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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2016)
'Monster Mashup'.......9A New fi retrucks...........3A Football playoff preview...1B Cottage Grove Sentinel photo by Jon Stinnett The Centennial footbridge stands out against fall colors on a beautiful autumn Friday. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 Housing help may be headed this way Carousel project kicks off with animal distribution Pieces of iconic machine placed around town to drum up interest, awareness BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel Cottage Grove's rental market is extremely tight, but progress on recent projects may provide relief BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel D photo by Jon Stinnett R ecently, a new hire at South Lane School District began inquiring about rental properties in the Cottage Grove area as she made plans to move her family to town. While searching for a fi t for her family, the woman (who asked not to be identifi ed here) discovered an extremely low inven- tory of available rentals in the area, which has fostered a set of requirements that of- ten rule out many hopeful renters. “There are places that have income re- quirements that are two to three times my income,” she said. “One property owner wouldn’t even show a house to me because I had kids.” Online advertisements for available rentals appeared and disappeared minutes later, she said, and landlords typically did not respond to her email inquiries. Fertilab hosts ‘Big Mix’ for business owners BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A Eugene-based startup company came to Cottage Grove Thursday to host a networking event at the Armory downtown. The Cottage Grove Commu- nity Development Corporation teamed up with Fertilab, a company that helps con- nect different entrepreneurs in the area, providing a platform for networking and educational experiences. “The Big Mix” saw dozens of local business owners (old and new) pitch their business ideas to the rest of the attendants and shared and asked for guidance in dif- ferent specifi c areas. “We’re here to connect the talent,” said David Youngentob, representative from Fertilab. Some of the present entrepre- VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 18 Richard Gordon, who owns and will manage the old Cottage Grove Hos- pital building along with his wife, Nedora, said he's close to submitting plans for 27 apartments and offi ce space for approval. “You have to call the day of the open- ing,” she said. “They’re all gone within 24 hours of coming open.” Another local woman said her search lasted months, and she rarely even got to look at a prospective apartment. “There were always fi ve applications ahead of me,” she said. “I’ve hopped around living with other people, and I’m getting ready to have to live out of my car. I’ve been here all my life, and I just don’t know what to do.” In speaking with many people who have attempted to fi nd a place to rent in the Cot- tage Grove area, it’s become apparent that they’re indeed diffi cult for most to come by, and many who can’t fi nd or have dif- fi culty affording the rental they need are forced to pay rent that’s above their ability or move into something substandard. And it’s not a problem that’s unique to the southern Willamette Valley, either. In March, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley em- barked on a tour of the state, which has seen its rental properties market lag behind demand as the economy improves and more people choose to move here — to delve deeper into what he described to the Mail Tribune of Medford as an affordable housing crisis. Merkley’s offi ce added that while the rental vacancy rate nationwide is seven percent, in Oregon, it’s closer to three percent. neurs were already members of Fertilab and shared their experience meeting new people to help them with their business. Local resident Kim Johnson gave her tes- timony of her experience with Fertilab. “At my fi rst meeting I had no idea what I was walking into, but I eventually made amazing connections, and now I’ve been able to take my business up to Portland,” she said. Johnson runs an organic sushi business that she sells to different retail- ers. Johnson says that what she currently needs help with is developing a social me- dia presence. Wendy Johnson, a new Cottage Grove resident, has recently started up her own art studio and was asking for assistance with marketing her studio. From Shampoo Dolls owners Danny and Candace Solesbee, to web designer Ethan Clevenger, businesses of all types and sizes were able to network with each other. Fertilab hosts these forum-type network- ing meetings to get businesses of Lane County to communicate and help each other thrive and grow. However, signing up for a membership to Fertilab can give you a wider spectrum of entrepreneurs. While the “Big Mix” meetings act as a forum for local businesses to network with each other, Youngentob says Fertilab’s pri- Please see RENTALS, Page 8A mary function is to serve its members by connecting and matching business owners based on certain needs. Organizers said the Big Mix can prove extremely benefi cial for the local econo- my. One of the fi rst events happened in the Eugene/Springfi eld area that saw the largest gathering of tech entrepreneurs in September of 2015. Now the area has re- cently been dubbed the Silicon Shire. It is hoped that Cottage Grove businesses will now have a similar opportunity to grow. owntown shoppers may have noticed a few ad- ditions in decorations at several businesses in the historic dis- trict. Last Tuesday, Oct. 25, vol- unteers passed around carousel animals to raise awareness of an upcoming project to build a carousel near downtown Cottage Grove. The project is headed by co- chairs Judy Cash and Don Wil- liams. Nearly 20 years ago, Cash purchased a carousel with the purpose of operating it for Gro- vers. Initially, she ran into logis- tical challenges when trying to restore a home for the carousel. Cash shelved the project for sev- eral years until a group of carou- sel-enthusiasts realized Cash still owns the carousel. The “Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel” is now the organization of peo- ple behind the project. The group has identifi ed a va- cant lot between Sixth and Sev- enth Streets on the north side of Main Street. The funding of the project still has a way to go, but the Friends of the Carousel have a preliminary budget to purchase the property and to design a fully photo by Sam Wright Fertilab's David Youngentob offers opening remarks about the Big Mix, which he billed as an oppor- tunity to pitch, connect and grow their business endeavors. photo by Sam Wright Russ McGuire shows South Lane Fire and Rescue vol- unteers how to mount the carousel animals. HOME Home is where your journey begins. L ET R AIN C OUNTRY R EALTY I NC . HELP YOU TAKE THE FIRST STEP . 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 Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Broker Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 67 49 Sunny enclosed building to accompany the carousel. The building will be used for a souvenir shop, a horse carving area, a maintenance shop and a meeting area big enough to fi t roughly 60 people. “We’re still in the early stages, but we have our estimated bud- get,” Williams told the Sentinel. The project leaders project the entire project to cost $728,000. The main expense is the design and construction of the building, which Williams and Cash have estimated to be $600,000. The carousel is an Allen Herschel carousel from 1926, so many of the parts have to be recondi- tioned and repaired, which can cost roughly $20,000. The re- maining $108,000 is attributed to purchasing the lot along with grant writing, souvenir shop stocking and other miscella- neous fees. The project plans to raise its money through fi nanc- ing grants and local fundraising events. A total of 12 carousel animals were delivered to 12 different businesses in order to spread the word and to excite the public about the upcoming project. The carousel is set to be complete for the summer of 2019. Calendar......................................... 9B Channel Guide ............................... 6B Classified ads................................. 8B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar