Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
$1.00 PERSONAL | COMMERCIAL BENEFITS | SURETY C ottage G rove PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS Height: you either have it or you don't. Cottage Grove girls have it. B1 SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL CGSENTINEL.COM City Councilor Amy Slay resigns By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com City Councilor Amy Slay When Amy Slay bought her house in Cottage Grove she promised herself that it would be where her two sons lived when they started kindergarten and on their last day of high school. She missed it by two months. “It’s nothing exciting, I just bought land outside of city limits,” Slay said in response to a social media post that announced her resignation from Cottage Grove City Council. To sit on the board, members are required to be city residents and beginning in March, Slay no longer will be living within city limits. Instead, she’ll be settled on her fi ve-acre property located approximately 17 miles outside of town where she’ll raise chickens and take a little time to herself after getting her youngest son off to the U.S. Air Force. Slay, who has championed the local police force, said she will continue to do so and remain the driving force behind Kickin’ it with the Cops, a get-to-know-you event that started last summer as a way for the community to engage with local law enforcement. That’s where her offi cial involvement will end, though she said she will have a continued interest in community events and projects. WED 60º/42º For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. “I was grateful for the opportunity to serve,” the Cottage Grove native said. “I was an at- risk kid, never expected to do anything but I got my GED and it’s a reminder that you can do anything.” Slay's resignation is effective Feb. 28. The city council will discuss how to proceed in fi lling Slay's seat during the Feb. 12 meeting at 7 p.m. in city hall. Latham lives School will stay open through 2018 By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com “That number doesn’t seem insurmountable.” “It’s $1 million.” “Well, $800,000.” The exchange between South Lane School Board members Taylor Wilhour and Sherry Duerst-Higgins during Monday’s school board meet- ing summed up the district’s position on Latham Ele- mentary School. There’s not enough money to fi x it and too few resources to close it for the 2018-2019 school year leaving parents, teachers and students in limbo for another year. Latham’s attendance has dropped to approximately 94 students and the building it- self, more than 100-years-old, is in need of serious repair. South Lane Maintenance and Facilities Supervisor Matt Allen ran numbers for the board on Monday, giving Please see LATHAM PG. A9 EPUD apologize s for high bills By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com RELAY FOR LIFE KICKS OFF READY, SET, RELAY-Relay for Life kicked off the 2018 sea- son at the Cottage Grove Armory on Saturday, Feb. 3. The event, dubbed a pep rally, ran for two hours with family-fun events sched- uled including door prizes. South Lane County Relay for Life will hold its annual event, aimed at raising funds to fi ght cancer, on June 23. Photos by Greg Lee. In April of 2017, the Emerald People’s Utility District (EPUD) created a new tiered rate system. In December, customers saw power bills increase, in some cases, by hundreds of dollars. EPUD apologized. “Over the past month, many of you have voiced concerns about high elec- tric bills and the tiered rate structure that was im- plemented in April 2017,” General Manager Scott Coe wrote. “Your phone calls, emails and public statements helped us real- ize we did not adequately prepare you for the impact this structure could have on bills during winter months. We also did not clearly communicate why we felt this was the right thing to do.” Please see EPUD PG. A7 ENTERTAINMENT Dam project Noises off Army Corps works on Cottage Grove damn. A review of Cottage Theatre's latest play. PAGE PAGE A8 A10 INDEX COMMUNITY COFFEE WITH THE EDITOR Have a news tips? Want to talk about community events? Have a question? Stop by Backstage Bakery. The LAST THURSDAY of every month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Calendar ...................................... B11 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 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 130 • NUMBER 28 Rain Country Realty Inc. RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Licensed in the State of Oregon RainCountryRealty.com • raincountryrealty@gmail.com 1320 Hwy 99 • 541-942-7246 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK S entinel (541) 942-0555