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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 13, 2016 O N THE S QUARE All-Amer- ica City Square will be the subject of public meetings on May 17 and May 24. Sentinel fi le photo City plans meetings re: downtown park BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he City of Cottage Grove will join a handful of local organizations next month to discuss the potential solutions to issues at All-America City Square down- town. City Planner Amanda Ferguson an- nounced by press release that the City has received a grant from the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Offi ce to conduct a community planning project for All-America City Square, lo- cated at the corner of Seventh and Main streets, this spring. An open house is scheduled at the Cot- tage Grove Armory from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, an event that aims to “gather ideas on needed park improve- ments and uses so we can sustain the park for future generations,” the release stated. The following Tuesday, May 24 from 6-8 p.m., the Armory will host a design char- rette facilitated by landscape architect Da- vid Dougherty from DLA Inc. to pursue design changes to bring about those im- provements. A charrette is an interactive planning session where citizens, designers and oth- ers collaborate on a vision for a project. It provides a forum for ideas and gives im- mediate feedback to the designers. Ferguson said that the Cottage Grove Garden Club, Sustainable Cottage Grove, the Economic and Business Improvement District and the Cottage Grove Main Street program are all joining in this effort. “We all love the All-America City Square. But it is almost 10 years old. We want to fi nd out what concerns people have and what issues have surfaced since the square was created,” Ferguson wrote. “We have heard concerns expressed over the fl ag stone fl ooring, traffi c fl ow, safety, lighting, use, signage, maintenance, etc. What are your concerns? What would you like to see change? What would you like to see stay the same?” Ferguson said the goal of the meetings is to eventually produce design drawings that the City could use to apply for a grant by this July to renovate the park, adding that the City doesn’t expect to make “huge changes” to improve conditions there. The square at Seventh and Main be- came the subject of much public interest in 2007, when the EBID gained momen- tum and funds for a complete redesign there. At that time, the location, known as Opal Whiteley Park by many due to the iconic mural that overlooks the square, consisted of a more modest grass-covered park maintained by various locals. An at- times contentious public process preceded the park’s overhaul, which was designed by local architect Marston Morgan to in- clude a replica of a tower that was used by early Cottage Grove fi refi ghters, and a re- naming in honor of Cottage Grove’s status as an All-America City. The new park was dedicated in August of 2008. Later, issues of vandalism in and behind the park’s restrooms, along with loitering and drug activity, prompted the City to re- move the picnic tables there and block off its electrical outlets in 2012. The City began deliberations on the Main Street Refi nement Plan, a compre- hensive plan to redesign downtown Cot- tage Grove, in 2014, and the plan included a revamped All-America City Square as the centerpiece of a “festival square” con- cept to open up the square and encour- age more public use. Public scrutiny of the concept, however, led the City to re- move plans regarding the square from the MSRP, which now only includes a direc- tive that the square be examined for a pos- sible future redesign. “The Main Street Refi nement Plan ba- sically punted the issues on All-America City Square,” Ferguson said. “We would love to address the issues there before funding is found for construction on the refi nement plan.” 3A Dorena-area dispute leads to shooting T he Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce has yet to update its announcement regarding a dispute involving a shooting it says occurred on Monday, April 4 at approximately 11:26 a.m. In a press release prepared by Detective Sgt. Carl Wilkerson (who could not be contacted by Sentinel press time for this ar- ticle) the Sheriff’s Offi ce said it responded to the 39000 block of Brice Creek Road in the Dorena area regarding a report of a dis- pute involving a shooting. The Sheriff’s Offi ce received additional information a woman was reporting she had been in a dispute with her husband and she shot him. The man left the location with another party and was subsequently transported to the hospital. The woman re- mained on scene and awaited Sheriff’s Offi ce contact. The Sheriff’s Offi ce said the man was subsequently admitted to the hospital for treatment of his wound(s). Following the in- cident, the Sheriff’s Offi ce said that no one has been arrested in response and that the investiga- tion is continuing. Earth Day bash to feature family fun C ommunity organizations plan to join with the public on Saturday, April 23 to commemorate Earth Day. The Urban Forestry Commit- tee, Coast Fork Willamette Wa- tershed Council, City of Cottage Grove and the First Presbyterian Church Earth and Social Justice Committee will welcome the community for a celebration is designed to educate all ages on environmental awareness and community forestry. The event aims to offer fun for the whole family, including live music, local food vendors, a kids’ arts and crafts area, face painting, prize giveaways and demonstrations. Booths on site will feature agencies, organiza- tions or individuals who have a positive Earth Day message to share with the community. “Come discover the important work many in the community are doing in order to increase awareness, and to promote and protect our treasured natural resources,” said a recent press release. The 2016 Earth Day Celebra- tion will take place at Coiner Park, located across from Safe- way on E. Main Street in Cot- tage Grove. The event begins at 10 a.m. and wraps up at 4 p.m. It is free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome. Sheriff's Offi ce warns of telephone warrant scam T he Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce announced that it has learned that community members are again receiving calls saying they have warrants out for their arrest for missing a court date. The callers are de- manding to have money sent to clear the warrant. These calls are a scam, LCSO said, adding that community members should hang up im- mediately and not engage with the caller. “The Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce does not make phone calls to community members regarding warrants and would never ask a community mem- ber to purchase ‘cash cards’ to pay fees,” said a recent press release. “If you are the victim of a phone scam and have lost money as a result of the scam, please report it to your local law enforcement agency. If you did not send any money, you do not need to call and report it.” Below are some tips to de- crease your chances of becom- ing a phone scam victim: Never provide personal in- formation to callers, including your name, address or banking information. Be aware of callers who are unprofessional, pushy, or use scare tactics such as threatening arrest if payment is not made. Callers asking for payment through wire transfer, cash cards such as green dot cards, or other non-trackable methods are signs of a scam. Legitimate govern- ment agencies will not ask you to provide payment using these methods. Do check the caller’s infor- mation. If they claim to be from a law enforcement agency or other governmental agency, call the publicly listed phone num- ber for that agency to verify the caller’s authenticity. The local bank that gives you the world. Open a Banner Bank Connected Checking account and use any ATM in the world, with no fees. See what true community banking can do for you. Community members can also report fraud to the Oregon Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline by calling 1-877-877- 9392. $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM Our Community Newspaper since 1889 Let’s create tomorrow, together. Unlimited surcharge rebates from non-Banner owned ATMs. Before traveling internationally, be sure to contact Banner Bank. Member FDIC Subscribe and $AVE