On to the semis!
The Cottage Grove Lions stole a win from Astoria on Fri-
day in the toughest matchup for the football team all sea-
son. Cottage Grove entered the fourth quarter down 14-3,
but Blake Sentman and the offense blew up with three
touchdown passes to outscore Astoria 22-7 in the fourth
quarter. The 25-21 win marks the fi rst game the 10-0 Lions
have had to come from behind to win a game this season.
More game coverage can be seen on page 1B.
Cottage Grove Sentinel
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
Council
worksession
explores tiny
houses
VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 19
Bugler
Steve Pettit
plays 'Taps'
from the
balcony to
close out
Friday's
Veterans
Day cer-
emony at
the Cot-
tage Grove
Armory.
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
E LECTION 2016
Gowing elected
Mayor, Ehler
earns Ward II
Council nod
Roberts retains at-large seat
A
plan to bring a village of tiny houses to Cottage Grove led
to the formation of the Cottage Villages Coalition, a group
that packed the Council chambers at City Hall Monday night to
ask for the Council’s support.
A worksession prior to the regular City Council meeting pro-
vided supporters an opportunity to present their plan in depth,
and the Council heard from representatives of Square One Vil-
lages in Eugene — on which the Cottage Villages Coalition has
modeled its project here — as well as representatives that work
with the unhoused population in Cottage Grove.
Dan Bryant, Executive Director of Square One Villages, told
the Council that the Coalition is seeking its support to pursue a
grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust for about $250,000, a grant
that it’s hoped could pay for one third or half of the cost of build-
ing about 14 tiny homes in Cottage Grove. Bryant said the Square
One model can be used to build affordable housing at a quarter
of its usual cost.
“The goal is to get people into stable affordable housing, but
it’s diffi cult to fi nd affordable housing for many because it doesn’t
exist for small households,” Bryant said. Many affordable hous-
ing programs cater to families, he said, meaning that the wait time
for singles and couples that may otherwise be homeless can be up
to fi ve years or longer.
“We’re working with people in Eugene that don’t have fi ve
years to live, and they need to move from transitional to more
permanent housing,” he said.
The Cottage Villages Coalition hopes to bring about 14 homes
ranging in size from 160-280 square feet to town, a village where
renters would share common spaces in addition to their own
dwellings, which they would rent for about $250-350 per month.
Bryant said the Coalition is eyeing a piece of property in Cot-
tage Grove, though negotiations kept them from giving more de-
tail.
“We think it’s ideal, a village of 14 tiny homes that could serve
single individuals as well as small families,” Bryant said. “It
would be for the folks that are already in this community.”
Alicia Ginsberg, village coordinator of the Eugene project, said
that many of its residents are over 60 and get by on Social Securi-
ty or disability income. She expects similar residents for Cottage
Grove, and the Coalition is packaging its work in Cottage Grove
into a toolkit that it is hoped can be used to assist small Oregon
communities with similar projects.
Project Coordinator Andrew Heben said the village would be
more than just housing, as its residents would have a say in how
the village is managed.
“Some people think that such a congregation of people would
result in crime or violence, but we’ve found the opposite is true,
Please see VILLAGE, Page 11A
BY JON STINNETT
the Cottage Grove Sentinel
photo by Carolin Pettit
C
Cottage Grove refl ects at
Veterans Day ceremony
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
F
riday saw a strong turnout for
the Veteran’s Day Ceremony in
downtown Cottage Grove. Supportive
community members came to thank
local veterans and their families. The
ceremony consisted of an invocation
followed by guest speakers. A lo-
cal choir performed the song of each
military branch as veterans from each
branch stood when their respective
song was played.
Mayor Tom Munroe, a veteran
himself, was one of the guest speak-
ers. Munroe spoke of the dedication
and sacrifi ce given by those who have
served.
“They are ordinary people who re-
sponded in extraordinary ways in ex-
treme times,” Munroe said. Munroe
and his wife recently returned from a
trip to San Diego to visit his grandson,
who is currently a Staff Sergeant in the
Marine Corps.
The next guest speaker was Captain
Mark Timmons of the 162nd Infantry
Regiment of the National Guard. Tim-
mons served a 10-month deployment
to Iraq in 2009, of which he shared his
experience.
Please see VETERANS, Page 11A
ity Councilor Jeff Gowing took a chance, and
as Election Night took shape, it appeared that
chance would pay off.
Gowing, who has occupied the Council’s Ward II
seat since being appointed to replace Lynn Miller in
2009, has confi ded that he had contemplated a run
for Mayor back then, though he also said he’s grate-
ful for the grasp of the issues and City systems he
gained during his years on the Council.
With his term in Ward II scheduled to expire on
Dec. 31, Gowing faced a choice — run for reelec-
tion to his position and, likely, remain on the Coun-
cil, or go for broke and run for Mayor, knowing that,
should he not be elected, he would be off the Coun-
cil completely.
The fi rst round of election returns, coming in just
Please see COUNCIL, Page 11A
Pot tax passes,
gas tax fails
T
photo by Gordon Okumu
Capt. Mark Timmons, the Commander of HHC 2-162, chats after the
ceremony with members of the public.
he Cottage Grove City Council placed two
tax measures on the ballot before local voters
in the Nov. 8 election, and the popularity of each
couldn’t have been much more different.
The Council voted back in September to place a
three-percent tax on purchases of recreational mari-
juana on the ballot, and it became clear as election
results rolled in that the tax was a popular one, gar-
nering two-thirds of votes to win easily. Meanwhile,
a prospective three-cent hike in the local fuels tax,
which funds street repairs, was defeated by an even
higher margin.
In preparing the City’s 2016-17 budget, City
Manager Richard Meyers estimated that $15,000 in
revenue could be brought in from the recreational
marijuana tax, though Meyers acknowledged that
the number amounted to little more than a guess.
Next year, the City will get a more concrete number
regarding that revenue, as will the communities of
Please see TAXES, Page 11A
Cottage Grove woman will work to repay veteran she scammed
As part of her plea deal, Rita Amundson
will make monthly restitution payments
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
57-year old Cottage
Grove woman will work
to repay the 94-year old veteran
she was convicted of bilking
out of thousands of dollars as
a result of a judgment in Lane
County Circuit Court last week.
Rita Amundson of Cottage
Grove was arrested in June after
the man reportedly walked to the
Cottage Grove Police Station to
inform police that he believed
he’d been swindled. Amundson
pleaded guilty on Monday, Nov.
7 to seven felony charges of
theft and criminal mistreatment
of the man that had allowed her
to move in with him shortly af-
ter his wife passed away.
During her time caring for the
victim, Amundson took over the
man’s fi nances, and her sister,
64-year old Teena Taylor, was
also arrested in June after po-
lice determined that the sisters
had scammed him out of over
$90,000.
Cottage Grove Detective
Doug Skaggs told the Sentinel
in June that the sisters’ use of
the victim’s money began soon
after Amundson moved in with
him. They were asked to pur-
chase a car, Skaggs said, which
they did, and they then con-
vinced him that there would be
no one able to pay for his burial
expenses unless they were al-
lowed access to his bank ac-
counts, which they were given.
The title to the car the man
authorized the ladies to pur-
chase did not end up in his
name, police said, and $19,000
was allegedly transferred soon
after into another account. The
sisters allegedly purchased an-
other car with the man’s money.
Skaggs said the women were
believed to be responsible for
the purchase of “at least seven
vehicles” using their victim’s
money, including a 2014 Subaru
that they allegedly traded in to
purchase an older vehicle and
pocketed cash in the trade.
Skaggs said the victim’s bank
account had been brought down
to a balance of $500 from a total
of close to $80,000 in about 3
½ months. He said the man took
off on his own, walking the 1-
½ miles from his home to the
police station with the aid of a
walker, when he learned of his
situation.
As part of her plea deal,
Amundson agreed to pay $300 a
month in restitution to the man,
with the entire balance being
due within six months of the
completion of her sentence of
fi ve years’ probation. Should she
fail to pay, she will spend time
in prison. Taylor is scheduled to
plead guilty in December.
Rita Amundson
R AIN C OUNTRY R EALT Y I NC .
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