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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2019)
$1.00 S entinel C ottage G rove 3 Est. 1889 PERSONAL | COMMERCIAL BENEFITS | SURETY (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS Lions start Sky-Em league play with victory over Siuslaw. B1 Serving the communities of Cottage Grove, Dorena, Drain, Elkton, Lorane and Yoncalla. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 LTD reduces service, adds MOD routes WED 54º/45º FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. CGSENTINEL.COM Rumor of homeless camp property just that Civic pride going ’round By Caitlyn May By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com cmay@cgsentinel.com “Th ere’s no way to say this nicely, this is just ill-con- ceived.” Th at was Cottage Grove City Councilor Mike Fleck’s summation of the pre- sentation by LTD that rolled out its new service changes for the council Monday night. During an unusually packed meeting, the organi- zation introduced Mobility on Demand (MOD), a ser- vice most equitable to Uber or Lyft in the private sector where individuals can sched- ule rides from their home and reach their destination through ride shares compiled through an algorithm. Th e pilot program went into eff ect on Monday in conjunction with a reduction in LTD ser- vices. Th e organization will no longer off er its circulator route through Cottage Grove with the exception of its fi rst two routes in the morning and last route in the evening. According to LTD program organizer Cosette Rees, those routes are the least popular among those off ered. “I can’t tell you how excit- ed I am to be a part of this,” said Ruth Linoz, director for South Lane Wheels which operates the Ride Around Town route in Cottage Grove which will also cease to op- erate. However, South Lane Wheels will still off er rides to Eugene and individual sched- uled rides. Th e purpose of instituting the MOD program, according to Rees, is to increase diversi- ty among riders and access to transportation services. “Let’s say I need to be at the doctor at 8:15 a.m.,” said bus rider Michelle Th urston. “I schedule the ride but it’s my understanding that it’s not fi rst come, fi rst serve so if someone else calls at 7:56 before the bus comes for my ride and the system deter- mines that’s the best trip, they’ll get the ride. I won’t get to Eugene in time and get fi red by that doctor for miss- ing an appointment.” Several residents gave pub- lic comment, echoing Th ur- ston’s concerns, including Jane Rapier, who said she and her husband bought their house with bus stop locations in mind. “I don’t know if you’ve ever waited for a bus in the rain but that seat gets wet,” she said. “I’m 80 with a disability and I’m sitting waiting on a wet bench.” Wait times dominated the conversation with LTD no See LTD 6A O n Monday, Jan. 14 members of the Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel were awarded the Cottage Grove Prospector and Gold Diggers Civic Pride Award—a yearly award presented to a business or group that has demon- strated eff orts to better the community. After the presentation, the board met to choose 12 historical photographs of Cottage Grove and the surrounding area for the carousel’s running boards. The carousel is currently located at King Estate Winery on Highway 99 but the group hopes to fi nd a permanent home for the attraction closer to Main Street. According to group president, Don Williams, the main fundraising eff ort is currently focused on obtaining a canopy and other short-term accommodations for the carousel at a cost of $60,000. COURTESY PHOTOS Th e city of Cottage Grove has to fi nd a solution to its lack of a designated homeless camp aft er a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that prohibits municipalities from citing homeless individuals for sleeping on public property. Th e options range from alter- ing operational hours at city parks to developing land as an alternative for the homeless to sleep on. Th e city is still dis- cussing the issue with its attor- neys but curious residents and local social media watchers think they’ve discovered the city’s plan. However, according to City Manager Richard Meyers, they’re wrong. “Th at has nothing to do with the homeless camp,” Meyers told Th e Sentinel in response to questions surrounding the property located behind the post offi ce off Main Street. For weeks, local social media groups have been plastered with messages and exchanges that insist the property is set to become a homeless camp. “We are fi xing up the prop- erty to be able to use it and take care of it during the sum- mer,” Meyers said. “We’re go- ing to take care of the parking lot because there was a large pool there as more and more people are using the dog park and getting back there.” Meyers also cited the need to have additional space for the yearly carnival that comes to town in the event that the existing space at Bohemia Park is too wet — as it has been in year’s past. “We thought it’s See RUMOR 9A South Lane schools tackle bullying By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com A ccording to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center—a nonprofi t organiza- tion that follows social trends MUSIC State of the City New singer in town Mayor gives state of the City address, swears-in new coucilors Buddy Monlock will perform tonight in Cottage Grove PAGE A6 PAGE A3 INDEX CITY COUNCIL within the U.S.—six in 10 stu- dents report being the subject of cyber bullying. Th e statistic adds to the traditional bullying experienced by students at both the national and local level. In South Lane School Dis- trict, administrators have part- nered with experts—and each other—to tackle the issue that has jumped from school hall- ways, locker rooms and cafete- rias to social media platforms and text messages. According to the school dis- trict’s policies, cell phone usage Calendar ...................................... B12 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 is limited on school grounds but it is diffi cult for schools to police behavior that occurs out- side of the school day. During class time, however, students are held responsible for their behavior based on district pol- icy and a variety of behavioral matrices at the 10 South Lane Schools. At Bohemia Elementary, there is no distinguishing be- tween bullying and cyber bul- lying but teachers and admin- istrators would rather there be zero incidents of bullying and so, they’ve joined other South Lane Schools in taking a pro- active approach. Buddies, not Bullies was started last year as a program meant to expand students’ relationships across grade levels and decrease inci- dents of bullying. Once a week, kindergarteners and fi ft h grad- ers come together as buddies and engage in diff erent activi- 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 _______________ Michili Monroi, LCSW Counseling Services 541-255-8822 • 1450 Birch Ave • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 • Individual and Family Counseling • Insurance and Sliding Scale • Accepting New Clients • Weekend and Weekday Appointments Available ties. “Pretty strong relationships are formed during that time with the idea that we know a cross section of the school and they’re not isolated in their grade level,” said principal Heather Bridgens. “Th ey get pretty excited when they see their buddies in the cafeteria or the hallway.” Last year, Bohemia reported just 14 referrals based on bul- lying which accounted for one percent of the total referrals at the school. Th is year, that num- ber is already up by .7 percent, fi ve months into the school year. According to Bridgens, the school’s defi nition of bullying is based on age-appropriate desig- nations and may look diff erent than bullying at higher grade levels. “We work really closely with www.homesteadcg.com VOLUME 131 • NUMBER 3 Chair Side Tables On Sale! See BULLYING 7A
