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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2021)
4A | AUGUST 5, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Cottage Grove Sentinel 116 N. Sixth St. Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424 damien Sherwood, editor | 541-942-3325 | dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern- ment for a redress of grievances. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) USPS#133880 A community-focused approach is key to our future I would like to take this opportunity to re- flect, with gratitude, on some of the recent developments around town which share a common vision of community-focused, continuous improve- ment. I also hope to raise awareness and invite conversation and ex- citement around a cou- ple of future projects which have the poten- tial to further establish Cottage Grove as one of the best places to live in Oregon. The energy and community support behind initiatives which aim to enhance the livability and op- portunities to enjoy the natural and cultural attributes of Cottage Grove is evident and ripe for building upon. Some of the recent and ongoing examples of projects in town which exemplify the vision I am referring to are the restoration of the Armory and its use as a hub for local events and gatherings. I think of the grass- roots and public collab- orations to reconstruct the Swinging Bridge, bringing new and re- storing old murals and all the care given to the covered bridges sprin- kled around the Cot- tage Grove area. I think of the long-standing phil- anthropic actions of community members who built and maintain Bohemia Park and who for many years and in many ways have been advancing a vision of a Cottage Gove that embraces recreation, culture and youth de- velopment as well as a sense of pride in home- town. I think of the mod- ernization and expan- sion of the swimming pool, the evolution of the Brew Station and the community-fo- cused approach to the recently been getting attention and which I believe have great potential to be future icons of Cottage Grove. I would love to see our community rally to- gether and be involved in the process of mak- ing these features ex- cellent and uniquely Cottage Grove. The first area of con- sideration that I am excited about is North Regional Park. This is the park located by the wastewater plant and is currently home to the disc golf course. From the City Council's desk Ward 4 Councilor Greg Ervin Covered Bridge Brew- ing Group and the ac- companying food cart army that has sprung up. Public projects such the creation and im- provements to the bike path and the rework- ing of the roads and sidewalks around Lin- coln Middle School are more examples of a community who loves where they live and are willing to invest locally. I could go on and on, but the point is, there is so much about this still small town to be thankful for and the momentum is moving in a good direction. As we continue down the path of communi- ty-focused, continual improvement there are a couple of areas in our town which have more This is one of the areas of town that has tremendous potential to be a standout fea- ture. Planning for fu- ture improvements has already begun. Think of the possibilities that the geography of the park lends itself to: it has riverfront, wooded and open areas, hills and creeks. If designed well, this park can become one of the most inviting spots in Cottage Grove. So many possibilities! The other feature which is starting to get attention is the skate park located at the south entrance to town on Hwy 99. There are currently efforts underway to re- imagine how our skate park can best serve its patrons and the com- munity. Ideas swirling around involve add- ing a public restroom and drinking fountain, constructing a lighted and covered structure creating year-round us- ability, possible expan- sion of the footprint of the park and a redesign of the features. We have an opportu- nity here in this park to do something special by making a positive statement about who we are as a community and that we value the interests of all our resi- dents, in all age groups. There is currently a survey put out by the city which I would in- vite everyone to partic- ipate in. The survey is on the city’s web page at cottagegroveor.gov and on the city’s Face- Book page. To get the survey on the webpage click on the “Click here for City News and Meetings” button on the city’s main page. Then select the Skate Park Survey news item and the link to the survey is right there. You can also use the search box and just search for “Skate Park Survey”. My hope is that more and more people from Cottage Grove and surrounding areas em- brace a hopeful outlook on Cottage Grove and that they feel invited to share their vision as it relates to how we as a community dream big and aim high when we imagine what the fu- ture of Cottage Grove will look like. LETTERS Reservoirs need better regulation In regard to the article concern- ing lack of water in the reservoirs close to Cottage Grove: The reservoirs were originally constructed for flood control. Rec- reation is an added benefit. Why does any more water need to be released than the amount en- tering the lake? If the water had not been held back, it would have been out to the Pacific Ocean months ago. It seems senseless to let water out at a rate larger than is entering the reservoir. There is plenty of time late in the fall or early in the winter to let water out and still have room for flood control and it does not have to be an amount large enough as to cause problems downstream. I have heard the argument: “Oh, the farmers need the water for ir- rigation!” or “The fish need it to make it upstream!” Once again, without the dams, the water would have already been gone. As happens quite often, some bu- reaucrat or our elected officials will make a decision or law that does not fit the criterion for the original intent of our lakes and is far from logical. —Dick Gilkison Cottage Grove Closing & Passing of a Cottage Grove institution I was passing through Cottage Grove last weekend and stopped by Sunshine General only to find it closed and vacant. I enquired next door but all the fellow could tell me was that the store had been closed for some time and he’d only just heard the day before that the owner had passed away. I did an internet search and found the obit from the Register Guard: “Gordon Earl Beaman, 71, of Cottage Grove died July 20. Ar- rangements by Andreason’s Cre- mation & Burial Service in Spring- field.” A further search of the Cottage Grove Sentinel yielded a little more: Best of South Lane County 2019 Convenience Store Sunshine General Store I had grown up stopping by the Sunshine General Store for ice cream after swimming with my mother. My father played jazz there. Mr. Beaman ordered organic foods with which to stock his store from my employer for many years. He used to come to Eugene weekly to pick up those orders. He was al- ways pleasant. He has been missed this last year. I had suspected that his health was failing but always felt it was too personal a question to put to the air. I wanted to say something about Mr. Beaman and wasn’t sure who to tell. It seemed to me that the paper of the small town he called home would be a place to start. We liked him and he is missed. Copyright 2021 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL Letters to the Editor Policy The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without documentation will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel readership area will only be published at the discretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and perspective rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Send letters to: dsherwood@cgsentinel.com HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS Oregon state representatives • Sen. Floyd Prozanski District 4 State Senator PO Box 11511 Eugene, Ore. 97440 Phone: 541-342-2447 Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@ state.or.us • Rep. Cedric Hayden Republican District 7 State Representative 900 Court St. NE Salem, Ore. 97301 Phone: 503-986-1407 Email: rep.cedrichayden@ state.or.us • Rep. Peter DeFazio (House of Representatives) 405 East 8th Ave. #2030 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Oregon federal representatives Email: defazio.house.gov/ contact/email-peter Phone: 541-465-6732 • Sen. Ron Wyden 405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Email: wyden.senate.gov Phone: (541) 431-0229 • Sen. Jeff Merkley Email: merkley.senate.gov Phone: 541-465-6750 • Heather Buch Lane County Commissioner - District 5 Email: Heather.Buch@lane countyorg.gov 125 E. 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