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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2016)
Inside this edition! See also: BMD Countdown, page 3A Your guide to all things Bohemia Mining Days $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2016 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 3 Village Green sale falls through Buyer backs out after management company objects; hotel is now 'off the market' BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he sale of the Village Green Resort and Gar- dens in an online auction at the end of June fell through after the buyer backed out, a prominent member of the hotel’s manage- ment team said Monday. Tom Aura, Director of Opera- tions at Moonstone Hotel Prop- erties, the Cambria, California- based company that owns the Village Green and six other ho- tels, told the Sentinel last week that it appeared a sale had hap- pened but that the purchaser had backed out, a statement he con- fi rmed on Monday. “We had a prospective buyer, but he said his management company told him that it wasn’t comfortable with him own- ing a full-service facility, so he backed out,” Aura said. Moonstone had placed the facility — a 16-plus acre resort and gardens that was built in 1959, and at the time, was the fi rst fi ve-star hotel built in Ore- gon — in an auction with online platform Ten-X.com, an auc- tion that ran from June 28-30. Aura said the prospective buyer was also due to visit the Village Green last Tuesday but did not make an appearance. Aura said the buyer was the only one to meet the reserve One Cottage Grove woman dead following Friday crashes amount for the auction, an amount he declined to name. But he added that Moonstone personnel including owner Dirk Winter were okay with the sale falling through. “Dirk had a bit of seller’s re- morse when the winning bid was made,” Aura said. “He had a change of heart.” Since the sale has fallen through, Aura said, the hotel will not be listed for sale again and is “off the market” unless an unsolicited offer appears and is too good to refuse. Instead, he said Moonstone will “start laying out a plan to start mak- ing some improvements” at the Village Green, though he de- clined to elaborate on specifi c improvements until plans mate- rialize more fully. Shepherd settling in Wreck at Layng and Row River injures several T wo separate crashes on Row River Road led to several hospitalizations and the death of a Cottage Grove woman on Friday. The Lane County Sheriff’s Of- fi ce said that at about 4:30 p.m. Friday it received a report of a motor vehicle crash on Row River Road and Layng Road near Cot- tage Grove involving a 1991 Ford Aerostar minivan and a 2001 Ford F250 truck. Personnel with Oregon State Police and LCSO, in addition to fi rst responders with South Lane County Fire and Rescue, responded to the scene. According to the Sheriff’s Of- fi ce, a preliminary investigation indicates that the truck, which was carrying a mother and her four chil- dren, was traveling eastbound on Row River Road pulling a loaded horse trailer. The minivan, which carried seven occupants including two minors, was traveling north- bound on Layng Road and attempt- ed to turn left onto Row River Road when it collided with the truck. Six of the seven occupants of the minivan were transported to the hospital for medical attention, in- cluding the driver, who was trans- ported via Life Flight. One of the six was eventually fl own to Doern- becher Children’s Hospital in Port- land. The seventh occupant of the van, who the Sheriff’s Offi ce later identifi ed as 48-year old Francisca Chales Ramos of Cottage Grove, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The occupants of the truck suf- fered injuries and were evaluated on scene. The horse was also eval- uated by a veterinarian on scene for injuries. Later on, at about 11 p.m. Fri- day, Sheriff’s deputies reportedly noticed what was later described as a “suspicious vehicle,” a white Toyota Camry, on upper Row River Road. A captain with OSP, which was later contacted to assist with the investigation, reported that the vehicle’s driver accelerated from the area at a high rate of speed, dis- appeared and eventually crashed into some trees off the shoulder of the highway. Joe Raade of South Lane Fire and Rescue told the Eu- gene “Register-Guard” that the crash occurred at about Milepost 9 of Row River Road. Sheriff Deputies arrived upon the scene moments afterward and dis- covered a serious-injury crash they said apparently involved the same vehicle they observed earlier. Both the operator and passenger were hospitalized with serious to life- threatening injuries. State Police identifi ed the driver of the Camry as 25-year old Jesse Woody of Dorena. The passenger was identifi ed as 23-year old Levi Chase of Cottage Grove. There was no update available as to the condi- tion of either man at Sentinel press time Monday. photo by Jon Stinnett Scott Shepherd has served the Cottage Grove Police Department since 1993. Interim chief praised, pleased though appointment isn't offi cial BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel S cott Shepherd said he’d “abso- lutely” be honored to serve as full- time chief of the Cottage Grove Police Department. Which is probably a good thing, considering he’s already more or less doing just that. Former Chief Mike Grover announced in September of last year that he would be retiring from the position after serv- ing CGPD for over 30 years. At the time, Shepherd was named interim chief for a period of six months, a period that has long since passed. “That’s what the goal was, but of course we’ve gone beyond that,” said Shepherd’s boss, Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Meyers. Meyers said the City plans to an- nounce an in-house recruitment for the Please see SHEPHERD, Page 10A Community band, #instaballet to augment Monday's Symphony performance T he return of the Eugene Sym- phony to Cottage Grove for its second-annual outdoor performance in the Bohemia Park amphitheater will feature a full evening of entertainment with the addition of new activities prior to the evening’s feature performance. The Symphony will return this Mon- day, July 18 for a free concert that begins at 7:30 p.m., though there will be plenty to do prior to start time. At 5:30, professional musicians from the Eugene Symphony Association will be holding an Instrument Petting Zoo, which aims to offer the opportunity for visitors of all ages to handle and try out instruments like those that will be heard in the Symphony’s performance. dents home for the summer and a select group of current high-school students. The band receives rehearsal space and support from the First Presbyterian Church of Cottage Grove and rehearses there weekly each June and July. The group will also perform a concert at the church on Thursday, July 21 at 7 p.m., an evening that will also feature perfor- mances by local school musicians tak- ing part in a summer band camp. At 6:50 p.m., following the Com- munity Band performance, #instaballet will perform. The group is billed as an interactive dance performance group City Manager Richard Meyers told the City Council recently that the commu- nity has not been notifi ed which instru- ments will be on hand at the “zoo.” At 6:30 p.m., Cottage Grove’s own Community Band will perform. The Community Band was started in 2010, as a way for local musicians to play to- gether each summer without having to leave town and is in its seventh summer program this year. The band was creat- ed and is directed by retired band direc- tor Bob Dill. Cottage Grove middle and high school directors Joanna Newton and Gabe Dickinson also help direct and conduct the band, which is made up of community adult musicians of all ages, as well as current college stu- Please see SYMPHONY, Page 10A courtesy photo The Eugene Symphony will return to Bohemia Park for the second in a series of outdoor concerts on Monday, July 18. R AIN C OUNTRY R EALT Y I NC . L SO D L SO D L SO D Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 1330 Merrill 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 Broker Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 78 52 Sunny Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 5B Classified ads................................. 7B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar