$1.00 We Want Your News! The Cottage Grove Sentinel wants to be your source for all things Cottage Grove. But we need your help! If you’ve got a news tip, we’d be glad to hear about it: C ottage G rove S entinel SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM In person: 116 N. Sixth Street, Cottage Grove Email: cgnews@cgsentinel.com Office phone: 942-3325 WED 43º H 31º L CG BOYS TIE FOR 1ST PG. B1 FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL THUR 44º H 28º L FRI 44º H 29º L CGSENTINEL.COM POLITICS CRIME STUDENTS LEAD PROTEST Banner Bank Robbed By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Approximately 30 students from Cottage Grove High School walked out of class on Friday, Feb. 17 to protest the appointment of Betsy Devos as U.S. Secretary of Education. See page 9A for complete story. Carousel restoration underway Cottage Grove Police are still inves- tigating after a man wearing what police describe as a "shaggy black wig" robbed Banner Bank in Cottage Grove late last week. The call came in just after 2 p.m. noting that an unidentifi ed male had got- ten away with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect was described as being a white male adult, 5’09” tall, 170lbs, with a beard and black horned rim glasses. He was reportedly wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and a yellow baseball cap. He escaped on foot. The same suspect is said to be a per- son of interest in a separate bank robbery in Grants Pass that occurred on Feb. 1. The FBI is assisting Cot- tage Grove with the in- vestigation but the department is asking anyone with informa- tion as to the identity of the sus- pect to contact detective Shawn Branstetter or detective Tamara Miles at 541-942-9145 at either extension 134 or 137. The decades-old effort to bring a carousel to the city's Main St. has a new group of vol- unteers: students. Cottage Grove High School art students have undertaken the task of restoring the carou- sel animals as part of their advanced art class set to last through the spring. "They started about two weeks ago," said Russ McGuire, a member of Friends of Cottage Grove Carousel, the vol- unteer group attempting to raise enough interest and funds to bring the attraction to Main St. Students are currently working on four ani- mals, including three horses and are expected to begin painting next week. "Right now, they're just sanding and then once they get the base coat it will be another three to four weeks. It's a slow process," McGuire said. By Caitlyn May Cottage Grove City Manager Richard The animals have been in a storage shed for cmay@cgsentinel.com Meyers recently made a decision. He over 20 years after Cottage Grove resident Judy will not be fi lling the position left va- Cash fulfi lled a lifelong dream by purchasing the cant by retired community development attraction. manager, Howard Schesser. "A gentleman passed away and left my hus- "I will not be fi lling that position," Meyers said. "Instead, band and I some money," she noted previously. I'll combine those two departments." "We didn't know it was coming and so when it The two departments include Schesser's community de- did, he went to England and bought a tank. I velopment and the city's public works department. Current went to Virginia and bought a carousel." head of public works, Jan Wellman informed Meyers that he Initial efforts began when Cash fi rst made the will be retiring at the end of March. purchase but tapered off until recently. The search for Schesser's replacement has been ongoing The group has researched possible locations with several candidates applying and interviewing for the for the attraction, compiled sample architectual position. drawings and moved forward with fundraising Meyers noted that the move will save the city some money efforts and grant applications. and some rearrangement will be necessary. The efforts to bring the carousel to Main St. have hit a snag in regards to funding. According to McGuire, money isn't quite fl ooding in "We'll have one head and then divisions, which is already for the cause. happening in public works," Meyers said, adding that the "It just hasn't come in yet. Those grants are taking their time." move would benefi t the community. In the meantime, students will continue restoring the animals through the remainder of the school year. Once they fi nish the four animals they have, McGuire will supply one or two more. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com CG to combine public works, community development COUNTY Lane County speaks to rural economic development Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce members heard a pre- sentation last Wednesday, Feb. 15, concerning economic and com- munity development in rural Oregon. The presentation, given by Lane County Community and Economic Development Offi cer Kim Thompson, centered on opportunities for the county to work more closely with rural areas and communities. The “Rural Prosperity Initiative,” according to Thompson is a targeted approach by Lane County to utilize staff time and resourc- es in rural areas. Economic development varies from city to city and differs greatly from metropolitan areas to rural communities. According COMMUNITY to Lane County, rural communities are faced with a unique set of challenges that include communication and coordination, capaci- ty and expertise, infrastructure, quality of life factors, vision and lastly, a perception of invisibility. In a handout distributed at the chamber meeting, Lane County describes rural areas as not being well connected with the county and other rural areas, which leads to missed opportunities. It also explains a lack of existing services in some rural areas such as grocery stores, affordable housing and basic human and health services. During Wednesday’s meeting, Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Travis Palmer asked how Cottage Grove could further the Rural Prosperity Initiative. “I think the best way is through county and city collaboration. SPORTS U.S. Senator Wyden Girls take second Senator Wyden visited Eugene to host a town hall. Lady Lions beat Junction City. PAGE B1 INDEX By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com PAGE A3 Calendar ...................................... B11 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 Keep me involved in the projects that are happening in Cottage Grove,” Thompson said. “Invite us to the table, so we can fi nd op- portunities for you as we are out networking. We all need to have Cottage Grove’s two-minute elevator (marketing) speech down. Lane County Economic Development needs to know what’s most important to this community in order to share that message as we are out marketing Cottage Grove.” While the Rural Prosperity Initiative is not a new program, Thompson has been brought on board to aid in its implementation and notes that several factors can contribute to a community’s slow or troubled economic development. For some communities, she said, broadband Internet is a deal breaker while others lack access to natural gas. Please see RURAL, PG. 10 cgnews@cgsentinel.com (541) 942-3325 ph • (541) 942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove _______________ VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 32 Coffee with the Editor Every Tuesday 10 am @ Backstage Bakery AD 6x2 Come chat about the community! S CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW Suspect sought in two robberies