COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 7, 2015
90by30 asset forum
draws a crowd
Illegal burn causes
fi re that threatens
area homes
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
fi re that threatened mul-
tiple homes west of Cot-
tage Grove on Tuesday, Sept. 29
is expected to bring a citation
for illegal burning, fi re offi cials
say.
Fire crews spent much of that
afternoon battling a grass and
structure fi re behind a home off
Veatch Road just west of Cot-
tage Grove, a blaze that is being
treated as an illegal burn, ac-
cording to South Lane County
Fire and Rescue Chief John
Wooten.
Wooten said fi refi ghters re-
sponded to the call at about 1
p.m. Tuesday and that crews
with the Goshen and Pleas-
ant Hill departments, in addi-
tion to the Oregon Department
of Forestry, quickly joined the
fi ght, which Wooten said almost
necessitated the evacuation of
about 10 structures in the imme-
diate area.
“It was looking like we were
going to have to evacuate the
whole area, but I think we’ve
got it now,” Wooten said as
fi refi ghters generously applied
water to an outbuilding and the
grass surrounding it.
“The call came in as an illegal
burn, but we haven’t fi nished in-
vestigating,” Wooten said, add-
ing that there is currently a ban
in place on open burning in this
area.
3A
A
photo by Jon Stinnett
A grass fi re off Veatch Road spread to a nearby prop-
erty and destroyed an outbuilding before it was brought
under control.
“It’s completely shut down,”
he said. “There’s no burning of
slash or anything like that al-
lowed. We’re still in fi re season
and will be until we get several
more inches of rain.”
“Today’s a perfect example
of what can happen if the ban
is violated,” Wooten said. “This
could have been another Stouts
Creek Fire. There are a lot of
houses in this area, and it’s not
a situation that’s conducive to
breaking the rules.”
bout 40 community
members joined repre-
sentatives from local agencies
and faith-based organizations
on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at a forum
designed to gather information
and ideas for how to aid the
development of Cottage Grove
youth.
The local 90 by 30 group,
which is working to reduce
child abuse 90 percent by the
year 2030 in Lane County, orga-
nized its Asset Mapping Forum
at the Cottage Grove Communi-
ty Center to “learn what is hap-
pening in and around Cottage
Grove and Creswell to support
children, parents and families,”
according to a recent release,
and once gathered, the survey of
local resources aims to “inform
the creation of a plan to prevent
child abuse and neglect in the
region.”
Cottage Grove Community
Services Director Pete Barrell,
a 90 by 30 representative, said
the forum offered an excel-
lent brainstorming session on
“what’s going on now to benefi t
kids and what’s still needed.”
“We’re going to put together
the information we’ve gathered
as a database and maybe put
out a survey to gather more in-
formation,” Barrell said. “The
event went even better than I
expected, with good diversity of
groups and individuals from the
community.”
The 90 by 30 effort will next
look forward to its annual con-
ference this spring, and other lo-
cal events are in the works.
“There’s a lot going on,” Bar-
rell said. “The challenge is in
getting the message out.”
Chamber's grant will fund wine-country brochure Council approves street
sweeper purchase,
A
accepts M Street
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
map that places Cot-
tage Grove at center
stage among the area’s winer-
ies has been on the wishlist of
the Chamber of Commerce for
some time, and it recently an-
nounced that funding from the
Oregon Wine Country Plates
Matching Grants Program will
make it possible.
The program, administered
by the Oregon Tourism Com-
mission, “helps advance wine
and culinary tourism projects
that improve local economies
and communities by enhanc-
ing, expanding and promoting
Oregon’s travel and tourism in-
dustry.” In the case of Cottage
Grove, Chamber of Commerce
Director Travis Palmer said the
$2500 in matching grant money
will fund the design, printing,
marketing and distribution of
a brochure that highlights the
community’s advantageous lo-
cation at the heart of the south-
ern Willamette and northern
Umpqua wine regions.
“We know that Cottage Grove
is better positioned for wine
tourism than a lot of people re-
alize,” Palmer said. “There are a
dozen or so wonderful wineries
within 30 to 35 miles, and we’ve
never done a really good job
promoting that fact.”
