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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 9, 2016 Police searching for missing CG man Area dancer, 12, to audition for TV show BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T hough she’s only 12 years old, Cottage Grove’s Ke- nady Conforth has had more than a few opportunities to show local audiences her moves. This week, however, Conforth hopes a much broader audience will see what she can do. On Thursday, Conforth will journey to Chicago to audition for a spot in the television series “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her mother, Mandy Conforth, said the competition is for danc- ers age 8-13, a group the show has never catered to before. Dancers chosen to compete will be paired with one of the show’s “all-stars.” “There was a round of video and a round of live auditions,” Mandy Conforth said. “But we have no way of knowing how many people there will be.” Meanwhile, the younger Con- forth said she viewed an an- nouncement regarding the show on Facebook as a way to make her big break in dance. “I think it was the universe telling me this is something I needed to do,” she said. “In the dance world, once you’re 25, there’s really nothing for you, so it’s better to start young.” Conforth, whose mom is also a dancer, has been working hard since age fi ve. Her edu- cation began in hip-hop dance and now includes instruction in ballet, contemporary, tap and jazz. She’s taken many classes at Cottage Grove’s South Lane Ballet Academy, where she also teaches three classes per week, though her contemporary in- struction brings her to Eugene. William Thomas Stuart, 44, has been unaccounted-for since Christmas T photo by Jon Stinnett Kenady Conforth, 12, poses with her Friday hip-hop dance students. Conforth will audition for ABC's "So You Think You Can Dance" this week. In her already full career, Con- forth has appeared locally in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Gypsy,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” “I like to keep busy,” she said. “I’m just going there (to Chica- go) to show my talent. If I don’t get in, I’ll still know I showed them what I had.” If chosen to compete on the show, Conforth may be asked to commit to 12 weeks of fi lming. Brissenden named Justice of the Peace O n Tuesday, March 1, Oregon Gov- ernor Kate Brown announced the appointment of Rick Brissenden to fi ll the position of Justice of the Peace on the Lane County Justice Court. Brissenden is slated to fi ll the position — based in Florence — made vacant by Justice of the Peace Gary Carl’s Feb. 29 resignation. “I am impressed by Rick Brissenden’s almost 20 years of service to the people of Florence as their Municipal Judge,” Gover- nor Brown said. “I know he will bring the same long-established integrity and con- scientious decision making to his new role — based in the very same courtroom — as well.” Brissenden presided over Cottage Grove’s Municipal Court as its judge for 12 years. A contentious 5-2 vote by the City Council in May of 2012 led to his ouster, and Brissen- den later said that a letter detailing the deci- sion cited only “court effi ciencies” as reason for his termination. The judge’s chair would eventually be fi lled by Martin Fisher. Rick Brissenden served as CG Mu- nicipal Court judge until 2012. Safe Families for Children project underway About 40 people, including local offi cials and church representa- tives, gathered Saturday afternoon at the Cottage Grove Armory for the kickoff ceremony to launch the "Safe Families for Children" Project. The project aims to reduce child abuse and neglect in Cottage Grove, and eight local churches initially signed up to support fami- lies in crisis situations by provid- ing a loving, temporary home for children who might otherwise end up in the foster care system. Orga- 3A photo by Cindy Weeldreyer nized by Christians as Family Ad- vocates (CAFA), the new program is part of the countywide 90x30 Project to reduce child abuse 90 percent by the year 2030. For more information contact Emily Johnson at 541-686-6000 x558 or send an email to emilyj@cafaweb.com. thank you City of Cottage Grove! For partnering with South Lane Mental Health – and our many other donor-supporters – to win a Community Development Block Grant that made it possible for us to purchase and remodel our Birch Avenue offices. he Cottage Grove Police Department is seeking the public’s help to locate a Cot- tage Grove man who has not been in contact with his family since Christmas. Police say William Thomas Stuart, 44, is a member of the local transient community who was last seen around Christmas of 2015 and has not since had contact with his family, which is reportedly concerned about his welfare. Stuart was last seen with a bushy brown beard and hair. He has no known scars or tattoos and is described as fi ve feet, eight inches tall, weigh- ing 165 pounds with blue William Thomas eyes and Stuart brown hair. Those with information regarding Stuart’s whereabouts are asked to contact CGPD’s Doug Skaggs at 541-942-9145 x. 140. Public hearing scheduled re: building permit fees City says changes necessary to bring local code into compliance with state standard T he Cottage Grove City Council will hold a public hearing at its Monday, March 14 meeting to hear comments on proposed changes to the City’s building permit fees. Community Development Di- rector Howard Schesser said the City’s building code division has been analyzing the City’s build- ing permit fees to ensure their compliance with the state of Or- egon’s model for tracking build- ing permits. The City said that minor changes were required to bring the City’s codes into com- pliance. Matching hourly rates charged by the City’s third-par- ty contractor, Clair Company, were included, as were new fees for deferred permit application submittals, after-hours inspec- tions, manufactured home/RV parks, renewable electrical en- ergy systems and for prescrip- tive and non-prescriptive solar installations. Schesser said the minimum fee for mechani- cal and plumbing upgrades is scheduled to increase from $76 to $80, though he added that the changes do not constitute “a big across-the-board increase.” The City said the State Build- ing Codes Division (BCD) was given 45-day notice of the proposed changes on Feb. 26. On March 1, the BCD issued the notice of Cottage Grove’s proposed fee increase to those parties subscribed to this ju- risdiction’s email list seeking comment. The March 14 pub- lic hearing will be held as part of the City Council’s regular 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall. The fee adjustments are proposed to take effect on April 15. Those seeking further information can contact the Community De- velopment Department at 541- 942-3340 or email: cddirector@ cottagegrove.org. The Building Codes Division may be contact- ed at 800-442-7457 or at their website: www.bcd.oregon.gov. CAN A WEBSITE PROVIDE PERSONALIZED INSURANCE ADVICE? 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