COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MARCH 22, 2017 9A
SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING TOMORROW
ROADS Continued from A1
The South Lane School District will hold the offi cial groundbreaking ceremony for the new
Harrison Elementary School tomorrow, Thursday, March 23 at 4:30 p.m. at 1000 Taylor Ave. in
Cottage Grove. Councilman Faye Stewart, Superintendant Krista Parent and Cottage Grove Mayor
Jeff Gowing are expected to speak. The public is invited to attend.
FireMed Continued from A1
some residents had racked up a dozen free am-
bulance rides within a year.
The changes will also affect Life Flight which
partners with SLFR. The rate associated with Life
Flight will increase to $65, a change that, accord-
ing to a Life Flight representative, hasn't hap-
pened in over a decade.
While the program has introduced a new heli-
copter to its services, winter has the crew ground-
ed for much of the time. During the season, Life
Flight can assist SLFR with transfers up to 15
times in a month. Those transfers, however, are
taking place via vehicle and not helicopter.
"It's wear and tear on the vehicles, it's man
hours when we have to go out of town," Raade
said. But out of town is becoming a more frequent
occurance.
According to Raade, SLFR can travel with
patients as far as Albany, Corvallis, Salem and
Portland. He noted that during a busy season,
Life Flight was asked to take a patient to south-
ern Washington due to the capacity levels at area
hospitals.
"It's nothing new in America," Raade said of
the scarce hospital bed room. "But it's new for Or-
egon. We saw a change when the Affordable Care
Act was passed and people started using emergen-
cy rooms as doctor's offi ces."
Changes to FireMed and Life Flight charges
will be sent out with applications later this year.
Once residents subscribe to the service, FireMed
covers the household, rather than a person. The
defi nition of household, however, is in accor-
dance to federal tax law.
"We're pretty traditional in our interpretation,"
Raade said. "If you can claim someone on your
taxes, they are covered in your household."
"Covered" consists of being assisted by SLFR
staff for a medical emergency or being transport-
ed by ambulance to the hospital whether it be
inside Cottage Grove or as far
away as Portland.
"FireMed covers that," Raade
said. "If you're injured anywhere
in Lane County or where they
have FireMed."
Get our 3-Bed,
2-Bath, 4-Door,
V-6 discount.
"Between the Vintage Inn and KFC, that is 100
percent, guaranteed because of the heavy trucks,"
Meyers said of the damage on the road.
And those trucks do not contribute funds if the
city were to pass a bond measure. Only residents
inside the boundaries of the city would be subject
to payment.
"There are people who drive on the city roads
every day but they live just outside of Cottage
Grove," Meyers said. "Those people would not
have to pay for the bond. But they would have to
pay for the gas tax."
However, with the gas tax voted down by resi-
dents, the city is left with potholes but little funds
to repair them.
Additionally, several bridges in town have been
marked for urgent repair, splitting the fi nancial pie
even further.
"The estimates for the bridges, right now, is
about $400,000," Meyers said. "We have just over
$300,000 so I don't foresee there being a lot of
money left over to do much more than patch work
on the roads."
Other options for road repair include replacing
the pavement with gravel. The method has been
used in town before, but according to Meyers, it
comes with its own set of issues.
"It's cheaper," he said, "but it's gravel. So in the
summer you have the dust and in the winter you
have the mud. That is really for the roads that have
totally failed." Meyers also noted that the city in-
vested in its infrastructure by initially paving the
roads. "Are we doing a disservice to those who
had the foresight to pave the roads by replacing
them with gravel?" he asked.
The city is
asking resi-
dents to log-
on to its web-
site to report
particularly
bad potholes
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Come Join Us at
The Humane Society
of Cottage Grove’s
JAMBOREE
Music by:
David “Elvis” Lomond
Johnny Kallas Band
Dallas McCord, Cameron Reiten,
Terry Paxton
around the city but Meyers said some responses
show how much work needs to be done.
"Some people send in entire streets. N. 6th St.,
S. 16th St.," he said.
Of the nearly 46 miles of paved roads in Cot-
tage Grove, only 6.83 miles of them are consid-
ered in excellent condition. Others, according to
the city, show evidence of failure, including the
infamous "alligator" pattern which sprawls down
many streets within the city.
"We can slurry seal some roads but if we spend
the money to keep a good road in good condition,
we can't fi x the bad roads. So what do we do?"
Meyers asked.
The state of Oregon is currently grappling with
transportation funds for both metro and rural ar-
eas. However, the state has its own budgetary
shortfall to close.
"They may increase the transportation pack-
age," Meyers said. Currently, Cottage Grove re-
ceives $500,000 from the state. "If that goes up
by $200,000, we could start on some projects,"
he said.
Currently, the city plans to address the bridges
in need of repair and utilize some patch work on
roads. Estimates are due back for the bridges in
the next month and at that point, the city council
and the community at large will have a better fi -
nancial picture.
"When we get the cost back, the city council
will have to decide whether we want the Swinging
Bridge, something that looks like the Swinging
Bridge or another bridge," Meyers said.
The bridges are at the top of the infrastructure
list with roads closely following but without the
gas tax and the state trying to cut a budgetary
shortfall, the roads in Cottage Grove may not im-
prove greatly in the near future.
"I'm not sure where we get the money," Meyers
said. "At this point, we are where we are."
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Opening!
Friday, March 24th
That’s Right THIS FRIDAY!
Shady Oaks begins another season
and we can't wait to see you all.
You'll find what you need to
get your garden going.
• Berries
• Fruit Trees
• Seeds
• Shrubs
• Roses
• Potatoes
• Onion Sets
• Farm Fresh Eggs
• Full Line of Produce
• Perennials
• Annuals
• Rhodies
First 100 people THIS SATURDAY receive 1 FREE donut from Sugar Shack
Accepting PRE-ORDERS on Saturdays ONLY for
Sugar Shack donuts by the dozen, $13.95
Veterans receive FREE ice cream every month
on the 11th, compliments of Shady Oaks
Friday Farm Family Fun Day
Umpqua Ice Cream only $1.50
Creswell Community Center
99 S. 1st Street
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Music Starts at 6 p.m.
Doors Open 5 p.m.
Drinks & Snacks Available by Donation
$5 per person
All proceeds help animals in our area.
Tuesdays: Senior Day! Welcome all
Seniors 10% off Plants
& $1.50 ice cream
Fresh Baked
FRIDAY
Pies, Brown S
ie
Apple/Zuc s,
Bread
& More!
Shady Oaks
Plants & Produce
It’s the Place to Be!!!
Open 10:00-5:30 7 days a week
77380 Hwy 99 So, CG • 541-942-5004