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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 2, 2017 Sweet Springs opens to fanfare Eclipse mania may (or may not) bypass CG By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com On Saturday, July 30, Sweet Springs Family Farm opened its doors to welcome the community to the city's newest bed and breakfast. The facility offers events, farm parties, outdoor movie nights and gift shop.Visitors can wandering the property and visit with the animals that range from geese to horses, and take advantage of the kids' play area or stay at the farm for a bed and breakfast experience. Located at 71393 London Rd., the bed and breakfast sits on acres of farm land and offers guests home baked bread, several loding options and rest and relaxation in Cottage Grove. Several community members came out to the farm to welcome the business to town including the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce which hosted the facility's ribbon cutting ceremony. Photos courtesy Greg Lee. Excitement over the total so- lar eclipse expected on August 21 hasn't quite reached Cottage Grove. The event has garnered attention up and down Inter- state-5 with camp grounds and hotels sold out for months and merchandise lining Main streets from Salem down to Eugene. It has also prompted entrepre- neur-minded residents to offer their homes to eclipse seekers who were not able to grab up a coveted hotel or camp ground reservation. The movement has caused headaches in larger cities but according to Cottage Grove Planner Amanda Ferguson, res- idents hoping to make an extra buck off the eclipse in Cottage Grove are faced with both good and bad news. "We don't have a specifi c code for AirBnB and it hasn't risen to become an issue where we would adopt an ordinance," Ferguson said. The company, marketed as a way for homeowners to rent out rooms or yard space to travelers looking for a deal, has garnered attention during the eclipse hys- teria with several counties, in- cluding Marion, adopting new rules and regulations to manage the growing popularity of resi- dents renting out their homes. However, in Cottage Grove, residents are not bound by such rules. "We do have a code that re- quires a conditional use permit for bed and breakfast establish- ments," Ferguson said. "If you have more than three rooms for rent than you need a bed and breakfast conditional use permit. But you don't need any- thing for a one-time event. The code is more concerned about Cottage Theatre presents 2017 things that repeat in nature." That's the good news. Alternatively, those hoping to rent out space for the eclipse in Cottage Grove may fi nd a lack of interest from eclipse seekers according to city offi cials. Both Ferguson and Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Travis Palmer have previously not- ed that Cottage Grove is not in the main path of totality for the eclipse and as a result, the de- mand for hotel rooms and view- ing spaces is much lower than in Linn and Marion counties and elsewhere in Lane County. Likewise, city manager Richard Meyers noted that the city was bracing for increased traffi c. "People may come here because they can't get to where there is totality but we're not expecting a lot. We're not in the path of to- tality." he said. However, of the city's four hotel or motel establishments, three are completely sold out with employees noting that calls have been coming in since Jan- uary. An employee at Relax Inn said the facility had a cancella- tion and within fi ve minutes, the room was booked again by an- other party. The Oregon Health Authority has listed the eclipse as one of the state's current hazards along with air toxins and West Nile Virus. The organization has is- sued information on how to pro- tect spectators' eyes as well as heat-related health information on its website which reads, "Up to 1 million visitors are expect- ed to come to Oregon to view the eclipse." For more information on how to view the eclipse, please visit www.oregon.gov/oem/hazard- sprep/Pages/2017-Total-So- lar-Eclipse.aspx. August 11—27 E R O T S E R I NVENTORY C LEARANCE S ALE ! F RI & S AT A UGUST 25-26 9 AM -4 PM Beautiful Antiques! All prices slashed! Great food available by Big Bites Food Truck! Ask us about volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Comical Russian tales infused with American wit Habitat Offi ce and Warehouse 2155 Getty Circle ~ Unit #1 in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park South on Hwy 99 past the High School DONATIONS WELCOME! Call 541.767.0358 for more information Email info@habitatcg.org 3A By Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov Directed by Kory Weimer Sponsored by: Tickets available online, by phone, or at the door one hour before performance Thursday−Saturday 8:00 pm; Sunday 2:30 pm. $25 Adult, $15 Youth (age 6−18) 541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove www.cottagetheatre.org