8A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Housing from A1
included the full package: a
parking area, athletic fi eld,
asbestos abatement, some
demolition and the rebuild-
ing of the gym.
Th ough initial costs were
estimated by the school
district to be around $900
thousand for the whole en-
deavor, the discovery of
additional structural issues
shot the cost of maintaining
the gym alone up to around
$1 million.
With the other items still
on the price list, fi nal es-
timates on the fi rst option
came to more than $2 mil-
lion — more than double
what was initially expected.
A second option, which
excluded salvaging the
gym, dropped those costs
to between $800 and $900
thousand — still not an en-
tirely attractive option for
a district trying to manage
a gradually draining bond
fund.
Lastly, option three was
to sell the property off with
conditions.
Th is April, the school
board enlisted the services
of the Lane Council of Gov-
ernments (LCOG) Chief
Financial Offi cer Howard
Schussler to facilitate a di-
alogue regarding these op-
tions.
“Th e intent was being
able to really thoroughly go
through these [options],”
said South Lane School Dis-
trict Superintendent Larry
Sullivan. “And Howard’s re-
ally a masterful facilitator
— he makes sure everybody
gets heard and that we real-
ly exhaustively go through
these things.”
In considering the third
option, the board also re-
ceived advice from the city
on rezoning and how it
could play into the city’s
housing plans.
According to a strategy
adopted earlier this year
from the city’s latest hous-
ing needs analysis, the city
committed to working with
the school district to look at
surplus lands and how they
may help the city meet its
housing needs.
“One of the major things
they were looking at was
how the city can help the
school district fi gure out
what to do with this proper-
ty,” said City Planner Aman-
da Ferguson, “and more spe-
cifi cally, how can we meet
some of our housing needs
with this property?”
In May, the board vot-
ed unanimously to sell the
property under the assump-
tion it could be rezoned and
that abatement of the asbes-
tos could be stipulated upon
sale.
“We want to be good
community members and if
we couldn’t aff ord to build a
big complex there or salvage
that, what could we do?” ex-
plained Sullivan. “And the
goal was really to fi nd some
way to work with the city
— which we did collaborate
with — to fi gure out a way
where this could be poten-
tially what they also need,
which is housing.”
Th ough appraisers at
Duncan & Brown put the
property value at around
$745,000, Sullivan said the
sale is likely to come in
around $300 or $400 thou-
sand due to the necessary
abatement and demolition
work.
Local opinions
Despite the board’s una-
nimity on selling and rezon-
ing, not all local residents
have agreed with the plan.
According to one area res-
ident who asked not to be
named, housing was not fi rst
on his list.
“I’d just as soon [prefer] it
wasn’t residential,” he said.
“Looking back, they’re do-
ing the new swimming pool.
What I think it should’ve
been in the fi rst place was a
big rec center.”
As part of the 2016 pro-
posed bond projects, the
school district is currently
renovating the Warren H.
Daugherty Aquatic Center.
“It would’ve been nice
to have just a big rec cen-
ter where people can go,”
said the resident. “Even if
you pay monthly dues, that
would’ve been great. I would
rather see something like
that …”
Another resident of the
Harrison area, Simon Marti-
nez, had heard of the rezon-
ing but was somewhat indif-
ferent about the municipal
machinations at work.
“I kind of fi gure they’re
gonna do what they’re gon-
na do,” he said. “I mean, they
can talk, make people feel
like they have something to
do with what they’re going
do with it. But my experi-
ence is just that they’re mak-
ing people feel like they have
a say in what’s going happen
— but they’re gonna do what
they’re gonna do.”
For his own part, Marti-
nez was happy to concede
that control to the district as
long as life in the area main-
tained a level of quality.
“Th ey can do whatever
they want around here and
it’s not going make it as bad
as where I moved from,” he
said. “I hope they don’t do
anything that messes up
property values in that area,
but again, you can just hope,
right?”
In a July 22 City Coun-
cil meeting with Harrison’s
rezoning on the agenda,
resident Molly Patterson ex-
pressed her disappointment
with the rezoning and the
lack of eff ectiveness dissent-
ing voices seemed to have on
the topic.
Previously, Patterson and
other concerned residents
had attended a June 19 Plan-
ning Commission meeting
to voice their discontent
with the rezoning issue.
A request by Th e Senti-
nel to speak with some of
the other residents who
appeared at the Planning
Commission meeting was
not answered.
