The Cottage Grove
entinel entinel Community rallies in Coiner The CoTTage grove
Local Veterans Salute
State Parks Future
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Wednesday November 19, 2025 | Number 46, 137 years
Park after ICE sweeps CGHS Football Incredible Turnaround See page 8
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CINDY WEELDREYER
Cottage GroveOctober Sentinel Wednesday 9, 2024 | Number 39, 135 years
Candles glowed and signs silently spoke support for the individuals and families affected by the Nov. 5 actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, who conducted an early morning operation in Cottage Grove. A total of nine Guatemalan immigrants were removed from the community and taken to the Eugene C. RUARK Federal JEREMY Building with plans to transCottage Grove Sentinelfacility fer them to an ICE detention in Tacoma, Washington, Public works crews areaccording in the to mediaofreports. process establishing a new Local homeless businesswoman Juanita smaller camp site at the Avila a specialty vacantowns lot onJuanita’s, 12th Street in Cottage grocery Grove. and convenience store located at 12 S. Sixth that Cottage Grove CityStreet Manager serves Cottage Grove, andcity members Mike Sauerwein said the is local Guatemalan combehind its originaland Oct.Latina 1 timeline munities, with food, goodsfollowing and seris establishing the camp, vices not 22 widely available elsewhere the Aug. closure and cleanup in of town. the 12th Street and Douglas ICE homeless agents removed fromthe Street camps.her During her van, forced her to the ground transition, the adjacent Lulu Dog and before Parkhandcuffed at 12th Street has her beendaughter, used Emely Agustin,camp arrived verify as a homeless sitetowith hours that mother legal permafromher 7 p.m. to 7was a.m.a daily. nent resident. was then released, “None of usShe have ever managed Avila told The Sentinel a homeless camp before,insoa pubwe lished online knew that datereport was ajust bithours aspira-after the incident. tional,” Sauerwein said. “We are Avila,that Agustin, and U.S. Rep. hoping this week we will be Val were the speakers ableHoyle to make theamong transition. Our who aboutfolks 150 people goal addressed was to provide with gathered the Coiner gazebo a safe andatsecure placePark to spend for Strength in Community vigil the anight and that’s what we are Monday doing.” night, Nov. 10, organized by Sauerwein the Cottagesaid Grove of cityFriends staff was Democracy, a volunteer nonpartisan cleaning up the Lulu Dog Park to grassroots action reestablishpolitical it as a dog park.group Specific focused defense and advancecosts of on thatthe cleanup and establishment of smaller democracy through peaceful ing the homeless camp at community action.not immediately 12th Street were available.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2025 P.M. Showers
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Willamette 74 Valley 49 reservoir $2.00 drawdowns scheduled The mental Cottage Grove
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City establishing mini health impact homeless camp at 12th Street facing Oregon’s STAFF REPORT Cottage Grove Sentinel
Crews began developing the smaller homeless camp site this week on the vacant lot at 12th Street.
PHOTO JEREMY C. RUARK / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Sauerwein and other city officials currently doing, which is providing The new mini homeless camp a location for folks to spend the will include the same restrictions as have told the Sentinel, that there / Cottage Grove Sentinel are no additional plans to offer any Cindy nightWeeldreyer from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.” the former larger camps. U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle addresses the people attending the Nov. 10 prayer vigil in Coiner other long-term sheltering for the Read previous coverage Park. about “The same rules will apply,” homeless. the homelessness challenges in Sauwrwein said. “The camp will With her daughter standing next interfering with the ICE operation trucks. They didn’t identify them“Cottage Grove will follow Cottage Grove and follow new be available from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to her, Avila spoke briefly and and that she became a victim of selves as ‘Immigration’ until after state law as we understand it,” developments at cgsemtinel.com and the rules will be enforced thanked the community for its supracial profiling. they threw her to the ground and Sauerwein said. “That is what we and in the Wednesday print editions through our contracting company, port. Agustin told the crowd her “They were stopping people of are doing. To change that is up to of The Sentinel. One Security of Eugene to help us mother was simply driving and not color driving to work in vans and See ICE Page 6 the legislature. The city of Cottage during this transition period. They Grove has no plans to do any kind are a very experienced homeless of a shelter beyond what we are camp management company.”
