THE COTTAGE GROVE
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Wednesday
State of the City highlights a year of ‘Quiet, Steady Progress’ Lifestyle Sports 74
Life in Cottage Grove
Cottage
CGHS Football Incredible Development Administration (EDA) “steady, quiet progress” achieved Grove grant. through collaboration, planning, Turnaround “Balance isn’t always easy. “The new amenities, she said, and followthrough on longpromised Wednesday, Oct 9 See page See page 8 Progress takes 4patience. It Mostly Cloudy have already become gathering projects. takes compromise. It takes Solesbee said last year’s commit- places for families and a reminder the willingness to listen, of “why public spaces are so ments to growth and revitalization have now materialized into visible important.” What I’ve seenOctober this year 9, 2024 | Number 39, 135 years Bohemia Park also www.cgsentinel.com $2.00 improvements across the city. saw the is a community willing to “Those were not just ideas. They installation of its first mural, “The do the work, not just talk were project promises that are now Goose,” depicting the beloved steam about it.” realities,” she told the audience dur- locomotive No. 19. Between 1971Candace Solesbee, Cottage ing the Jan. 12 Cottage Grove City 1988 it pulled an excursion train Council meeting. along the north side of Dorena Lake Grove Mayor Major Investments in Public through the Row River Valley. The Spaces colorful mural, designed by local CINDY WEELDREYER Solesbee highlighted several proj- artist Heather Endicott, was cre Cottage Grove Sentinel ects completed or advanced in 2024, ated on the wall of the bathroom reflects the community’s ability to mural festival, which will bring beginning with the Bohemia Park building next to the splash pad. Cottage Grove Mayor Candace rally around shared goals. artists from around the world to splash pad and entry plaza, funded Volunteers on the city’s mural comJEREMY C. RUARK Solesbee’s State of the City address Crews beganfederal developing the smaller homeless Cottage Grove Sentinel That same spirit, Solesbee noted, Cottage Grove in the summer of mittee raised private donations for by a $1.7 million Economic describes 2025 as a year defined camp site this week on the vacant lot at 12th Street. is driving the upcoming WallDogs the project. Solesbee said the mural works crews are inbythe lessPublic by headlines and more
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Wednesday
City establishing mini homeless camp at 12th Street
The mental health impact facing Oregon’s wildland firefighters
process of establishing a new smaller homeless camp site at the vacant lot on 12th Street in Cottage JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel Grove. Cottage Grove City Manager Oregon’s wildfire season is Mike Sauerwein said the city is expected to continue through this month, but the mental scares and behind its original Oct. 1 timeline impact of the season on the fireis establishing the camp, following fighters who battle blazes in Lane the Aug. 22 closure and cleanup County and across the state, and of the 12th Street and Douglas their families, may last a lifetime, Street homeless camps. During the according to Jeff Dill, the founder transition, the adjacent Lulu Dog of Firefighter Behavioral Health Park at 12th Street has been used Alliance (FBHA). as a homeless camp site with hours Dill established the FBHA in from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. 2010 following Hurricane Katrina. “None of us have ever managed He was than a Battalion Chief a homeless camp before, so we for a fire department in northwest Chicago. knew that date was a bit aspira“I saw our brothers and sisters tional,” Sauerwein said. “We are struggle from the devastation that hoping that this week we will be they saw, so I went back and got able to make the transition. Our PHOTO JEREMY C. RUARK / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL my degree and became a licensed goal was to provide folks with counselor,” he said. “We started Sauerwein and other city officials currently doing, which is providing The new mini homeless camp a safe and secure place to spend tracking EMS and firefighter suia location for folks to spend the will include the same restrictions as have told the Sentinel, that there the night and that’s what we are cides across America.” are no additional plans to offer any night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.” the former larger camps. doing.” other long-term sheltering for the Read previous coverage about “The same rules will apply,” Sauerwein said city staff was Behavioral Impact homeless. the homelessness challenges in Sauwrwein said. “The camp will According to Dill, firefighters cleaning up the Lulu Dog Park to “Cottage Grove will follow Cottage Grove and follow new often don’t recognize the behavioral reestablish it as a dog park. Specific be available from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. state law as we understand it,” developments at cgsemtinel.com impact of their work. and the rules will be enforced costs of that cleanup and establish “We become cultural brain- Sauerwein said. “That is what we and in the Wednesday print editions through our contracting company, ing the smaller homeless camp at washed,” Dill said. “Whether it’s are doing. To change that is up to of The Sentinel. One Security of Eugene to help us 12th Street were not immediately structural or wildland fires. So, we the legislature. The city of Cottage during this transition period. They available. are meant to believe we are supGrove has no plans to do any kind are a very experienced homeless to collection act strong,includes brave, bes small help, JEREMY C. RUARK interestedcompany.” and enjoyed working and learnstore.we Heare had a lot of the old ones that went right now posed and that of on a shelter beyond what camp management don’t ask for help, and we don’t Cottage Grove Sentinel ing how anything electronic functions and fix- back to the 1880s. the styles that