Cottage Grove
200 Gateway Blvd.
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
4
(541) 942-5400
Mon. - Sat. 8am - 9pm
Sun. 9am - 8pm
Ed & Kori Sowa
Independent Owner-Operators
facebook.com/CottageGroveGroceryOutlet
SAVE 40-70%
ON GROCERIES.
BEAUTIFUL, HUH?
Come experience our new laser
Dentistry
without
anesthesia
In both public hearings,
residents were told that
their concerns could not be
eff ectively addressed at the
respective venues, in large
part due to the fact that each
panel’s responsibilities were
simply to ensure that appli-
cations were legally viable.
From a municipal per-
spective, hands were tied.
And as future public hear-
ings on the topic will follow,
the process of civic engage-
ment may become even
harder.
“Th at can get really com-
plicated for people,” Fergu-
son said, “because they are
looking at multiple appli-
cations and they need to be
aware of what the concerns
are for each one and ad-
dress their concerns directly
to that criteria.”
While city and school dis-
trict offi cials encourage civic
engagement, the question of
where and when to eff ective-
ly render public opinion re-
mains a curiosity for some.
School districts, for exam-
ple, are not required to allow
public comment, but meet-
ings are required to be held
in public.
“A school board meeting
is a meeting for the board to
do work in public. It’s not a
public meeting in the same
way as other meetings are,”
said Sullivan.
Th e board has regular ses-
sions once a month, which
are announced on the dis-
trict’s website, and in which
public comment is usually
allowed. Depending on the
project, some work ses-
sions are open for comment
as well, such as the case
with the closing of Latham
School.
In the case of Harrison,
the process has been on the
table for quite some time.
WWW.CGSMILES.COM
and Gift Boutique
“A Flower Shop and so much more”
Creative Floral Arrangements
Jewelry • Balloons
Home Décor
Fine Gifts
Boutique Clothing &
Accessories
Deliveries Locally and Worldwide
Locally owned and operated since 1984
Quality and Satisfaction Guaranteed
119 South 6th Street • 541-942-0505
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St
541-942-4479
Rev.: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
fpcgrove.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd.
541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
First Baptist Church
301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242
Pastor: David Chhangte
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship Service 10:30am
Youth Wednesday 6:30pm
cgfi rstbaptist.com
350 E. W ASHINGTON A VENUE • C OTTAGE G ROVE
The Flower Basket
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
10:00am
Christian Education:
Pre-K through 5th
www.6thandgibbs.com
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711 • Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
541.942.7934
A proud sponsor for the Kids Summer
Reading Program
w w w. s t a r f i r e l u m b e r. c o m
Worship
Directory
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd.
541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Services: 9:00am & 10:45am
C ALL U S T ODAY !
A Proud
Supporter
of Our
Community
Since 1983
“We’ve been talking
about the bond and what
we’re going to do with the
bond funds since Septem-
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
DENTISTRY WITH FAMILY IN MIND
P.O. Box 547
Cottage Grove, OR
See SCHOOL 9A
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Brent Bitner, DDS
541-942-0168
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell
552 Holbrook Lane
Sunday 8:30 AM
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00
Living Faith Assembly
467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612
Trinity Lutheran Church
Worship Services Sundays: 9a & 11a 6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Youth Worship Sundays: 11a (all
Pastor: James L. Markus
ages welcome)
Sunday School & Adult Education
Mondays: 5:30p (6th-12th grades) 9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Non-Denominational
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
Church of Christ
5:00pm TLC Groups
1041 Pennoyer Ave
tlccg.com
541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
United Methodist Church
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
334 Washington 541-942-3033
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm New Pastor Craig Pesti- Strobel
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Worship 10:30am
umcgrove.org
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
“VICTORY” Country Church
Pastor: Jim Edwards
913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
Join in Traditional Christian Worship Worship Service: 10:00am
Message: “WE BELIEVE IN
Our Lady of Perpetual Help MIRACLES”
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025. N. 19th St.
541-942-3420
Father John J. Boyle
Holy Mass:
Saturday Vigil – 5:30 PM
Sunday – 10:30 PM
For weekday and Holy Day of
Obligation schedule see website
OLPHCG.net
Confession: 4 PM to 5 PM
Saturdays or by appointment
CRESWELL:
Creswell Presbyterian Church
75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419
Rev. Seth Wheeler
Adult Sunday School 9:15am
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am
website www.creswellpres.org
Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature in this
newspaper. If your congregation
would like to be a part of this directory,
contact us today!
S entinel
C ottage G rove
541-942-3325
116 N. 6th Street
Cottage Grove, OR