 |
Friday Update
(Old Updates) |
|
400 E. Main Street
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
(541)942-5501
Fax (541)942-1267
January 29, 2010
Congratulations Mayor Williams
Mayor Gary Williams was presented with the Lane Council of Government
Outstanding Elected Official Award at the Lane Council of Governments
Annual Appreciation Dinner held at Lane Community College on Thursday
evening. Director Jim Torrey from the 4J School District Board of
Directors and former Eugene Mayor made the presentation to Mayor
Williams. Every year LCOG receives nominations and selects an
elected official to honor for their contributions not only to their
community or organization but to the entire region.
Congratulations Mayor Willaims.
Youth Advisory Council
The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) will be meeting on Monday, February 1,
2010 from 6:00 to 7:30pm. They will have a special guest, Sandy
Moses from Lane County Health & Human Services, attending to
make a presentation about the County Prevention Program and South
Lane's Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. The YAC
members will also be discussing committee and other assignments (such
as youth representative).
YAC Academy Day
The Youth Academy Day will be held on Monday, February 15th. As
in previous years, we are planning a lunch with the YAC and City
Councilors as a part of the day’s activities. Mayor and City
Councilor please mark your calendar and plan to join the YAC for lunch
on the 15th.
All American Redheads
The Redheads are coming, the Redheads are coming. City Staff met
with School District, Chamber, Village Green and Travel Lane County
representatives this week to begin preparations for the All American
Redheads. The All American Redheads was a women’s basketball team
that traveled the country demonstrating their amazing ball handling
skills and playing exhibition games against local mens teams. The
Redheads last played in Cottage Grove in 1969 and beat the local mens
team 69 to 52. The Redheads are planning a reunion at the Village
Green and will be attending a special ceremony at the FIMBA
Pan-American Maxibasketball Championship in Eugene.
The Redheads played an important role for women’s sports and are
responsible for helping to open up many of the opportunities that are
available to women today. Plans are being made to provide
opportunities for the Redheads to participate in some community events
and activities and to recognize them in our community for their
contribution to women sports. Anyone with information or memories
about the Redheads’ visits to Cottage Grove, please contact the City
Manager at (541)942-5501, Pete Barrell(541)767-4147 or Teresa Cowan
(541)942-1185. The reunion is planned for July
8th-10th so be sure to watch for more details.
Election Information Website
The City’s website continues to be updated and improved. One of
the latest improvements is the update of the City’s Election
information page. The Election web page can be accessed from the
sub menu under “Your City” or through the City Manager’s page under
departments. Information is available about the March 9, 2010
Special Election as well some preliminary information about the
November 2010 General Election.
Audit Committee Met
The Audit Committee met on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 11:00am, in the
Sinclair Room at City Hall, to review the Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report (CAFR) for the City of Cottage Grove, fiscal year-end
2008-09. The report contains a “clean opinion” on the
financial statements and related disclosures. It was noted that a
single audit of the federal awards was also completed with no findings
required to be reported. As in prior years, the report has been
submitted to the Government Finance Officer’s Association for the
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial
Reporting. The Committee has fulfilled its responsibilities
for oversight of the City’s financial reporting. Staff will be
requesting acceptance of the report at the February 8, 2010 Council
meeting.
Lane Economic Committee
Community Development Director Schesser attended the monthly meeting of
the Lane Economic Committee (LEC). The agenda included
discussions on new members appointed to the LEC by the LCOG Board, a
status report on the LCOG business loan program, review of the 2009
Regional Prosperity Summit and review of the LEC purpose and 2010 work
plan. Officers elected for 2010 were Rob Scoggin of Cottage Grove
as Chairman and John Sullivan of Thurston as Vice Chairman.
South Lane Wheels Board Meeting
South Lane Wheels held their monthly board meeting with Community
Development Director Schesser attending as the City liaison as a result
of the 5311 Grant money. The Board is reorganizing and refocusing
as a result of the resignation of the previous executive
director. They are responding to the requirements of ODOT in
relation to the site visit that was conducted last year where several
issues needed to have policies developed and procedures
established. They are also starting the search for an executive
director. Iva Pfeifer is the Interim Executive Director.
LTD, City Staff and Public Transit at ODOT are working with South Lane
Wheels on these issues.
City Staff Meets with ODOT on Transportation Enhancement Grant
City staff Jan Wellman, Ron Bradsby, Sue Haley, Howard Schesser, and
Amanda Ferguson met with ODOT staff in Springfield to go over the
budget estimates and scope of work for the Transportation Enhancement
Grant for the Hwy 99 & Main intersection. Based on the
information discussed and the changes made it appears that the project
is within budget and is moving forward. ODOT is preparing the
Intergovernmental Agreement on the project as costs and
responsibilities are split between City, ODOT and Grant
functions. The IGA is expected to be considered at the February
22nd Council meeting, with engineering and property acquisition in 2011
and bidding and construction in late 2011 or early 2012.
Vactor Truck Delivered
This past Wednesday, the Public Works Department took delivery of the
recently purchased Vactor truck. Vactor Manufacturing
representatives drove the Vactor truck from Illinois to Cottage
Grove. Those same representatives provided four hours of
comprehensive training to three of our Public Works employees detailing
the overall operation and maintenance of the vehicle and associated
machinery. The Vactor truck was immediately placed in service on
Friday excavating a water line in need of repair. City Councilors
will be able to see the new Vactor truck during the field trip portion
of the wastewater infrastructure workshop scheduled for February
19th. Public Works allocated $298,000.00 for the purchase of this
piece of equipment during the FY 09-10 budget year. The Vactor is
a combination machine that can vacuum and jet. The machine is
mounted on a six wheel International cab/chassis and is used to clean
sewer and storm drain lines, catch basins, manholes, and drainage ways.
Record Number of Service Orders
It is interesting to note that during the freezing weather on
Wednesday, December 9th through Sunday, December 13th, the City
Utilities Crew had 58 separate service orders related to leak and
consumption checks that were due to frozen pipe breaks and/or because
water was left running to help prevent pipes from freezing. It
was noted by Utility Clerk, Kathy Asquith that this was the largest
number of event-related service orders that she had ever seen during
her tenure with the City.
Compressor Building at Row River Water Treatment Plant Intake Vandalized
The small concrete block building, adjacent to the RRWTP Intake
structure that houses the compressor and air burst system, was
vandalized this week. Security lights around the outside of the
building were damaged and the lenses were broken. There was no
intrusion into the fenced area or within the compressor building
itself. The operation of the compressor and air burst system was
unaffected by this minor vandalism. Water Production staff will
have the light fixtures replaced and hardened lenses will be installed
to discourage further vandalism. This is the first vandalism that
has occurred at this remote site in a year and a half. We are
hopeful that this is an isolated incident that will not repeat itself.
Police Department Acquires New Dog
The Cottage Grove PD has acquired a new dog. His name is BO, he is a 2
year old black lab trained in sniffing out narcotics. BO came
from Prineville last week and he’s a happy dog, eager to work.
Officer Ron Bates will be trained to handle BO and they will be the
PD’s Narcotics Team.
Spanish Story Time at the Library
Join us at the Cottage Grove Public Library on Monday evenings at
6:30pm for Story Time in Spanish. Spanish and Bi-Lingual books will be
featured and all are welcome to come enjoy this new programing at the
Library.
Super Bowl Party at Middlefield Golf Course
Bring a friend and come enjoy all the golf you like for $10.00 and a
great Super Bowl Party for another $10 dollars on Super Bowl Sunday.
Sunday February 7th is destined to be sunny and mild, a great day for
golf here in Oregon. The Super Bowl party, including food and drink,
begins at 3:00pm, so come golf before the party and join in the fun
watching the big game afterwards!
Don Lown Photography Exhibit at Community Center Gallery
Stop by soon to see "The Nature of Things", an inspiring collection of
nature photography by local artist and resident Don Lown. The Community
Center Gallery is open during business hours, and all are welcome to
come and enjoy a respite from your busy day while contemplating "The
Nature of Things".
Quote of the Week
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
Muhammad Ali
January 22, 2010
City of Cottage Grove Water System Meets “Outstanding Performance” Criteria
The Oregon Department of Human Services, Public Health Division
Drinking Water Program has designated the City of Cottage Grove Water
System as an “Outstanding Performer” based on the Water System Survey
that was completed on December 17, 2009. The water system survey
is an on-site review of the water system’s sources, treatment, storage
facilities, distribution system, operation and maintenance procedures,
monitoring, and management, for the purpose of evaluating the system’s
capability of providing safe water to the public. This
designation means that the water system survey frequency will now be
reduced from every 3 years to every 5 years. It should be noted
that there were no significant deficiencies or rule violations noted by
the Drinking Water Program during the water system survey.
Congratulations to Water Production Superintendent, Ray Pardee and
Utilities Supervisor, Tony Kirk, along with their respective crews, for
this “Outstanding Performance” designation.
CG WiFi
Preparations continue for CG WiFi to begin the subscription service on
February 1st. Approximately 80% of the community is served by
WiFi and the coverage will continue to increase and become
stronger. Additional radios will continue to be installed.
If you don’t have service currently, keep monitoring the availability
of wireless networks. If you are located in one of the areas
without coverage within the City feel free to contact the City
Manager’s office if you would be willing to have a WiFi radio installed
on a building on your property. City staff will evaluate your
location as a possible location. If your location will serve as a
good location for a radio and a radio is installed, you could receive a
monthly credit equal to the rate of the 256 kbs service.
Cottage Grove Historical Society Presentation
The City Manager attended the annual business meeting of the Cottage
Grove Historical Society and provided a brief update regarding the
current status of the Cottage Grove Armory and possible uses for the
structure.
Disc Golf Tournament
Mark your calendars now, grab a partner and get your disc throwing arm
warmed up for the University of Oregon Disc Golf Club’s “Bring Your Own
Special Someone” Doubles Disc Golf Tournament on Sunday, February 14th
at the Cottage Grove Disc Golf course. The U of O Disc Golf Club
is conducting the tournament as a fund raiser for the team.
Anyone interested in the event should email: ralvarad@uoregon.edu for
more information.
Beeper
The City Manager will be on KNND’s Beeper Show on Monday, January 25, 2010 from 8:30 to 9:30 am.
Vactor Truck Delivery Confirmed
The Public Works Department is scheduled to take delivery of the
recently purchased Vactor truck on January 29th. There was a
slight delay in the delivery of the Vactor truck because of scheduled
preventative undercoating work specified by Vactor to reduce warranty
claims associated with corrosion of aluminum components caused by road
salt. Public Works allocated $298,000 for the purchase of this
piece of equipment during the FY 09-10 budget year. The Vactor is
a combination machine that can vacuum and jet. The machine is
mounted on a six wheel International cab/chassis and is used to clean
sewer and storm drain lines, catch basins, manholes, and drainage ways.
Wastewater Reuse Grant Amendment
Community Development Director, Howard Schesser and Public Works
Director, Jan Wellman have processed a grant amendment with the Oregon
Water Resources Department, which will increase the Water Reuse Grant
award by $7,940. The City received an initial grant award of
$25,000 from OWRD to study possible wastewater reuse opportunities
throughout the City. The original grant was matched dollar for
dollar by the Bohemia Foundation. The initial grant award had
been temporarily reduced because of anticipated State budget cuts which
never materialized. This amendment returns the grant award to
near the original amount and will allow the City’s consultants to
determine the size and location of a 300,000 to 600,000 gallon holding
tank and high pressure pump station to support recommended irrigation
sites.
Lane County Drinking Water Source Protection
On January 26th, Public Works Director, Jan Wellman will be meeting
with representatives of Oregon Consensus as part of a Lane County
directed process to assess the potential for a collaborative effort to
review and revise Lane County Ordinances related to protection of
drinking water, life and safety in floodplains, riparian areas, channel
migration zones, and surface or groundwater source zones.
Oregon Consensus is a program of the National Policy Consensus Center
at Portland State University. They provide assessment, consensus
building, facilitation, mediation, and other collaborative governance
services to public entities and their stakeholders throughout Oregon.
As part of the assessment, Oregon Consensus will be interviewing
individuals and agencies to assess the general level of engagement with
Lane County Drinking Water Source Protection at the policy level and
explore potential tools for moving forward. Oregon Consensus will
be conducting the interviews to determine the relative importance and
priority of needed drinking water source protection efforts, how
revisions or additions to Lane County Ordinances could be helpful in
furthering protection efforts, and the value of a collaborative process
involving all stakeholders in developing proposed changes to Lane
County Ordinances.
Every Child Ready to Read Program
Children's Services Librarian Lori Russell attended an intensive 2-day
training of "Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library" in Bend, Oregon
on January 7th and 8th. This is a statewide curriculum sponsored by the
American Library Association and it will be utilized to reach out to
train parents of children 0-5 years of age in Early Literacy Skills.
"Read On" Lori.
Spanish Story Time at the Library
Join us at the Cottage Grove Public Library on Monday evenings at
6:30pm for Story Time in Spanish. Spanish and Bi-Lingual books will be
featured and all are welcome to come enjoy this new programing at the
Library.
Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair a Huge Success
The "first annual" Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair brought together
many local community, civic, and non-profit groups and organizations
and the general public for an evening of networking, sharing, and
getting to know each other. It was a great opportunity for participants
to learn more about volunteer and civic opportunities here in our
community. At the Vision Keepers booth people were able to check out
the Cottage Grove 2037 Vision and Action Plan that was developed
through the efforts of the People of Cottage Grove. The light
snacks catered by the students in the culinary class at the high school
were awesome. This was a great community event and a special thanks
goes out to everyone who helped to make it possible!
Super Bowl Party at Middlefield Golf Course
Bring a friend and come enjoy all the golf you like for $10.00 and a
great Super Bowl Party for another $10 dollars on Super Bowl Sunday.
Sunday February 7th is destined to be sunny and mild, a great day for
golf here in Oregon! The Super Bowl party, including food and drink,
begins at 3:00pm, so come golf before the party and join in the fun
watching the big game afterwards!
Don Lown Photography Exhibit at Community Center Gallery
Stop by soon to see "The Nature of Things", an inspiring collection of
nature photography by local artist and resident Don Lown. The Community
Center Gallery is open during business hours, and all are welcome to
come and enjoy a respite from your busy day while contemplating "The
Nature of Things".
Public Hearings Scheduled
Public Hearings for the following applications have been scheduled for
the regular City Council meeting to be held on Monday, February 22,
2010. All of the applications are by the City of Cottage Grove:
A.
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE – DEVELOPMENT CODE TEXT AMENDMENT (DCTA 1-10) TO
AMEND SECTION 2.6.300 IN TITLE 14. Applicant is seeking to amend
Title 14 Development Code to amend Section 2.6.300 Historic
Preservation to clarify permitting requirements for historic buildings.
B.
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE – COMPREHENISVE PLAN AMENDMENT (CPA 1-10) TO
AMEND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE MAP. Applicant is seeking to
amend Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map to redesignate 1414 East
Washington Avenue (Map No. 20-03-28-44 TL 4500) and 59 South 15th
Street (Map 20-03-28-44 TL 4600) from L Low Density Residential to P
Parks and Open Space.
C.
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE – ZONE CHANGE (ZC 1-10) TO AMEND ZONING
MAP. Applicant is seeking to amend Zoning Map to rezone 1414 East
Washington Avenue (Map 20-03-28-44 TL 4500) and 59 South 15th Street
(Map 20-03-28-44 TL 4600) from R-1 Single Family Low Density
Residential to PR Parks and Recreation.
D.
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE – DEVELOPMENT CODE TEXT AMENDMENT (DCTA 2-09) TO
CORRECT SCRIVENER’S ERRORS IN TITLE 14. Applicant is seeking to
amend the Development Code to correct scrivener’s errors.
E.
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE – DEVELOPMENT CODE TEXT AMENDMENT (DCTA 3-09) TO
AMEND TEMPORARY USE PERMIT STANDARDS IN TITLE 14. Applicant is
seeking to amend Title 14 Development Code to amend standards related
to Seasonal and Special Event Use Permits.
Staff reports, planning commission hearing minutes, and recommendations will be provided for the agenda.
Quote of the Week
“This country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to take great risks.
Ronald Regan
January 15, 2010
Prescription Drug Discount Program
Participation continues to grow in the Prescription Drug Discount
program that is sponsored by the National League of Cities. Since
Cottage Grove joined the program 160 people have used the program for a
total savings of $2,558.93. Participants are averaging savings
of 22.7% on 262 prescriptions. That is an average savings
of $9.53 on each prescription. Discount cards are still available
and can also be printed online.
We can order more discount cards when they are needed. Cards can
be picked up at City Hall, Library/Community Center and at area
pharmacies. If you know of anyone that can benefit from the
program be sure to remind them of this valuable benefit.
Lane County Area Commission on Transportation
The Mayor and City Manager attended a meeting of local jurisdictions to
discuss the process to form an Area Commission of Transportation (ACT)
and how the ACT would be organized. Legislation was passed during
the last legislative session requiring the formation of a Lane County
ACT. Officials from all the cities, Lane County, Oregon
Department of Transportation, Lane Transit District, Port of Siuslaw
and other interested organizations met to begin the discussions.
The ACT’s primary responsibility is to review projects on the State’s
transportation system and recommend priorities for funding in the
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
WiFi Workshops
The City held the first of two CG WiFi
workshops on Tuesday, January 12th. The second workshop will be
held on Saturday, January 16th from 11:00am to 2:00pm at City
Hall. About 50 people attended Tuesday’s workshop dropping
in throughout the four hour period to get assistance with connecting to
the WiFi network and learning more about the operation of the
system. Over 600 usernames have been passed out for CG
WiFi. An informational booklet has been prepared to answer some
questions and provide some useful tips.
Cottage Grove Historical Society Meeting
The Cottage Grove Historical Society is holding a special meeting on
Saturday, January 16th at 10:00am in the Community Center to share the
history of the Cottage Grove Armory and its place in World War
II. The City Manager has been invited to come and speak about the
current status of the Armory.
YAC
The Cottage Grove Youth Advisory Council will be meeting on Monday, January 18th, from 6:00 to 7:30pm.
City Council Infrastructure Workshops Scheduled
The Cottage Grove City Council has scheduled two worksessions to
continue the discussion regarding utility infrastructure. The
first worksession is scheduled for Friday, February 19th from 1:00 to
2:30pm to discuss wastewater infrastructure. The second
worksession in scheduled for Friday, February 26th from 8:30 to 10:00am
to discuss stormwater infrastructure. Both worksessions will
begin at City Hall and will likely include a field visit as part of the
worksessions. Additional worksessions will likely be scheduled in
February to discuss streets and parks infrastructure with final
worksessions and discussions to be planned for compiling the
information.
January Election
Ballots have been mailed for the January 26th statewide election.
All voters should have received their ballots. If you have not
received your ballot, you should contact the Lane County Elections
office at (541) 682-4234.
Large Fallen Trees Removed from River
Over the past couple of months, rain and wind storms have caused
several larger trees to fall across and in the river. This
situation has created snags in the river, which catch smaller logs,
bushes, brush, trees, and other miscellaneous debris. These snags
can eventually become full-blown log jams if not relieved. In
addition, the large trees can float downstream during periods of high
water volume, which poses a danger to several bridge abutments.
To alleviate the problem, the Public Works crew has been removing and
cutting these larger trees into manageable sections. Some pieces
will be allowed to float downstream and come to a natural rest.
Other, larger pieces will be cut-up and given to the local Kiwanis Club
for distribution to families in need.
Prather Creek Dam Site Restoration
This week, the final piece of the Prather Creek Dam site restoration
will be completed. The Kennedy High School Conservation Corps
will be assisting the City of Cottage Grove with the planting of native
trees and shrubs in and around the former dam site, parking area, and
access road. In total, 35 native tree and shrub species will be
planted adjacent to Prather Creek, above the normal high water
line. The City purchased the trees and shrubs from Balance
Restoration and certified weed-free soil will be placed in the holes
when the trees and shrubs are planted to promote successful
growth. The entire area was reseeded with native grass seed last
November and early observations of the germination look promising.
Audit Committee Review of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2008-09
The Audit Committee will be meeting on January 26th at 11:00am, in the
Sinclair Room at City Hall, to review the Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report (CAFR) for the City of Cottage Grove, fiscal year end
2008-09. Once the review is completed, a report of
the findings will be made to the City Council. The complete CAFR
is available on the Finance Department’s page on the City’s webpage.
Library Open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
No school on Monday, January 18th, so it's a great day to stop by
the Cottage Grove Public Library to enjoy the day off and pick up a
great book. We have an awesome display of books about Martin Luther
King Jr. that you can check out, so stop by with the kids for some
great times at your Library.
Spanish Story Time at the Library
Join us at the Cottage Grove Public Library on Monday evenings at
6:30pm for Story Time in Spanish! Spanish and Bi-Lingual books will be
featured and all are welcome to come enjoy this new programing at the
Library.
Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair
Please plan to attend the Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair on Tuesday,
January 19th, from 5:00 to 8:00pm at Cottage Grove High School. This
free Community Fair will bring together many local community, civic,
and non-profit groups and organizations for an evening of networking,
sharing, and getting to know each other. It will be a great opportunity
to learn more about volunteer opportunities here in our community that
you and your family can participate in. Come check out the Cottage
Grove 2037 Vision and Action Plan that was developed through the
efforts of the People of Cottage Grove. Light snacks will be catered by
the students in the culinary class at the high school; this promises to
be a great community event. Hope to see you there!
Super Bowl Party at Middlefield Golf Course
Bring a friend and come enjoy all the golf you like for $10.00 and a
great Super Bowl Party for another $10 dollars on Super Bowl Sunday!
Sunday, February 7th is destined to be sunny and mild, a great day for
golf here in Oregon. The Super Bowl party, including food and drink,
begins at 3:00pm, so come golf before the party and join in the fun
watching the big game afterwards!
Don Lown Photography Exhibit Opens at Community Center Gallery
Stop by soon to see "The Nature of Things", an inspiring collection of
nature photography by local artist and resident Don Lown. The Community
Center Gallery is open during business hours, and all are welcome to
come and enjoy a respite from your busy day while contemplating "The
Nature of Things".
Community Development Awarded DLCD Technical Assistant Grant
The grant to assist with the second part of the process to look at
expansion of our urban growth boundaries was awarded by the Department
of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) in the amount of
$30,000. The City was awarded a grant to undertake the Economic
Opportunities Analysis which was completed last year and was the first
part of the process to review our urban growth boundaries. This
grant will be for the urbanization study as required by Goal 14 and
will involve hiring a consultant and a public process in development of
the recommendation to be considered by the City Council and the Lane
County Commissioners. Staff is working with DLCD staff and will
have an agreement including scope of work for Council’s consideration
at the next Council meeting.
Transportation Enhancement Grant for Reconstruction of Main & Hwy 99 Intersection
The Community Development Director, City Planner, City Engineer, and
Engineering Assistant met with representatives from various ODOT
divisions in the field to review the reconstruction project at Main
& Hwy 99 and the incidental signal and striping work to be done at
Hwy 99 & Harrison. This is the first step in developing a
scope of work and a new budget due to the delay in awarding the
Transportation Enhancement Grant by the Oregon Transportation
Commission. Once the scope of work and budget is developed an
agreement between ODOT and the City will be brought forward to Council
for their consideration.
