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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
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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
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