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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2020)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Community & Lifestyle B1 • THURSDAY | JULY 23, 2020 CONTACT SPORTS REPORTER NICK SNYDER AT 942-3325 OR NSNYDER@CGSENTINEL.COM SLSD board meeting offers insight into fall By Nick Snyder nsnyder@cgsentinel.com Boating tips for safe summer fun Summer is here and in the coming weeks more people will be pulling out their boats from winter storage in preparation for launch in the waters of this state. Below are suggestions which can contribute to your safety and add to your boating pleasure. • Know the legal requirements for your size vessel. Safety equipment must be accessible and in working condition. • Wear your life jackets!! 85% of the boating fatalities could be avoid- ed by wearing a personal fl otation device. • Have children and non-swim- mers wear a personal fl otation device. • Be prepared and carry extra equipment such as a bailer (bucket), anchor, fi rst aid kit, visual distress signal, tool kit, fl ashlight with extra batteries, and a cell phone. • Don’t over load your boat. • Capsizing, sinking, and falling overboard account for 70% of boat- ing fatalities. • If your boat should capsize, your best chance for survival and rescue is to stay with the boat. Pull as much of your body out of the water as possible to preserve body warmth. • Hypothermia can be a killer; keep your body as dry and warm as possible. • It is illegal to operate any boat while under the infl uence of alcohol or other drugs. • Stressors such as exposure to sun, wind, cold water, vibration, noise, and alcohol all aff ect your ability to react. • Don’t run out of fuel. Practice the 1/3 rule: 1/3 for trip, 1/3 for return, and 1/3 for spare. • Fuel vapors are heavier then air and collect in the bilge. Never fi ll gasoline cans in the boat. • When anchoring, use a line that is several times longer than the depth of the water and never anchor by the stern. • File a fl oat plan. Let someone know where you’re boating and when you’ll be back. • You’re responsible for damage or injury caused by your wake. Exercise caution around other boaters and docks. • As of January 2009, all persons operating a motor boat greater than 10 horsepower are required to carry a Boater Education Card. Th e card shows that the operator has passed an approved boater education course or equivalency exam. For further information on Boat- ing in Oregon, visit the Oregon State Marine Board web site: www.boat- oregon.com The debate over school reopen- ings for the 2020-21 school year is raging nationally and, despite ongoing work from local officials, the situation in Cottage Grove is just as muddled. The South Lane School Dis- trict (SLSD) board met remote- ly on Monday, July 20 to discuss the most pressing issues facing its member schools as well as elect new officers for the upcoming school year. With a lack of concrete direc- tion from the Oregon Depart- ment of Education – due to the ever-changing situation regard- ing COVID-19 - superintendent Yvonne Curtis and the seven members of the SLSD board dis- cussed a number of options and ideas, but the difficulty of the school reopening topic, and its far-reaching effects if done un- safely, still elicit more questions than answers. Nonetheless, the first order of business for the board on Monday was the election of new leadership for 2020-21 and, in stark contrast to the planning for fall, the pro- cess was as smooth as could be. Dustin Bengtson, who was re- cently elevated to the vice chair position at the end of his first year on the board, was unanimously approved as the new board chair. He takes over for outgoing head Sherry Duerst-Higgins. “I appreciate the vote of con- fidence,” Bengtson said after the vote. “I will certainly make mis- takes this year, so I ask for your patience. I will do my best to do my part to get us through this challenging time.” Assisting Bengtson in his role as a new board officer will be both Taylor Wilhour and long-time board member and former chair Sherry Duerst-Higgins, who were also unanimously approved to be- come co-vice chairs. The shared position was created in order to blend Wilhour’s fresh perspec- tives as a relatively new member of the board with Duerst-Higgins’ vast experience. “I’m certainly going to look to Sherry and her depth of experi- ence for pointers and, especially, her vast network of connections within education throughout the state and, to some extent, throughout the country,” Wilhour said. Bengtson, Wilhour, Du- erst-Higgins and the rest of the board, however, had no time to rest as the conversation pivoted immediately to questions sur- Gran Fondo set for Saturday PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SHERWOOD/CG SENTINEL D uring a summer nearly devoid of sports and athletics due to COVID-19 concerns, the return of the Gran Fondo cycling tour - which means “Big Ride” in Italian - to Cottage Grove is a welcome sight. The race will begin at 7 a.m. on Sat., Jul. 25 at the intersectino of 6th and Wash- ington St. Riders can choose