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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2015)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL July 29, 2015 Manager says undercrossing project is ahead of schedule Lake's lower, but it's still drawing visitors BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel Cottage Grove Lake is about 47 percent full following a dry winter and summer T BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T here’s plenty of action on the north side of Cottage Grove Reservoir this time of year, particularly on weekends, as swimmers, boaters and fi shermen ply the waters to cool off or land a lunker. Travel away from the dam, however, and it’s a different story — long, grassy stretches of bare land there are criss- crossed by incoming water that forms a stream through a dry fi eld. A dry, warm winter and spring have left Cottage Grove Lake and many local reservoirs with a lot less water than is typical this time of year. Christie Johnson of the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Cottage Grove and Dorena Reservoirs, said that the Corps plans to keep fl ows out of the dam at CG Reservoir the same, and with so little water coming into the lake, its levels are bound to fall lower than they photo by Jon Stinnett Dry land is plentiful on the back side of Cottage Grove Reservoir. already have. The Corps said that Cottage Grove Lake began the 2015 recreation season about seven feet below its maximum capacity. On Friday, the reservoir was about 47 percent full, which is about 16 feet below its maximum conservation pool. Johnson said the lake will likely continue to fall to about 25 feet lower than the typical depth for this time of year by Labor Day. The lack of water, though, apparently hasn’t done much to hamper recreation at the reservoir, which is still boasting full campgrounds and lots of day-use visitors. And it likely won’t curb much boating activity, either, as the Corps said the low- water boat ramp at Lakeside Park is us- able down to the lake’s lowest depths. “We still have lots of visitors, but we haven’t been overwhelmed by them,” Johnson said. Please see LAKE, Page 10A he construction of an un- dercrossing that will bring the popular Row River Trail under Row River Road is proceeding and is about a month ahead of sched- ule, the project’s manager said last week. Evan Koepford of Weitman Ex- cavation said that while a piece of the box culvert that will form the underground tunnel for the under- crossing broke in transit, delaying its installation by a week, the un- dercrossing is still scheduled to be completed by mid-August. The death of cyclist and former Cottage Grove High School coun- selor Michele Portmann at the in- tersection in a 2011 crash helped prompt Lane County and the Bu- reau of Land Management to ex- plore safety issues throughout the trail, and a federal grant funded the construction of the undercrossing. BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel O courtesy photo Kevin Peschel jokes around with nieces Aislynn and Irelynn Quatier. Peschel was killed in a motorcycle accident on Tuesday, July 21. hood, and he recently worked as a sound engineer at Sam Bond’s Garage and other Eugene venues. Peschel was killed on Tuesday, July 21 when his motorcycle collided with a dump truck near Dillard Road in Eugene, the Oregon State Police reported. Peschel was riding his Suzuki motorcycle when the truck turned into his path. He collided with the front corner of the truck and was seriously injured. Peschel succumbed to his injuries at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfi eld. Police say no citations have been issued and that the driver, 29-year old Adam Metteer of Springfi eld, is cooperating with an ongo- ing investigation. The crash was the sec- ond motorcycle fatality to affect Cottage Grove in a week — 32-year old Daniel Asquith was killed in an accident at the Gettings Creek rest area on Tuesday, July 14. Peschel is survived by his wife, Heidi, of Sacramento, Calif., his mother, Nan- cy, of Dorena, brothers Bill Baker, Dale Baker and Rhiney Allen Peschel of Cot- tage Grove, Dennis Peschel of Missoula, Mont., sisters Linda Basler of Hayden, ID, Patty Rivera of Yakima, Wash., Amber Quatier of Cottage Grove, Heather and her husband Jeff of Adelaide, Australia and several nieces and nephews. HISTORIC DOWNTOWN COTTAGE GROVE 4 TO 9 PM Koepford said that the major components of the undercrossing have been installed, and soil has been backfi lled around the box cul- vert. About a month of electrical work remains, he said, much of it to install an advanced illumination system at both milepost 4.0 and 5.4 of the trail. The “fl ashing beacon” system is designed to alert drivers to the presence of a pedestrian in the intersections with lights that fl ash in sequence the closer a trail user gets to the