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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2015)
Cottage Grove Half — 3A Toys for Tots — 6A Wreath ideas — 8A Refl ections OT thriller! page 1B Album draws from CG subjects, page 8A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 25 Council raises garbage rates, approves card payments for water BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel M onday evening featured the last meeting of the Cottage Grove City Council in 2015, and as such its agenda was a crowded one. By the close of the meeting, the Council had raised garbage rates by 6.5 percent, tabled a to- bacco retail licensing program, appointed three members to the Cottage Grove Planning Com- mission, set a Jan. 25 date to review applications for an open Council seat and moved forward with a plan to accept debit and credit cards to pay water bills and view online water usage statements. Little discussion preceded the increase in garbage rates, which had already essentially been green-lighted by the Council at its Nov. 23 meeting. Back then, Tim Alverson, manager of the Cottage Grove Garbage Ser- vice, wrote to the Council that rising costs for recycling and other services led to the request for a rate increase. School Dist. plans active shooter training proposing through its licensing program. Boone lambasted the County’s program, and the rest of the Council agreed to table the issue until it could examine the data that Boone had just pre- sented them. “I don’t think this is going to do anything in reducing youth smoking,” Boone said. “All I can see is that it’s going to take money from our constituents and transfer it to an agency in Eugene.” Next, the Council voted unan- imously to reappoint Bob Ehler, Jeremie Eckstine and Dan Nord to fi ll their three expired posi- tions on the Cottage Grove Plan- ning Commission. The Coun- cil thanked the three returning commissioners and Kenneth Roberts, a fourth applicant for the Planning Commission who was not appointed. Councilor Heather Mur- phy held her at-large Council seat for the last time on Mon- day, and the Council discussed Please see COUNCIL, Page 10A Transportation plan calls for Highway 99 improvements BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel The Cottage Grove City Council got a look at the TSP during an hour-long worksession held before its Monday night meeting, along with reports from the engineering fi rm that’s overseeing updates to the plan and a representative from the Oregon Department of Trans- portation. The Council will examine the plan again at its Jan. 11 meeting, which will include comment from the public, and consider its adoption. The A recent traffi c fatality and the ad- dition of land to Cottage Grove’s urban growth boundary helped prompt an update to the City’s Transportation System Plan, or TSP, which is meant to guide the ongoing development of the City’s transportation system until 2035. BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A change in approach to active shooter situations in schools will bring personnel with the Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce, Cottage Grove, Eugene, Springfi eld and oth- er agencies to Cottage Grove High School on Monday, Jan. 4 for train- ing in the “A.L.I.C.E.” method of re- sponse to such situations. A.L.I.C.E., which stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate,” refl ects evolving thinking with regard to active shooter situa- tions in schools, according to South Lane School District Superintendent Krista Parent. “In the past, you would generally lock yourself in, close the windows and wait,” Parent said. “Now, the best thinking says that there are other pro- cedures that can be used to counter and confront a shooter.” Personnel with the Sheriff’s Offi ce have taken the lead in A.L.I.C.E. train- ing throughout the County, and on Jan. 4 — not a school day for South Lane students — staff members will witness seven different scenarios in seven different classrooms at CGHS, with two offi cers in each room to lead the exercises. Offi cers will use blank rounds in real weapons and Nerf guns for live practice situations, and Parent wished to caution those living near Cottage Grove High that they may hear the sound of shots fi red and wit- ness an intense police presence dur- ing the drills. She said the next step in the process will be educating students on the new procedures. Offi cer Charlie Martin, who serves as South Lane’s School Resource Offi cer, said the old thinking that in- volves students staying in one spot and waiting for help is being aug- mented. “Countering and evacuation are the newer thinking,” he said, though Martin and others are keeping quiet on the methods used to counter an ac- tive shooter. Parent said it’s unfortunate but quite necessary that the District con- duct such drills. “It’s sad that we’re using our pre- cious time for this instead of teach- ing reading and writing,” she said. “But you have to be proactive in these types of situations, and as educators, we have to protect ourselves, too. We’re a high target.” Health about the need for a li- censing program for tobacco retailers in Cottage Grove. The County pointed to increased use of tobacco products among teens as reason for the program, though Councilor