COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOB ER 17, 2018
6A
Council agrees to hep fund warm-water therapy pool at aquatic center
By Caitlyn May and Zach Silva
cmay@cgsentinel.com•zsilva@cgsentinel.com
On Monday, Oct. 8, the Cottage
Grove City Council agreed to allow city
staff to work with the school district to
fund a warm-water therapy pool at the
Warren H. Daughtery Aquatic Center
to the tune of $200,000.
Th e community pool, set for con-
struction through August of next year,
is one of the last projects on the South
Lane School District’s list of improve-
ments around the district with the
funds from a $35 million bond passed
by voters in 2016.
According to City Manager Richard
Meyers, the city sets aside $50,000 for
the pool out of its budget each year cit-
ing the pool’s contribution to the com-
munity with children’s swim lessons
and activities for seniors. Th e remain-
ing $150,000 requested by the school
CANDIDATES
from A1
behind Multnomah County which
houses Portland. Overall, Lane Coun-
ty reported 1,529 homeless individu-
als.
“Th ere is a serious problem be-
cause no one wants to victimize the
homeless,” Lamb-Solsbee said noting
that some homeless individuals strug-
gle with drugs and alcohol. “I talked
to several people who live across from
the church that does Beds for Freez-
ing Nights and they’re having a hard
time because their kids want to go out
in the yard and there’s needles in the
street…” Lamb-Solsbee also recounted
a personal experience as a small-busi-
ness owner when the temperature had
not dropped low enough for Beds for
Freezing Nights (a free overnight shel-
ter) to open and businesses on Main
district could be made up, according
to council, through the waiving of
building fees and other in-kind funds.
At the Oct. 1, South Lane School
District school board meeting, the
school board approved a partner-
ship with GBC Construction for the
project. Representatives from BLRB
Architects spearheaded the selection
process that saw GBC Construction
and Hyland Construction- the com-
pany that built fellow bond money re-
cipient, Harrison Elementary School-
both placed bids for the pool. GBC’s
bid came in at $4.8 million dollars.
“(GBC Construction is) great so we
have no problem recommending them
moving forward. Additionally, we
looked at the work they’ve done pre-
viously and this project falls squarely
within the sports complexes that is
on their website,” BLRB’s Edmund
Wadeson told the school board on
Oct. 1.
Th e upgrade for the aquatic center,
was initially set at $5.1 million but will
now have a price tag of $6.1 million aft er
the addition of soft costs including de-
sign fees, permit fees and construction
management and furniture and fi xture
prices.
Th e board felt comfortable spending
additional funds on the project, it said,
aft er the district fi nished payments for
the new Harrison Elementary, had ac-
crued interest in the bond money and
received a $4 million matching grant
from the state.
Th e warm water pool was part of the
discussion when a community task force
met last year to discuss options for the
aging pool. Aside from a remodel of
the locker room and a competition-ap-
proved sized pool, a smaller, warm water
pool was toward the top of the wish list
citing toddler swim classes and therapy
uses for senior community members.
Due to budgetary concerns, however,
the district opted to leave room for the
therapy pool but not construct it at the
same time as the other renovations.
During the Oct. 8 meeting of the city
council, Meyers informed the board that
the community’s current warm water
therapy pool, located in the community
center, would begin to cost the city mon-
ey in repairs and threatened damage to
the building.
“We don’t want Travis (Palmer, Cham-
ber of Commerce Executive Director)
walking in one day and there’s ceiling
on his desk,” councilor Garland Bur-
back said, noting the eff ects of having
a pool inside an aging building had on
the infrastructure. Th e moisture from
the pool, according to Meyers, is aff ect-
ing the building and moving the pool to
the Aquatic Center would save the city
repair money and the staff cost of run-
ning the pool year-round. Th e space the
pool is currently in could continue to be
utilized, Meyers said, as a storage or of-
fi ce space.
“It would be cheaper to have the
warm water pool go in the same time as
they’re doing this other work,” Meyers
explained to the board of the construc-
tion timeline for the pool.
While the city has agreed to chip in,
the district still has some fundraising to
do. According to the district’s latest esti-
mates, the warm water pool is projected
to cost $520,000.
“Th e city recognizes that so we’re
excited to have that conversation with
them and we’re also excited to talk to
some other potential donors in our
community,” South Lane Communi-
cations Coordinator Garrett Bridgens
said prior to the Oct. 8 council meeting.
“Funders who are interested in helping
us get there.”
Street, according to Lamb-Solsbee,
had their plant pots smashed by indi-
viduals upset by the shelter’s decision
not to open.
Boone cited the need to house peo-
ple in order to provide them services
and said that he’d done the math and
that if every community in Oregon at-
tempted to house the homeless, each
community would be responsible for
4.8 people per 1,000 people meaning
Cottage Grove’s share would be 48
people. Th e key, however, would be for
communities to attempt the feat at the
same time so that no community went
fi rst and ultimately attracted homeless
individuals while other communities
did not help shoulder the burden.
