COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 21, 2016
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BEGINS OCTOBER 15TH
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T ESTS
11A
COMING UP IN THE GROVE
Continued from page 1A
under the state averages for math
(up to six percentage points). But As-
sistant Superintendent Kyle Tucker
said th e results aren’t overly concern-
ing, though the District still strives to
improve the numbers all around.
“Many of our smaller schools’ per-
centages will fl uctuate in great capac-
ity because two students not meeting
the expectations can signifi cantly af-
fect the percentages,” Tucker said.
In all grades, the Academy for
Character Education (ACE) is con-
sistently the highest scoring school in
the District, followed by London in
middle and elementary school grades
and Cottage Grove High School for
grade 11. In grade three and grade 11,
ACE scored 100 percent in ELA, and
the school’s grade three students also
scored 100 percent in math.
The School District overall is see-
ing a steady increase since the adop-
tion of the Smarter Balanced assess-
ment system.
Soul Deception
The Axe and Fiddle will be hosting a CD
release party for Soul Deception at 8:30
Saturday, Sept. 24. Based in Eugene, the
band aims to appeal to a wide audience with
changing rhythms from swing to blues to
strong rock and roll and provides the listener
with a variety rarely found in one band. Soul
Deception's full rhythms are supported by
the warm soulful voice of Samantha Cairnes,
with supporting lead and back up harmonies
of Mel Stark adding soulful harmonies to
every performance. John Heller on lead guitar,
Chris Farrell on rhythm guitar, Jason Lusk on
bass, Danny Sternadel on keyboards, and Fred
Mahoney on drums.
Day of Caring
Events for the United Way's Day of Caring
will take place across Lane County this Thurs-
day, Sept. 22. Day of Caring this year includes
fi ve communities, 43 companies and over 700
volunteers. In Cottage Grove, volunteers will
help make the City of Cottage Grove's visitor
center more welcoming from 9 a..m to 1 p.m.
The Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Coun-
cil will care for native plantings at Carolina
Creek from 9 a.m. to noon, and Community
Sharing volunteers will help stack fi rewood
from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, vol-
unteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to
prepare items for sale, and volunteers will
help the Opal Center for Arts and Education
prepare a database of its costumes and props
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Day of Caring is an annual day of volunteer-
ing facilitated by United Way of Lane County
since the early 1990s. Each year, United Way
of Lane County works to coordinate partners
across the nonprofi t, public, and private sec-
tors for one incredible day of giving back to
the community through volunteerism.
The event takes place each September and
helps to promote the importance
of a connected community.
B RIDGE
Continued from page 1A
of outer wood remaining.”
Larsen wrote that compromis-
ing support for the suspension
cables poses “a serious risk that
could result in a catastrophic
failure.” He added that OBEC
will continue calculating a load
rating of the bridge that will
help determine whether “replac-
ing in-kind is the appropriate re-
pair method” or if the capacity
of the bridge members will need
to be increased.
City Manager Richard Mey-
ers said Monday morning that
the bridge’s load rating will
be used to help determine next
steps for its repair. Contrary to
recent comments on social me-
dia, Meyers said that the City is
not planning on removing the
bridge but rather fi nding a way
to fi x it as soon as possible.
“We’re trying to determine
what we can do, what is the
fastest way to get it back open?”
he said. “It’s a major pedestrian
passageway, and we want to get
it open. There are no plans to
tear it out.”
Repairing the bridge was not
included in the City’s 2016-17
budget, and Meyers said the City
is exploring delays to other proj-
ects that could allow the bridge
repairs to proceed. He said the
City is also attempting to deter-
mine just how old the bridge is.
Drawings from the 1960s and
70s appear to showcase a bridge
that was already standing, he
said, and there is no defi nitive
proof of its age. Still, anecdotal
evidence indicates that a swing-
ing bridge could have spanned
the Coast Fork as early as the
1920s.
Meyers asked that anyone
who witnesses trespassers on
the bridge call 911 to report the
action to police.
that involved removing tailings
above Dennis Creek near the
mine in 2007.
According to the EPA, much
of the mercury that appears
in the watershed downstream
comes from Furnace Creek,
and the mercury in the reservoir
has prompted a warning about
consuming fi sh caught there
since 1979. Much of the release
of mercury corresponds with
storm events there, according to
the EPA’s presentation given at
its Sept. 14 public meeting.
The EPA hopes to reduce the
mobility of the mercury at Fur-
nace Creek by removing some
of the mine tailings there, ac-
cording to representative Judy
Smith, who said the removal
was chosen from a list of three
alternatives. Smith added that
the cleanup, which should be
similar to the efforts undertaken
in 2007, is “still a year or so
out.”
Comments offered at last
week’s meeting included the
hope that local employees be in-
volved in the cleanup, and con-
cerns about the health of those
living around the mine site were
also spoken.
Comment on the proposed
cleanup will be accepted un-
til Sept. 26. Comments can be
mailed to Dave Tomten, Proj-
ect Manager U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency 950 W.
Bannock, Suite 900 Boise, ID
83702 or sent via email to tom-
ten.dave@epa.gov.
mentioned fi re hazards, where
weeds are not allowed to grow
beyond 8-12 inches depending
on the location, and also the re-
quirement to prevent the growth
of noxious weeds.
The School District is also
bound by law to use certain
chemicals that are on the “Low
Impact Pesticide” list.
There is still wide debate
among organizations such as the
EPA and the Department of Ag-
riculture about what chemicals
are dangerous. But for now, the
School District maintains that it
needs to use limited spraying,
though the ultimate goal is to
keep reducing the use of chemi-
cals.
M INE
Continued from page 3A
The Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality assessed
the risk the mine’s tailings —
the remains of the mining pro-
cess that still contain mercury
that wasn’t extracted during the
process — in the 1990s, and
the EPA conducted a cleanup
P ESTICIDE
E
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O
T
S
R E
H UGE R E S TORE F ALL
P ARKING L OT S ALE
Continued from page 3A
to a selective type of broad
leaf on a lot of the playing fi elds
along with specifi c irrigation
systems and extensive mowing.
“It’s not that we want to
spray,” Allen said, “but we
can’t let our fence lines grow
too tall because of city codes.”
The codes include the afore-
F RIDAY AND S ATURDAY
S EPTEMBER 23-24
10 AM -4 PM
Home and Building Materials
All at Aff ordable Prices
Proceeds support CoƩ age Grove Area Habitat for Humanity
Gardening & Landscaping • Furniture
Mirrors & Glass • LighƟ ng
Kitchen & Laundry Appliances
Plumbing & Electrical • Cabinets
Countertops & Sinks • Ceiling Fans
Windows, Doors & Flooring • Desks & File Cabinets
Tools & Building Supplies . . .
and more !
Habitat Offi ce and Warehouse
2155 Getty Circle ~ Unit #1
in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park
South on Hwy 99 past the High School
S
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Food by
Big Bites
Call 541.767.0358
for more information
Email
info@habitatcg.org
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At PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center,
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personalized primary care digital imaging
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541-767-5500
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