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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2020)
S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF C OTTAGE G ROVE , C RESWELL , D ORENA , D RAIN , E LKTON , L ORANE AND Y ONCALLA C ottage G rove THURSDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 13, 2020 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 131, NO. 7 • Est. 1889 Your Y o ur Loc Local ca l N News e w s Delivered D e l i v e r e d Your Y o u r Way: W a y : In I n Print. P riin t . Online. O n l i n e . On O n the t h e Go! G o ! Get an insurance plan —not just a policy. Community gathers to remember local ‘Rosie’ By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Call a local agent today (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/CottageGrove WEATHER Chance of showers with a high of 47 and a low tonight of 38. Full forecast on A5 P ews of the United Method- ist Church filled Feb. 8 as the community gathered to honor and remember Opal Marie Nelson, who passed away Jan. 15. Nelson, a decades-long resident of the area, was recognized as an energetic community organizer and one of few remaining “Rosie the Riveter” members in Cottage Grove. “She could captivate an audience of any age with her energy and sense of humor,” said Yvonne Fa- sold, past national president of the American Rosie the Riveter Asso- ciation (ARRA). Saturday’s service, officiated by Pastor James Markus of the Trin- ity Lutheran Church, incorpo- rated prayer, scriptural readings and music separately performed by Cascade Chorus and bagpiper Steve Allely. “Opal was a neighbor of mine as well as a friend,” said Markus. “She was a blessing to me every time I saw her. She always brought me joy.” Opal’s Story Born July 1, 1922, in Roa- noke, Ind., Nelson grew up in the Great Depression and, at 16, was job-seeking straight out of high school. Jobs were scarce at the time and, with the outbreak of World War II, Nelson and a friend jour- neyed across the United States looking for work before settling in Santa Monica, Calif. As U.S. aircraft production in- creased in the lead up to the war, Nelson found work on an assem- bly line. Despite her lack of train- ing, Nelson was hired as a riveter on the graveyard shift to help as- semble fuselages for Douglas A-20 Havocs, a medium bomber/attack aircraft. There, Nelson would end up marrying her boss, James Nelson, in 1944. Besides the need to make a liv- ing, Nelson said she was heavi- ly motivated to do her work as she knew that men overseas were counting on a steady stream of supplies. FEATURE The Grove shows its heart See ROSIE 6A City discusses potential for parklets By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel. com Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales. A5 SPORTS — B CG to host swim prep district meet. B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Police Logs Anniversary A2 • LORANE NEWS A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices C7-C8 FOLLOW US FOR THE PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Clockwise from left: the Hearts on Main fundraiser features local expressions of love and appreciation on Main Street; Creative Chaos hosted its first Sweethearts Dance at Opal Center for Arts & Education; and a heart sculpture produced by local artist Tinica Ossman-Steier hangs in the Cottage Grove Library. LATEST NEWS : /CGS ENTINEL @CGS ENTINEL CGS ENTINEL . COM No ticket needed for ‘Coffee with a Cop’ 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Ever want to sit down with a Cot- tage Grove Police Officer and chat? On Thursday, Feb. 20, from 9 to 10 a.m. at McDonald’s restaurant, 1520 Gateway Blvd. in Cottage Grove, come enjoy free coffee and cookies courtesy of McDonald’s and attend “Coffee With a Cop.” Like last year’s event, it’s an op- portunity to interact with Cottage Grove Police officers and citizens in a more casual way. “Our last event was successful. Comprehensive Family Medical Eye Care and Optical Services Dr. Grillo is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery. Call 541-942-5000 257 N. 8th St • www.pcvi.com Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm Official LASIK and Eye Doctors of the Oregon Ducks and Eugene Emeralds However, we’d like to encourage even more local citizens to come and share their concerns with us,” said Chief of Police Scott Shepherd. Coffee with a Cop was originally launched in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2011, when officers from that de- partment were looking for ways to interact more successfully with cit- izens. The program is now held in all 50 states. According to the Coffee with a Welcome Anthony Grillo, MD Cop National Program, “Commu- nity policing has long been consid- ered a framework for establishing trust between community and the police and Coffee with a Cop is one of the most successful community oriented policing programs across the country,” For more information, contact Janice Cramer, Public Information Representative at 541-942-9145. Citizens, business owners and city coun- cilors discussed the possibility of installing parklets in downtown Cottage Grove Monday night during a city coun- cil meeting. Parklets are extensions of sidewalks into park- ing spaces and provide a small space for people to dine or relax, oft en out- side dining or retail es- tablishments. Civil Engineer Ryan Sisson delivered an infor- mational presentation on parklets and sought com- munity and city council feedback on whether to move forward with the project. Local businesses the Axe & Fiddle and Jack Sprats were pointed to as potential sites for par- klets as both businesses feature outside seating on the sidewalk. “One of our goals here is to maximize the pedes- trian route through the sidewalk,” said Sisson. During feedback, citi- zens, downtown business owners and councilors expressed high interest in the idea, citing the aes- thetic appeal and poten- tial for tourism. “I believe it would make our downtown more attractive and in- viting for people visit- ing Cottage Grove,” said downtown business own- er Bart Caridio. Owner of Jack Sprats Chloe Beckes expressed her support for the idea. “Our seating outside is real limited as it is,” she said. “Th is would give us an opportunity to have seating that is not in peo- ple’s way.” Councilor Candace Solesbee commented on What is Rotary? :ŽŝŶƵƐĂƚŽŶĞŽĨŽƵƌǁĞĞŬůLJŵĞĞƟŶŐƐƚŽůĞĂƌŶŵŽƌĞ͘ Thursdays at 12pm ůdĂƉĂƟŽDĞdžŝĐĂŶZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ϳϮϱ͘'ŝďďƐǀĞ͘ ZŽƚĂƌLJůƵďŽĨŽƩĂŐĞ'ƌŽǀĞ 541-554-6946 See CITY 3A