intersection, Koep- ford said. Paving at the site is expected to occur early next week, after which the detours around the project site will be removed. The following week will bring more electrical work and the paving of the trail as it approaches the crossings at Mile- post 4.0 and 5.4. “The completion date of the proj- ect is Sept. 30, so even with the de- lay, we’re still about a month ahead of schedule,” Koepford said. A week after festival, BMD board looks ahead Memorial pays tribute to motorcycle accident victim ver the weekend, friends and fam- ily paid tribute and said goodbye to a Dorena man killed last week when his motorcycle collided with a dump truck. Kevin Peschel grew up in Dorena and graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 1991. On Sunday, his loved ones gathered in Crow for a memorial service for a man that was described as selfl ess and always ready to lend a hand. “He was so tied to the community, such an incredible person,” said friend LaDon- na Hale. He was the most giving person you would ever meet. If you needed any- thing, he would stop what he was doing immediately to help out.” Peschel’s sister-in-law, Amber Quatier, said the 43-year old was especially kind to her children. “He was my kids’ everything,” she said. “He taught them how to ride a bike, how to do everything.” Quatier said Peschel was also well loved in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighbor- 3A BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A week after the dust settled on the 56th annual Bohemia Mining Days festival, the event’s board of directors met Thursday to assess BMD’s past and future. That future will include stronger language in its rulebook that aims to allow the festival to more closely control the merchandise sold dur- ing BMD, its board president, Eric Johnson, said last week. The controversy surrounding a vendor’s booth that sold numerous Confederate fl ags at last weekend’s festival prompted the board to in- clude a “family festival clause” that aims to specify what vendors can and cannot sell at future festivals, Johnson said, adding that vendors who choose not to comply with the new guideline will be asked to leave Bohemia Mining Days. The festival will also work to plot a new way forward after its coor- dinator, Nancy Glines, accepted a full-time position with St. Vincent De Paul shortly before this year’s event. Aside from a two-year run by Alan Payment, the festival has operated under a new coordinator each year since longtime coordina- tor Sharon Jean left the post after the 2009 festival, a 10-day extrava- ganza celebrating BMD’s 50th an- niversary and the anniversary of Oregon’s statehood. Johnson said the board has not yet named a new coordinator but said that the festival’s current pub- licity coordinator, Cindy Wheel- dreyer, has indicated her interest. The Bohemia Mining Days board may also be interested in a current grant-writing effort to fund an ex- ecutive director position that could oversee several of Cottage Grove’s regular and annual events, includ- ing BMD, the Concerts in the Park series, the Oregon Covered Bridge Festival and others. “Having someone involved in all of these events all year long might be the only feasible way,” Johnson said. “Having a part-time coordina- tor has led to continual burnout.” You Can Help Cottage Grove Kids! Celebrating in conjunction with the Mayor's Convention, this Friday, July 31st Art Walk has extended hours and additional historical activities will be going on throughout Main St. Peruse art, enjoy refreshments and live music. Free Event. ARTIST LISTING Apple Pie: Chris Doyle - Beautiful Unique Necklace and Earring Set; Sally Schwader - Landscape Oil Paintings In Front of Bohemia Rose/Buster's: Mike McIntosh - Extreme Metal Werx Delight: Open Big Stuff: Open for dinner Axe & Fiddle: Open for dinner, Live music Kalapuya Books:Candee Brennan - Ceramics and paintings Coast Fork Feed & Brewstation: Live music Analog Barbershop: Open Imagine It Framed: Danielle Brown Photography Timeless Treasures: Open The Crafty Mercantile: Fyona Rose - Whimsical Jewelry; Noelle Ervin - Vintage Buttons and Feathers Earrings and Hair Accessories Opal Center for Arts & Education: Movie, Animal House Victoriana's: Live music by Corwin Bolt & The Wingnuts Stacy's Covered Bridge: Open for dinner Bookmine : Basket Cases, Pine Needle Baskets; Eve Pierce, Au- thor; Kathy Kingsbury, Author; Tao Orion, Author In Front of Pandora's Box: Marilyn Wilber - Antt Farm Textiles Portrait Artist, James Hodson set up on Main St Volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate A rewarding, professional volunteer opportunity in 10-15 hours a month helping Cottage Grove foster children to stay safe and healthy. Cottage Grove training begins this fall, with applications due by August 11th. Visit www.casa-lane.org. A powerful voice for abused kids
