that stretch of
Main Street (who would lose a
lot of revenue from a lengthy
construction project) are not in
favor of this proposal. A public
vote is needed.
Another concern is how the
widening of the sidewalks would
affect the safety of pedestrians
and bicyclists who frequent the
downtown blocks. The current
width of Main Street in the af-
fected blocks is barely wide
enough for two lanes of traf-
fi c and curbside parking. If the
street is narrowed, that area will
shrink dramatically. Bicyclists
will be put in much greater dan-
ger of being hit by motorists or
by car doors being opened. Any
bicyclist who is injured as a re-
sult of this proposal will have an
excellent case to sue the City,
costing us even more money.
It will also be much harder for
vehicles to see pedestrians step-
ping into the crosswalks, since
cars parked along the curb will
reduce the visibility of pedes-
trians until they're practically
in the street. The idea that nar-
rowing the street will cause ve-
hicles to slow down is absurd:
that stretch of Main Street is
peppered with traffi c lights and
crosswalks; I've never seen any-
one speeding through it. Nar-
rowing the street is unnecessary
and potentially fatal.
Finally, the removal of all the
trees along that stretch of Main
Street (allegedly due to the
possibility of tree roots doing
damage to the sidewalks) will
not only make our All America
City extremely ugly, it will also
remove much-needed shady ar-
eas of Main Street. Those shady
areas are vital to anyone who
attends the numerous annual
outdoor events that bring lots
of people downtown in the hot
summer months. A public vote
is needed.
Let's not let a few special
interests push their expensive
agenda through the back chan-
nels of the City Council. If you
love the look and feel of historic
downtown Cottage Grove, and
do not want your tax dollars
wasted, please make your voice
heard and either put this issue to
a vote or put it to sleep.
Matt Emrich
Cottage Grove
How are diabetes and cancer connected?
BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD
For the Sentinel
O
ver 29 million people in
the United States have
type 2 diabetes. The danger-
ously high prevalence of over-
weight and obesity is at the
heart of this problem. Diabetes
is the seventh leading cause of
death in the United States, is
the leading cause of blindness
and kidney failure in adults, and
doubles the risk of heart attack
and stroke.
Diabetes also increases the
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
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risk of sev-
eral
can-
cers. In a
number
of studies,
diabetic
patients
have been
shown to
have an el-
evated risk of colorectal cancer
and non-diabetics with elevated
postprandial glucose levels also
have a higher risk of colorectal
cancer than individuals with nor-
mal glucose tolerance. A review
that analyzed data from several
studies found that diabetic pa-
tients are 30 percent more likely
to develop colorectal cancer, 20
percent more likely to develop
breast cancer, and 82 percent
more likely to develop pancre-
atic cancer.
How could diabetes infl uence
the development of cancer? The
high blood glucose levels and
the resultant elevated insulin
response associated with type 2
diabetes, affect all tissues of the
body. It has been hypothesized
that diets high in sugars and
white fl our increase the risk of
cancers because of their impact
on these factors, particularly el-
evated insulin.
Scientists think that insulin
therapy and elevated insulin lev-
els contribute to the association
between diabetes and colorectal
cancer. Insulin in high concen-
trations may bind to the receptor
for a growth factor called insu-
lin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
— this interaction has the po-
tential to promote the growth
and division of cancer cells.
Cancerous cells also often have
elevated levels of insulin recep-
tors, and when insulin binds
these receptors it has growth-
promoting effects.
There is much evidence sup-
porting the possibility that
chronic exposure to diets rich
in refi ned carbohydrates may
act directly to promote cancer
development. Foods with a high
glycemic load (such as sugar
and white fl our products) pro-
duce dangerous spikes in blood
glucose, consequently resulting
in high insulin production. Di-
ets including large quantities of
high GL foods increase the risk
of several chronic diseases, in-
cluding cancers.8 For example,
a meta-analysis of many studies
found a 26 percent increase in
colorectal cancer risk in people
who consumed the most high
glycemic load foods in their di-
ets.
I have observed in my medical
practice that a Nutritarian diet
combined with moderate exer-
cise can reverse type 2 diabetes
in 90 percent of patients, and
that an aggressive nutritional
approach is more effective and
much safer than conventional
drug-centered care. The best
diet for preventing or reversing
diabetes is also the best diet for
cancer protection. It is a diet
with a high nutrient per calorie
ratio — including lots of green
and non-starchy vegetables,
beans, raw nuts and seeds, and
some fresh fruit; limiting animal
products; and avoiding sweet-
eners, oils and white fl our. The
high levels of dietary micronu-
trients fuel cellular repair, re-
duce body fat and heal the body
from the inside out, resulting in
a dramatic reversal of heart dis-
ease, and diabetes, offering dra-
matic protection against cancer.
Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New
York Times best-selling author
and a family physician special-
izing in lifestyle and nutrition-
al medicine. Visit his website
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.
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