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Friday Update
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400 E. Main Street
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
(541)942-5501
Fax (541)942-1267
November 25, 2011
Special Thanksgiving Issue
Happy Thanksgiving. This special Wednesday edition of the Friday
Update is being produced since many will not be around on Friday.
Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving as you spend it with
friends and family.
Big Day for Cottage Grove
Saturday, December 3rd will be a big day for Cottage Grove, not only
will Santa be making a stop in our beautiful community to kick off the
holiday season and to personally turn on the lights on the community
Christmas Tree but the Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge will be opened
and dedicated. There will be an Open House from 2:30 to 4:00 pm
at the bridge with free hot cinnamon rolls and hot apple cider for the
first 300 visitors. There will also be souvenirs including
commemorative train whistles, Aurora Glass ornaments and more.
There will even be some free souvenirs for the first 500 kids to visit
the bridge. The dedication ceremony will be held at 4:00 pm and
will include speakers, luminaries and the official dedication of the
bridge for community use.
There will be free train rides on the Western Express Railroad (www.westernexpressrailroad.com)
between City Hall and the bridge from 2:30 to 7:00 pm. There will
also be a hay rides between City Hall and the bridge from 2:00 to 4:00
pm with a special hay ride from the bridge to the tree lighting after
the bridge dedication.
After the 5:00 pm tree lighting Santa will come to City Hall for his
annual visit and photo free photo opportunity with kids from 5:30 to
7:00 pm. After visiting with Santa you can hop the train and
check out the bridge with the lights and luminaries. There will
also be volunteers available to answer questions about the bridge’s
history.
The Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge is the only covered railroad
bridge remaining in Oregon and the only remaining covered railroad
bridge west of the Mississippi River. Only eight covered railroad
bridges remain in the country. The opening of the railroad bridge
is not only a big event for Cottage Grove but a major event for the
entire country. Visitors and guests from throughout the west will
be attending the dedication. For more information about the
Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge and to view pictures and videos of the
bridge reconstruction visit the City’s website.
Be sure to come and participate in all the events on December 3rd and
celebrate our unique heritage while kicking off the holiday
season. Thank you to our sponsors who have helped make the
events possible: Wildish, Umpqua Bank, Siuslaw Bank, Hayden Homes, The
Sentinel, Village Green Resort and Gardens, Sean Kelly Attorney, Best
Little Printhouse in Town, Oregon Covered Bridge Society, Oregon
Covered Bridge Festival, OBEC Consulting Engineers and Cascade Home
Center.
Beeper
The City Manager will be on KNND’s Beeper show on Monday, November 28th from 8:30 to 9:30 am.
Leaf Pickup
If you need to find some physical activity to burn off some of those
extra calories acquired this week you can rake leaves. The second
round of the leaf pickup begins on Monday, November 28th. This
weeks’ storms have definitely knocked most of the leaves down and
hopefully there will be a brief dry spell this weekend to get them
piled along the edge of the roads. For more information visit the
City’s webpage.
Wetland Mitigation Complete at Industrial Park
The City has received a letter from the Department of State Lands (DSL)
that we have fulfilled our obligation under the Fill & Removal
Permit for those wetlands that were filled as a result of the
development of the Cottage Grove Industrial Park. In order to
fill the regulated wetlands in the park, the city mitigated and
improved a larger wetland on the west side of the industrial park. The
City was required to plant additional trees and wetland plants and
monitor their success in survival over a five year time period.
Nancy Holzhauser of Environmental Solutions LLC located in Blue River
was the consultant that assisted the City in preparing a mitigation
plan and undertook the yearly monitoring and reporting to DSL.
The City will need to continue to provide yearly maintenance to the
wetland, however yearly monitoring and reporting to DSL will not be
required.
Water Pressure Irregularities
Cottage Height’s residents have been experiencing some water pressure
irregularities over the past several weeks. Public Works staff
has been working diligently to determine the cause of these pressure
irregularities. The Cottage Heights subdivision is served by a
pump station, which creates adequate service pressure to each
house. Over the past few weeks, some Cottage Heights residents
have been experiencing unusually high water pressure. Adjustments
were made to the booster pumps at the pump station and the pressure
spikes have appeared to subside, with the exception of one house.
Public Works will install a pressure regulating valve at this
particular house to alleviate any periodic high pressure problems that
might continue to occur. The City utilities crew continually
monitors three pump stations to ensure that water delivery pressure is
within acceptable levels.
Heard Farms Begins Biosolids Hauling
This week, Heard Farms hauled the first load of City biosolids to their
disposal facility near Sutherlin. The first load was 28 tons of
biosolids material. The City has accumulated approximately 15
loads of biosolids material since it was last land-applied on July
28th. Heard Farms will resume hauling the week of November 28th
and should be caught-up by the end of the first full week in
December. From that point forward, biosolids will be hauled and
disposed-of on a weekly basis or as full loads accumulate.
New City Hall Entrance Doors
The Public Works Department is obtaining price quotes for the
replacement of the front and rear main entrance doors in the City Hall
building. The doors will be replaced with ADA accessible type
doors. The project will entail the replacement of six
doors. This project is budgeted in the current fiscal year budget
and should be complete within the next several weeks.
Quote of the Week
Thanksgiving Day
is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you
do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.
E.P. Powell
November 18, 2011
Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge Dedication
Be sure to attend the open house for the Chambers Covered Railroad
Bridge on Saturday, December 3rd. The dedication of the bridge
will be held at 4:00 pm. There will be free train rides on the
Western Express Railroad from City Hall to the bridge and back.
There will also be hot apple cider, cinnamon rolls and souvenirs.
Don’t miss this exciting and historic event.
Youth Advisory Council
The Cottage Grove Youth Advisory Council will be meeting on Monday,
November 21st from 6:15 to 7:30 pm. The YAC will be working
on preparations for the Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge Dedication.
Preliminary Population Estimate
The City has received the Preliminary 2011 Population Estimate from
Portland State University. The preliminary population estimate
for Cottage Grove as of July 1, 2011 is 9,745 up from last year’s
certified estimate of 9,705.
Chamber Board Meeting
The City Manager and Councilor Fleck attended the Chamber of Commerce
Board meeting on Wednesday. The Board has hired Travis Palmer
from Boise, Idaho as the new Chamber Director. Travis’ first day
with the Chamber will be Monday, November 28th.
City Hall Closed on Thanksgiving
City Hall and all City offices will be closed on Thursday, November
24th for Thanksgiving. All offices will be open on Friday,
November 25th.
Reading with Rover at the Library
Please join us on Monday, November 21st, at 6:30 pm for “Reading with
Rover” at the Cottage Grove Public Library. This is a great opportunity
for your child to read to a trained therapy/companion dog. All ages
welcome to join in this reading fun!
Spot Asphalt Patching Complete
Western Asphalt has completed the asphalt patching project throughout
the City. Utilities Supervisor, Tony Kirk, had marked seventeen
places where the asphalt was crumbling, alligatoring, or sinking.
These areas were cut-out, filled with new compacted base rock
as-needed, and overlaid with new asphalt. This project will help
preserve the road surface and prolong the useful life of the road,
until such time that funds become available to complete an asphalt
overlay of the entire street.
Sweet Lane Water Line Installation Now Complete
HSC Construction has completed the installation of the replacement
Sweet Lane Water Line. The project consisted of the replacement
of approximately 1726 linear feet of twelve-inch ductile iron water
line, service line connections and appurtenances. Work commenced
on this project on Sweet Lane from approximately 100 feet west of
Highway 99 to South “R” Street. City crews have finished flushing
and disinfecting the newly installed water line. Customers have
all been disconnected from the old line and reconnected to the new
line. The existing water line that served Sweet Lane dates from
the late 1940’s and the line has been plagued by continual breaks and
leaks over the years. Total cost for the Sweet Lane water line
replacement project was $197,091.38.
WWTP Digester Upgrade Project Nearing Completion
The Oregon Department of Energy funded, WWTP Digester Upgrade project
is nearing completion. The two 75 horsepower Kaeser blowers, air
bubble diffusers and the variable frequency drives (VFD’s) have all
been installed. Stettler Supply, General Contractor, completed
all of the necessary trenching and installation of pipe and conduit
that was required for the electrical, plumbing, and structural
installations. Project engineers from BacGen Technologies were
on-site during the dewatering of the digester basins and the
installation of the air bubble diffusers. The dewatering of the
digester basins exposed a significant amount of grit accumulation that
needed to be removed with the City’s Vactor truck. The bubble
diffusers were tested for air leaks before the digester basins were
allowed to begin refilling. The digester basins were emptied,
cleaned, and the bubble diffusers installed one basin at a time.
The contractor was able to complete this work within the critical
weather window that was of concern. The only work remaining to be
completed on this project is the construction of the protective
structure over the Kaeser blowers, the installation of an extension to
the intake pipe that will deliver sludge material directly over the
bubble diffusers. The installation of the new bubble diffusers
now gives us dissolved oxygen (DO) residual readings of 1 mg/L
(milligrams per liter) to 6.8 mg/L, where before the DO residual was
nonexistent.
Quote of the Week
As we express our
gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to
utter words, but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
November 10, 2011
Veterans Day
Cottage Grove City offices will be closed on Friday, November 11th in
honor of Veterans Day. The American Legion and VFW will be
holding the Veterans Day ceremony at City Hall at 11:00 am and everyone
is invited to attend and participate.
I hope everyone can take a moment on Friday to recognize and express
appreciation of those who have served our country. On behalf of
City of Cottage Grove employees, I offer our sincere appreciation to
all veterans for the dedication and sacrifices they have made.
Veterans, thank you for your service.
City Council Meeting Canceled
The November 11th Agenda Session, and the November 14th City Council
meeting, have been canceled because there was nothing to be placed on
the agenda. The next regular meeting of the City Council will be
on Monday, November 28th at 7:00 pm.
Beeper
The City Manager will be on KNND’s Beeper Show from 8:30 to 9:30am on Monday, November 14th.
Petitions Submitted
The chief petitioners for the five proposed initiatives have submitted
the petitions with signatures on Thursday. The petitions have
been submitted to Lane County Elections for signature
verification. The petitions must have at least 452 verified
signatures of registered voters. If the signatures are verified,
the initiatives would likely be on the March election.
Information about the proposed initiatives will be posted on the City’s
elections webpage.
Leaf Pickup
The first round of leaf pickup begins on Monday, November
14th. The pickup is only for leaves. Leaves can
be placed in the curbside parking areas on streets but should be placed
to avoid blocking motor vehicle traffic, bicycles or the flow of storm
water in the gutter. The next round of leaf pickup will be
the week of November 28th.
Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge Open House and Dedication
Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, will be the Chambers
Covered Railroad Bridge Open House and dedication. Everyone is
invited to attend the Open House and experience the beautifully
restored Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge and the history that will be
brought to life through the bridge. Following the Open House
attend the dedication ceremony at 4:00 pm. Guests from around the
west coast will be in attendance.
Police Department Training
Mellissa Bates, Records Evidence Coordinator, attended Managing
Property and Evidence in Law Enforcement Training in Portland on
November 8th and 9th. Training was by the International
Association for Property and Evidence Inc.
Classic Film Festival at the Library
Please join us at the Cottage Grove Public Library for a screening of
"Cimarron", starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. The film will show in
the Shepherd Room on Thursday, November 17th at 1:00 pm. This
film is free so bring a friend and come enjoy this classic film.
Reading with Rover at the Library
Please join us on Monday, November 21st at 6:30 pm for “Reading with
Rover” at the Cottage Grove Public Library. This is a great opportunity
for your child to read to a trained therapy/companion dog.
