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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2018)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL FEBRUARY 21, 2018 City purchases dog parks Youth council reaches out to mayors (From left) Don Williams, Cindy Weeldreyer, Tom Munroe, Karen Munsell, Richard Meyers, Scott Shepherd and Krista Parent. law and now, they want to make By Caitlyn May sure it’s followed. cmay@cgsentinel.com House Bill 3030 was passed During the 2017 Oregon Leg- during the last session after Rep. islative Session, the Cottage Cedric Hayden agreed to work Grove Youth Advisory Com- with YAC, the city and commu- mittee (YAC) managed to see nity members to take on the use a bill through from concept to of nitrous oxide by minors. The LORANE NEWS Final district Battle of the Books is this Friday, February 23 beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the Applegate Elementary gym. Win- ner will represent the school. Come out to Lorane Grange this Friday, Feb. 23 for a Barn Dance from 7 -10 p.m. A dance for all ages with $10 for the caller. Then on Saturday, Ladies from the Rebekah Lodge are having a bake sale at their hall from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Come out and get some delicious goodies. Crow Grange is holding an English Country Dance at 3 p.m. at their hall. Enjoy learning for all ages and even wear era cos- tumes if you would like. After you get all that exercise, head over to Lirane Grange for a wonderful dinner. Lorane Grange Spaghetti Dinner and Bingo is this Saturday, Feb. 24 starting at 5:30 p.m. for dinner and 6:30 p.m. for bingo. Had a great turnout last month, hope to see you all again. Din- ner $6 for adults, $3 children 8 and under. If you only come for bingo, $2 for dessert and beverages. Next Lorane Grange meeting is March 1, at 7 p.m. South Lane Physical Therapy LLC Did you know? W. STU HOGG PT, OCS, COMT We have a rapid access program and can see new patients within 2 business days for an acute injury. Orthopedic • Sport • Spine 75 Gateway Blvd. Suite A, Cottage Grove, Or MARIE WILLIAMSON PTA Phone: 541.942.6482 Fax: 541.942.6483 bill prohibits the sale of nitrous oxide, also known as whippets, to individuals under the age of 21. After the law went into effect this year, YAC reached out to Oregon’s mayors. “They felt it was important to write a letter,” city manager Richard Meyers said. The group sent a letter detailing its efforts, the path of the bill through the legislature and the consequenc- es of breaking the new law to all 239 mayors in the state. As of Feb. 15, the mayor of Spring- fi eld responded to the group. HB 3030 began when Cottage Grove resident Karen Munsell went before the city council detailing the harmful effects of nitrous oxide. The canisters were routinely sold at tobacco shops and convenience stores for 99 cents each and provide a quick, dangerous high for users. The canisters are intended to be used in baking. However, their low price point and easy-to-use nature saw them being used to get high. Munsell spoke with several community members including police chief Scott Shepherd, former mayor Tom Munroe, former superintendent Krista Parent and Meyers to work on legislation to ban the use of the canisters. During her speech at a council meeting concerning the issue, a YAC member took interest and brought the matter to the rest of the group. Under Meyers’ guidance and with help from the community, the group was able to catch the attention of Hayden and spearheaded the issue, testi- fying before state legislators. The law, which went into ef- fect in Jan. 1 imposes penalties against store owners who are caught selling the product to minors. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com The empty lot across the street from Cottage Grove High School has gone to the dogs. A dog park is in the works for the property which the city pur- chased from Lane County for approximately $36,000. The land had been the topic of discussion between the city and county for nearly three years, according to city manager Richard Meyers. The purchase would bring the grand total of Cottage Grove dog parks to two. Lulu’s, located on Main St., opened last year and has served as the city’s only dog park. However, with the purchase of the county lot, the city is doubling its dog park inventory. “We’re also getting Lulu’s,” Meyers said. The city has promised to keep Lulu’s a dog park for at least fi ve years and has paid $7,000 for the property on Main St. “Lulu’s fi ts several times inside the property of the new dog park so it will be nice to have the two parks,” Meyers said, noting that sketches for the new dog park are already being drawn up. The current plan is to separate the lot across from the high school into two parks; one for large dogs and one for small dogs. They’ll also be a watering station in the center where the two parks meet. The lot across from the high school is often used for parking during popular events such as graduation. Meyers said the city plans to fence in the area as the initial stage in constructing the dog park. Zombie houses Continued from A1 left offi cials with few options other than to declare the house a nuisance and continue to send letters to owners who had al- ready left town and stopped pay- ing the mortgage on the home. The letters hardly ever elicited a response when the owners could be found and when ownership was a mystery, there were even fewer options for the city. “There