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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 27, 2016 'Every 15 minutes' program at CGHS New owners take over at downtown gym BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel S ara May asked her husband, Shane, for a home gym. Instead, May bought his wife two fi tness clubs. Since April 1, the Mays have been the owners of Emerald Fitness Club locations on Main Street in Cottage Grove and at the Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell. For three years, Sara May said she’s en- joyed a passion for fi tness that has steadily grown. She started with Crossfi t, then be- gan teaching classes at Anytime Fitness before making the move to buy the gyms from former owner Patty Feola. “It got me to where I am now,” May said of her drive toward improved health and fi t- ness. “I started having people reach out to me for advice and for help, and things just kept going from there. I love it all, making a difference and helping people choose a healthy lifestyle.” The Mays say they plan to extend Satur- day hours soon in Cottage Grove, and the club has added new classes, instructors and equipment. Members now receive access to both clubs. Demonstration scheduled May 3 On Tuesday, May 3, Cottage Grove High School, in partnership with the Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce and South Lane Fire and Rescue, will be facilitating a drinking and driving prevention simulation that features a staged accident. The demonstration will simulate a drunk driving car accident involving teens, emergency responders and a Life Flight helicopter. This event is part of the Every 15 Minutes program, a program designed to make teenagers aware of the dangerous conse- quences of drinking, alcohol and texting while driving. photo by Jon Stinnett Sara and Shane May assumed ownership April 1. Trial ends in reckless driving, endangerment conviction BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel I t took a six-person jury a mat- ter of a few minutes to convict Geoffrey Jones on charges of reck- less driving and reckless endanger- ment in a trial before Judge Martin Fisher at Cottage Grove Municipal Court Thursday. City employees, police offi cers and others were present for much of the trial, which began at 9 a.m. and last- ed until the jury came back with its verdict at around 5 p.m. Jones, who had invited the entire Cottage Grove City Council to a trial that features a massive case fi le, explained that he was representing himself in court due to receiving too much income to qualify for the services of a public defender. During the proceedings, he attempted to grill Cottage Grove Police Offi cer Matt Walker and Re- serve Offi cer Steven Sherwin about their observations and actions in the early-morning hours of May 16, 2015, when Jones was pulled over on a traffi c stop in the Elks Lodge park- ing lot. From the beginning, however, City Prosecutor John Woodworth ob- jected to much of what Jones had to say, including his opening statement, during which Woodworth objected that Jones was making an argument as opposed to giving the six-woman jury a roadmap of the evidence he in- tended to produce. Jones responded that “there is no evidence” to prove his guilt on that night. “It’s all going to be fabricated by a master storyteller,” he said. Jones added that he wasn’t concerned about the outcome of the trial as much as he was about “impeaching” Offi cer Walker. During his testimony, Walker told the court that at 12:58 a.m. that early May morning, he was parked in the Koffee Kup parking lot observing drivers as they drove down the Row River Road connector onto Highway 99. He said he observed a vehicle go- ing slower than the speed limit and switched off his radar, at which point another vehicle drove around the fi rst, narrowly missing a stop sign and driving through two medians at a high rate of speed. Walker said he subsequently had to accelerate to 60 miles per hour to catch and stop Jones, adding that when he stopped Jones, his fi rst words were, “Did you see how slow that guy was going?” Jones would attempt to cross-ex- amine Walker and Sherwin, though his cross-examination of each was cut short by Judge Fisher, who warned Jones that he was being argumenta- tive as opposed to asking questions of witnesses and was referencing evidence that he had not introduced pre-trial. “It’s not possible for my van to do what he said it did,” Jones said, though the jury had been removed from the room prior to that com- ment. Jones stated that he would call no witnesses, then attempted to call both the offi cers as witnesses. His line of questioning was again cut short by Fisher. “Six citizens came here today to serve their civic duty,” Fisher said. “It is our obligation not to have their time wasted. This is not the Geoffrey Jones show.” Jones said he wished to call into question Walker’s anger issues, his vision, his health and state of being, but questions about both offi cers’ vision were all he could manage be- fore Fisher cut the proceedings short again. He also offered to have both offi cers drive his van to judge if it was capable of the driving he was accused of, though both declined. Jones hinted that he intended to appeal the decision to Lane County Circuit Court and that he intended to put Woodworth, the involved offi cers and Fisher on trial in federal court for civil rights violations. Jones will be sentenced on Thurs- day at 3 p.m. in Cottage Grove Mu- nicipal Court. Sidewalks shaved to curb tripping BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel P roblem spots in Cottage Grove’s downtown sidewalks got a “shave” of sorts early last week. Shauna Neigh, coordinator of the Main Street Program in Cottage Grove, said a company called Safe Sidewalks, LLC came to town on April 18 and smoothed out 27 places in downtown side- walks that had become tripping hazards, often due 3A to root damage created by the trees lining Main Street. “We wanted to have it done just in time for tour- ist season,” said Neigh, who coordinated the ef- fort along with the City of Cottage Grove and the Economic and Business Improvement District. The EBID contributed the $3000 for the sidewalk improvements. Neigh said there are still a few spots in down- town sidewalks that require repairs. “There are still a few tripping hazards,” she said. “We’re working with the business owners to rem- edy those situations, but they’re mostly in places where the cement has to be completely removed before it can be repaired.” Neigh was also excited to announce that the EBID has contributed funding to extend the hang- ing fl ower baskets that typically line Main Street down Main all the way to Gateway Blvd., adding that the baskets should be in place around Moth- er’s Day. Art Walk season kicks off Friday D owntown Cottage Grove will welcome visitors this Friday evening, as Cottage Grove Art Walk proudly kicks off its 2016 sea- son with the theme “Oregon Beauty.” Art Walk begins Friday, April 29, at 6 p.m., the fi rst event of the season to showcase longer hours — until 9 p.m. the last Friday each month until October. Art Walk offers a chance for lo- cals and visitors to peruse local art in charming historic downtown Cottage Grove. The fi rst Art Walk of 2016 will be dedicated to “celebrating our beautiful state,” according to organizers. A list of participants (who fl y an Art Walk themed fl ag in front of their building) includes: Bookmine: Debbie and Reed Berrow of Bell Pine Art Farm; Maria West, wire artist, who will be making pieces during the event. Fea- tured author will be the nationally known Janet Fisher, and music will be provided by Ron O’Keefe and Friends. The Crafty Mercantile: The Basket Cases will be demonstrating the art of pine needle bas- ketry. Music by Pamela Sterling-Wear. Five Flying Monkeys: Tinika, paintings and constructions. Kalapuya Books: Sarah Bast, farm animal acrylics. Michael Wolick, abstract nature photographs. Apple Pie Antiques: Laura Berdeen, Sterling and Copper Jewelry; Randy Deering, watercol- ors with an animal theme. Art Walk themes for the remainder of 2016 are: April: Oregon Beauty May: Trash Art June: Cottage Grove Art History July: Hot Summer Nights Aug.: Budding Artists Sept.: Cultural Art Oct.: Fall into Art FINAL Irving Berlin's WEEKEND! Cottage Theatre presents Enjoy the made-from- scratch quality and fl avor of our creative menu. Menu Offerings Surf & Turf, New York Steak, Top Sirloin, Beef Stroganoff, Hazelnut Encrusted Pork Loin, Chicken Marsala Chicken Picatta, Crab- Stuffed Rainbow Trout, Grilled Salmon, Mushroom Ragout, Shrimp Penne Pasta, Cajun Chicken Penne Pasta, Tri-Colored Cheese Tortellini Pasta, Vegetable Pasta Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin, Original Book by Herbert & Dorothy Fields, As revised by Peter Stone Serving Dinner 5-9pm nightly Reservations Welcome Prime Rib is back every Friday! Buy one entree, get another 50% off! Coupon required. Expires May 31, 2016 Must purchase minimum two entrees for discount. Offer valid for both Early Bird and Dinner menus, 5-9pm, not valid in the Fireside Lounge. Cannot be combine with any other offers. 725 Row River Rd. Cottage Grove, OR 541-942-2491 www.villagegreenresortandgardens.com Season at the Green Restaurant at the Village Green Resort 725 Row River Rd. Cottage Grove, OR 541-942-2491 A sharp-shooting musical comedy classic April 8, 9, 10* • 14, 15, 16, 17* 21, 22, 23, 24* • 28, 29, 30, May 1* Sponsored by: *matinee Directed by Tony Rust, Music Direction by Keri Davis, Choreography by Janet Rust Tickets available online, by phone, or at the door one hour before performance Thursday−Saturday 8:00 pm; Sunday 2:30 pm. $25 Adult, $20 Youth (age 6−18) www.cottagetheatre.org • 541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove