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.
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