Jake Boone questioned the merit of target- ing retailers to lessen teen to- bacco use when teens typically get their tobacco elsewhere. On Monday night, Boone pre- sented data to the Council that he said proved that the State of Or- egon already conducts the type of monitoring that the County is “Since our last increase on Oct. 1, 2013, Lane County has increased the disposal fee 12 percent,” Alverson wrote, “and the cost of commingled recy- cling increased in increments from no cost to $40 per ton.” The increase changes the rate for garbage carts between $.55 for a 35-gallon cart and $1.85 for a 95-gallon cart; one-yard containers will increase from $104 to $109. Also at its last meeting, the Council heard from representa- tives with Lane County Public full TSP document can be viewed at cottagegrovetsp.org. Mat Dolata, a transportation engi- neer with DKS Associates, explained that the TSP is meant to guide the “20- year vision” for transportation in Cot- tage Grove, which should in turn guide investments in transportation projects that can accommodate many modes of transport. The plan, Dolata said, should also help the City’s planning depart- ment coordinate with other agencies such as ODOT and be competitive in the search for grant funding for road projects. The TSP was last updated in 2008, but the expansion of the City’s urban growth boundary, data from 2014 showing lower traffi c volumes in Cot- tage Grove than in previous years Please see TSP, Page 10A S NOW RIDE Guitar in hand, Kevin Dow traverses the swinging bridge amid a wintry mix of snow and rain over a roil- ing Coast Fork of the Willamette River Sunday morning. Winter weather brought heavy snow to the mountains surrounding Cottage Grove over the weekend. photo by Jon Stinnett Safe Haven hopes to found sober living facility, says support in the community is strong BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A group of locals interested in es- tablishing a sober living facility in Cottage Grove said they’ve noticed a “tremendous response” from the com- munity to their efforts. Dolores Anderson, president of the board of directors of Safe Haven, said the group hopes to provide a safe and sober place to live following drug or al- cohol treatment or incarceration. Their fi rst meeting in July drew 12-15 people interested in making the facility a real- ity, Anderson said. “Everyone was so excited and saying we just have to get it organized,” she said. “The reception from the commu- nity has been amazing. We’ve gotten a passionate, committed response from so many people.” Many of those committed to the effort are participants in Alcoholics Anony- mous or other groups, Anderson said, adding that the beginnings of the Safe Haven effort can be traced to Billie Bird, who arrived in Cottage Grove 18 months ago and noticed that the com- munity did not have its own “recovery house.” “You have to have a clean environ- ment to go back to after treatment,” Bird said. “I talked to a couple people who said, ‘Let’s start it up,’ and before long there were 20 people wanting to get in- volved. It’s something this community needs.” Bird said a recovery house can have a “trickle-down effect” that can have a benefi t beyond those it serves directly. “It helps everyone,” she said. “It keeps crime down and is a big part of having a community that shows it cares.” Bird said the effort has “stirred up quite a conversation” in the AA/NA community. “Every time you go to meetings, peo- ple are so excited,” she said. “Everyone is 100 percent behind it.” Anderson said Safe Haven has incor- porated as a business and is now fi ling paperwork for non-profi t status. The group has already solicited donations but could receive more as a non-profi t, she said. In the beginning, Anderson said the recovery house will only serve women, though a second facility for men and another for women with chil- dren are also in the works. The group is currently searching for a home, likely a three-bedroom house that can house an offi ce for the facility’s manager. Safe Haven is hosting a spaghetti din- ner and raffl e in the Shepherd Room of the Cottage Grove Community Center on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 5-8 p.m. A plate of spaghetti, garlic bread and drink can be purchased for $6, and raf- fl e tickets will be $2 each or three for $5. Questions can be directed to Bird at 541-228-4751 or billiebird60@gmail. com or through Facebook at “Safe Ha- ven Cottage Grove.” Rain Country Realty Inc. CED U D E R E PRIC 545 Crestwood Loop, Creswell Large corner lot has room for RV, Boat or other toys. 2002 Home boasts 3 bedrooms, 2baths, vaulted ceilinga and large kitchen with extra storage. Come and get it! SAL G N I D N E E P 33985 Witcher Gateway This huge ranch house is on 88 acres of trees, pasture, barns and more. Home has several bedrooms including separate guest quarters downstairs. Lots of amenities and room to roam! $188,750 CONTACT US www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person WEATHER Brokers Laurie Phillip....................430-0756 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 44 40 Some showers Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 5B Classified ads................................. 7B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar
