4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 11, 2016
O PINION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Bond is not the
way
Bond helps peace
of mind
Bond 20-240 is an infl ated
catch-all constructed with a me-
too approach. It will do little
or nothing to help with a high
school graduation rate that is
one of the lowest in the county.
Cottage Grove has big prob-
lems. We need living-wage jobs;
the streets are in disrepair and
the town has a dilapidated look
from almost any direction. We
border on irrelevance as an I-5
rest area and a Eugene bedroom
community with a Walmart.
Taxes in this town are already
insane. Planning for the future
needs good schools, among
many other things like good
infrastructure. It is hard to stay
competitive for the future with
a tax burden among the highest
in the state.
A bond disclaimer is “your
costs may vary”. We’re left with
a huge horn-of-plenty with un-
known costs that will do little to
improve education.
I want to trust the system —
that people of good conscience
have researched the options and
this is the best one. It is not. I
want a solution more in-tune
with the realities of life in Cot-
tage Grove.
The existing high school bond
should be re-structured and
(gulp) the oppressive tax bur-
den reduced. Smaller, targeted
bonds would allow the commu-
nity to express their views on
what is important.
With everything that has
happened in the last couple of
years, and as a teacher in Cot-
tage Grove for nearly 12 years,
I have always had school secu-
rity and safety at the back of
my mind for all of my students.
Now, with my sons entering
their fi rst years of school in
South Lane, I worry about their
safety and security as well.
Voting yes on Measure 20-
240 will help install systems,
like cameras, better door locks
and redesigned entryways at
some schools will help to ease
my mind a little. Knowing that
the School District is taking
extra precautions to help keep
kids safe makes it easier to go
to work, to teach and to send my
own children to school.
As someone who has moved
into Cottage Grove and plans
to remain here, I see the school
bond as an investment in our
community. Better facilities and
technology allow teachers to be
more effective. When students
aren’t crammed into rooms with
computers that barely work,
they learn work-ready skills.
When everyone feels safe at
school, learning happens more
effectively. It isn’t about hav-
ing the latest and greatest; it’s
about having functional schools
that are the safest and produce
a generation that is educated,
skilled and ready to better our
town.
We ask more and more of our
students, yet schools get less
and less. This is our chance to
show that education in Cottage
Grove is a priority, and that our
kids are a priority. As a parent,
community member and teach-
er, I ask you to join me in voting
RJ Bondeson
Cottage Grove
yes for our kids by voting Yes
on Measure 20-240.
Chris Wells
Cottage Grove
Bond process has
been a community
effort
I am honored to call Cottage
Grove my home. I grew up in
this community, and now, my
wife and I are raising our family
here. This is a great town and
the community should be proud
of the efforts by so many and
their work on planning, design-
ing and getting the word out on
the bond. I have been involved
in the process from the start, and
it has been wonderful to work
with so many committed com-
munity members.
The numbers: 50 commu-
nity members participated in
the bond advisory process last
spring, and 22 community mem-
bers participated in the design
planning process for the new
Harrison Elementary School.
Fifteen community members
have been a part of the Build It
For Kids advocacy group work-
ing to pass this measure. Over
the weekend, Build It For Kids
served over 500 free hamburg-
ers and hot dogs to the commu-
nity in an effort to communicate
about the bond measure.
The proposed South Lane
School District Bond Measure
is a measure our community
should be proud of. Ballot mea-
sure #20-240 will build a new
elementary school to replace
the nearly 70-year old Harri-
son Elementary School, address
safety, security, technology and
deferred maintenance projects
at all of our schools in South
Lane School District.
This is not a bond for the
South Lane School District.
This truly is a bond for our kids,
our community and our future.
To the reader that has already
voted, I say thank you! To the
reader that is still deciding on
how to vote, I ask you to consid-
er the efforts of this community
to come together to work toward
a brighter future for our kids
and community. We have many
challenges as a community but
this bond effort has shown how
we can come together to work
toward a common good.
Garrett Bridgens
SLSD Communications
Coordinator
School building
impedes education
I am fortunate to have been the
principal of Harrison Elemen-
tary since 2001. Our students
have consistently performed at
the top of the state on Oregon
statewide assessments. This
can be attributed to our talented
staff, family support and the re-
sources provided by South Lane
School District and our commu-
nity. What we haven't been able
to provide our students is an
adequate, safe learning environ-
ment with access to reasonable
technology.