between the untimed gravel ride, the 71-mile medio course or the full 117-mile Gran Fondo. Last year, over 250 riders came to the Grove to participate. Racers and visitors alike will still be asked to follow COVID- safe procedures throughout the duration of the event. Beat the heat, learn history, get outdoors Museums through- out Lane County offer a glimpse into our past, so why not plan an outing that gives your family an opportunity to beat the heat and the crowds while learning about the people who shaped our past. With a variety of muse- ums you’ll find something interesting for everyone. Museums focused on everything from air and space, military, pioneers, gold miners and more can be found in Lane County. Many of the museums are free while others charge a nominal fee. What is common is the uncom- mon hours and days of week these museums op- erate, so be sure to check their website or give them a call to ensure operating hours haven’t changed. In some cases you’ll find a museum closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy their content. The Lane County History Museum continues add- ing online content that provides an opportunity the past is the Eugene to learn in the comfort Science Center’s planetar- of your own home. Another way to look at ium shows. Limited op- portunities are currently offered, so act quickly to secure your spot to view an amazing celestial show. From viewing some- thing far far away to brought to you by: viewing birds of prey up Cottage Grove Sentinel close and personal, the 116 N. 6th • (541) 942-3325 Cascades Raptor Center is a great venue for learning about raptors that live in our region and view them in specially designed out- door living spaces. Learn about a large variety of raptors and how Cascades Raptor Center restores to health injured wildlife. How about giving the kids a chance to expe- rience adventure, play, nature, science, art and gardening. Nearby Na- ture’s day camps are now underway and are easily accessible at Al- Week of July 23rd Winner is: 928 Birch Avenue. ton Baker Park. While Yards will be selected each week by nominations. Dorris Ranch’s outdoor programs are not operat- To nominate a yard you can call City Hall (942-5501) ing the whole family can Yard of the Week or Chamber of Commerce (942-2411) COURTESY PHOTO experience a self-guided tour and history lesson about the ranch and the Dorris Family. Don’t let COVID get you down. Go out and ex- plore Lane County’s past, present and future. Overnight It - Make your day trip and over- nighter. Travel Lane County’s lodging part- ners are offering stayca- tion packages that will stretch your budget. View our newest staycation of- fer from the Hyatt Place in Eugene. More offer- ings may be found on ourDeals page. Whatever adventure you choose as part of your summer staycation, please be prepared. Our Adventure Checklist is available for planning a safe and fun outing and Travel Oregon’s Prepare and Care information is another valuable resource for those heading out- doors. See SLSD 2B Round Room Retailers host Backpack Giveaway Students in Cottage Grove are about to benefi t from a national backpack giveaway More than 800 partic- ipating TCC and Wire- less Zone stores across the U.S. – including the Verizon Wireless store in Cottage Grove - are in- viting families to visit se- lect locations on Sunday, July 26, between 1-4 p.m. where they will donate 140,000 backpacks fi lled with various school sup- plies including pencils, paper, a pencil box, fold- ers and glue. One backpack per child will be given away to fam- ilies, but to limit the num- ber of people at the event, children are not required to be present to receive the backpack. Backpacks will be given out on a fi rst- come, fi rst-served basis while supplies last. Each participating store location will follow the CDC’s social distancing and state guidelines to en- sure the safety of employ- ees and event attendees. In an effort to promote safe- ty, stores will host either distanced walk up or con- tactless drive up events for customers to pick up back- packs. Check your local store location for specifi c instructions. In addition to the back- pack donations, TCC and Wireless Zone stores will be awarding fi ve $10,000 college scholarships. Chil- dren in grades K-12 are eligible for entry and can be registered at their local stores during the Back- pack Giveaway event. En- tries will be accepted July 24-31. “We love helping stu- dents obtain essential supplies before they be- gin their school year each summer,” said Scott Moorehead, CEO of Round Room, parent com- pany of TCC and Wireless Zone. For a list of participat- ing stores and to learn how your local store location will commence its Back- pack Giveaway event, visit www.tccrocks.com/ locations and shop.wire- lesszone.com. Each par- ticipating store will donate up to 180 backpacks. Any leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools. Supporters of the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway are encouraged to use hashtags #School- Rocks and #BetterTo- gether on Instagram and Twitter to help spread the word.
