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SPORTS
Girls volleyball takes on Sweet Home,
football unseats undefeated team. B1
SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
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Offi cials attend League of Cities
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Pool price keeps
climbing
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Monday night at the school board meeting there was one thing
that Superintendent Krista Parent especially wanted to focus on:
the new pool.
“To me, this is the biggest thing on the agenda tonight,” said Par-
ent when it was time to discuss how to spend the money for this
project.
South Lane School District has $5.1 million allotted for this
project-- after voters passed a $35.9 million bond in May of this
year—and Parent was insistent that the district cannot spend “a pen-
ny more.”
“All we know is what we really want, we don’t have enough
money for,” Parent said. “And that we have $5.1 million and that
we’re going to buy whatever $5.1 million will buy us. And we are
going to have to, with this committee, prioritize what’s the number
one priority.” She noted that replacing the pool’s tank without re-
placing the pipes or electrical was not an option. “That pool is not
going to do you any good as soon as those other things fail because
they are close now,” she said.
Twenty-four residents were invited to join the pool committee,
made up of individuals recommended by the board or pool commu-
nity., to help shape the plans for reconstruction.
Last December when the cost estimate was made by the con-
sultants it was determined that the price of the pool would be $8.1
million and now that price has risen to $9.8 million.
It is now the job of the school board, the group of community
members that make up the pool committee and the pool consultants
to fi nd a way to upgrade the facilities at this price.
Part of the money will be going to upgrading the locker room
facilities, the pool deck and the current water line. There are also
different lights that will be added along with windows. Then there
is the pool itself that will be redone.
Because of the dimensions of the current pool, it cannot hold dis-
trict, state or national meets and this is a consideration for the new
pool. There are three different options for the shape the pool will
take but the dollar amount of the decisions has not yet been provid-
ed to the school board but will be in the next few weeks.
To keep up with the timeline that has been set, the goal is to
Please see POOL PG. A8
PHOTO COURTESY COUNCILMAN KENNETH ROBERTS
Councilman Kenneth Roberts shakes hands with Governor Kate Brown during the Oregon League of Cities Conference. Roberts said Brown enjoyed her trip
to Cottage Grove earlier in the year and complimented the area's school system.
Councilors and city officials meet with state representatives and talk
Cottage Grove at League of Cities conference
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Cottage Grove offi cials attended the 92nd
annual League of Oregon Cities conference
on September 28 through the 30 in Portland.
Councilors Kenneth Roberts and Jake
Boone attended with Mayor Jeff Gowing,
Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Mey-
ers and members of the city's Youth Advi-
sory Council.
"It was great," Roberts said upon his re-
turn.
The conference offers lectures and work-
shops on a multitude of issues facing cities
and Roberts spent the majority of his time in
sessions surrounding homelessness.
"A lot of the programs, I thought, were
throwing money at the problem," he said.
"But there was a program out of Tillamook
that has a 93 percent success rate. I'm going
to bring those people to the city council and
try to bring a positive answer to the commu-
nity on this."
Meyers reported back on the conference
noting that several cities requested infor-
mation on Cottage Grove's youth advisory
council and road ordinance.
"Nearly 500 city offi cials from around
the state were there," he said, noting that
Cottage Grove took part in several break-
out sessions and took part in presentations
surrounding historic preservation and youth
involvement in the community.
"It went really, really well," he said.
Boone, who had been seated on the
League of Cities board, was elected treasur-
er during the conference.
"That's next in line for vice president and
then the following year, president," Meyers
said.
LINCOLN CALLS FOR HELP
Middle school asking for landscaping volunteers
At night, Pat Ware weeds
a courtyard that faces the bus
lane. Students take on projects
year-round. Members of the lo-
cal Lions Club may lend a hand
as well. But still, Emily Wren
has a new passion project.
Wren serves at the vice prin-
cipal for Lincoln Middle School
and she's asking for the commu-
nity's help to spruce the place
EDUCATION
up.
"We have an amazing main-
tenance staff but for how many
campuses they have to serve and
how many of them are on staff,
it's hard for them to do things to
the capacity they want," Wren
said. "We just have some really
ugly looking landscaping this
year and I was looking outside
the box for the community to
help clean things up."
It led Wren to social media,
where she posted a call for help
asking for anyone with a green
thumb to help clean-up the cam-
pus.
"We have second-generation
students who will say, 'When I
came here it looked so nice and
now it looks like this.'" Wren
said. "We would love consis-
tent, predictable help."
She has several ideas on how
the community can help includ-
ing adopting a courtyard and
reaching out to Al Kennedy
High School students.
CRIME
Books, books, books
CG business robbed
Harrison chosen for nation-
al book award. PAGE A9
CG Body Studio reports as
victim of burglary. PAGE A3
INDEX
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
"It's important," Wren said.
"We have middle schoolers
who, we recognize this is a dif-
fi cult time in their lives. We're
telling them they're worthy but
the campus sends a mixed mes-
sage. It's like saying we value
you but we don't value the space
you're in."
Anyone interested in help-
ing spruce up Lincoln Middle
School can contact Wren by
emailing
emily.wren@slane.
k12.or.us.
Calendar ...................................... B11
Channel Guide ............................... B5
Classifieds ...................................... B7
Obituaries ...................................... A2
Opinion ......................................... A4
Sports ............................................ B1
AD 6x2
Youth Advisory
Council gearing
up
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
The city of Cottage Grove is looking for a few good students.
The city's Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is gearing up for the
new school year and after several of its members graduated at the
end of last year, its ranks could use a few more civic-minded youths.
"Any middle and high school aged youth in the community who
are interested in serving on the Youth Advisory Council are invited
to participate," Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Meyers an-
nounced in the Friday Update--a recap of the week released by the
city every Friday on its website.
YAC has been a part of the city's program for over a decade with
students invited to take part in city council meetings and meet on a
regular basis with the city manager.
At the Monday, September 25 meeting of the city council, the
board agreed to operate on a rotating basis and meet with the YAC
during their meetings.
Last year's cohort made headlines when it worked with a local
resident, city manager and state representative Cedric Hayden to
create legislation aimed at limiting the retail of nitrous oxide can-
nisters. The group testifi ed before the state legislature and earned
praise from Governor Kate Brown during a visit to Cottage Grove.
Most recently, YAC members MJ Raade and Ian Dukes attended
the League of Oregon Cities Conference with Meyers to speak on
youth engagement in local government and the success of Cottage
Grove's YAC program.
Interested students can apply for YAC online by visiting Cottage-
grove.org. Applications can be submitted at the YAC's October 23
meeting beginning at 6:15 p.m. in city hall.
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
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VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 63