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 | MARCH 25, 2021 | $1.00
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VOL. 132, NO. 12 •
Est. 1889
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COLUMNIST
Find local Nonprofits and the TV Guide in our C Section
Lane, Douglas county risk assessment to shift down Friday
By Chantelle Meyer
(541) 942-0555
Volunteers Make
It Happen
On March 23, Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown announced up-
dates to county risk levels
for the community spread of
COVID-19. Lane County will
again shift down on Friday, this
time into the “lower risk” des-
ignation after a steady progres-
sion from “extreme” to “mod-
erate” risk assessments over the
past four weeks. In addition,
neighboring Douglas county,
which has been in the “extreme
risk” category, will drop to
“high risk” on Friday.
“As we work to open up vaccine eligibility to all
Oregonians by May 1, we are seeing the light at the
end of the tunnel get a little brighter.”
— Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
“This week, we continue to
see the majority of counties at
lower and moderate risk, and I
want to thank Oregonians once
again for making smart choic-
es throughout this pandemic,”
Brown said.
Effective March 26 through
April 8, there will be only two
counties — Coos and Cur-
ry counties — in the extreme
risk level, six at high risk, 14 at
moderate risk and another 14 at
designated as lower risk.
Under the lower risk desig-
nation, more of Lane County
will reopen, though still with
COVID-19 safety protocols in
place. Many activities that were
restricted under higher risk lev-
els are allowed. This includes
increased people capacity and
operating hours for several
business types. For Douglas
County, the high-risk level al-
lows all business the oppor-
tunity to be open, with some
restrictions and limitations on
capacity.
Note that, as part of the state
COVID risk and safety man-
dates instituted in December
2020, Senior Centers and Hoo-
kah bars are not allowed to op-
erate regardless of the risk level
in their county.
See RISK 9A
McCoy’s, City
partner for
drive-up
vaccinations
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Betty Kaiser’s
Chatterbox
A5
SPORTS
Lions fall narrowly to
Pirates, 16-13
B1
COURTESY PHOTO
• RECORDS
Obituaries
Official releases
A2
• LORANE NEWS
Three downtown businesses have been approved to add new “streateries” (known previously as
“parklets”) as part of a pilot program authorized by the Cottage Grove City Council.
Bringing eats to the streets
A3
By Damien Sherwood
• CLASSIFIEDS
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Listings and public
notices
B6-B7
follow us for the
latest news:
/CGSentinel
T
hough the events of this
past year have caused
streets to be more thin-
ly populated than usual, a new
feature coming to Cottage
Grove next month may pro-
vide a much-needed jolt of vi-
tality to Main Street.
Three downtown businesses,
Bartolotti’s Pizza, Jack Sprats
and Axe and Fiddle, have been
approved to add “streateries” to
their business as part of a pilot
study and grant funding has
finally allowed construction of
the structures to begin.
Streateries are extensions of
sidewalks into parking spaces
and provide a small space for
people to dine or relax. The
structures are promoted as a
cost-effective way to add pub-
lic gathering space and attract
more businesses and consumer
activity to an area.
Initially introduced as “par-
klets,” a two-year pilot pro-
gram was authorized by the
council in June last year to ac-
cept applications through Nov.
15, 2021 and issue a total of
See EATS 8A
A
weekly
drive-up
COVID-19
vaccination
clinic in the Bohemia Park
parking lot launched its
fi rst distribution event on
Friday (March 19), target-
ing residents 65 or older.
Th e vaccine clinic will be
available every Friday from
10 a.m. to noon until fur-
ther notice.
“We are really, really
wanting people in the com-
munity to let those that are
in that upper age bracket
know that this is an option
and an opportunity for
them,” said City Manager
Richard Meyers.
McCoy’s Pharmacy has
partnered with the City
of Cottage Grove to help
make sure members of
the community get every
opportunity to receive the
vaccine.
Th e drive-up clinic is op-
erating in addition to the
vaccine availability at sev-
eral local pharmacies.
Th e number of doses will
be limited, so pre-regis-
tration is strongly recom-
mended.
To register, contact Tere-
sa Cowan or Jessica Klarr
See CLINICS 3A
@CGSentinel
541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax
P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
City Council weighs MUPTE opportunities, concerns
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
City councilors ran into their
first hitch regarding the Multi-
Unit Property Tax Exemption
(MUPTE) program on Monday
(March 22) while considering
two new applications.
Councilors and city staff have
deliberated over the details of
the program this past week in
both the regular and agenda
sessions.
Two applications appeared
before the council Monday
night, one of which was ap-
proved and the other post-
poned.
The MUPTE program allows
new multi-unit housing de-
velopments to avoid property
taxes on the value of new res-
idential construction for up to
10 years, though the property
continues to generate taxes
See MUPTE 6A
Assisted Living & Memory Care
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