Lane Preparedness Steering Committee
Emergency Program Manager Schesser attended the Steering Committee
meeting for Lane Preparedness Coalition where they were given an update
on H1N1 and discussed the Community Emergency Notification System
(CENS). The CENS group is looking at other vendors to see how the
technology is changing in order to get the best bang for our
money. A demonstration with the vendor who is the CENS contractor
for the State of Washington will be made later this month. The
other topic included a presentation from the State Fire Marshal’s
Office who made a presentation on Local Emergency Planning Committees
as they relate to hazardous materials and meeting federal
regulations. Emergency Program Manager Schesser has previously
been contracted by the Lane County Emergency Manager to head up this
committee for the southern portion of Lane County. More
information will be forthcoming once additional organizational meetings
are held.
Regional Housing Rehabilitation Program Policy Committee
Community Development Director Schesser and Citizen Representative
Haskell attended the quarterly meeting of the RHRP Policy
Committee. The agenda discussed the close out process for
Junction City program, the start up of the Lane County #4 program, and
the 2010 application to establish a program in Creswell. For the
Creswell program the Creswell School District boundaries are being
used. Anyone interested in the program within those boundaries
needs to contact St. Vincent dePaul in Eugene. Twenty-five
eligible applicants who own their own home and meet the minimum
qualifications are needed as a part of the application; over ten are
presently identified.
Cottage Grove Community Foundation
Councilor Fleck and Community Development Director Schesser attended
the monthly meeting of the Cottage Grove Community Foundation. The
topics of discussion included an update on the grant process which is
presently soliciting grants, and update and review of the goal planning
session held in December, development of the Green Earth Fund a local
organization, update of CGCF Board affiliations, CG fitness trail
funding, and the CG 2037 Community Fair.
Quote of the Week
The future depends on what we do in the present.
Mahatma Gandhi
January 8, 2010
Sesquicentennial Snippet Prize Winner
Congratulations to Colleen Shaw whose name was drawn for the
Sesquicentennial Snippet grand prize package. The package
included State and local items; an official State of Oregon mug,
coaster and flying disk, a thunder egg, an Oregon State flag, a $20
gift card at Save A Lot, a BMD 50th Anniversary Commemorative coin,
Sesquicentennial Station Cover from the Sweetheart Ball and a
Sesquicentennial and 50th Anniversary DVD. Thank you to everyone
who participated in the snippet fun throughout the year. We’ll
look forward to doing the Bicentennial Bits in fifty more years.
East Regional Park Restoration Work
Restoration work ramped up this week at East Regional Park.
Oregon Woods and the Kennedy Conservation Corps began working with the
Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council on Monday, January 4th, to
plant approximately 2700 willows and dogwoods around ponds at the
park. Power equipment such as a Bobcat with a power auger and a
2-person gas-powered auger were used to dig holes. Work-related
vehicles entered the park via the water treatment plant and traveled on
bike paths as needed. Pickups and trailers were used to bring
plants from Kennedy High School and from the Dorena Forest Service
Research Facility. A utility locate has been completed and the
restoration work is being done in consultation with Ray Pardee at the
water treatment plant, Tony Kirk, Utility Maintenance Supervisor, and
Russ Kaleese in Parks. Care is being taken to minimize impacts to park
users. Planting is expected to take approximately two
weeks. For more information contact Project Manager Pat French at
541-913-2716.
Chamber of Commerce 61st Annual Awards Banquet
The Chamber of Commerce 61st Annual Awards Banquet will be held on
Friday, January 22nd at the Catholic Church Parish Center. If
Councilors are interested in attending, please let Trudy in the City
Manager’s Office know no later than Wednesday, January 13th.
LCOG Appreciation Dinner
LCOG’s Appreciation Dinner will be held on Thursday, January 28th at
LCC, Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19. If Councilors
are interested in attending, please let Trudy in the City Manager’s
Office know no later than Wednesday, January 13th.
Growing the Grove Website
The Cottage Grove Economic Development Partnership has launched the
Economic Development web site. It is at www.growingthegrove.com
and contains information about Cottage Grove and resources in the
community. Check out this valuable economic development
tool.
EPUD Meeting
The City Manager and Russ Kaleese met with staff from Emerald People’s
Utility District to discuss the final concerns and make preparations to
install the City’s wifi radios in areas served by EPUD.