City weighs ownership future of shower trailer
Drawdowns at the Cougar, Green Peter, Lookout Point, and Fall Creek reservoirs are scheduled this fall. The lower reservoir levels, or “drawdowns,” are a critical and required element of the 2024 National Marine Fisheries Service’s Biological Opinion (BiOp). JEREMY C. RUARK The BiOp is a formal docuCottage Grove Sentinel ment that details whether a federal Oregon’s wildfire is action – in this case, season the continued expected of to continue throughPeter this operation Cougar, Green month, but theand mental Lookout Point Fallscares Creekand impact of the season on the firereservoirs – is likely to jeoparfighters who battle blazes in Lane dize the continued of an County and across existence the state, and endangered species or result in the their families, may last a lifetime, destruction of its critical habitat. according to Jeff Dill, the founder The findings inBehavioral the BiOp Health ensure of Firefighter federal agencies comply with the Alliance (FBHA). established the Endangered FBHA in lawDill as outlined in the 2010 following Hurricane Katrina. Species Act. He was2024 thanNMFS a Battalion The BiOpChief includes for a fire department in northwest measures, such as reservoir drawChicago. downs, that aim to help endangered “I saw our brothers and sisters salmon exit the reservoirs through struggle from the devastation that the downriver. theydams saw,tosomigrate I went back and got Portland District Program my degree and became a licensed Manager Kathryn Tackley is workcounselor,” he said. “We started ing to implement the BiOp. tracking EMS and firefighter sui“Spring Chinook salmon are cides across America.” surface-oriented, so lowering reserBehavioral Impact voir levels closer to the dam outlets According Dill, firefighters improves theirtoability to move out often don’t recognize the behavioral of the reservoir and downstream,” impact of their work. Tackley said. cultural brain“We become The drawdowns conducted washed,” Dill said.are “Whether it’s to mimic natural river conditions structural or wildland fires. So,and we help juvenile andare steelhead are meant to salmon believe we supmigrate downstream. posed tosafely act strong, brave, be help, don’t ask drawdowns for help, andshould we don’t “These be want to look not ask considered theweak new and normal for for help.”reservoirs until USACE conthese Dill physical added that while firefighters structs fish-passage strucare on front the lines battling the tures to the replace need for the wildfires, one of the biggest chaldrawdowns,” Tackley said. lenges they face is the unknown. The “It’sU.S. howArmy rapidlyCorps thesesoffires can Engineers was scheduled host a move, and the unknown istowhere virtual public information session is it going to end? Where will this Thursday 13, to disfire go to evening, and how Nov. long will it last? cuss plans to lower reservoir levels And that is a struggle,” he said. “So,fall when you are Green fightingPeter, that this at Cougar, fire, you’re trying do Creek your best Lookout Point, andtoFall resto stop The it, and yet thewas wind kicks ervoirs. session designed at 60 miles an hour and it drags toupprovide an overview of the resit further and further them. ervoir drawdowns, thebehind anticipated That aspect of the unknown is very drawdown schedule, and how this difficult in wildland fires. The fireyear’s operations previfighters have thatdiffer stress from and anxiety, ous years. USACE employees and that struggle to protect is awere very scheduled to recordfor thethe session and difficult challenge wildland make it available on the USACE firefighters.” Portland District channel. It is often veryYouTube difficult for familyTackley members the USACE firefighters saidofthe heldtothe understand what emotions are, public information session there despite andongoing that many firefighters don’t the lapse in appropriations express the theirreservoir emotions, according because drawdowns to Dill. are directly related to life, health, “We ask the family members and safety; and the Cougar, Green to try to understand the cultural,” Peter, Lookout PointChallenge and Fall Creek he said. “Be direct. dams’ primary function is flood with compassion when something risk management to protect and doesn’t look right or doesn’tlife sound property. right, and do an internal size up, For more information abouttothe which we ask the firefighters do 2025 as well,” he said.” Internal size fall reservoir drawdowns, up means asking why am I acting visit https://www.nwp.usace. this way, and why am I feeling this army.mil/Media/News-Releases/ way? The best thing we can do is Article/4313957/reservoir-draw-
wildland firefighters
Community Sharing would assume all duties outlined in the expired agreement, including proWho should own the community viding cleaning supplies, maintainshower trailer in a post-pandemic ing liability insurance, covering environment? workers’ compensation for volunCommunity Sharing Executive teers, and making minor repairs. Director Mike Fleck appeared The agency would also provide an before the Cottage Grove City annual report on the trailer’s status Council Monday evening, Nov. and use. 10, to discuss the future ownerSCENARIO TWO: Transfer CINDY WEELDREYER / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL ship of the two-room shower trailer Ownership to Community Matchbooks from the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove. See more photos with this story at cgsentinel.com. Sharing purchased by the city during the The city would use a bill of sale COVID-19 pandemic. to transfer ownership to CS without In December 2020, the city monetary exchange. purchased a Montondo Shower Fleck told the council that his and Restroom Trailer for $59,929. agency’s insurance provider will It has two rooms that contain a not trailer it’s relocated CINDY WEELDREYER the cover way” the during the ifconstruction helped us meet many of our future Nearly 50 people attended the shower, toilet and sink andSentinel one Cindy Weeldreyer / Cottage Grove Sentinel during a disaster response. He also For The Cottage Grove project. bookstore customers,” Birdy said. Cottage Grove Historical Society’s room is ADA accessible. In August The trailer isa humorous currentlymemhoused at“Farewell Community Sharing’s office noted andgiven federal He that said state he was an funding importShe shared to the Village Green” at In 1975, when Birdy Hoelzle 2021, it signed an agreement with and provides free shower services once a week on Wednesremains uncertain, making long-term ant job of opening the boxes ory they made in the formal Iron the Community Center, Saturday, and her sister Gail opened The Community Sharing (CS) to operate days. operational difficult. delivered tocommitments the guest rooms and Maiden Dining Room that drew Sept. 21. Bookmine they agreement were familiar with the trailer. That expired In response to council questions, recalled how cool he felt driving laughter from the crowd. The internationally famous resort The Village Green. Dec. 31, 2022, and has not been Under the expired agreement, compensation, which costs $171.75 Fleck said the is well the used. the orange golftrailer cart around “My sister and I were budding was created by Walter A. Woodard Their father traveled a lot and renewed. the city remains responsible for annually. CS staff are recruiting volunteers property for assigned errands. Years feminists at the time and were quite (W.A.) and his son, Carlton. Some often matchboxes home Thebrought trailer isitscurrently housed major repairs and insures the trailer SCENARIO ONE: to offeranother a second shower day each later, special memory was shocked by the sexism practiced in members of the family attended and as keepsakes for his girls. The sisat Community Sharing’s office and for loss and damage. In the curRenew Agreement week. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., seeing the famous football player, the dining room,” she said. “The shared personal memories. ters were in their 20’s when they provides free shower services once rent fiscal year, the city’s cost is The city retains ownership, covers and average use is about 15 showers O.J. Simpson, running on one of the menu given to a woman had no theWednesdays. Main Street bookstore aopened week on City and $366.77. A city employee works two majorTHROUGH repairs, insures theLENS trailer, and per day, each lasting 15 minutes. THE resort’s paths. prices on it and foot pillows were and, to enhance their income, CS staff presented two scenarios to to three hours each Wednesday to continues weekly cleaning. In the City Manager Sauerwein Kris Woodard’s introductory To the delight Mike of those gathered, provided so ladies’ uncomfortable worked as waitresses at the resort. update the agreement. deep clean and disinfect the trailer. event of aincluded natural personal disaster ormememersaid it’s difficult to quantify future remarks Kris’ brother, Casey Woodard, shoes could be removed while din“It was a wonderful place to CURRENT OPERATIONS Additionally, state law requires gency, themade trailer wouldthe be lens available ories he through of ing. It was a very different era.” downs-coming-to-willamette-valleywork and, being new in town, it volunteers be covered by workers’ for community-wide use.often “in a 12-year-old who was See CITY PagePage 6 See LEGACY, 6 See HEALTH, Page 6 this-fall-detroit-drawdown-plan/. CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
Grovers gather to remember Village Green Resort
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