COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | APRIL 22, 2021 | 9A
Tiller Ranger District facilities to undergo feasibility study
Starting this spring, For-
est Service employees and
contractors will be con-
ducting a feasibility study to
help determine the future of
the Tiller Ranger Station.
The Umpqua National
Forest has concluded that
maintaining the current
Tiller Ranger Station in the
long term is not practical
and will begin reviewing
options for relocation.
Located in the communi-
ty of Tiller, Oregon, the Til-
ler Ranger Station is a U.S.
Forest Service compound
consisting of 27 buildings,
many of which were built in
the 1930s and 1940s, on the
Umpqua National Forest.
In recent years, the Forest
Service has faced growing
challenges with maintain-
ing the facilities at the Til-
ler Ranger Station. Many of
these buildings and associ-
ated infrastructure, require
repairs estimated at up to
$11 million to maintain safe
working and living condi-
tions.
Funding for this level of
deferred maintenance is
not available. Across the
Umpqua National Forest —
and the nation — the Forest
Service faces growing and
costly deferred mainte-
nance needs for legacy fa-
cilities and infrastructure.
This feasibility study will
consider deferred main-
tenance needs, currently
available and needed ser-
vices, wildfire response ca-
pacity, seasonal housing,
employee recruitment and
retention, and other im-
portant issues.
The study will also eval-
uate several alternative lo-
cations, all within an hour’s
drive from the current Til-
ler facilities.
“This feasibility study
will help us evaluate options
for how we can best meet
current and future needs for
the Tiller Ranger District,
the Umpqua National For-
est, and the communities
we serve,” said Alice Carl-
ton, Forest Supervisor.
The feasibility study con-
tractor will engage employ-
ees, community members,
and stakeholders to collect
feedback on what is most
important to them when
considering a new location
for the Tiller Ranger Sta-
tion. The Umpqua National
Forest will share addition-
al information about this
process and opportunities
to engage in the coming
weeks.
For more information,
contact Tiller District
Ranger, Gabe Wishart at ga-
briel.j.wishart@usda.gov or
541-825-3107.
from A6
could try to get some
more information – I
decided to share that on
Facebook.”
The strategy seemed
to have struck a chord
as nearly 100 comments
quickly sprang up on
the thread. Comment-
ers were highly critical
of the city’s move and
speculated on a range
of ways in the which the
money had been mis-
used, including that the
money had been direct-
ed toward the businesses
of councilors and their
friends.
Many
commenters,
too, were unclear on the
nature of the program,
confused as to wheth-
er the program was
used for loans or grants
while one commenter
even asked why Cottage
Grove was sending tax-
payer money to the City
of Springfield.
Commenters on the
thread also posted im-
ages of their attempts
to contact Community
LendingWorks and get
the names of businesses
who received loans and
grants.
The nonprofit replied
to at least two comment-
ers stating that it could
not release the names
of businesses as it was a
“privacy issue,” fueling
speculation among so-
cial media users that the
nonprofit was hiding in-
formation.
In response, the Cot-
tage Grove City Manager
issued a public statement
clarifying that Com-
munity LendingWorks,
though a nonprofit, is
also a Community De-
velopment Financial In-
stitution (CDFI).
A formal CDFI cer-
tification is awarded
through the U.S. Depart-
ment of the Treasury.
CDFIs typically have a
local focus on communi-
ties underserved by the
traditional banking sec-
tor, but the certification
can be applied for by
banks and credit unions
as well.
“Just like any other
credit union or bank,
they protect the confi-
dential information as-
sociated with their cli-
ents,” stated Meyers in
the letter. “Just as anyone
with a loan with a credit
union doesn’t want their
loan amount, payment
information or financial
history given out freely,
the customers of a CDFI
are protected the same
way. You as a member
of a credit union cannot
demand that the cred-
it union tell you who is
borrowing money that is
deposited with them.”
Meyers has separately
noted that even the city
does not know who has
received funds through
the nonprofit.
For more information
about Community Lend-
ingWorks, visit commu-
nitylendingworks.org.
Funds
compromise the city’s
account.
As a result, the city
worked quickly with the
local branches of Banner
Bank and Umpqua Bank
to change its financial
information.
Taddei explained in an
interview with The Sen-
tinel that he would have
covered the pertinent
information if asked
and that his motivation
was to create dialogue
among other residents.
“My concern is that
we, the taxpayers of the
City of Cottage Grove
should know where this
$100,000 of tax money
went – who it went to,”
he said. “In an effort to
get people interested in
the issue – so that we
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