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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2021)
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 | OCTOBER 28, 2021 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 132, NO. 43 • Est. 1889 Your Local News Delivered Your Way: In Print. Online. On the Go! Get an insurance plan —not just a policy. (541) 942-0555 WEATHER PM showers with a high of 69 and a low tonight of 53 Full forecast on A5 CHECK OUT HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS AND OUR COLOING CONTEST Improvement districts’ extension approved in first vote By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com The Cottage Grove City Coun- cil voted unanimously on Monday to extend the term of the city’s economic and business improve- ment districts for five years. The vote was the first of two which must be conducted. The second vote and public hearing will be held on proposed fees on Dec. 13, 2021. The Economic Improvement District (EID) and Businesses Improvement District (BID) rep- resent two tiers of districts and as- sessment methods which levy fees on business and property owners within the districts for projects such as downtown improvements and tourism revitalization. The districts are to be operated by the nonprofit Downtown Cottage Grove. At the Oct. 25 meeting, Coun- cilor Jon Stinnett stated a conflict of interest and recused himself from the discussions and vote due to his administrative role in the nonprofit. Mayor Jeff Gowing was absent from the meeting. The creation last year of Down- town Cottage Grove came out of the merger of two organizations — the Economic and Business Improvement District and Main Street Cottage Grove. See VOTE A8 City holds workshop on ARPA dollars COLUMNIST By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Mary Ellen Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales A5 SPORTS & REC • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 • LORANE NEWS With this project plan essentially completed, the Facilities Advisory Committee will look at the remain- ing district facilities and consider upgrades, remodeling and additions in the context of the SLCFR strategic plan. There are four SLCFR stations in total: Cottage Grove, Creswell, Sag- inaw and a rural outpost on Camas Swale Road about six miles west of Creswell. The SLCFR wish list includes the potential for increasing train- ing facilities in Saginaw, expanding facilities to accommodate growing personnel and providing adequate facilities for two sexes. “When these structures were built, See BOARD A9 See ARPA A7 DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The investigation continues regarding a large-scale marijuana grow operation found south of Creswell. Barn fire leads to grow operation discovery By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Lady Lions take Sky-Em title B1 City staff and the Cottage Grove City Council held a work session on Oct. 22 to discuss how to use its Amer- ican Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Last month, the City of Cot- tage Grove received its first distribution of $1,161,562.89. A second and equal payment will be received next year. The relief funds are meant cover a range of local needs including support for house- holds, small businesses, im- pacted industries, essential workers, and the communi- ties hardest-hit by the eco- nomic crisis. They are also intended for investment in building, maintaining, or upgrading water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. The funds can be used to cover eligible costs incurred between a wide timeline, stretching from March 3, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2024. All expenditures must be com- mitted by Dec. 31, 2026 for obligations incurred by Dec. 31, 2024. Categories of eligible use include: • Support for public health expenditures by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff • Green infrastructure in- vestments and projects that address the impacts of cli- mate change or improve resil- ience to climate change, such as rain gardens, measures to conserve and reuse water or reduce the energy consump- tion of public water treatment facilities • Addressing negative eco- nomic impacts caused by the public health emergency, in- cluding economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted indus- tries, and the public sector • Replacing lost public An Oct. 19 fire at a barn south of Creswell led authorities to discover evidence of a large-scale marijuana grow operation inside the structure. The Lane County Sheriff ’s Office (LCSO) along with several local fire agencies responded to a report of a structure fire on the northeast cor- ner of the barn. Deputies executed a search war- rant the following morning and seized a high volume of marijuana. More than 2,000 marijuana plants were seized and more than 200 pounds had been processed and ready to sell. The local street market value was estimated to be more than $2 million. “The value if sold outside the State of Oregon could easily be tripled,” stated LCSO in a press release. Investigators also obtained evi- dence that the operation was unli- censed and non-medical. South Lane County Fire and Res- cue (SLCFR) as well as fire crews from Goshen, Dexter, Lorane and North Douglas County were on the scene. “They knocked it down pretty quick with one attack line,” said SL- CFR Fire Chief John Wooten of his crew’s handling of the fire. “They didn’t go in the structure too far, which was a good call.” The fire was under control within 10 to 15 minutes, Wooten said. Be- cause of automatic aid agreements, he added that it’s typical for multiple agencies to respond when there is a structure fire, no matter the size. “The operating philosophy is: Have it. If you don’t need it, send it home,” he said. SLCFR partnered with the Ore- gon State Fire Marshal’s Office, Or- egon State Police’s Arson Unit and LCSO to investigate the cause and origin of the fire. “We weren’t able to get an exact cause on that fire,” said Wooten, “but we think one of the possible causes was the overloaded electrical cir- cuitry in the building. … They were drawing way more volts than what would be standard for that building.” Two SLCFR crew members sus- tained minor hand injuries while responding to the fire. As of Tuesday, Oct. 26, LCSO told The Sentinel the case was still un- der investigation and no arrests had been made. A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B5-B6 SLCFR Board names advisory committee members By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com follow us for the latest news: /CGSentinel @CGSentinel 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 During its Oct. 21 meeting, the South Lane County Fire and Res- cue (SLCFR) Board named the three members of its new Facility Adviso- ry Committee. Creswell City Manager Michelle Amberg, former SLCFR Board member Joel Higdon and Cottage Grove Sentinel General Manager Gary Manly were selected for the committee, which will provide local stakeholder recommendations for the district’s facilities as whole. Previously, a Creswell Advisory Committee had focused strictly on looking at sites and recommenda- tions for the board to replace the SLCFR Creswell station, which has surpassed its lifespan by about 20 years. Several issues with the current Creswell station were cited as rea- sons for replacement including its failure to meet seismic safety stan- dards and lack of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. Taking up less than 6,000 square feet, it is also running into space is- sues as service demand and technol- ogy grow. Under the project plan, the adja- cent Creswell Community Center would be demolished to become the site of the new station, after which the old station would be demolished and turned into parking space for the city. Land ownership of the two parcels would also switch between the city and district. MARTINEZ YARD SERVICES, LLC • Property Cleanup • Yard Service • Moss Removal • Pressure Washing Francisco Martinez, Owner Comprehensive Eye Care • Gutter Cleaning • Brush Removal • Bark Installation • And Much More Se Serving Cottage Grove, Creswell, Junction City, Lowell, Dexter, Pleasant Hill, Eugene, Springfi eld Lo (541) 579-0454 • Call Today! (5 Dr. Grillo is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract, cornea and refractive surgery. Call 541-942-5000 Official LASIK and Eye Doctors of the Oregon Ducks and Eugene Emeralds 257 N. 8th St • www.pcvi.com Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm Our Cottage Grove clinic offers complete optical shop services. Make an appointment with Anthony Grillo, MD
