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|AUGUST 13, 2020 | $1.00
S entinel
VOL. 131, NO. 33 •
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SLSD provides latest learning blueprint
Grades 4-12 likely to be online-only until at least October under the latest state metrics
By Damien Sherwood
(541) 942-0555
WEATHER
Sunny skies with a
high of 80 and a low
tonight of 51.
Full forecast on A5
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
South Lane School District
(SLSD) staff and administration
presented its latest blueprint for
re-opening to the school board on
Aug. 10, providing more details of
the plan while maintaining the ca-
veat that it is a climate in flux.
“We are constantly getting infor-
mation from the state and we’ll be
getting information from our par-
ents soon with regards to our plan,
so we need to be able to be flexi-
ble,” said Assistant Superintendent
Brian McCasline.
The district’s blueprint is due
for Lane County Public Health
(LCPH) review Aug. 15.
McCasline presented the plan
for the board’s review Monday, a
blueprint which saw more than 70
people in three committees invest
more than 900 staff work hours
since June, he said.
The committee work focused on
three areas: Hygiene/Organization,
Content/Delivery and Social/Emo-
tional/Behavioral Needs.
Oregon Department of Educa-
tion has provided guidance titled
“Ready Schools, Safe Learners,”
upon which SLSD’s blueprint is
based.
In determining a re-opening
schedule, however, the district
must take into consideration met-
rics handed down from Governor
Kate Brown’s office.
State opening metrics released
last Tuesday by the governor mean
the majority of students in Ore-
gon schools will likely be attending
via online-only until at least Oc-
tober. The only exception to this
could be K-3 students, which may
be allowed to attend on-site class in
a limited hybrid model as early as
September.
The metrics dictate that, state-
wide, the positivity rate for all tests
must be at or below 5 percent to
allow opening.
See SLSD 9A
City holds fi rst
vote on bike
ordinance
EVENTS
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.
com
The Cottage Grove
City Council held its
fi rst vote on an ordinance
updating city code re-
garding bicycles, roller
skates, skateboards and
sleds during a virtual
council meeting on Aug.
10.
The council unan-
imously voted to an
amended version of the
ordinance which prohib-
its these personal trans-
portation devices only
within the downtown
area, with no special re-
strictions in the rest of
the city.
The ordinance cannot
be adopted in one meet-
ing and will be revisited
at the next meeting.
The code will replace
Details on this year’s
Rock, Roll ‘n’ Rumble
A3
COMMUNITY — B
Betty Kaiser talks
peach canning
B1
DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Signage for the new Italian
restaurant (top) located in the
renovated Bank Building; the
building today (bottom left) and
before renovations (below).
• RECORDS
Obituaries
Official releases
A2
• LORANE NEWS
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
• CLASSIFIEDS
Listings and public
notices
B5-B6
COURTESY PHOTOS
LATEST NEWS :
/CGSentinel
@CGSentinel
Downtown
T-shirts support
local business
By Damien Sherwood
A5
FOLLOW US FOR THE
See CITY 6A
Future of Bank Building looks bright
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax
P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
After 18 months of construction
and renovation, the Bank Building
has re-opened for business — and
business is booming.
The man behind the project, lo-
cal developer Len Blackstone, took
on the building project in a bid to
improve the city’s access to jobs
and has introduced a unique space
for office rentals as part of that
mission.
“It’s provided a space for people
to work,” he said. “But it also pro-
vides a space for small business
that’s just getting going.”
As well as being gutted and re-
modeled for modern appeal, out-
side changes to the building have
returned a nostalgic charm to the
corner of Main and Sixth streets.
In point, the renovation of the
building’s façade is meant to rep-
licate its classic appearance from a
century ago.
Built in 1904, the two-story
building was originally the site of
the Cottage Grove Bank, earning
its namesake. When that institu-
tion failed and moved out in 1929,
businesses began claiming space
and a hodgepodge of changes con-
tributed to the building falling out
of recognition. Decades of patch-
work modifications had stripped
the building of much of its original
aesthetic, causing a lack of architec-
tural continuity between its ground
floor businesses while leaving the
second floor’s face to weather and
crack due to inattention.
See BANK 7A
Grovers can now dis-
play their local pride in
fashion as the Main Street
Program, in partnership
with the Economic Busi-
ness Improvement Dis-
trict, has launched the sale
of T-shirts to support local
businesses.
“It’s a way to get people
involved in the communi-
ty, bring people together,
support our local busi-
nesses and give back to
them,” said Main Street
Coordinator Molly Murai.
Proceeds from the sales
of the T-shirts, which fea-
ture a downtown logo and
a list of local establish-
ments, will be divided
equally among more than
a dozen businesses which
See SHIRTS 5A
Free Appraisals
I’ll Come to You!
BUY & SELL
Gold, Silver, Scrap, Men’s
Jewelry, Costume Jewelry,
Pieces & Parts. Even Junk!
The Jewelry Girl, LLC
L ISA R USSELL • (541)556-9598
25+ Years Experience
2001 Franklin #3
Eugene, Oregon