We have no parking lot, caus-
ing a daily imposition on our
patient neighbors and twice-
daily congestion that puts our
students at great risk. We have
an inadequate heating system
causing varying temperatures
throughout the building, from
55 to over 80 degrees in some
rooms. Our P.E. is limited to two
two-hour blocks daily for our 18
classes of students, so the room
can be used to serve lunches.
We regularly experience leaks
throughout the building due to
the poor infrastructure, roofi ng
concerns and our heating sys-
tem. All of that in a building
that is overcrowded and out of
space. Did you know our library
is also used for music instruc-
tion, group meetings and indoor
recess activities?
It is these concerns and more
that have led the South Lane
School Board to bring bond
measure #20-240 to the voters.
This measure has been endorsed
by school parent clubs, the Senti-
nel, the Eugene Register Guard,
the League of Women Voters,
South Lane Fire and Rescue and
countless others. It is being en-
dorsed because the need is justi-
fi ed and the cost is reasonable.
While none of us is excited to
pay taxes, this is a small cost
with a huge benefi t. The esti-
mated cost is under $6 a month
more than our current costs on
an average Cottage Grove home
valued at $170,000. For that we
receive a new school, updated
technology, safety and security
systems throughout the district,
pool facility improvements, and
much-needed deferred mainte-
nance throughout the district.
I encourage you to vote yes
on ballot measure #20-240.
Let's build it for kids. They are
our hope and future. Yes on bal-
lot measure #20-240 is the right
thing to do and it's the right time
to do it!
LWV supports
Extension bond
The League of Women Voters
of South Lane County urges vot-
ers to approve Measure 20-239
to help support Oregon State
University extension services
here in Lane County. For a very
small cost to property owners
($3 a year for a house assessed
at $200,000) the measure will
provide funding for programs
that teach valuable skills to
youth and adults.
More kids will be able to par-
ticipate in 4-H programs in their
schools, and the $100 participa-
tion fee for 4-H project/com-
munity clubs will be reduced.
Technical assistance can be in-
creased to local farmers, nurs-
ery growers and woodlot own-
ers. There will be more access
to educational resources in gar-
dening, food safety and preser-
vation, nutrition and wellness.
This fi ve-year levy will re-
store many of the programs that
were lost to budget cuts in 2010.
It will enhance and expand the
extension programs that the
OSU Extension Service now
provides locally using federal
and state funds.
A Yes vote for Measure 20-
239 will promote self-suffi cien-
cy, healthy eating and the local
economy.
Pat Hocken
Kappy Eaton
Action Co-chairs
Ali Nice
Principal, Harrison
Elementary School
Mental health affects us all — So let’s talk about it!
BY LAUREN FULLER AND
CATHY BELLAVITA
For the Sentinel
W
e often hear the clini-
cal terms used by doc-
tors and other professionals to
identify the symptoms of mental
illnesses, but if someone hasn’t
gone through it, would they
know how to recognize it?
So often, clinical terms don’t
do justice to what life with a
mental illness feels like. We
know that two people with the
same diagnosis can experience
the same symptom and describe
it in very different ways. Under-
standing the signs of a mental
health problem and identifying
how it can feel can be confus-
ing, and can contribute to ongo-
ing silence or hesitation to get
help.
It’s important for people to
talk about how it feels to live
with a mental health issue. We
know that mental illnesses are
common and treatable, and help
is available. But not everyone
knows what to look for, and
many simply experience symp-
toms differently. We all need to
speak up early and in real, relat-
able terms so that people do not
feel isolated and alone.
May is Mental Health Aware-
ness Month. Established in
1949, Mental Health Awareness
Month is a time when advocates
and activists across the coun-
try draw attention to the men-
tal health issues that affect as
many as one in four Americans
each year. Unfortunately, many
people feel that they should be
able to overcome out-of-con-
trol emotions and feelings and
as a result are ashamed or em-
barrassed to seek the help they
need for themselves or their
loved ones.
National Mental Health
Awareness Month is a time
when we work together to break
through the stigma surrounding
mental health issues by express-
ing compassion for those who
struggle, and by drawing atten-
tion to proven methods that can
help.
This month, South Lane Men-
tal Health is joining a variety of
community partners — includ-
ing Mental Health America, a
nationwide community-based
nonprofi t dedicated to address-
ing the needs of those living
with mental illness and promot-
ing the overall mental health of
all Americans — in emphasiz-
ing the importance of speak-
ing up about mental health. We
invite the community to attend
our mental health speaker series
each Thursday in May, from
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the First
Presbyterian Church in Cottage
Grove. This year’s forums touch
on Everyday Intuition (May 5);
Creating Healthy Relationships
From the Very Beginning (May
12); and Using Mobile Technol-
ogy to Support Parents of Young
Children (May 19). We will
also be showing the Academy
Award-nominated documentary
Happy to close out the series on
May 26.
