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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 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 | AUGUST 20, 2020 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 131, NO. 34 • Est. 1889 Your Y our 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 r i n 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. Chamber of Commerce relocates to heart of downtown By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com (541) 942-0555 WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 84 and a low tonight of 58. Full forecast on A5 The Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce has found a new home at the gateway to downtown and the heart of city activity, relocating to the northwest corner of High- way 99 and Main Street. “This is the busiest intersection in southern Lane County,” said Chamber of Commerce CEO/Pres- ident Shauna Neigh. “So we figured this would be the best way to have all eyes on us.” Moving into the new space has “We figured this would be the best way to have all eyes on us.” — Shauna Neigh, Chamber CEO/President pulled the organization from the somewhat more obscure location of the Community Center and public library building to a place certain to generate more visits. Though there is still unpacking to be done and Neigh hopes to brighten the building’s corner with more signage and displays, the chamber is currently open to the public and is already getting traffic. The move has given the chamber more than just better public access – it now has space. “It’s increased our footprint quite a bit,” said Neigh. A dedicated visitor center lo- cated at the office entrance now provides a downtown welcome for visitors with information and, Neigh hopes, eventually more mer- chandise. The new location will also allow a meeting space for business lead- ers to gather. “So that’s an added perk,” Neigh said. The chamber’s board has been See MOVE 5A Mailbox removal raises concerns COMMUNITY By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Waving Old Glory A3 COLUMNIST PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL DevNW completes six new homes in CG By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com N Mary Ellen’s Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 • LORANE NEWS A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B5-B6 COURTESY PHOTO The cluster of cottages off of Arthur Avenue provide affordable, long-term housing for homeowners. FOLLOW US FOR THE onprofit DevNW unveiled six new af- fordable homes in Cottage Grove on Monday, moving the city another step forward in its mission to increase housing avail- ability in the area. “Cottage Grove was really great in terms of all the permits and helping keep the project on track,” said Erin Dey, DevNW director of real estate development. “We had a very good expe- rience with the city.” DevNW was created last year when nonprof- its Neighborhood for Economic Development Corporation and Corvallis-based Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services united to in- crease regional impact. The nonprofit aims to empower communities through a variety of methods such as financial counseling, revital- ization projects and assistance programs. The cluster of Cottage Grove cottages were developed just off Arthur Avenue and all six homes are scheduled to be closing deals by the end of the month with families ideally moving in soon thereafter. See HOMES 10A Oregon residents ex- pressed concern last week when U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail collection boxes in Portland and Eu- gene were observed to be hauled off from residen- tial streets. Though reports of the removal of the iconic, blue mailboxes extended to other parts of the nation such as Montana and New York, Cottage Grove Post- master Tamara Berry said there was no indication of such action locally. “I haven’t seen anything that says we’re taking anything out here. And re- ally that’s all I know,” she said, emphasizing that she could not represent the USPS on general policy. Last Thursday (Aug. 13), Willamette Week re- ported that the USPS had confi rmed the removal of four blue boxes from Port- land and 27 from Eugene, citing USPS spokesperson Ernie Swanson’s explana- tion that it was related to mail volume: “The reason we’re doing it is because of declining mail volume. … Ever since the pandem- ic came along, people are mailing less for some rea- son.” The removal of the box- es came amid backlash over President Donald Trump’s recent comments about cutting USPS See MAIL 8A LATEST NEWS : New education program to bring living history to living rooms /CGSentinel @CGSentinel Singing Creek Educational Center is developing a unique approach to learning By Damien Sherwood 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Singing Creek Educational Cen- ter is exploring new models of teaching and learning for Cottage Grove kids — amid mandates for social distancing — by bringing its unique programs into families’ homes. The center develops historical- ly-inspired educational programs which typically target an age range from 6 to 11. “We provide hands-on living history education for children and families,” said Karen Rainsong, executive director of the Singing Creek Educational Center. “We teach all about the native indig- Hello, neighbor! Matt Bjornn ChFC RICP, Agent Bus: 541-942-2623 ZZZEMRUQQLQVXUDQFHFRP 1801132 enous peoples as well as pioneer settlers and explorers such as Lew- is and Clark and our own local folk such as Opal Whiteley here in town.” The center’s interactive history programs (which include dressing in period costumes), field trips and crafts classes are designed to con- nect kids to history and nature in Performing All Phases of Automotive Repair Specializing in Gas & Diesel Engines Most Makes and Models Please stop by and say, “Hi!” I’m looking forward to serving your needs for insurance and ÀQDQFLDOVHUYLFHV+HUHWRKHOSOLIHJRULJKW &$//0(72'$< FORD • GM • DODGE ® State Farm, Bloomington, IL 80408 Delight Valley School Road Cottage Grove, OR 97424 www.huddleaut omotive.com meaningful ways. Recently awarded general op- erating grants from the Cottage Grove Lions Club at $1,250 and the Woodard Family Foundation at $1,000 have helped keep the center afloat this summer. “It really helps us,” said See LEARN 6A