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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2016)
City Beat — 5A New City website — 3A 'The Nerd' — 6A Sanders speaks in Springfi eld, page 10A The Great Ice Cream Bowl Fun run draws participants, child abuse prevention awareness, page 8A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2016 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 Bond basics VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 44 K ING ' S COURT Also inside: Breaking down Ballot Measure 20-240 BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel B allots for Oregon’s May 17 primary election were mailed to voters by Lane County Elections on Thursday, April 28, meaning that voters in the southern part of the County will have about two and a half weeks to weigh the merits of Bond Measure 20-240, which seeks to replace the Harrison Elementary building, tackle deferred maintenance projects and make security and technol- ogy upgrades throughout South Lane School District at a cost of $35,950,000. As such, the Sen- tinel has compiled the pertinent facts about the bond measure in advance of the primary: Objective Bond Measure 20-240 aims to replace the current Harrison Elementary building on South 10th Street in Cottage Grove with a new structure at the cor- ner of 10th and Taylor streets, the site of the old Cottage Grove High School. Current plans call for retaining the gymnasium and cafeteria at the current Harrison building for community use. The building was constructed in 1947 to educate about 125 students and now houses about 450 kids, and South Lane of- fi cials have sought to replace the school for some time due to its cramped spaces and de- terioration. Construction of the new school is expected to cost $18,921,100. Renovating the existing Harrison building was considered a possibility until it was determined that the cost of renovation (an estimated $17,636,928) would rival that of building a new school. Other projects and costs In addition to a new Harrison building, the bond also aims to fund updated fi re and secu- rity systems in all South Lane schools including cameras and a Please see BOND, Page 9A 'The Nerd' Opal Theater courts comedic chaos, page 6A courtesy photo Pageant raises over $13,000 for CMN Cottage Grove High School's Lion King pageant, an evening of skits, dances and laughs, raised over $13,000 for Riverbend Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Senior Brad Geisler (third from right, in crown) earned the title of Lion King this year, while Jayden Tucker was named Mr. Congeniality. Above, Geisler is joined above by fellow contestants Nico Cornelius, Brandon Hughes, Tucker, Kendrick Murphy, Justin Epperson, Elijah Foreman and Payton Presley. Pageant organizers Carly Sand, Aggie Hite, Shelby Kidd and Savannah Crump are seated below the contestants. The event was co-hosted by Isaac Hovet and Shane May. Suspect arrested after long standoff at area motel BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A four-hour standoff in a room at the Best Western motel in Cottage Grove led to the arrest of a 42-year old Springfi eld man Friday afternoon. John Lucas, who had barricaded him- self inside the room after motel person- nel attempted to ensure that his room had been vacated, was arrested later after fl ash-bang devices and tear gas were used to enter his room, according to Cottage Grove Police Detective Doug Skaggs. Skaggs said that motel employees called one of the motel’s rooms to en- sure that its occupant had checked out in advance of the check-in of another customer. When there was no reply, they reportedly opened the door to fi nd Lucas “screaming and yelling,” at which point they left and called Cottage Grove Po- lice. Offi cers Tami Miles and Matt Walker responded to the scene and attempted to talk to Lucas, who would reportedly not say much except that he had a gun to his head and wanted everyone to leave. Po- lice recommended that the motel be evac- uated, and Skaggs said the Best Western “lost a lot of business” as a result of the standoff. Police were concerned that a woman who had checked in with Lucas might be in the room, though they were relieved to fi nd that her car was not in the parking lot, according to Skaggs. Still, the pos- sibility of a hostage led CGPD to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce and re- quest the assistance of a negotiator with its special response team. Negotiations between Lucas and po- lice were sparse, Skaggs said, so a fl ash- bang device was deployed in the room to let Lucas know that police were still on the scene. For about 20 minutes, he said the team told Lucas to come out, that he was under arrest and that tear gas would be used if he did not exit the room. The gas was eventually used, Skaggs said, though no response was received from Lucas. He said Lucas instead started to barricade the door even more thoroughly, after which police moved in and took him into custody, but not until a Taser was used to bring the reportedly combative Lucas to heel. Skaggs said that Lucas had a handgun in his possession at the time of his arrest. He said police were unsure why Lucas responded the way he did, though he did point out that a war- rant had been issued for his arrest earlier that day for allegedly violating a no-con- tact order. In the effort to subdue Lucas, his Jack Russell terrier, named Tank, escaped, though he was later found at Middlefi eld Oaks. Dynamic duo Wright, Weybright dominate the distances, page 6A courtesy photo John Lucas, 42, of Springfi eld was taken into custody with the help of fl ash-bang devices, tear gas and a Taser. Longfellow recognized by Travel Oregon for fi ghting graffi ti Cottage Grove's Marie Longfel- low received the Outstanding Oregon Tour- ism Volunteer Award for her work with Cot- tage Grove's Rapid Response Graffi ti Team at the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Pendleton last week. BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A courtesy photo battle against graffi ti in Cottage Grove’s public spaces has led to statewide recognition for one local vol- unteer. Marie Longfellow was honored by Travel Oregon with the Outstanding Oregon Tourism Volunteer Award at the 2016 Governor’s Conference on Tour- ism, held April 24-26 in Pendleton. The awards aim to “recognize people and or- ganizations across the state that go the extra mile to enhance the travel and tour- ism industry in Oregon,” according to a recent press release. Longfellow herself was on hand to accept the award, which recognizes her contributions to Cottage Grove’s Rapid Response Graffi ti Team. The volunteer award “recognizes the signifi cant com- mitment by an individual or a group of individuals who exemplify the positive impact volunteers have on Oregon’s travel and tourism industry.” Longfellow, who volunteers in a num- ber of other capacities in Cottage Grove, said she’s proud of the fact that visitors to the community don’t see much graffi ti here thanks to the efforts of the response team. “If it isn’t there, we know we’ve done well,” she said. “We used to take pictures of each incident to document everything, but now we just try to clean it up right away.” The Rapid Response Graffi ti Team formed two years ago, and Longfellow said the group responded to 194 cases of graffi ti in public spaces and on private buildings last year. Besides the benefi ts for visitors, she said her own aversion to graffi ti helps spur her to action. “I don’t like graffi ti,” she said, “and the people who are responsible for doing it in Cottage Grove aren’t very imagina- tive.” Longfellow listed the Chambers Rail- road Bridge, Bohemia and Coiner Parks as frequent targets for graffi ti. Rain Country Realty Inc. Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 This blank space is brought to you by our Sellers whose homes are selling so quickly that we have nothing to advertise. Want in? CONTACT US www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person WEATHER Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 57 45 Rain Broker Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 8B Classified ads.................................1C Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar
