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
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VOL. 131, NO. 34 •
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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
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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