Talking about mental health is
meant to help remove the shame
and stigma of speaking out, so
that more people can be comfort-
able coming out of the shadows
and seeking the help they need.
Whether you are just learning
about early symptoms, or are
dealing with what it means to be
diagnosed with a mental illness,
sharing how it feels can be part
of your recovery.
We want everyone to know
that mental illnesses are real,
that recovery is always the goal,
and that the best prospects for
recovery come when we act as
early as possible.
Addressing mental illnesses
early means not burying feelings
and refusing to talk about them,
or waiting for symptoms to clear
up on their own. It means going
beyond just wishing that mental
health problems aren’t real, and
hoping that they will never get
worse. And it means recogniz-
ing that someone on the edge
of a crisis will need help to pull
him or herself back.
Talking about mental health
means giving voice to feelings
and fears, and to hopes and
dreams. It means empowering
people as agents of their own
recovery. And it means chang-
ing the trajectories of our own
lives for the better, and help-
ing those we love and live with
change theirs. If ever there is a
good time to discuss these is-
sues, it’s during Mental Health
Awareness Month. So let’s talk
about it!
solar-induced skin tumors and
also repaired UVB skin damage
and increased skin circulation,
elasticity and hydration.
direct correlation between skin
color and health: skin with an
orange tinge refl ects a healthy,
nutrient rich diet.
A diet rich in phytochemicals
and antioxidants provides pro-
tection against skin damage and
cancer and is also an effective
way to achieve healthy-looking
skin.
Lauren Fuller is chair and
Cathy Bellavita is vice chair of
the Board of Directors of South
Lane Mental Health, a com-
munity-based nonprofi t mental
health organization in Cottage
Grove.
The art of eating for beautiful, healthy skin
BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD
For the Sentinel
S
kin is the largest organ in
the human body and serves
as a protective shield against
environmental chemicals, tox-
ins, bacteria and UV radiation.
We collectively spend billions
of dollars each year to enhance
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
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our skin’s
physical
appearance.
Fortunate-
ly, a health-
promoting
diet
rich
in benefi -
cial phyto-
chemicals
is an inexpensive solution to im-
prove the health and appearance
of the skin.
Phytochemicals protect
against sun damage.
Skin cancer is the most com-
mon cancer in the U.S., affecting
one out of every fi ve Americans.
UV rays produce free radicals
that can damage DNA in skin
cells and lead to cancer. While
certain types of sunscreen effec-
tively block UVA and UVB rays
from the sun, a nutrient-dense
diet can enhance our natural de-
fenses against UV rays by com-
bating free radical damage.
Lycopene is a carotenoid an-
tioxidant found in red and pink
fruits such as tomato, grapefruit
and papaya. Studies show that
lycopene has photo-protective
qualities that prevent and repair
DNA damage to the skin caused
by the sun. Polyphenols are a
family of antioxidants that pos-
sess anti-infl ammatory and pho-
toprotective activities that can
benefi t the skin; polyphenols are
found in most fruits, vegetables,
beans, nuts and seeds. Rich
sources include onions (fl ava-
nols), cacao, grapes, peanuts
(resveratrol), apples and green
tea (catechins), citrus fruits (fl a-
vanones), and berries (anthocy-
anins). Studies have shown that
the catechins and fl avanols offer
signifi cant protection against
Phytochemicals give the skin
a healthy glow.
As a society, we tend to recog-
nize tanned skin as an indicator
of health and vitality. However,
darkening the skin with the sun’s
rays promotes wrinkling and
aging of the skin. On the other
hand, food-derived carotenoids
are pigment molecules that can
“color” the skin with a slight
yellow-orange tinge while pro-
viding protective health benefi ts.
One interesting study found that
people preferred the skin color
caused by carotenoids over the
skin color from a suntan, sug-
gesting that carotenoids contrib-
ute to a healthier and younger
looking complexion. There is a
Dr. Fuhrman is the #1 New
York Times bestselling author
of Eat to Live and Super Im-
munity, and a board certifi ed
family physician specializing
in lifestyle and nutritional
medicine.Visit his informative
website at DrFuhrman.com.
Submit your questions and
comments about this column
directly to newsquestions@
drfuhrman.com.
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