Rotary
marks a
milestone,
page 3A
Traffic sting stats — 5A
Farmer celebration — 3A
How Bazaar! — 11A
HARRIERS
PEAKING IN
ADVANCE
OF DISTRICT
MEET,
PAGE 1B
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015
SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 17
Worksession details Harrison school bond process
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
sizeable crowd joined the South
Lane School District Board of
Directors Monday night to discuss ef-
forts to secure a bond levy to replace
the aging Harrison Elementary School
building in Cottage Grove.
Moved to the Cottage Grove High
School library to accommodate the
crowd, the meeting functioned as a
school board worksession but was also
billed as a “community conversation”
about the bond process, a conversation
that included presentations about the
need for a new Harrison building, the
work that’s already been done to try
ther inadequate or non-existent district-
wide. Technology is also inadequate at
every school, and maintenance of the
Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center
— an aging district facility that’s also
been the subject of scrutiny during the
bond process — has almost become
unmanageable, according to Parent,
who added that the District feels it has
the “perfect opportunity” to secure a
bond from voters to pay for these and
other upgrades.
She explained that the bond used to
build the current Cottage Grove High
School drops signifi cantly in cost in
2017 and that a new bond could contin-
ue where the old one left off. A similar
plan in other school districts has led to
to secure the bond and brainstorming
about what the proper school might
look like.
Board President Tammy Hodgkinson
welcomed the group and spoke of how
much “forward momentum there is to
get this ball rolling.” Superintendent
Krista Parent then addressed the need
for a new Harrison.
The building on 10th Street was built
in 1948 to house just 125 students,
though Parent said it’s now tasked
with housing about 450. With regard
to other items that may be covered by
the bond, there are about $5 million
worth of deferred maintenance projects
throughout the District, Parent said,
and security and fi re protection are ei-
the passage of bonds, she said.
In addition, the Oregon Legislature
recently passed Senate Bill 447, which
could provide $4-8 million in matching
grant funds for the South Lane bond
process — the criteria include the per-
centage of students at the poverty level
and a fi rst come, fi rst served approach
beginning in May of 2016 (the District
also hopes to put the bond before vot-
ers in the May, 2016 election).
Parent pointed to a community sur-
vey with 55 percent of respondents
saying they’d support the bond even
if it raised their property tax rate and
89 percent that said they would sup-
port the bond if it didn’t raise taxes. An
advisory committee has recommended
Please see BOND, Page 8A
Trick-or-treating set
for Friday, Oct. 30
Health Fair
focuses on
quality of
life
C
lose to two-dozen ven-
dors and guest speakers
showcased offerings that aim to
bolster health and well-being at
the fi rst Cottage Grove Health
and Wellness Fair. Representa-
tives from local in-home and se-
nior care facilities, rehabilitation
centers, product manufacturers,
spiritual health advocates and
health-care workers presented
their wares at the Cottage Grove
Bible Church Monday. Speakers
touched on topics including foot
care, nutrition and Medicare.
Grove Medical Equipment
and the Cottage Grove Care-
giver's Association organized
the fi rst event, which Grove
Medical's Michele Savage said
is expected to become an annual
occurrence.
"It's all about fostering a
healthy lifestyle, about promot-
ing quality of life and commu-
nity awareness," Savage said.
a 25-year bond that could raise about
$29.5 million to build a new school and
make other upgrades.
Still, there are questions as yet unan-
swered, such as where the current Ken-
nedy High School building would be
relocated from the Taylor Street prop-
erty where a new Harrison would be
built. Four athletic fi elds would also be
lost at the property with the construc-
tion of a new school.
The District has formed planning and
campaign committees to spearhead the
bond efforts, and if the bond passes, it
hopes to open the new Harrison school
in the fall of 2018.
Group makes decision to hold event Friday
instead of Saturday evening
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
photo by Jon Stinnett
Representing Oregon Telecommunications and Relay Service, Linda Diaz (left)
talks with Ellie Golding about telephone options available for those with a variety
of disabilities, including trouble hearing, memory loss and loss of vision.
group of local leaders
recently gathered to plan
Cottage Grove’s Halloween fes-
tivities, acknowledging a diffi -
cult decision that has been met
with approval by some and dis-
may by others.
Cottage Grove has hosted
Halloween
trick-or-treating
downtown for some time now,
and for the past few years, Main
Street has been closed for trick-
or-treating during the event. It’s
an arrangement that has drawn
massive crowds downtown, but
having Oct. 31 itself fall on a
Saturday this year prompted a
look at whether Friday or Sat-
urday evening would be best for
trick-or-treating.
Representatives from the
Chamber of Commerce, the
Cottage Grove Main Street Pro-
gram and the Sentinel met with
downtown merchants — who
typically supply the “treats” for
the annual trick-or-treating —
to try to determine which would
be the best night for the event.
They say the response was split
pretty much down the middle
between those who prefer Fri-
day and those who feel it should
happen on Saturday, though the
group eventually decided that
trick-or-treating will take place
Friday from 3-5 p.m. with the
Downtown Art Walk following
at 6 p.m.
It’s a decision that irked at
least one local resident, who
voiced her disapproval at the
Monday, Oct. 12 meeting of the
Cottage Grove City Council.
During a public comment peri-
od, Tinika Ossman-Steier stated
that having downtown trick-or-
Please see HALLOWEEN, Page 8A
Donations bolster Library's children's book collection
Youth Servic-
es Librarian
Valarie Johns
shows the
inscription in
a new book
that identi-
fi es it as a
donation at
a ribbon-cut-
ting for new
children's
books held
after Friday's
storytime.
Foundation, library friends and individuals donate new books
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
n added bit of pageantry accompanied
the Cottage Grove Library’s weekly
Storytime for Tots Friday morning.
Following the stories and songs for kids, the
Library held a ribbon-cutting to dedicate new
books provided by a grant from the locally
based Pilcrow Foundation, the Friends of the
Cottage Grove Library and two individuals.
Founded in 2013, the Pilcrow Foundation
works to provide new hardcover children’s
books to small public libraries throughout
the United States; its director, Karren Tim-
mermans, hails from Cottage Grove, and the
Foundation is based here.
“Libraries are often the center of the com-
munity, where people come together to learn
and share ideas,” said the Foundation’s web-
site. “Providing quality children’s books to
rural public libraries ensures an opportunity
for active engagement within the community
and lifelong learning.”
The foundation provides a two-to-one
match of community donations toward the
purchase of new books, and the Foundation
matched the $400 gift from the Friends of
the Library to put $800 toward the purchase
of 93 new children’s books. These included
board books, picture books, juvenile fi ction
and books for the Spanish-language juvenile
section. In addition, Hal Berenson and Laura
Ackerman donated 23 math and science books
valued at over $400.
“We got a great list of books to choose
from, though we had a hard time choosing
them,” said Valarie Johns, Youth Services Li-
brarian. “This is pretty much equal to our en-
tire children’s book budget, and it’s going to
allow us to provide a much-needed update to
our collection.”
photo by Jon Stinnett
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CONTACT US
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