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He
Cottage Grove
fails to reach
10,000
Giving Back
Population won't trigger city
changes
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
PHOTO BY CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove High School leaders Jackson Perkins (R) and Cooper Ladd (L), supported by staffer Carmen Adler, hand over a $550 check to Com-
munity Sharing's executive director Mike Fleck on Monday, Nov. 20. The high school held a food drive, garnering piles of canned goods as well as
monetary donations for the community food pantry. Fleck thanked the students, noting it had been a diffi cult year and the pantry has suffered from
food shortages.
Do no harm: New substance
program at work in CG
PHOTO BY CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
South Lane Mental Health is venturing into substance treatment with a harm reduction program aimed at allowing
patients to choose their level of treatment.
olly Serrano detoxed for
four days in a Native
American sweat lodge. It was
because, she said, the experi-
ence of recovery has to be equal
to or greater than the addiction.
Now, armed with a master’s de-
gree, she is helping guide other
people through the process as
part of the new substance use
recovery program at South Lane
Mental Health.
Serrano works with a team
COMMUNITY
of mental health professionals
and peer supporters at the cen-
ter, located on 5th St. in Cottage
Grove. Since its grand opening
in May of this year, it has served
nearly 100 individuals. But the
journey to get here has been two
years in the making.
“South Lane Mental Health
made the decision two years ago
to expand treatment to include
substance use treatment,” Ser-
rano said. “We wanted to treat
substance use in the context of
mental health.”
Grants helped the program
get on its feet after Serrano
joined four other individuals
in crafting the content. “When
they said they wanted to do this
we asked, ‘Can we come at it
from a harm reduction stand-
point?’” she said.
While traditional 30, 60 or 90-
day programs focus on sobriety,
the substance use program at
MYSTERY
Baseball legend
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owner of a box of memo-
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INDEX
H
South Lane Mental Health uti-
lizes harm reduction—a con-
cept that allows individuals to
choose whether or not to kick a
substance completely.
“Maybe their goal is employ-
ment,” Serrano said. “They
need to cut their drinking down
enough to maintain employ-
ment or maybe they want to
moderate their substance use
so their relationship with their
signifi cant other is better.” The
goal, according to Serrano, is to
reduce the use of substances to
allow individuals to function in
a productive manner.
To do that, the program can
service people for as long as
they’re willing to receive treat-
ment, rather than the traditional
90-days covered by insurance at
traditional addiction programs.
South Lane Mental Health’s
program is also covered by
Medicaid but also offers pay-
ment options for the $175 a
month price tag.
“It’s less than their substance
of choice,” Serrano said.
The price covers the entirety
of treatment which consists of
an approach built around a team
system. It’s an approach Jody
The sign greeting visitors to Cottage Grove just off Interstate 5
declares that this is a city of less than 10,000. There's been debate
and speculation over the last year but according to Portland State
University (PSU)--the only agency that matters in such distinc-
tions--Cottage Grove will remain a city of less than 10,000 people.
For now.
According to PSU, there are 9,920 residents in the city.
" Recently reported the US Census 2016 Estimate puts the City
of Cottage Grove’s population at 10,109. The US Census method-
ology uses less community specifi c information and is a rougher
estimate of the population. PSU uses the same data but also pulls
in specifi c information such school enrollments, building permits,
housing demolitions and other community or county specifi c data to
attempt to generate a much more accurate estimate," Cottage Grove
City Manager Richard Meyers wrote of the estimate.
Meyers and other city offi cials wait with baited breath for the
population estimates because once Cottage Grove hits 10,000 resi-
dents, a slew of changes must go into affect.
The city will need to add an additional garbage service which
will coincide with the current confusion of recycling. Plastics are
no longer accepted at the landfi ll and state regulations approved by
the state legislature during its last session will essentially require
that the city create "garbage police" to monitor what items are being
recycled.
According to Meyers, when the city does hit 10,000, it will likely
opt for a weekly yard debris services that will either be billed sepa-
rately or increase the cost of the current garbage bill.
The estimate released last week is preliminary and is made public
each year around Nov. 15. The number will be certifi ed in Decem-
ber.
Cannabis facility
up in fl ames
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
In December of last year, Miguel Tena applied for a conditional
use permit from the city of Cottage Grove to begin processing can-
nabis oil at an exisiting marijuana facility on Lane St. in downtown
Cottage Grove. He told city offi cials that the building would be
equipped with explosion-proof fans, ventilation, a six-foot fence
and that it wouldn't emit any odors associated with the production
of 50 to 100 pounds of product a week.
On November 16, the air in downtown Cottage Grove had a dis-
tinct twinge of marijuana. The facility was on fi re.
At approximately 4 p.m., South Lane County Fire and Rescue as
well as Cottage Grove Police gathered at the scene where, report-
edly, a piece of equipment was left on. One person was taken to the
hospital in Eugene.
Arson investigators were on the scene Friday but have yet to re-
lease information concerning the investigation. Local fi re authori-
ties said on Monday that all information has been turned over to the
CGPD, Oregon State Police and the DEA.
Please see SOUTH LANE PG. A6
Calendar ...................................... B11
Channel Guide ............................... B5
Classifieds ...................................... B7
Obituaries ...................................... A2
Opinion ......................................... A4
Sports ............................................ B1
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VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 70
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