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C ottage G rove
Est. 1889
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOB ER 24, 2018
Swinging
Bridge in
arm's reach
of restoration
For a complete six-
day forecast please
see page A5.
WED
63º/43º
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No place like Homecoming
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Th e Swinging Bridge
may have just swung
over the last hurdle to its
restoration.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16,
City Manager Richard
Meyers, Public Works
and Development Di-
rector Faye Stewart and
City Planner Amanda
Ferguson attended the
Parks and Recreation
Department’s Recreation
Trail grant committee
meeting to make a case
for the Cottage Grove
landmark.
“Th is grant would be
the fi nal piece of the
puzzle for funding the
Swinging Bridge resto-
ration,” Meyers wrote in
an update on city aff airs.
Th e grant, issued by the
state’s parks and recre-
ation department, would
total $150,000. Com-
bined with the $200,000
grant the bridge received
earlier this year and the
$13,981.43 raised local-
ly, construction on the
bridge could begin in
June of 2019.
“Th e committee was
impressed by the large
group supporting the
application,”
Mey-
ers said. “Two mem-
bers of the committee
bought Swinging Bridge
T-shirts.”
Th e Friends of the
Cottage Grove Swing-
ing Bridge, a grassroots
community group that
formed shortly aft er the
bridge was deemed un-
safe, has been steadily
holding fundraisers for
the bridge’s repair and
sent several members to
the presentation includ-
ing Dana Merryday.
Merryday has been a
vocal supporter of the
bridge, collecting letters
from city residents cit-
ing their support of the
bridge and their desire
to see it repaired—letters
that Meyers said oft en
help committees gauge
community support and
ultimately, award funds.
Th e bridge was deemed
unsafe by city engineers
in 2016 aft er several de-
fi ciencies were found in
See BRIDGE 10A
PHOTOS C/O GARRETT BRIDGENS
Cottage Grove High School cheerleaders make their way down Main St. during last Thursday’s Homecoming Parade. CGHS celebrated
homecoming throughout the week with dress-up days, the announcing of the homecoming court at Friday’s football game and the dance
on Saturday. Seniors on the school's football team scored a victory in their last home game, beating out Junction City for a chance to play-
in for championship. The CGHS marching band (left) and football team (right) join in on the parade fun. For additional photos, see A8.
Commission candidates talk housing, economics
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Cottage
Grove Area Chamber of Commerce
Legislative Committee hosted its
second candidate forum of the year,
hosting Gary Williams and Heather
Buch as the pair race toward election
day and a chair on the Lane County
Commission.
Th e evening was scheduled to in-
clude questions pre-selected by the
legislative committee as well as au-
dience questioned bookmarked by
the candidates’ opening and closing
statements and was live streamed on
COMMUNIITY
Halloween
Helping the homeless
Main Street will host its
annual Trick-or-Treating
event Oct. 31
Beds for Freezing Nights
readying for winter
PAGE A5
PAGE A6
INDEX
EVENTS
Facebook. Both Williams and Buch
applied for the position of East Lane
Commissioner when former com-
missioner Faye Stewart resigned his
post prior to the fi nish of his term
to take a job with the city of Cot-
tage Grove has the head of its newly
combined planning and develop-
ment department. Williams was
appointed to the seat to fi nish out
Stewart’s term.
Buch, a small business owner and
military spouse, fi elded the fi rst
question asking candidates what
they thought of using tax incentives
to increase economic development.
“I think there’s a time and a place
Michili Monroi, LCSW
Counseling Services
for incentive programs depending
on the issue,” she said. “It’s specifi c
for me, issue by issue.”
Williams, born and raised in
Cottage Grove where he served as
mayor for 12 years, said, “To cre-
ate housing, to create jobs, to cre-
ate economic development several
things need to exist. One is we need
to be able to partner with diff erent
people and businesses.” He cited an
instance of moving System Devel-
opment Charges (SDC fees) to the
back end of the construction process
to help foster the building of
Ballots for the Nov. 6 general election
should be hitting mailboxes in Cottage Grove
this week and in between races for statewide
positions and ballot measures, voters will
choose four city coun-
By Caitlyn May cilors and a mayor.
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Th e city’s council is
a seven-member board
including the mayor. Th is year, the mayor and
four of the council seats are up for re-election.
See CANDIDATES 9A
Calendar ...................................... B12
Channel Guide ............................... B5
Classifieds ...................................... B7
Obituaries ...................................... A2
Opinion ......................................... A4
Sports ............................................ B1
See BALLOT 7A
cgnews@cgsentinel.com
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