8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL SEPTEMBER 20, 2017
On the job for a year, CGPD Chief Shepherd refl ects
S
cott Shepherd marked his fi rst year as Cottage Grove’s po-
lice chief on September 14. He’d been in the position for six
months after being named to the spot following former chief Mike
Grover. As he closed out the fi rst year on the job, he sat with The
Sentinel to answer a few questions about challenges, changes and
the future.
Q
Q: You were quoted a year ago saying
sayin that you were concerned
about
bout the weight of responsibility that c comes with being police
chief.
hief. How do you feel about it now, a y yea
year later?
A : I don’t think the weight of it has di
diminished. I take this po-
sition
tion seriously and it’s a complicated position
p pos
sometimes. I don’t
want
ant to say that after a year I’m relaxed.
relaxe You still have to pay at-
tention
ention
ntion and be diligent. After a year, there’s
the
there’ still a lot to learn as we
go
o through the budgeting process and as employees leave and are
hired.
ired.
ed. These things aren’t unique but I take them seriously.
Q: What has been the biggest change
chan under your command at
the
he CGPD?
A: I’d say some of the biggest
gest changes
chang are the offi cers who have
left
eft employment here and go to other agenc
agencies. We have people who
have left for Lane County and one who went to Eugene. There’s a
sergeant in process now for Springfi eld. That comes with the chal-
lenge of fi lling those positions.
Q: After a year, what has been the biggest challenge?
A: Being responsible to the community and those community
needs while maintaining the safety and operations of the police de-
partment in a way that works. We’ve been blessed to be supported
by the community in Cottage Grove.
Q: What has been easier than you thought it would be?
A: Not to sound trite but being the police chief in a small town
and being recognized as such. I think I had good connections with
groups and people around town before but when you put chief of
police on that, it is a little heavier but I enjoy being the lead guy and
it’s easy to advocate for what we do here because I’m proud of our
organization.
A
&
A: What do you hope is easier a year from now?
Q: I would hope to have a full staff and that we have leadership
in place to take us into future years. We’re still working through
some growing pains. I completed a yearly personnel process, one-
on-one that I will report on and talk about expectations and goals
for the future. It’s also about being fi scally responsible so that we
don’t have as many overtime hours.
CGPD Chief Scott Shepherd
A: Oddest call you’ve had in the last year?
Q: I’m trying to think and I’m drawing a blank. Odd things hap-
pen all the time but it’s hard to pinpoint something. We have some
characters in this community.
Community Sharing is experiencing a shortage of
food right now. Th is is the time of year when our
inventory would normally be low but this year we are
experiencing an extreme shortage of food.
Organizations come together for good
Untangling the alphabet soup of development in the city
We would like to thank the Cottage Grove community
for all of the assistance we receive – we couldn’t do the
work we do without you!
CDC
Funded through existing funds
from timber companies and
other organizations. Becoming
a nonprofi t. Works in all of
South Lane.
THE CITY
Funded through tax dollars,
aids other organizations in
development. Employees
the Main St. Coordinator
under city planner Amanda
Ferguson.
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
In the beginning, there was
the Economic and Business Im-
provement District (EBID).
Decades later, there are a
slew of organizations (and ac-
ronyms) to address the city's
desire to develop and draw in
business and tourists. And while
these groups admit it can be
confusing at times, they main-
tain that the structure ultimately
leads to collaboration and more
opportunity for the city.
"It's nice to have these organi-
zations with their own missions
and they can come together and
work together," Cottage Grove
City Manager Richard Meyers
said. Meyers is also on the Cot-
tage Grove Area Chamber of
Commerce roster and reguarly
meets with chamber executive
director Travis Palmer. It's part
THE CHAMBER
Funded through membership
and tourism dollars. Answers to
its members and is focused on
business and promoting the city.
of the coolaborative nature of
the beast which has several
limbs that all move in the same
direction; toward the future.
EBID was formed fi rst by cre-
ating a special tax district. EBID
is funded through the taxes it
collects from the district and
its projects are mandated to the
boundaries of that same district.
The Cottage Grove Commu-
nity Development Corporation
(CDC) was also interested in
furthering development and
soon, its goals were greater than
the goals of EBID and so, it be-
came a stand-alone organiza-
tion funded by money from the
Woodard foundation and other
organizations. Currently, accor-
dig to Palmer, it is working on
transitioning to a non-profi t.
Palmer, as head of the cham-
ber (which is also funded in
part by room tax dollars that are
doled out by the city)works with
We are requesting assistance from the community to
help fi ll our shelves to meet the current demand at
our agency. Any help is greatly appreciated – from
one can to large donations or cash donations.
1440 Birch Ave, Cottage Grove
EBID
Funded by tax district. Pays
the Main St. Coordinator. Is
responsible for projects within
its boundaries. Mostly focused
on beautifi cation.
both organizations and is cur-
rently the head of CDC as well.
The city is also in on the de-
velopment push. It employs
the Main St. Coordinator--a
position that falls under the
state Main St. program which
is part of the national Main St.
program--who answers to city
planner Amanda Ferguson. Ex-
cept the city doesn't pay the co-
ordinator's salary. EBID does.
"They weren't set up for a
part-time employee so they
were looking for someone who
was," Meyers said.
The Main St. Coordinator,
Carlene Giroud, works with
downtown businesses as a lia-
son between them and the city.
She also interacts with EBID
and the chamber.
The confusion, both Meyers
and Palmer said, comes from
the many organizations but it's
also a positive for the commu-
nity.
"It's nice because a business
owner can call me and I'll im-
mediately set up a meeting with
CDC and the city," Palmer said.
"They just have to get a hold of
one of us and they're in the right
place."
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