COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 28, 2016
9A
Body Balance
Arms-Core-Legs
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1133 E. Main Street, Cottage Grove
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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
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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.”