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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2016)
BMX faithful look back on the track, page 1B Weeldreyer steps up Longtime BMD volunteer takes festival helm, page 3A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 2 Preschool coming to Bohemia, Dorena elementary schools Legendary track coach Bell dies at 88 BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel S am Bell was one of the biggest names to come out of Cottage Grove High School, and his death has drawn national attention in the track and fi eld community. Bell passed away on Monday, June 27 at the age of 88. After graduating from Doane Col- lege in Nebraska in 1950, Bell pur- sued a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Or- egon in 1956. That’s when his career took him to Cottage Grove. Before becoming a Lion, Bell coached track and fi eld at Central High School in Monmouth. When he arrived in Cottage Grove, he replaced the famed Wally Ciochetti, who stayed on as an assistant. It was here that Bell got the chance to coach another big name from Cottage Grove, Dyrol Burleson, once considered America’s top mile runner and the only UO track athlete to never lose a race. After a few years at Cottage Grove, Bell coached at Oregon State Uni- versity. The Beavers won an NCAA title in cross country in 1961. He then moved on to coach at the University of California for four years before moving to Indiana, where his career really took off. In 28 years, Bell led the Indiana Hoosiers to 22 Big Ten champion- ships and 23 top-10 fi nishes in the NCAA championships. His legacy is the revolution of the track and fi eld program in Indiana and putting India- napolis on the map for Olympic com- petition. Bell helped organize events like the 1988 Olympic Trials, the Pan Ameri- can Games in 1987 and the USA Championships in 1983 and 1985. Bell also was an assistant track coach for the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, mentoring athletes such as Jim Spivey and Bob Kennedy. Grant funding will also establish preschools at two Creswell locations BY JON STINNETT the Cottage Grove Sentinel T here are “lots and lots of details” that have yet to be worked out, but beginning this fall, two area schools are expected to host new preschool programs brought about by grant funding. Jackie Lester, who serves as South Lane School Dis- trict’s P-20 Coordinator, a new position that works to integrate K-12 schooling with efforts to educate young people both before and after they graduate, said that South Lane has needed “universal preschool” options for some time. The new programs set to start this fall at Dorena and Bohemia schools aren’t exactly “universal” in the sense that not all students are accepted, but Les- ter said she’s still excited about what she calls “a very interesting program.” A Preschool Promise grant distributed through the Lane Early Learning Alliance will bring the new cen- ters to South Lane in September, and Lester said the new centers are designed to have the highest rating in the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). She said a lack of preschools in the area with such a rating made South Lane a prime candidate to host such schools. Bohemia and Dorena schools will join Creswell’s Creslane Elementary and Ellie’s Preschool and Day- care in offering the new program. Lester said the rating system evaluates an exhaustive set of criteria for each school, including the number of adults per child, the qualifi cations of each adult, cur- riculum and number of hours of instruction offered (schools cannot dip below 900 hours of instruction per year). Anyone can apply to have their children at- tend preschool at Bohemia or Dorena, she said, though income guidelines require that families earn no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $50,000 per year, a higher threshold than Head Start. “The programs are designed to serve families that get turned down by Head Start,” she said. The new preschool regulations have already been a learning experience for South Lane educators ac- customed to an entirely different K-12 system, Lester said, and she said providing the program for the 34 kids that will be accepted between the two schools will be expensive at a cost of about $11,500 per student per year. “There is lots of training involved, more than is nec- essary for an elementary teacher,” said Lester, who pointed out that the preschool curriculum will adhere to early learning standards with an emphasis on social and emotional learning and a heavy emphasis on play. The program also includes a mandate that students have opportunities to partake in programs such as art and music. “Preschool has been a different language for us K-12 educators,” she said. “There are rules related to trans- portation, food service, record keeping, staff hiring, etc.” The daily structure at the new preschools hasn’t been narrowed down yet, but Lester said a typical day will likely mean instruction from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. South Lane doesn’t know how long it will take to get its educators certifi ed to administer the program, but Les- ter said the District is being told that it doesn’t have to happen right away. Principals at each school will serve as administrators of the preschool program, which the District hopes will more fully integrate the preschools into the schools that host them. Lester said that the state of Oregon is “backtracking” when it comes to providing preschool options at K-12 schools. “We should’ve had this before we had full-day kinder- garten,” she said. “Most kids in our District, if they’re not spending the day in their own home, they’re being cared for by a relative. Most have not had any struc- tured daycare. And you’ve got to start somewhere.” Those interested in preschool options at Dorena and Bohemia are asked to call 541-741-6000. Bell prior to taking the helm at Oregon State in 1958. Armory fundraising campaign begins Local consulting fi rm to write no less than 80 grants in 30 months BY JON STINNETT the Cottage Grove Sentinel T he City of Cottage Grove estimates that it will cost about $2.6 million to renovate the Cottage Grove Armory, which it purchased for $395,000 in 2010 from the Oregon Military Department when the National Guard moved to a new facility in Springfi eld. Last Mon- day, June 27, the City Council approved a contract in an amount not to exceed $463,000 to secure the needed funds. The Armory has seen sporadic use since its purchase, and concep- tual drawings have been planned and executed for the building, plans that detail possible uses Christina Lund including a commercial kitchen, has hired a emergency shelter, headquarters team of seven of the Cottage Grove Kids Club to spearhead and more. the fundraising A faulty boiler has meant that campaign. the Armory has been without heat for some time, however, which has worked to cur- tail its use, and City Planner Amanda Ferguson said last week that the building is at a “critical juncture” in its existence. “The building needs to be occupied so that it doesn’t deteriorate into worse shape,” Ferguson said. She said photo by Jon Stinnett The City of Cottage Grove purchased the Armory in 2010, and city of- fi cials say that now is the time to pursue funding to restore the building. Please see ARMORY, Page 11A Saturday crash near CG Lake claims life of motorcyclist Police say speed is believed to be a factor O regon State Police have identifi ed the man killed in a crash involving a car and motorcycle near Cottage Grove Lake Saturday afternoon. At about 4 p.m. Saturday, according to a release from OSP Public Information Of- fi cer Bill Fugate, Troopers from the Spring- fi eld Area Command responded to a report of a motorcycle versus vehicle crash on London Road near the Cottage Grove Res- ervoir. Fugate wrote that a preliminary inves- tigation revealed that a 1999 Honda 900 motorcycle was traveling southbound on London Road at a high rate of speed just as a 2008 Chrysler Sebring was pulling out of a private drive northbound. The motorcycle R impacted the driver’s side of the Sebring. The rider, identifi ed as Cory Nathan Tocher, age 33, of Cottage Grove, was thrown from the motorcycle and pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Sebring, Jer- emy Paul Owens, age 41, of Eugene was not injured in the crash. The roadway was closed for approximate- ly 1-1/2 hours for a collision reconstruction to be completed. Police said Tocher was wearing a motorcycle helmet and added that speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash. State Police were assisted on scene by the Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce, Lane County Medical Examiner and South Lane Fire and Rescue. C July 9 & 10 R courtesy photo Cory Trocher, age 33, was pronounced deceased after being thrown from his motorcycle. 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 . 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