I had heard switchboard. That was actually from a local wantintotown lookthat weak and not ask for ing anything like that that is broken.” about or read about but certainly never had business here Flying Monkeys help.” Telephones been his love and passion since Reiten briefly stopped his collection in his a chance to see and experience up close. I acquired some time ago and I managed to Dill added that while firefighters early childhood. twenties and then got back into it when he encountered a kindred spirit at that store.” get that asare well. was originally used atthe a on Itthe front lines battling Cameron Reiten has been collecting old discovered a store in Newport, called the Old Over the last eight years, Reiten said he’s Eugene hospital. Sadly, a lotchalof wildfires, one itofwill the take biggest telephones since he was a teenager. Telephone Company. built up a collection with many different work to getlenges that switchboard they face is functioning the unknown. “I have built up a pretty good collection. I “it was operated by a fellow like me who phones. again.” “It’s how rapidly theses fires can had Western Electric 500, those were the clas- had a fascination about old telephones,” “Like the candle stick and a bunch of the Several move, of the and collected phones and the the unknown is where sic 60s and 70s rotary phones, he said. “I got is itaregoing to end?inWhere willofthis Reiten said. “He actually had set up this won- old-style dial phones, the crank-box styles,” switchboard on display the front a number of them fixed up. I’ve always been fire go to and how long will it last? derful shop, and I was like a kid in a candy he said. “I think I have right around 100 And that is a struggle,” he said. “So, when you are fighting that fire, you’re trying to do your best to stop it, and yet the wind kicks up at 60 miles an hour and it drags CINDY WEELDREYER it further and further behind them. Cottage Grove Sentinel That aspect of the unknown is very CINDY WEELDREYER / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL difficult in wildland fires. The fireMatchbooks fromDistrict the Village Green South Lane School leaders spent theirResort in Cottage Grove. See more photos with this story at cgsentinel.com. fighters have that stress and anxiety, January meeting confronting financial pressures, and that struggle to protect is a very reviewing midyear progress on district goals, and outdifficult challenge for the wildland lining longterm plans to stabilize operations. Budget firefighters.” corrections, instructional improvements, and technology It is often very difficult for family members of the firefighters to needs dominated the discussion as the district worked CINDY WEELDREYER understand what emotions there are, the way” during the construction helped usenrollmeet many of our future Nearly 50 people attended the to protect classrooms while navigating declining For The Cottage Grove Sentinel and that many firefighters don’t project. bookstore customers,” Birdy said. Cottage Grove Historical Society’s ment and rising costs. express their emotions, according He said he was given an importShe shared a humorous mem“Farewell to the Village Green” at In 1975, when Birdy Hoelzle to Dill. ant job of opening the boxes ory they made in the formal Iron the Community Center, Saturday, and her sister Gail opened The 2025–26 BUDGET UPDATE “We ask the family members delivered to the guest rooms and Maiden Dining Room that drew Sept. 21. Bookmine they were Superintendent Toddfamiliar Miller with noted that a midyear to try to understand the cultural,” recalled how cool he felt driving from the crowd. The internationally famous resort The Village Green. showed the districtlaughter budget reconciliation was headed he said. “Be direct. Challenge the orange golf cart around the “My sister and I were budding was created by Walter A. Woodard Theira father traveled toward negative endinga lot fundand balance, driven by a with compassion when something property for assigned errands. Years doesn’t look right or doesn’t sound feminists at the time and were quite (W.A.) and his son, Carlton. Some often brought matchboxes home sharply reduceditscarryover, higherthanexpected charter shocked by the sexism practiced in members of the family attended and later, another special memory was as keepsakes for hiscosts, girls.and Therising sis- special right, and do an internal size up, school passthrough education seeing the famous football player, the dining room,” she said. “The shared personal memories. ters were in their 20’s when theyand charter school which we ask the firefighters to expenses. Declining enrollment O.J. Simpson, running on one of the do as well,” he said.” Internal size menu given opened the are Main Street bookstore obligations approximately $955,000 higher than to a woman had no THROUGH THE LENS up means asking why am I acting resort’s paths. prices it and foot pillows were and, to enhance their income, budgeted. The district costs for funding its two on charter Kris Woodard’s introductory this way, and why am I feeling this To the delight of those gathered, provided so ladies’ uncomfortable worked isas$5-million waitresses based at the on resort. schools their enrollments. remarks included personal memway? The best thing we can do is Kris’ brother, Casey Woodard, shoes could be removed while din“It was leaders a wonderful place to District outlined a stabilization plan focused ories he made through the lens of ing. It was a very different era.” work and, being new in town, on correcting overbudget grants,it finishing the year with a 12-year-old who was often “in See LEGACY, Page 6 See HEALTH, Page 6 a positive ending fund balance, and reducing General
Local man goes back in telephone time
SLSD confronts budget shortfall ~ Reports progress on key district goals
Grovers gather to remember Village Green Resort
INSIDE Lifestyles — 3 Obituaries 4 — Death Notice — 4
Opinion — 5 Classifieds — 7 Sports — 8
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