10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL December 16, 2015
W REATH
C OUNCIL
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the process for recruiting and
appointing her successor. The
deadline for applicants for the
position is this Friday, Dec. 18,
and by Monday evening, the
City had received two applica-
tions. It was decided that the
absence of one councilor for the
Council’s Jan. 11 meeting, in
addition to a packed agenda that
night, should prompt the Coun-
cil to interview the candidates
prior to its Jan. 25 meeting, with
the possibility of appointing the
new councilor during that meet-
ing.
Later, Cottage Grove’s Fi-
nance Director, Bert Olsen, told
the Council that the City was
fi nally ready to move forward
with accepting debit and credit
card payments from water cus-
tomers. The fi nance department
replaced all of its software in
2013 in response to a case of em-
bezzlement by a city employee,
but Olsen said the City has only
recently been able to entertain
the acceptance of debit/credit
payments, citing the diffi culty
with implementing the program
following updates to the City’s
payroll and other fi nancial sys-
tems, in addition to staffi ng is-
sues, as reasons for the delay.
The change should be a wel-
come one for water customers,
and Olsen said it’s the number
one request the City hears from
the public. And there should be
other benefi ts besides mere con-
venience.
“With the automated process,
there is less opportunity for
manual entry errors, reduced
shutoffs, reduced calls from ac-
count holders and reduced cus-
tomer service costs,” Olsen said.
“Benefi ts to our customers also
include more options to pay. The
customers see real-time payment
processing with the account be-
ing updated immediately. There
is 24/7 account access, allowing
the customer to view balances,
usage history and the ability to
reduce delinquency issues.”
Olsen said the City is unsure
how many customers will utilize
the program to make card pay-
ments, though it “has become
the industry norm to offer these
types of options.”
Olsen recommended imple-
menting the program, with the
City absorbing the transaction
fees as the cost of doing busi-
ness, and the Council heartily
agreed. She said it will still take
three to six weeks before the
program is fully implemented.
wire to frame behind plants.
Alternately, gather a group of
plant clippings together in a
clump like a bouquet. Wind wire
around stems and twist ends to-
gether. Then secure each clump
to the frame, overlapping stem
ends to keep them from show-
ing.
To create a second layer, slip
stem ends into the fi rst layer and
wrap and attach wire the same
way as the fi rst layer. Fluff out
small pieces of plant so wire
doesn’t show.
J OYCE
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TSP
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and the recent adoption of
the Main Street Refi nement
Plan — which is meant to guide
the revamping of Main Street
downtown between its historic
buildings — have all led to a
need for an updated plan, ac-
cording to Dolata.
The plan breaks needed road
projects down into two cat-
egories: projects that should be
prioritized given the amount of
funding the City can reason-
ably expect and projects that are
needed but for which funding
may not be readily available.
Dolata explained that projects
aiming to bolster safety in prob-
lem areas in the City have been
given priority in the TSP, and he
spent a lot of time explaining the
problems and possible solutions
on Highway 99 between the
Connector overpass and Wood-
son Bridge, an area with a high
crash volume. The plan points
to a roundabout as the best so-
lution to revamp the intersection
at the Connector and Highway
99, though the roundabout plan
was met with some concerns by
the Council.
“A roundabout should operate
well there,” Dolata said. “It will
prevent people from screaming
down that stretch at 40 mph.”
“The big issue with Highway
99 in that area is that people
speed there,” he continued.
“That’s the biggest factor con-
tributing to collisions, so it’s im-
portant to slow people down.”
Dolata told the Council that
a special package of projects
has been identifi ed as a possible
source of grant funding. These
include converting Highway 99
from four to three lanes near the
Connector, examining driveway
access to the highway, widening
“An Original
Gift ”
Refl ections
by Ron O’Keefe
R
G U I D E
estaurant
Audio CD containing
Songs that refl ect
Cottage Grove’s colorful past
the connector bridge, building
sidewalks to span gaps where
they don’t exist and planning for
the Connector/99 intersection.
He said he was optimistic and
the projects had a “reasonable
chance” of being funded.
In addition to Highway 99,
the plan includes several proj-
ects related to improving the
network of routes for pedestrian
and cyclists.
“We’re including bike lanes
where they’re supposed to be
and putting more wayfi nding
signs in appropriate places,”
Dolata said.
For small, lightweight pieces
of plant, slip snugly into wreath.
If they feel wobbly, wire them
on.
If using pinecones, wood and
decorations secure a length of
wire to them, leaving long ends.
Wrap those ends around frame
or piece of plant stem and twist
tightly.
To make a hanger, cut a small
piece of wire. Secure one end
and then the other to the frame
to form a loop. Be sure to po-
sition the loop so that you’ve
got top of the wreath where you
want it.
that everything good in our
lives is by His grace, we open
ourselves up to His help. First
Peter 5:5 says that “God sets
Himself against the proud…
[and He opposes, frustrates, and
defeats them], but gives grace
(favor, blessing) to the humble”
(AMP).
This scripture helped me see
that when I’m frustrated, God is
trying to show me that I need to
humble myself and let Him help
me. My prayer usually sounds
something like this: “God, I am
nothing without You and can
do nothing without You. I need
You. Please help me.” The key
is humility. The humble get the
help, not the prideful.
Whatever God calls you to do
in life, He will equip you to do
it. You will be able to fulfi ll His
will for your life and live frus-
tration-free as you humble your-
self before Him and receive His
amazing grace. And when you
do, He will do amazing things
through you!
Joyce Meyer is a New York
Times bestselling author and
founder of Joyce Meyer Minis-
tries, Inc. She has authored 100
books, including Battlefi eld of
the Mind and God Is Not Mad
at You (Hachette). She hosts the
Enjoying Everyday Life radio
and TV programs, which air on
hundreds of stations worldwide.
For more information, visit
www.joycemeyer.org.
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