Beeper
The City Manager will be on KNND’s Beeper Show on Monday, January 11, 2010 from 8:30 to 9:30 am.
WiFi Workshops
The City will be holding CG WiFi workshops from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on
Tuesday, January 12th and from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, January
16th at City Hall to provide information about CG Wifi. Staff
will be available at the workshops to answer questions and provide
specific technical assistance to anyone interested using the wifi
system. Drop in during the hours of the workshops and get your
questions answered, get registered to use the system and learn how to
get better connections. The workshops are open and unstructured
for people to come and go anytime during the workshops. You can
even bring you computer and technicians will be on hand to help you get
connected.
Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair
Please plan to attend the Cottage Grove 2037 Community Fair on Tuesday,
January 19th, from 5:00-8:00pm at Cottage Grove High School. This FREE
Community Fair will bring together many local community, civic, and
non-profit groups and organizations for an evening of networking,
sharing, and getting to know each other. It will be a great opportunity
to learn more about volunteer opportunities here in our community that
you and your family can participate in. Come check out the Cottage
Grove 2037 Vision and Action Plan that was developed through the
efforts of the people of Cottage Grove. Light snacks will be catered by
the students in the culinary class at the high school; this promises to
be a great community event. Hope to see you there!
Super Bowl Party at Middlefield Golf Course
Bring a friend and come enjoy all the golf you like for $10 and a great
Super Bowl Party for another $10 on Super Bowl Sunday. Sunday, February
7th is destined to be sunny and mild, a great day for golf here in
Oregon. The Super Bowl party, including food and drink, begins at
3:00pm, so come golf before the party and join in the fun watching the
big game afterwards!
Don Lown Photography Exhibit Opens at Community Center Gallery
Stop by soon to see "The Nature of Things", an inspiring collection of
nature photography by local artist and resident Don Lown. The Community
Center Gallery is open during business hours, and all are welcome to
come and enjoy a respite from your busy day while contemplating "The
Nature of Things".
Great Stories Club Grant at Library
A special "Thank You" to Oprah's "Angel Network" for funding this
important grant that will provide 30 books for distribution to local
teens participating in the Great Stories Book Club. This book club will
involve students from Kennedy High School throughout the remainder of
this school year and is led by Cottage Grove Librarian Dena Sherman.
Thanks Dena for the great work and thanks Oprah for funding this
important project. Read On!
New I-Macs at the Cottage Grove Public Library
Ever dreamed of using a beautiful new 24" i-mac. Well your dreams have
come true. Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Cottage
Grove Public Library now has two AWESOME new 24" i-macs available for
your use. If you just want to surf the web, we have lots of other
computers that are good for that, but if you have a special project
that you've been hoping to work on then these are the machines for you.
Just check in with the Librarians for access to our new i-mac computers!
Public Works Crews
Public Work Crews have been busy with maintenance in several areas.
• The three lifts stations (Middlefield, Anthony & Ash Avenue) of the City were cleaned and maintained.
• Signs throughout the City were maintained and
replaced where necessary. Crews noted several signs were vandalized.
• Potholes were fill on the City’s unimproved streets.
• During the recent rains, some flooding occurred
along hole 15 at the Middlefield Golf Course. Crews removed
debris from culverts to allow drainage. Staff have been investigating
the entire drainage ditch/system for why this area is flooding with
normal rainfall conditions.
Chamber Railroad Bridge Update
Staff received a preliminary report from our consulting engineers,
OBEC, for the Chamber’s Railroad Bridge. The report explains the
existing conditions such as hydraulic and foundation investigations,
the methods/procedures that will be used for the restoration of the
bridge such as traffic control, public involvement, utilities, and
interpretive exhibits, etc. ODOT and City staff will review and comment
on the report so the project can move into the construction design
phase of the project.
Staff is working with OBEC to make application on all necessary permits
for the restoration of the bridge. The DSL/Corp permit is expected to
be completed next week so the bridge can be salvaged during the next
in-water work period (June 15, 2010 – October 31, 2010).
Quote of the Week
Here's to the
bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things
that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.
Author Unknown