Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2021)
10A | OCTOBER 21, 2021 | ORDER from A7 Regardless of the city’s rights, however, in Taylor Avenue residents’ eyes, there have been at least two opportunities in recent years for the sidewalk to be addressed and upgraded. The first came with the construction of the new Harrison Elementary School, which began in 2017. Directly across the from the sidewalk in ques- tion, South Lane School District installed new side- walks and ramps along the entire frontage of the school’s property. There were, however, no requirements for the school district to commit to construction projects not abutting its property and the opposite side of the street was not included in the upgrade. Another chance came with the sprawling Safe Routes to School project, which started in 2019. The nearly $1.7 project addressed key safety con- cerns on five routes to Har- rison Elementary and Lin- coln Middle schools: East Harrison Avenue from South River Road to South Third Street; South Fourth Street from Central Pacific Railroad to Grant Avenue; Grant Avenue from South Fourth Street to South Sixth Street; Fillmore Av- enue from South Fourth Street to South Sixth Street; and Taylor Avenue from South Fourth Street to South Eighth Street. Previously, these loca- tions had been identified as areas of concern in street analyses by city staff. Taylor Avenue residents across from Harrison El- ementary School have ex- pressed confusion as to why their sidewalk was not included in the project. Miller even received a project update notice from the city in August 2019 which stated that her prop- erty was “within the proj- ect area.” In a letter to Miller ad- dressing this, City Man- ager Richard Meyers ex- plained that “in order to COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL prepare a grant that would be eligible for funding, the application for the project had to be specifically tied to projects that improve safety of children walking to school. One of the ma- jor criteria for funding is demonstrated incidents or crashes associated with children.” Indeed, the Safe Routes to School project was in part prompted by testimo- ny about safety issues. Initial concerns about the safety of routes to Lin- coln Middle School were raised in public testimony in October 2015 by a city police officer who advised the city to pay attention to the corner of South Fourth Street and Fillmore Av- enue, a high-traffic area next to the middle school with no crosswalk. In a subsequent public hearing in 2018 regarding the project, a resident men- tioned seeing a student hit by a car at that very inter- section, though the stu- dent reportedly continued walking from the incident. But because this specif- ic portion of Taylor Ave- nue by Harrison was not brought up as an area of concern during city coun- cil meetings or public com- ment, it was not included in the project, Meyers went on to explain. While a route with safety signs and a crosswalk does exist to help navigate chil- dren to the school’s side of the street, residents have stated that children regu- larly use their side of the street when traveling to and from school and that the city should not wait for a child to be hurt before taking action. Unfortunately, getting another Safe Routes to School grant for this side- walk is not a secure option. The next chance to apply may be up to a year and a half away and the grant is increasingly competitive. Though grants may be hard to come by, sidewalk orders aren’t the only way to get citizens to take care of their sidewalks. The city can, for instance, notify a property owner of their sidewalk being out of com- pliance and provide solu- tions – a more common strategy which has been used in the past. Currently, there is no set method for determining how to prioritize pedes- trian walkways. The city’s Transportation System Plan, a 2015 document, outlines needs for pedes- trians and, while it iden- tifies connectivity gaps in the city, it does not provide insight into safety con- cerns. Cottage Grove city en- gineers told The Sentinel that a prioritization mech- anism would go a long way in the city council and staff being able to make more informed decisions. As luck would have it, the city has recently re- ceived a grant from Ore- gon Department of Trans- portation to create a Bike DENTAL Insurance and Pedestrian Master Plan for the entire city. The plan will help estab- lish a prioritized list of trouble spots and provide a reference point for future construction decisions — information which may influence whether to issue sidewalk orders. As it’s a lengthy process, Stewart estimated the plan may not be ready until the end of next year. Until its completion, then, residents on Taylor Avenue are keen on hav- ing more dialogue with the city about the reasonable- ness of issuing an order, finding solutions or at least being part of the bidding process. Some residents still wor- ry that the city’s order as a response to their concerns sends the message that cit- izens should not appeal to their city for help or they might suffer financial con- sequences. With half a year left on the clock, residents re- main hopeful the coming months will yield viable solutions. SALES, SERVICE & REPAIRS Complete tech, networking, security and IT solutions for your home or business. 711 E. Main Street | Cottage Grove 541-649-1073 |www.pcgargageoregon.com Turn your yard into a Safe & Relaxing Sanctuary • landscape design & planting • complete lawn care • trimming, weeding & mulching 100% Contactless Service! Details Online Honest. Dependable. Authentic PO Box 341 | Cottage Grove, Oregon 541-731-8528 |www.prasadalandscapes.com SERVICE DOG AMERICA’S RECOVERY POWERED BY INCLUSION National Disability Employment Awareness Month SERVICE DOG #NDEAM OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR dol.gov/odep If you’ve put off dental care, it’s easy to get back on track. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company now for inexpensive dental insurance. Get help paying for the dental care you need. Getting back to the dentist couldn’t be easier! CALL TODAY 1-844-328-1291 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES, ‘AMERICA’S RECOVERY POWERED BY INCLUSION’ AS THEME FOR 2021 NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH Dental50Plus.com/cgs Get your FREE Information Kit Product not available in all states. Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). Rider kinds: B438, B439 (GA: B439B). 6208-0721 In Honor of All Veterans The Cottage Grove Sentinel is preparing to publish its “Honoring our Heroes” a special section devoted to all military veterans who are Cottage Grove-area residents or have a connection to this area. If you are interested in sharing your military story in the annual Veterans Day publication, or in updating information that we have published previously, please complete the form below and submit it to the Cottage Grove Sentinel. Service photographs are also welcome. Submit forms and photos (preferably) by e-mail to gmanly@ cgsentinel.com; or by mail to Cottage Grove Sentinel, Attn: Gary Manly, PO Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424; or drop forms off at the Cottage Grove Sentinel, 1498 E. Main Street, STE 104, Cottage Grove. Please be sure that all materials are carefully labeled with your name and phone number. ALL FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 21, 2021. Thank you for participating in this project to remember and honor our veterans. Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Th e theme for NDEAM 2021, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,” refl ects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. NDEAM is held each October to commemorate the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. Browse our website for ideas and resources for employers, community organizations, state and local governments, advocacy groups and schools to participate in celebrating NDEAM through events and activities centered around the theme of “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THESE LOCAL SPONSORS: S TARFIRE L UMBER Cottage Grove 96 N Mill Street O LD M ILL F ARM S TORE Creswell 327 S River Road 541-895-4505 Contact Phone Number: _____________________________________________________________ Branch of Service: _________________________________________________________________ Rank Achieved (optional): ___________________________________________________________ M Y B OYS P IZZA 541-942-3042 Dates Served: _____________________________________________________________________ G OODWILL I NDUSTRIES Where did you serve? _______________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Special Information (E.G., POW): _____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ P INOCCHIO ’ S P IZZA 1205 Hwy, 99 N 795 E Main St 541-942-1571 541-942-5531 B ECO E NTERPRISES I NC _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ K ING E STATE W INERY 553 S River Rd 80854 Territorial Rd 541-942-2106 _________________________________________________________________________________ Has your veterans information been published previously in the Cottage Grove Sentinel Veterans Publication? YES NO Do we have your military photo(s) on fi le? YES NO (Note: If you have submitted photos in the past, we will still have them on fi le.) Eugene 541-685-5189
