COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 16, 2017 9A
CONSTRUCTION ON POOL DELAYED
On August 8, South Lane Superinten-
dent Krista Parent drafted a letter. It
cmay@cgsentinel.com
was to invite residents who had either
been recommended or volunteered to be
apart of the design committee for the pool's construction to begin
their work. However, instead of sending those letters out, Parent
was forced to have a diffi cult conversation with the school board
during its Monday, August 14 meeting.
The original schedule called for construction of the pool--fi nanced
by a bond passed by voters last November--begin this fall. How-
ever, Parent informed the board that after a meeting with BLRB
Architects, that's just not possible.
"This is the schedule we've been working off of," Parent told the
board before explaining that BLRB had apparently changed the
schedule without warning.
"They went back and came up with two options but said option
one is impossible," she said. Option one would have had construc-
tion beginning in June of 2018. However, BLRB has eliminated
that option.
Option two would see construction begin in September of 2018
and end in February of 2019, essentially putting the pool out of
commission for both water polo and swim season.
"We have to go back to the public and say because of these rea-
sons, the timeline's going to be pushed," Parent said.
The board is now tasked with going back to BLRB and compro-
mising on a schedule that allows students to utilize the pool for
sports and doesn't keep the community waiting endlessly for a new
swimming facility.
"It's six months for design docs which blows my mind because for
the new school it didn't take six months," Parent said. "Then seven
months for construction." Parent also noted that the new Harrison
Elementary School was taking only a year to construct and that
work on the pool would begin after the design committee met for
up to two months placing the time period for completion at 15
months.
School board member Taylor Wilhour asked if the board had any
recourse against BLRB given the expanded time frame and cost.
However, SLSD Maintenance Manager Matt Allen said actions on
the part of BLRB were not malicious. Construction demand across
the state has resulted in longer wait times, construction times and
costs.
In November, voters passed a $35 million bond that was set
aside for the construction of a new elementary school, security and
technology upgrades at all district schools and remodeling of the
community pool. Currently, $5.3 million is scheduled for the pool
project after nearly $24 million was dedicated to the new Harrison
Elementary School. However, according to the school board, $5.3
million doesn't buy as much as it used to as construction costs con-
tinue to rise.
By Caitlyn May
Local sports
Local government
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PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE
The Warren H Daugherty Aquatic Center, pictured hosting a water aerobics class, is set to undergo construction. When, no one is quite sure. Construction
was scheduled to begin this fall but setbacks were announced by the South Lane School District earlier this week.
SLSD saves three cut days, budget fi nal
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Students in South Lane
School District just lost three
days off of school.
At the Monday, august 14
meeting of the South Lane
School District, superintendent
Krista Parent told the board that
with the state's education bud-
get fi nal, the district was able
to buy back three of the four
planned cut days.
The announcement came on
the back of the largest education
package from the state budget
in recent history. The Oregon
Legislature passed an $8.2 bil-
lion package earlier this year
after serious doubts from school
districts across the state sharing
stories of cuts to staff and days.
South Lane School District
gambled and built a budget
close to the estimates coming
from the legislature early in the
process and will now meet cur-
rent service levels.
Measure 98 funds were ap-
proved for $170 million at the
state level which comes out
to approximately $415,000
for South Lane. The funds are
meant to go towards college
preparedness and in South Lane
part of that comes in the form of
the CTE program. The program
gives high school students the
opportunity to intern in a skilled
trade and offers real world op-
portunities outside of the class-
room. Parent noted that the
school district has already spent
some of the $415,000 on a new
position; a college and career
specialist.
She also informed the board
that the district is set to receive
approximately $50,000 from
Measure 97 for outdoor school.
Currently, all SLSD schools
participate in outdoor school
except for Bohemia Elementary.
However, the fi nal decision on
how the $24 million from Mea-
sure 97 has not yet been decided
and the district may earn slight-
ly less than the $50,000.
The state also approved $6.2
million for chronic absenteeism.
However, districts are not yet
sure how those funds will be di-
vided. Earlier this year, Cottage
Grove High School reported a
nearly 50 percent chronic ab-
sentee issue in the school .
While the overall fi nancial
picture is brighter for the school
district than it was earlier this
year, Parent warned the board
that the legislature still did not
reach the $8.4 billion districts
were counting on, creating a
looming problem. The 2019-
2021 budget cycle, she said
would force more cuts. "Contin-
uously they tell us the outlook
is very bad," she said "because
they didn't really do anything to
fi x the problem."
Business contest offers start-up
funds for winner
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
The Cottage Grove
Chamber of Com-
merce is partnering
with RAIN of Eugene,
Cottage Grove Com-
munity Development
Corporation and the
Healing Matrix to host
a business contest that
promises the winner
$6,000 to start their
own business.
To enter, interested
parties must sumbit
and executive summa-
ry for your startup or
idea for a startup that
is no more than three
pages long. According
to the contest's web-
site, entries should
follow a basic outline
that includes the most
compelling statement
related to its project.
Hopefuls should than,
according to the web-
site, identify a problem
they intend to solve,
the basic market their
business would be en-
tering, their business
model, their team and
fi nally, their summary
fi nancial projections.
According to a press
release regarding the
contest, "The three best
executive summaries
will be chosen from the
submitted entries to be
presented to our judges
and audience on Octo-
ber 25. The time and
venue are TBD.
All
competitors
should attend the
RAIN Eugene Open
Mentor Hours in Cot-
tage Grove at The
Healing Matrix every
third Wednesday of the
month to get help craft-
ing their business sum-
mary. The next Open
Mentor Hours are Au-
gust 16."
The fi rst place win-
ner will receive $6,000,
the second place win-
ner will receive $3,000
and the third place win-
ner will receive $1,000.
For more informa-
tion, please visit cot-
tagegrovebusiness-
challenge.com.
Gas leak
Continued from A1
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The company was again
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The leak was discovered as
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Natural staff to repair the dam-
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This is the second time this
year that the building has been
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Meyers thanked the public in
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the closure and noted the build-
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