Fleck — whose day job sees him
at the head of the local food pantry,
Community Sharing — said two min-
utes was not enough to talk homeless-
ness but cited supportive and transi-
tional housing and several programs
statewide he supported.
On the issue of aff ordable housing,
both Rigel and Lamb-Solsbee said they
hoped to research the issue further
while Fleck cited his workshops with
local realtors, builders and city staff to
address the issue. Boone said the best
thing the city could do was to “get out of
the way” of those attempted to increase
the housing inventory.
In March of this year, local realtors
placed rent in Cottage Grove between
$600 for a one-bedroom apartment to
$1,600 for a three-bedroom apartment.
Hayden Homes placed a new housing
development on Highway 99 but it was
cited during the forum that those homes
may not be considered aff ordable for
potential Cottage Grove residents. Cot-
tage Village, a housing project being
developed by SquareOne Villages and
a local support group, will aim to help
those in danger of becoming homeless
but the 13 tiny homes would not be able
to house a family of four.
Th e candidates also discussed the
partnership between the school district
and the city in running the community
pool. Th e city recently agreed to allow
the city manager to work with the dis-
trict to help fund a portion of the pool’s
remodeling project. Currently, the city
provides $50,000 to the pool each year
and while he said he noted the pool’s
contributions to the community, Boone
said he was not an advocate of continu-
ing to pay that sum in the future. Fleck
also noted his discomfort in funding
that $50,000 while the remaining candi-
dates echoed their support for the pool.
Th e last question chosen by the
legislative council before turning the
questioning over to the audience, was
about the Main Street Refi nement Plan.
Th e plan, which addresses both the in-
frastructure and the feel of downtown
Cottage Grove has suggestions regard-
ing the street widths and sewer system,
has been a source of contention. Th e
city has submitted an application for a
grant that would provide $10 million
to implement the plan. Answers ranged
across the board with Fleck, Boone and
Burback noting that they weren’t in fa-
vor of every aspect of the plan but that
community input would be included
before the plan would move forward.
Solsbee, who owns two businesses
downtown also supported changes to
downtown that would not tarnish its
history and Rigel and Hermansen noted
changes that had already begun down-
town like the painting of buildings.
Candidate for Ward 3, Raymond
Ackerman, and Greg Ervin running
unopposed for Ward 4, did not attend.
LORANE NEWS
• Th is Th ursday, Oct. 18 CAL
School Board meets at 7 p.m. in
Applegate Elementary School.
• On Friday, Oct. 19, Apple-
gate grades K-3 will travel to
Northern Lights Tree Farm for
a colonial harvest day adven-
ture.
• A free fall Harvest Festival
will be on Friday, Oct. 26, at
Applegate Elementary from 6-9
p.m. Donations of bags of can-
dy for trick or treaters will be
welcomed.
• Come to a fundraising din-
ner at Crow Grange for Cody
Tripp on Saturday, Oct. 27, to
help him beat cancer. A meal
of Swiss steak with homemade
pumpkin pie will be served.
Th ere will also be door prizes,
raffl e prizes and silent auction
for only $18 per person.
Many of you don't know that
Cody and his brother attended
Lorane Elementary and their
mother was the cook during
ill out the form below to have your organization's
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that time. He was also one of
the wild land fi refi ghters who
fought the fi re on Mitchell’s and
Matchulat’s properties.
So Lorane, let’s turn out to
help him.
• Again this year, Lorane
Christian Church is hosting
the Trunk’n’ Treat in the church
parking lot on Halloween, Oct.
31, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Anyone can come and join
the fun. Hot soup and cider will
be available.
In
Honor
of All
Veterans
The Cottage Grove Sentinel is preparing to publish its
“Salute to Vets” a special section devoted to all military veterans
who are Cottage Grove-area residents or have a connection to this
area.
If you are interested in sharing your military story in the annual
Veterans Day publication, or in updating information that we have
published previously, please complete the form below and submit
it to the Cottage Grove Sentinel. Service photographs are also
welcome.
Submit forms and photos (preferably) by e-mail to cgnews@
cgsentinel.com; or by mail to Cottage Grove Sentinel, Attn: Caitlyn
May, PO Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424; or drop forms off at
the Cottage Grove Sentinel, 116 N. 6th Street, Cottage Grove.
Please be sure that all materials are carefully labeled with your
name and phone number. ALL FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 31, 2018.
Thank you for participating in this project to remember and
honor our veterans.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Contact Phone Number: _____________________________________________________________
Branch of Service: _________________________________________________________________
Rank Achieved (optional): ___________________________________________________________
Dates Served: _____________________________________________________________________
Where did you serve? _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
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S entinel
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Has your veterans information been published previously in the Cottage Grove Sentinel Veterans Publication?
YES
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Do we have your military photo(s) on À le? YES
NO
(Note: If you have submitted photos in the past, we will still have them on À le.)