are loopholes,” Mey- ers said. “They should have to register the owner.” The house on Adams is still listed on county tax roles as be- longing to a family trust. How- ever, several fi nancial institu- tions have had their stakes in the house as well, leaving the city to wade through records to deter- mine who is responsible for the property. On Feb. 12 when the garage caught fi re and threatened the tree line that separated it from a block of neighbors, months of council discussions on how to handle zombie houses boiled over. According to Meyers, city law enforcement has a person of interest they are hoping to speak to concerning the fi re. Cottage Grove Police Chief Scott Shep- herd was unavailable as of press time. The empty house and a string of fi res, according to Meyers, met on Adams that day. After the reported suspect(s) is caught and the damage re- paired to the house, what can the city do about the small army of zombie houses? Not much and it’s not alone. Cities across the country are still wringing their hands over the lots of empty houses left over from the great recession. In 2016, the city of Portland foreclosed on its fi rst house in nearly half a century after 24 years of complaints and more than $66,000 in liens against the property. A code change that allowed homes to be sold for market value, rather than the to- tal cost of the liens, was cited as the driving factor in the home’s foreclosure (and four others) but it still left the city with more than 400 empty houses. According to county records, Cottage Grove currently has 10 foreclosed homes but that num- ber does not include homes that have not yet begun the offi cial foreclosure process but have already been abandoned by homeowners, making it diffi cult to pinpoint exactly how many of these homes fall into the zombie home category. In 2017, Lane County sent 15 empty homes in Cottage Grove up for auction. “People could be living in them just like you or I live in them, taking care of them and so it’s not a problem. We fi nd out when it’s a problem,” Meyers told the council in November. As of Feb. 16, he said the city is “watching” approximately fi ve zombie homes. At the end of last year, city offi cials worked with their at- torneys to address a house on 6th St. that had begun to pose a public health threat. The house had been abandoned years be- fore and by 2017, several indi- viduals were living in the home. Meyers said the city refused to turn the water on to the house without a rental agreement but electricity was provided by an outside company. Law en- forcement offi cials throughout the state are encountering in- dividuals who have illegally taken possession of homes in foreclosure due to the advice of several websites that detail how to use “squatters rights.” How- ever, Oregon law maintains that a squatter must prove that they have used the home openly for at least 10 years and has reason Imagine The Difference You Can Make DONATE YOUR CAR 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! 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Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. All Rights Reserved. ©2017 Charter Communications. to believe they own the home. The law does not cover people who are aware they are trespass- ing on the property. In the case of the house on 6th St., law enforcement had visited the property at least 30 times, according to Meyers, and the individuals were aware they were not legally allowed inside the home. Offi cials were able to contact the owner of the home and strike a deal: the city would lease the home for $12 a year, enabling offi cials to clear the property. More than a month after re- moving the squatters, clean-up crews are still working. “Rats,” Meyers said. An infestation of rodents had re- portedly grown to the point it impeded the clean-up process. “We can’t go in and remove all the trash because the rats might run and scatter into neighbors’ yards and the sewer system,” Meyers said. “So we’re remov- ing a layer of trash and having the exterminator come in and then removing another layer.” According to Meyers, the de- fault exterminator fell ill at the sight of the house and his man- ager had to be brought in to han- dle the clean-up. The cost of the extensive clean-up, which includes stor- ing the property left behind by the squatters in adherence to state law, initially fell to the city. However, according to Meyers, plans were in place to bill the bank that owned the property and shortly after abatement on the house started, so did the long-delayed foreclosure pro- cess. Meyers plans to send a bill to the responsible party for the house on Adams Ave. as well and bring an item before the city council in an attempt to take possession of the house. The “receivership” method was discussed during the No- vember council meeting as a possible fi x for the 6th St. house before being set aside for the lease deal. Essentially, accord- ing to the city attorney, the city would take possession of the house as a result of the multi- ple liens against the property as well as the numerous visits by local police. Dentistry is our profession, people are our focus. Birch Avenue Dental Dentistry is our profession, people are our focus. Birch Avenue Dental Shoppe™ is a trademark of News Media Corp. 9A 1325 Birch Ave. 541-942-2471 • General Dentistry • Implants • Sedation • Financing 1325 Birch Ave. Cottage Grove birchavenuedental.com 541-942-2471 Tammy L. McClung DDS • Park W. McClung DDS
