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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2016)
Search for man missing since 2012 continues, page 3A Attention: Early deadlines Early deadlines will be in place for the July 6 edition of the Sentinel. The newspaper asks that items for its July 6 edition be submitted by Thursday, June 30 at noon. Daytripper hears from noisy neighbors, page 8A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016 VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 1 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 BMX track torn down City said facility had become dangerous after years of disuse BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A structure that has played host to youth activities and competi- tions for many years in Cottage Grove came down in mere minutes last week. Public Works Director Jan Wellman with the City of Cottage Grove said that the local BMX track, which ex- isted on city land on the southeast edge of town since the 1980s, had become a “dangerous attraction” due to dis- use and the deterioration of its build- ings. City employees used a trackhoe and bulldozer that the City had rented for other projects and took down the announcer’s booth, bleachers and other facilities there, then leveled out much of the dirt that made up the track’s twists and turns. Wellman said the City had come across an agreement from 1984 where- by local BMX enthusiasts would rent the land for $1 per year and develop the track. The track drew cyclist com- petitors from throughout the region. Following its demolition, many took to social media to express their regret that the structure was no more and la- ment the loss of another activity for area youth. “I no longer live in Cottage Grove, but while I was there, all I did was go to the track,” one commenter said. “It would be nice if they started it over,” another said. “It was so popular when I was a kid growing up in CG… it’s said that it’s just another thing taken away from our youth.” The challenge to keeping the track up and operating, City Manager Richard Meyers told the Sentinel recently, was that over the years, groups of young people and their parents have utilized the track and invested in its success. Then, as those young people grew up, graduated from school and moved on to other concerns, interest and activity at the BMX track waned. “There isn’t sustainability to it,” photo by Melissa Keenan Public Works employees used a trackhoe to take out the announc- er's booth and bleachers at the BMX track last week. Meyers said. “Nobody’s taken responsibility for quite a while,” Wellman said. Eugene- based Emerald Valley BMX hosted Please see BMX, Page 10A One year later: On your mark, get set, read! Marijuana legalization and its impact (or lack thereof) on local law enforcement BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T Kyndra Kelley, age 6, chooses a book during the kickoff to the Cottage Grove Library's Sum- mer Reading program on Wednesday, June 22. The Library reported that 197 children and 107 adults at- tended the kickoff, adding that 223 kids had already been signed up to partici- pate in the program. Partic- ipants received a free book donated by the Friends of the Library and ice cream donated by Umpqua Bank, and they had the opportu- nity to play carnival games and win prizes. There will be Summer Reading Program activities every Wednesday from 2:30–3:30 p.m. in the Library, and readers will keep track of their progress throughout the summer for a chance to win prizes later on. photo by Bruce Kelsh Woman sought in connection with teen party T he Cottage Grove Police Department is seeking the public’s help to locate a woman that po- lice say furnished alcohol to a party i nvo l v i n g several in- toxicated juveniles last month. The De- Angela Ward partment utilized its Facebook page Mon- day to enlist public involvement events there for 3-4 years following a period of local inactivity, and a group in the search for 33-year old Angela Ward, who they said pur- chased alcohol for several teens in advance of a May 20 party that attracted police attention af- ter South Lane Fire and Rescue received a report of a 14-year old female foaming at the mouth. According to its post, CGPD stated that additional calls had indicated that a fi ght had oc- curred at the same location and several juveniles had been drinking alcohol. When police arrived, they reportedly found several teens drinking there, and one parent who had been notifi ed of the party was there caring for a teen that was “vomiting and nearly unconscious.” Several of the teens were extremely intoxi- cated, police said — a 15-year old was reportedly found with a blood alcohol content of .26 per- cent, over three times the legal limit for an adult DUI. Police say a second 15-year old was found to have a BAC of .18 percent. Commander Conrad Gagner told the Sentinel Monday that Of- fi cer Fred Dilworth had spoken to Ward, who Gagner admitted to purchasing alcohol for some of the involved teens and driving them to the location of the party. Ward reportedly agreed to be cit- ed on a charge of furnishing al- cohol to a minor, a Class A mis- demeanor. Since then, though, Gagner said attempts to contact Ward have been unsuccessful. “It is believed she is intention- ally avoiding contact with law enforcement,” according to the Facebook post. Those with information as to Ward’s whereabouts are asked to call the Cottage Grove Police Department at 541-942-9145. his Friday, July 1, will mark the one-year anniversary of the legalization of recreational marijuana use for those over age 21 in Oregon. There have been other milestones related to legalization since last summer: established medical marijuana dispensaries began selling recreational marijuana on Oct. 1, 2015 and were greeted with a wave of new customers. Last month, New Breed Seed, a company that hopes to revolutionize the growing of marijuana from seed, received the fi rst retail license for recreational mar- ijuana from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Then on June 1, 2016, medical marijuana dispensaries were cleared to sell edible marijuana products to recreational users for the fi rst time, initiating another wave of new business. The Cottage Grove City Council has also voted to place a three-percent tax on recreation- al marijuana purchases, with the rationale from some being that the tax would go to offset rising costs of law enforcement related to legalization. But have there been rising costs associated with marijuana le- galization, and just how has legalization impacted local law en- forcement? If you ask personnel with the Cottage Grove Police Department, the impact would seem to be negligible at most. “We haven’t seen a big impact, an increase in crime or other problems that can be attributed to legal marijuana,” Commander Conrad Gagner told the Sentinel. Gagner reasoned that those who wanted to try marijuana in the Cottage Grove area had likely already done so before recre- ational legalization. “People who wanted to smoke pot were already doing it,” he said. “There might be a few more people who try it, but it’s not looking like a signifi cant number.” Gagner said he didn’t believe that CGPD was fi nding any more marijuana during its searches or routine activities; it’s just that police are no longer taking it away. “For a long time, cases involving an ounce or less were dealt with by saying, ‘give us the weed,’ and then it was destroyed,” he said. “Citations haven’t been a huge revenue stream, and in fact they don’t happen very often at all.” The Department has dealt with a few cases involving individu- als who were found to have too much marijuana on their person during a consent search, according to Detective Doug Skaggs. “It’s likely the same people we would’ve dealt with before; they’re just carrying more of it around now,” Skaggs said. Public use of marijuana is illegal, but Gagner said CGPD has not cited anyone with public use. Such a citation may be rare anyway, however, because an offi cer must witness a person using the drug fi rsthand to issue a citation. With regard to marijuana’s effects on driving, Gagner said that local police have not lately made an arrest for driving under the infl uence of a driver that has been found to be using only mari- juana. He said that the amount of tetrahydracannabinol (THC) in Please see MARIJUANA, Page 10A R AIN C OUNTRY R EALT Y I NC . "WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! FROM YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS AT RAIN COUNTRY REALTY, INC." Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Broker 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 84 53 Sunny Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 4B Classified ads................................. 6B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar
