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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 28, 2016 9A Body Balance Arms-Core-Legs Get strong Dance and Tone + STAY STRONG Curves Circuit with Jillian Michaels Our All-New Boxing Class is Here! Strength + Balance + Cardio + Core All in 30 Minutes 1133 E. Main Street, Cottage Grove www.curves.com 541.942.9580 WESTERN OREGON EXPOSITION AND GENE CAMPBELL MEMORIAL LUMBERJACK SHOW This event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors, supporters and contributors. We express our deepest thanks for this support. Sincerely, Kevin Dunnavin and the W.O.E Fairboard. LUMBERJACK SHOW Ken Ball; Banner Bank; Boyce & Sons; Century 21; C.G. Sentinel; Drain Chainsaw; Dot’s Trophy Shop; Donnie/CJ & kids; Terri Davis; Debbie Harthill; Erikson Cutting; Full Circle Tree Service; Ryan Goins Cutting; Phil Holden & family; Horner’s; Bob Howell Logging; Huffman Wright Logging; Husqvarna; Randy Irwin; Jacknut; J&L Cutting; R&R King Logging; Clayton, Michelle & Michelle Lockard; McFarland Cascade; Moonlight Logging; Mom; Steve Moorehead; Oregon Cutting Systems; Pape Machinery; PayneWest; Cheyenne Pettit; PJ Patterson Cutting ✝ ; Point S Tires; Phil’s Saw Shop; Randy Reiser; Rosboro; Roseburg Forest Products; Seneca; Starfi re; Bob Stender; Stihl; Swanson Bros.; Triad Machinery; Tiffany & kids; Dennis Twite; W.J. Welt; West Coast Cutting; Weyerhaeuser; White Water Well; Woodard Family Foundation. TEXTILES SPONSORS Coats & Clark; Connecting Threads; The Fabric Farm; Hobbs; Keepsake Quilting; Nancy’s Notions; Pandora’s Box; Prom Consumer USA; Timeless Treasures; The Warm Company. SILENT AUCTION Baker Bay Bead Company; The Bookmine; Coastal Farm & Ranch; Cottage Grove Fire & Rescue; The Flower Basket; Kalapuya Books; Lavender Field Embroidery; Pinocchio’s Pizza; Stacy’s Covered Bridge Restaurant; Territorial Seed Company. THE BARNS Caprine Supply; Champion Acres; Coastal Farm & Ranch; Drs. Foster & Smith Pet Supply; Fight Bac; The Flower Basket; Hamby Dairy Supply; Harrolds Dairy; KW Cages; Old Mill Farm Store; The Steel House; South Lane Community 4-H; Valley Vet Supply; Wilco Farm Store. Sentinel fi le photo The swinging bridge at Madison Ave and River Road has seen a variety of traffi c for decades. Here, two cyclists cross the bridge in 2009. Footbridge over the Coast Fork isn't the fi rst Research reveals history of bridges at the site of the current swinging bridge BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he recent closure of the swinging bridge that spans the Coast Fork of the Wil- lamette River prompted a look at the structure’s past, a past that has come closer to the light thanks to the efforts of one local researcher. The City of Cottage Grove closed the bridge, which spans the Coast Fork between Madi- son Ave. and River Road, after a report from OBEC Engineers indicated that the structure was unsafe for pedestrian traffi c. The closure prompted a public outcry that underscored the im- portance of the bridge for many. Despite its importance, how- ever, City staff said they didn’t know much about the bridge’s history. Enter Lloyd Williams of the Cottage Grove Historical Soci- ety, who searched the organiza- tion’s fi les and discovered that the existence of a pedestrian footbridge in that area dates back to Cottage Grove’s early days. Back then, Williams pointed out, the portion of town on the west side of the Coast Fork — colloquially known as Slabtown — bustled with more commer- cial activity than it does today, and the existence at the time of several schools in the area meant a pronounced need for a bridge there. Williams’ research discovered that the fi rst footbridge in the area was likely built around the turn of the last century a couple blocks south of its current lo- cation — at the corner of First Street and Jackson Ave. — by Polk Currin, a druggist at the time who sought a route across the river to a park (Currin park, fi ttingly) on the east side of the river. Three or four bridges were reportedly built in that location after the original structure wore out, according to a Sentinel ar- ticle. Another article from 1979, though, states that a wooden bridge also once spanned the Coast Fork “over the rapids on South River Road across from the home of the late Ray Nel- son,” which would place that bridge further north than the current structure. The article pointed out that the bridge was surely subject to fl ooding in the photo courtesy Cottage Grove Historical Society A massive fl ood washed out a previous version of the swinging bridge on Dec. 24, 1964. days before the Cottage Grove Reservoir was built to help con- trol winter rain events, and the accompanying photo shows just how rickety that bridge truly was. Flooding also appeared to have spelled the demise of the original swinging bridge at Madison Ave. A cable bridge was constructed there in the 1920s, a bridge that reportedly featured a lot more “swing” than the most recent model. A large fl ood on Dec. 24, 1964 destroyed that swinging bridge, and a replacement was commis- sioned and built in June of 1965. The bridge was offi cially named the Currin Suspension Foot Bridge with a City Council proc- lamation that month, though the bridge had apparently always carried that name. City Engi- neer Roger Sinclair engineered the bridge, which was built by contractor Carl Rich for $8728. The bridge was closed for repair in July of 1988 after one of its primary cables failed, according to a Register-Guard article. access,” Wellman said. If the City can repair the bridge in its footprint, Wellman estimated a cost of $50,000 for the repairs, acknowledging that major work could push the cost much higher. “So we’re in a holding pattern until we get the report,” he said. “Then we can have a plan and get it quickly repaired. It is kind of an iconic structure. The City wants to keep it there, it just de- pends on the engineer’s report.” Mayor Tom Munroe decided against allowing public com- ment on the bridge report, stat- ing that all of the necessary evi- dence had not yet been collected to formulate a plan, to the likely chagrin of several in a crowd gathered to hear the report. Shepherd says that the Police Department also plans on hiring two part-time community pro- tection offi cers. These offi cers aren’t sworn police and aren’t armed with lethal weapons but are used as additional eyes and ears for the Cottage Grove Po- lice. The department isn’t very large, so help with patrols from these offi cers should be a huge help with the current thefts oc- curring on Main Street. Neigh pointed out the sense of comfort many people felt when offi cers were seen doing foot patrols down Main Street, though Shepherd said that it’s hard to do on a regular basis due to offi cers’ need to get across town if called upon, so bicycle and foot patrols are not a regular occurrence for CGPD. The meeting allowed the business owners to network and allowed for easier communica- tion for whenever these thefts happen, which Neigh said was the main goal of getting every- one together. B RIDGE ANTIQUE GAS ENGINES Mike Carrothers & Crew; Steve Beranek Continued from page 1A AND STILL MORE VFW Carl Kebelbeck Post 3473; Shady Oaks Plants & Produce; Log House Plants; Hendrickson Well Drilling; Pitcher Lane Growers; Marie Champion & Crew; Habitat For Humanity; Prospectors & Gold Diggers; City of Cottage Grove; OSU County Extension; Cottage Grove Bible Church; Old Time Gospel Fellowship; Lauraines APA; South Lane Ballet Academy; Cottage Grove Board of Realtors; Cottage Grove Brewers Guild; Henry Lancaster; Kevin Worley; Ken Schwieger; Carolin Pettit; Donnie Sevilla “OBEC’s recommendation was followed — all of the re- pairs were completed except that the support beams were not replaced. Other projects came up, and people’s attention got taken off this. It’s also tough to work on a bridge that doesn’t appear to have any issues.” The City is waiting for a ‘load rating’ from OBEC to determine Birch Avenue Dental Park W. McClung, DDS • Tammy L. McClung, DDS Where dentistry is our profession but people are our focus WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS! Check out our exclusive Birch Avenue Dental Program that provides all the rewards of dental insurance without the headaches. For more information please call 541-942-2471 or visit us at www.birchavenuedental.com what the next steps for repair- ing the bridge will be, Wellman said, adding that the City would prefer to repair the bridge in its original footprint. “If we have to look at chang- ing out the abutments or do any reconstruction or have a new bridge put in, that will bring into play permits from the Corps of Engineers, the Department of State Lands and ADA rules for M EETING Continued from page 1A The Cottage Grove Police Department is usually very re- sponsive, and regardless of the severity of the crime, if an offi - cer is requested, the department will send someone to whoever calls, Shepherd said. “It’s very important that you still call us, regardless of how small the crime is,” Shepherd told the business owners. “Un- less there is a more serious on- going crime, we will always get to you immediately.”
