Departed veterans — 5A
Wheels still
in motion at
Rainy Peak,
page 11A
Memorial Day message — 3A
Free Fishing Weekend — 6A
Baseball's big fi nish, page 1B
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016
SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
Council discussion of pot
'buffer zones' to continue
M EMORIAL D AY 2016
Ceremony
salutes
sacrifi ce
City Attorney to examine CG's options with regard to
recreational marijuana retailers
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he Cottage Grove City Council is
expected to explore the option of
creating “buffer zones” around its schools
and parks, zones that would be free of
marijuana-related businesses, at an up-
coming meeting.
At its Monday, May 23 meeting, City
Attorney Carrie Connelly told the Council
that she could explore the City’s options
for creating “buffer zones,” citing public
comment received that evening indicating
an interest in them.
“We can develop something if you think
you might want to go down that road,”
Connelly said. “Is there some interest in
knowing your options? The concern is that
we have to legislate something like this
uniformly.”
The notion of “buffer zones” became
prominent in the local conversation on
May 18, when the Cottage Grove Plan-
VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 49
ning Commission examined a conditional
use permit for a marijuana processing fa-
cility whose owners wished to convert a
vacant lot across from Bohemia Park. The
Commission approved the permit with
conditions related mostly to developing
the lot, which angered some of the site’s
neighbors.
“We have received a number of submit-
tals in opposition to the proposal, and the
principal reason is that it is located right
across the street from a park,” City Plan-
ner Amanda Ferguson told the Commis-
sion.
“It’s about the children,” neighbor
Mickey Pattingale said during the ensu-
ing public hearing. “This kind of business
does not belong next to a family park.”
“This kind of business is degrading to
our park,” Bruce Stewart said. “Nobody
wants to donate to a park across from a
dope facility.”
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
L
ast week, the Cottage Grove mu-
seum hosted a pre-Memorial Day
celebration that featured a speech by Jona-
thon Landon, a U.S. Army Chaplain. The
speech focused on raising awareness for
the true meaning of Memorial Day and
that it should be about honoring fallen ser-
vice members instead of celebrated as a
photo by Sam Wright
day off work.
But it was apparent Cottage Grove Boy Scout Troop 140 led a processional parade from the
needed no lesson on how to commemorate CG Armory, site of this year's Memorial Day ceremony,
military members in the community who to the Centennial bridge. They were followed by cyclists
with the American Legion Riders.
Please see CEREMONY, Page 11A
Please see BUFFER, Page 10A
Aid for farm stand discussed
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he owner/operator of a Cottage
Grove-based farm stand said that a
push for heightened marketing of the busi-
ness is planned for its future.
The Healing Matrix was the site of a
meeting that brought interested individuals
together to discuss the future of the Coast
Fork Farmstand at the corner of 10th and
Washington streets on Tuesday, May 24.
Farmstand owner Scott Burgwin shared
a positive outlook from the meeting, in
which a marketing push, fundraising to up-
grade the stand’s infrastructure and other
needs were discussed.
Burgwin has operated the stand at vari-
ous locations around town for almost seven
years; it moved to its current home in late
2014. The building’s owners recently up-
graded parking there.
Business had been steady until about last
December, Burgwin said, after which sales
steadily dropped. He said he’s unsure why
that happened.
“We’re trying to address how to reverse
that trend,” he said.
A new produce cooler should provide a
way to keep veggies and fruits cool dur-
ing the upcoming warmer summer months.
Recent donations are also expected to help
bring the stand’s inventory back to previ-
ous levels, and Burgwin said a change in
organizational structure could provide an
even bigger lift.
“I’ve always wanted this to move in the
direction of a cooperative,” he said.
Burgwin said he just extended the farm
stand’s lease through July and hopes that a
rebound in business could warrant another
extension.
photo by Jon Stinnett
Sailboats were some of the watercraft used to ply the waters of a quite-full Dorena Reservoir
on Memorial Day weekend. More summertime temperatures are expected this week.
Proposed airport welcome center aims to aid tourism economy
Funds are being raised to construct building
where its predecessor once stood
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
F
courtesy photos
A new airport welcome center (drawing inset) is planned for construction at
the site of a previous building (pictured).
ans of the “hundred-dollar
hamburger” are among the
targets for a building planned to
help draw more tourism to Cottage
Grove.
Pilots and their passengers who
land at Cottage Grove’s Airport
are currently welcomed by a porta-
potty and little else upon their ar-
rival here. A group of pilots and
aviation enthusiasts, however, is
hoping that a new welcome cen-
ter at the Airport, which will aim
to function as both a pilot pit stop
and tourist information center, can
entice pilots to stay a little longer.
Nadine Kelley of the Airport’s
welcome center committee ex-
plained that the “hundred-dollar
hamburger” refers to pilots’ affi n-
ity for fl ying their planes to certain
locales just for a meal and a quick
look around.
“We like to fl y somewhere and
eat,” she said. “There’s a restaurant
right next to the airport in Indepen-
dence, and it’s full of pilots all the
time.”
Kelley said, though, that the lack
of amenities at the Cottage Grove
Airport doesn’t exactly encourage
an extended stop here.
“What greets them now is a
porta-potty,” Kelley said. “And
what does that say about Cottage
Grove? People don’t come back if
that’s all there is to welcome them,
especially if they’re male pilots
fl ying with their wives. A welcome
center could be a big help to our
economy, because Cottage Grove
has a lot to offer its visitors.”
The Airport recently requested
and received a waiver of the esti-
mated $4600 in fees and permits it
will need to build a new welcome
center from the City of Cottage
Grove, which will pay the fees
from its contingency funds. The
City is currently engaged in an on-
going effort to annex the Airport
from Lane County, with bringing
city services such as water seen
as one of the major benefi ts of an-
nexation.
“Because there has been no wa-
ter, people don’t want to build in
Cottage Grove,” Kelley said. “At
Please see WELCOME, Page 11A
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