Palmer said maps of either
wine region only show Cottage
Grove on their outer edges.
“People always look at one
map or another and see us as
an outlier,” he said. “We’re at
the edge of both maps, but we
should be dead-center. Our map
will highlight Cottage Grove at
the center, and it should provide
a boost for our local wineries as
well.”
Adding to Cottage Grove’s vi-
ability for wine tourism, Palmer
believes, is the pairing between
wine tourism and activities of-
ten enjoyed by wine enthusiasts
such as cycling and visiting the
area’s covered bridges.
The awarded grant projects
will be completed by September
of next year. In addition to the
Cottage Grove brochure, award-
ed projects included funding for
the Eastern Oregon Visitors As-
sociation, Heart of Willamette
Winery Association, Travel Lane
County for its “Pinot Bingo”
incentive program and Travel
Yamhill Valley. Funds from the
sale of “Wine Country” license
plates fi nanced the grants.
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he Cottage Grove City
Council worked through
a light agenda at its Monday,
Sept. 28 meeting, accepting
ownership of a portion of a lo-
cal street and fi nalizing plans to
purchase three pieces of equip-
ment.
The Council accepted a “stat-
hanks for looking
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SPRINGFIELD
OAKRIDGE
Cottage Grove City Hall
400 E. Main St., Cottage Grove
Campbell Senior Center
Elsie’s Room
155 High St., Eugene
Springfield City Hall
225 Fifth St., Springfield
City of Oakridge
47674 School St., Oakridge
CRESWELL
Petersen Barn
870 Berntzen Rd., Eugene
City of Creswell
Community Center
99 S. 1st St., Creswell
FLORENCE
Florence Events Center
715 Quince St., Florence
Countryside Pizza & Grill
645 River Road, Eugene
Valley River Inn
1000 Valley River Way, Eugene
Papa’s Pizza
1577 Coburg Rd., Eugene
Veterans Memorial Assn.
1626 Willamette St., Eugene
Willamalane Community
Recreation Center
250 S. 32nd St., Springfield
Papa’s Pizza
4011 Main St., Springfield
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H2174_AD212N Accepted 9/28/2013
utory quitclaim deed” on the
portion of “M” Street between
Birch and Chestnut avenues
in Cottage Grove’s Northwest
Neighborhood.
“When the Planned Unit De-
velopment known as Sunrise
Ridge was approved and the fi rst
phase platted, it included the re-
quirement that the right-of-way
for ‘M’ Street be dedicated,”
according to background mate-
rial prepared for the Council.
“Staff became aware recently
while working with the owner
of the old hospital property that
the dedication did not occur for
that portion between Birch and
Chestnut avenues.”
City staff has negotiated with
the owner of the plot of land,
identifi ed as Health & Wellness
Northwest, LLC, whose Mi-
chael Miller signed off on the
deed.
“The City was interested in
the portion…where M Street is
located, but agreed to take the
whole property and paid off
the taxes owed on the western
portion,” which totaled $60.30,
according to the Council docu-
ment.
The Council also authorized
the execution of a loan to pur-
chase a street sweeper, utility
tractor and tiger mower. The
sweeper, a Schwarze model
M6000TE Avalanche, will re-
place one that the City pur-
chased in 2007, which City
Manager Richard Meyers said
recently blew a hydraulic hose.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s very
old, but we use it all the time,”
Meyers said. He said that the
new sweeper should arrive this
week.
The Council also authorized
the purchase of a John Deere
4052M compact utility tractor
and a 2005 John Deere tiger
mower. Funds for the purchases
were included in the 2015-16
budget, which anticipated a fi -
nance term of fi ve years for the
loan. The City will make semi-
annual payments of no more
than $57,000 on the loan and
anticipates borrowing $271,155
for the purchases.
Meyers said the City is also
working to fi nalize the purchase
of a smaller street sweeper with
a 45-inch sweep for sidewalks
and parking lots. The City got
the new “baby sweeper” from a
Lane County auction in Eugene,
Meyers said.
It’s not like her.
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been so patient,
but now when I
ask her questions
she gets angry.
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