COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 24, 2016
Cottage Grove Retrospective
A look back at a Sentinel story from 30 years ago
Scenic Bikeway Committee
Meeting
Feb. 26, 1986
Move the covered bridge?
A suggestion included in a
downtown renovation study to
move the old Chambers (rail-
road) bridge from South River
Road to the West Main Street
crossing has drawn mixed reac-
tion from city offi cials.
The bridge would become a
pedestrian crossing adjacent to
the motor vehicle bridge. The
idea came from a $7,000 study
commissioned by the city and
supervised by the Downtown
Restoration Association.
Any work toward moving the
bridge, seen as a plug for eco-
nomic development here, would
involved both agencies, offi cials
said.
Although everyone contacted
agreed with the concept, city
Public Works Director Bob Sis-
son pointed out that moving
the historic structure would be
a monumental task and require
signifi cant funding. He esti-
mated it would probably cost at
least $10,000, much of that fi g-
ure tied to labor expenses.
After examining the struc-
ture, Sisson noted that some of
the timbers in the bridge prob-
ably weigh up to a ton and noted
the structure’s hefty dimensions
would add to the diffi culty of a
move. He measured the length
of the bridge at 90 feet, width 25
feet, and estimated the height to
be about 40 feet.
“There’s a lot of hoops to jump
through,” said Jim Bailor, board
member of the DRA. “You’ve
got to consider the volume of
work,” he added while looking
over the bridge with Mayor Jim
Gilroy.
However, Gilroy, who also
acknowledged the immensity
of the project, remains enthusi-
astic.
“I’m really excited about it,”
he said. “It would really show
we’re the number one covered
bridge capital of the world.”
He pointed out that the rail-
road bridge is the only such
structure remaining in the west-
ern states. Gilroy also said mov-
ing the bridge would protect it
from the threat of vandalism,
which has already taken its toll.
Because the rest of south
Lane’s bridges are spread around
rural areas, covered bridges are
less accessible for both towns-
people and tourists.
POLICE BLOTTER
Feb. 15
UUV Recovered, Grimes Rd.
A caller at the front coun-
ter advised that there is a Jeep
stuck on the powerline road on
his property. During a routine
check the vehicle was found to
be stolen and recorded by the
Eugene Police Department.
Suspicious Conditions, S.
8th St.
A caller advised that a male
rode a bicycle into the location
and was yelling and said some-
thing along the lines of “I’ll kill
you, you whore.” The caller was
given a courtesy ride to the City
Center Hotel.
Vicious
Dog,
Cottage
Heights Loop
A call reported a stray mini
pit bull mix. The dog is brown
Cottage Grove City Man-
ager Richard Meyers attended
a meeting of the Oregon Scenic
Bikeway Committee as the rep-
resentative nominated from the
League of Oregon Cities to rep-
resent cities on the committee.
The committee reviewed the
progress of several proponent
groups that are working on des-
ignations as scenic bikeways.
The committee also reviewed
the strategic plan for the Scenic
Bikeway program and the prog-
ress the program has made since
it began in 2009. The commit-
tee also made plans for evalua-
tion trips to scenic bikeways this
summer.
Youth Advisory Council goes
to Salem
Jim Bailor and Jim Gilroy examine the old Chambers
Bridge. A recent study advocated moving the structure
to Main Street.
Cottage Grove Police Department 24-Hour Anonymous Tip Line: 767-0504
and white with no collar or tags.
The dog has been attempting
to attack other animals in the
neighborhood. The dog was
eventually put into custody and
transported to CGPD kennels.
Criminal Mischief, HWY 99
skate park
An area resident advised that
several juveniles appear to have
cut the chain link fence on the
northeast side of the park and
are jumping through it toward
the railroad tracks. An offi cer
contacted the group of juveniles,
who reported that approximately
25 feet of fence had been pulled
back then they arrived; they be-
lieved it to have occurred some-
time overnight.
Feb. 16
Tresspassing, Gateway Blvd.
A reporting person advised of
The Smithsonian Institution,
The American Library Association, John Templeton Foundation,
and the Cottage Grove Public Library Present:
“Exploring Human Origins:
What Does It Mean To Be Human?”
Feb. 25th Wisdom Seekers Exhibit Tour and Conservation 6-8pm
with Astronomer Steve Kilston
a male transient that was bath-
ing in the sink at the location
and has been asked to leave sev-
eral times but is refusing. The
subject is currently sitting in
the back of the restaurant with
no shirt or shoes on. The subject
was advised of the complaint
and moved on.
Feb. 19
Suspicious Subject, N 16th
St.
A caller advised of a male
transient who appears to be dig-
ging through the recycling and
trash at the above location. The
caller advised that the subject
was doing the same thing yes-
terday. The subject was wearing
an orange baseball cap with a
beard and was riding a bike.
Feb. 20
Theft, S. 8th St.
A reporting person advised
that a package has been report-
ed as delivered, but the report-
ing person did not receive it.
He believes someone may have
taken the package from his front
6
weather forecast
Domestic
Disturbance,
Chamberlain/99
A caller advised of being
fl agged down by a female inside
of a small red vehicle and she
asked for the reporting person
to called the police. A male was
nose-to-nose in a maroon truck
with the female and they were
arguing about jump starting a
vehicle. The offi cers contacted
both parties and agreed to sepa-
rate them.
Hit and Run, E. Main St.
A caller advised that she
found damage to the rear tail-
light of her vehicle and was not
sure where or when it occurred.
Her husband called 911 sound-
ing very agitated. He believes
the vehicle was damaged while
the caller was at work, and the
business owners refused to let
him see the security footage.
1/3 POUND
Single
Burger Basket*
March 3rd Oregon: Paisley, Columbia and Fort Rock Caves
15,000 Years of History 6-8pm
with Dennis Jenkins, University of Oregon Archaeologist
-day
porch. An offi cer contacted him
for additional information and
they determined that the pack-
age had not been delivered as
stated.
The Grove Café and Lounge
Feb. 27th Family Art Event 1:30-3:30pm
“Cave Painting” with Tinika
For more information: Cottage Grove Public Library:
541-942-3828 cottagegrovepubliclibrary.org
*Hamburger or Cheeseburger
$
t
s
Ju
3.00
Valid one day only, MONDAY, February 29, 2016;
Must present printed coupon when ordering;
One coupon per person per day; Dine in only please.
THURSDAY Feb. 25
FRIDAY Feb. 26
44° | 65°
48° | 64°
Sunny
Partly Cloudy
SATURDAY Feb. 27
SUNDAY Feb. 28
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45° | 55°
45° | 62°
PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SINCE 1991
Poss. Showers
Partly Cloudy
MONDAY Feb. 29
TUESDAY March 1
46° | 61°
45° | 59°
Poss. Showers
Poss. Showers
BUY LOCAL
CITY BEAT
On Monday, Meyers and City
Recorder Trudy Borrevik ac-
companied eight members of
the Cottage Grove Youth Advi-
sory Council to Salem to visit
the State Capitol.
At the Capitol the YAC met
with Senator Floyd Prozanski,
Representative Cedric Hayden
and Craig Honeyman from the
League of Oregon Cities. The
youth toured the Capitol and
witnessed fl oor activities in both
the Senate and House. The YAC
tried to watch a House Commit-
tee meeting, but all commit-
tee meetings were postponed
due to the House Floor action.
The YAC reported to Senator
Prozanski and Representative
Hayden the YAC’s activities re-
garding Youth Tobacco use and
5A
From the
City's Friday
Update
their grant from the American
Lung Association. Craig Hon-
eyman answered questions from
the YAC about the role of a lob-
byist and some of the current is-
sues at the legislature.
Water line replacements
On Cemetery Road, the Pub-
lic Works Utilities Crew recent-
ly completed the installation of
400 feet of two-inch PVC water-
line, which connects water lines
on Cemetery Road and Cottage
Grove-Lorane Highway. The
City said this eliminates two
dead-end lines by creating a
loop and also removes two fl ush
points.
Because these were dead-end
lines, the crew had to continu-
ally fl ush these lines to maintain
proper chlorine residual.
The utilities crew also in-
stalled a two-inch auto fl usher
on Gowdyville Road at Halder-
man Road. This is a line that
had to be manually fl ushed once
per week, for an entire day. The
City said this auto fl usher instal-
lation will now free up many
man hours and will help keep
adequate chlorine residual at the
west end of town.
The Public Works Department
will begin installing a new water
line on Ash Avenue, between N
and P Streets beginning next
week. This will be 600 feet
of eight-inch C900 PVC wa-
ter pipe replacing undersized
two-inch PVC pipe. The City
expects the completion of this
project to result in better fl ow
characteristics for customers in
the area and increased fi re fl ow
protection.
O FFBEAT
Continued from page 4A
all of these issues, and several
others as well, in his engineer-
ing notebooks. Since the Great
War, he’d wanted to put those
ideas and theories to the test.
Now, thanks to the commercial
success of his dry-ice venture,
he had the money to do just
that.
Of course, he didn’t have
enough money to just fi nance
it all himself. Airships aren’t
cheap. He’d need investors. But
it was the “Roaring Twenties,”
and investors were easy to come
by for a charismatic and suc-
cessful fellow like Thomas B.
Slate.
So the money rolled in, and
Slate got busy building the Air-
ship of the Future.
It would be made of all alu-
minum — completely fi reproof,
so that even if a little gas leaked
out and caught fi re, it couldn’t
lead to a catastrophe. For he-
lium to burn, it has to have ac-
cess to oxygen; there would be
no oxygen inside the fi reproof
aluminum hull of the airship,
and the heat could not destroy
that metal hull as it would that
of a conventional doped-fabric
airship. So even if a little gas
leaked out and caught fi re — as
many people think happened in
the Hindenburg disaster — it
would simply burn itself out
harmlessly and die away.
It would stay always in the
air, never needing to land at air-
ports or other special facilities
inconveniently located far away
from the fashionable hotels fre-
quented by the VIPs to whom he
hoped his airship service would
appeal. Instead, it would hover
serenely over luxury hotels and
resorts, sending down an eleva-
tor car on a heavy cable dan-
gling beneath to deposit guests
directly at their doors.
But the most revolutionary
thing of all — and the most con-
troversial — was that it would
be virtually storm-proof. It
would make for itself a cushion
of moving air, roaring around
its teardrop-shaped hull in a
continuing torrent of airfl ow
that would prevent storm-driven
winds from buffeting it directly
about.
So Slate settled into Glendale
and got busy making his dreams
into a real, live, testable proto-
type. As he did so, he had no
idea that in his hands was the fu-
ture of the airship industry. And,
unfortunately for that industry,
there were one or two issues that
he had overlooked as he’d made
those plans.
We’ll talk about those over-
sights — and about what could
have been, had they been fore-
seen — in next week’s column.
(Sources: Benton County His-
torical Society, www.bchsnow.
org; “The Progress of Aviation,”
Popular Science, June 1927;
Radecki, Alan. “Slate’s Strange
Dirigible,” MojaveWest Vintage
Air, 20 Aug 2013, vintageair-
photos.blogspot.com)
Finn J.D. John teaches at
Oregon State University and
writes about odd tidbits of Or-
egon history. For details, see
http://fi nnjohn.com. To contact
him or suggest a topic: fi nn2@
offbeatoregon.com or 541-357-
2222.
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