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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
$1.00 C ottage G rove S entinel SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 PERSONAL i BUSINESS i BENEFITS i SURETY (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS PREVIEW INSIDE! 20-page pullout with player interviews, game schedules, coach outlooks and more! FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL WED 85º/58º For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. CGSENTINEL.COM RFP seeks fi rm to study housing shortage in CG By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Cottage Grove is full. Almost. The city reportedly has a 90 percent occupan- cy rate with little prospect of seeing mass open- ings for available housing in the near future. As part of the goals laid out by the Cottage Grove City Council, the city has released at Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Housing Needs Analysis (HNA). The study is being fully funded by the city at a estimated cost of $35,000. “We haven’t built a lot of different housing for a long time and when we did build housing it was small, single family units,” City Planner Amanda Ferguson said. The purpose of the HNA is to see where addi- tional housing could be built. However, according to Ferguson, the HNA would not be the end all in the struggle to provide additional housing in Cottage Grove. “The HNA could take eight to 12 months,” she said. “If, after they’re done, we develop an Ur- Please see RFP PG. A10 Ringing for Rosies Rosie the Riveters celebrate Labor Day, ringing in their contribution to America's workforce Armory bids go out By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com PHOTO BY CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL On Monday, September 4, Opal Nelson, Doris Graham and Alice Heiney participate in "Ring a bell for Rosies," a national event celebrated to mark the contribution Rosie the Riveters made to the workforce during WWII and to the advancement of women in the workforce. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com J ust before 10 a.m. on Monday, September 4, Opal Nelson climbs out of her van in the parking lot of the Cottage Grove United Methodist Church. She has a spot to fi ll in its pews every Sunday but today, she has a differ- ent job. At 94, she's one of Cottage Grove's last Rosies. Rosie the Riveters--approximately six million women who answered the call to join the 12 million women already in the workforce during WWII--are dying. The American Rosie the Riveter Association counts 5,700 among their ranks but ac- cording to past president Yvonne Fasold, that number is declining. "We're losing Rosies every day," she said. "In the last few years we have lost fi ve or six from our Cottage Grove Club." Enter Opal. On Labor Day, Opal walked across the church parking lot to join Doris Graham and Alice Heiney, both donning their Rosie shirts and carrying the stories of working on inspection lines and war bond offi ces, respectively. The wom- en have gathered to mark their service to the workforce and women in general by ringing the bell 10 times. Across the country, other Rosies will join them. "That's what's so interesting to me," Nelson said. "Is that it's simultaneous. They'll be ringing the bell at the same time all over the country." As the bell rang out, breaking through the quiet of a day off on Washington Ave., it served as a call to arms. "There may be people who served and worked who don't know about the orga- nization and who would join the Rosie association," Nelson said. The Rosies meet once a month in Springfi eld with their children-- Rosebuds and Rivets--who are eligible to join. "It's our responsibility," Fasold, whose mother worked during the war as a rivet- er, said. "It's up to us to keep their legacy alive and let people know their contribu- tion to the war effort and the workforce." The group visits classrooms and gives lectures as a way to preserve their legacy. "Our newest Rose Bud didn't know anything about the organization until she read an article in the newspaper and said, 'Hey, my mother worked during the war.' Maybe I can join," Fasold said. Opal, the smallest Rosie of the bunch, gripped the handles of the bell and rang. All of her weight moving with the effort. Those interested in joining the Amer- ican Rosie the Riveter Association can visit rosietheriveter.net or contact Fasold at (541) 343-4223. FA(I)RING FINANCIALLY By Caitlyn May The carnival has packed up and the vendors have gone home signaling the end of festival season here in Cottage Grove. Now all that remains, is the bill. Bohemia Mining Days (BMD) and the W.O.E. Fair are staples in the com- munity, providing good ole fashioned fun for a good ole fashion price; free. Or in the case of the W.O.E., $3 per entry. However, the cost of putting the festivals on continues to rise and the demand for more entertainment is a constant struggle while both fairs fall in the same season as the Oregon State Fair as well as the Douglas, Linn and Lane county fairs. “It costs about $50,000 to put on the BMD,” Cathy Simmons, BMD President said. Currently, the organization has ap- proximately $6,000 in the bank and still some bills left to pay. It also has a hand- ful of invoices still left to collect more than a month removed from the festival. “We’ve never been in the red for the six festivals I’ve been there,” she said. “We never make a lot of money because we’re a nonprofi t. But now, we have more than we’ve ever had to move for- ward.” However, during the festivals tenure in Cottage Grove it has dipped into the red among the several past presidents of the organization before fi nding itself in the black again. To put on a BMD, money has to be spent. The organization pays a festival coordinator—the position fi lled this year by Cindy Weeldreyer—$5,300 accord- ing to Simmons; plus bonuses. It cost $7,300 to rent electric cords and gener- ators, $7,000 on security and for the last fi ve years, the group has had to put aside $3,000 a year to pay back the $15,000 given to it by the city of Cottage Grove. “Last year, we couldn’t put the $3,000 away for the city so this year we had to put away $6,000,” Simmons said. With $50,000 needed to put on the festival and $6,000 in the bank it would seem the BMD has a long way to go for the four-day festival planned for 2018. However according to Simmons, much of the bill is payable after the conclusion of the festival. This year, BMD made ap- proximately $13,000 from the carnival alone, which was then used to pay 2017’s bills. “To come up with the remaining $43,000 Cindy is writing grants right now,” Simmons said. “We also have the facade walls and people in the communi- ty, businesses that regular give money,” she said. But Simmons noted that the days of big money from industries that no Please see ARMORY PG. A10 Cycle Oregon off By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com BMD and W.O.E. struggle to keep fairs traditional, profitable cmay@cgsentinel.com The city of Cottage Grove has sent out a Request for Propos- al (RFP) for architectural work based on the approved schemat- ic design plan for the armory on August 28. The city council adopted the Armory Schematic Design Plan on March 23, 2015 setting in place the groundwork for sever- al exterior and interior changes to the building the city hopes to convert into a community cen- ter. The RFP is requesting fi rms submit bids for a scopr of work which includes exterior archi- tectural design, electric, civil design, landscape and a poten- tial phasing plan. Previously, Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Meyers noted that the individual ap- proved by the state’s historic longer take up residence in Cottage Grove—like lumber—are gone. “It’s a con- stant game,” she said. The big- gest challenge? Money and volunteers. “Money is a big challenge,” Simmons said. “But so is getting enough volun- teers.” Miles from BMD’s Coiner Park home base, the W.O.E. Fair competes a bit more directly with the Oregon state Fair. However, according to W.O.E. President Veronica Geiger, “When you keep it sim- ple and purpose driven instead of mone- tary, it works out.” The W.O.E. Fair is considerably small- The 2,000 riders set to hit the road for Cycle Oregon are now popping their kickstands after event organizers announced the fi rst cancellation in Cycle Ore- gon history. Cycle Oregon's executive di- rector Steve Shultz cited wild- fi res burning throughout the state as the reason for the can- cellation. "Statewide weather forecasts for the foreseeable future are for more hot, dry and windy weather with an associated in- crease in fi re activity and smoke production," he said in a state- ment. According to the organiza- tion, fi ve out of seven of the destinations planned for this year's event have been compro- mised due to the fi res and the subsequent unhealthy air qual- Please see CYCLE PG. A10 Please see FAIRS PG. A10 GOVERNMENT LCC defends DACA Creswell man solicits do- nations for TX. PAGE A6 Lane Community College releases statement on Dreamers. PAGE A11 INDEX COMMUNITY Harvey hero Calendar ...................................... B11 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 AD 6x2 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 59