Winter Rates at the Golf Course
Time to take advantage of the lovely Fall weather with a round of golf
at Middlefield Golf Course at the discounted winter rates. You
can play 9 holes for a mere $10 or 18 holes for $15! This is a
great deal so bring a friend and stop by soon for some Oregon Fall
& Winter golf fun!
Quote of the Week
Bridges are America’s cathedrals.
Anonymous
November 4, 2011
Youth Advisory Council
The Cottage Grove Youth Advisory Council will be meeting on Monday,
November 7th from 6:15 to 7:30 pm. The YAC will be
discussing ideas for projects. One of the projects they will be
discussing is bicycle safety on the Row River Trail and throughout the
community.
Cottage Grove Economic Development Summit
The 2nd Annual Cottage Grove Economic Development Summit will be held
on Wednesday, November 9th from noon to 2:00 pm at the Village
Green. Any City Councilor interested in attending should contact
Trudy on Monday to RSVP for the event.
Manager’s Meeting
The City Manager attended a meeting of the local government managers in
Lane County on Thursday. The managers met and discussed items of
concern for the communities and shared information about
projects. The managers also received a report regarding the
recruitment process for the LCOG Executive Director.
Leaf Pickup
Leave your leaves with us. The weather finally changed, making
the Fall colors visible all over the City and the leaves have begun
falling. The first round of leaf pickup will begin on Monday,
November 14th. Pile your leaves in the parking area on the
streets near the curb and City crews will collect the leaves and haul
them away. The leaves are mulched and used on projects in
throughout the City. For more information about the leaf pickup
program, visit http://cottagegrove.org/publicworks/leaf.html.
Veterans Day Ceremony
On Friday, November 11th the VFW and American Legion will be
holding a Veterans Day Ceremony in the Cottage Grove City Council
Chambers at 11:00 am. Everyone is invited to attend the ceremony
and honor the veterans from our community.
Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge Dedication
Don’t forget to mark Saturday, December 3, 2011 on your calendars and
hold the date open for the dedication of the restored Chambers Covered
Railroad Bridge. There will be an Open House from 2:30 to 4:00 pm
at the bridge and the Dedication ceremony will be at 4:00 pm.
After the ceremony hop on one of the hayrides to downtown to enjoy an
evening with Santa as the downtown businesses kick off the holiday
season. For your convenience you can park downtown, ride a
hayride to the bridge for the Open House and ceremony, then ride the
hayride back downtown and avoid the hassle of parking near the
bridge.
Daylight Savings Time - Fall Back
This Saturday don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour and “fall back” for daylight savings time.
Budget Committee Vacancies
The City is currently seeking applications for two open positions on
the Cottage Grove Budget Committee. These are three year terms
which will expire December 31, 2014. The deadline to apply is
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 5:00 pm. Applications can be picked
up at City Hall. Any questions, contact Bert Olsen, Finance Director,
at (541) 942-3346.
Fiber Project Pre-build Conference
City staff met with representatives from Lane Council of Governments
(LCOG) and the contractor on the Broadband Technology Opportunity
Program project. LCOG is coordinating the grant project to
install fiber in many of the communities in the region. The
construction of the section of the project in Cottage Grove will be
starting in a few weeks. The fiber construction will include the
installation of over 10,000 feet of new fiber from the City fiber vault
on South 5th Street and Main to the hospital. The BTOP fiber will
be connected to the City’s network and the City will operate the fiber
to as a part of the City’s network. This fiber project will
connect the library, LCOG offices and City Shop to the fiber network
and will make fiber available at the hospital.
Street Light Survey
With the change back to standard time occurring this weekend, Public
Works will soon be undertaking a survey of all street lights throughout
the City to identify any street lights that are not working.
Street lights throughout the City are owned and maintained by Pacific
Power, EPUD, the City, or private homeowner associations. Street
lights that are not functioning correctly will be noted and reported to
the proper authority for repair. If you see a street light that
is burned out or not functioning correctly, note the pole number and
report it to Public Works at 541-942-3349 and we will phone in the
repair order.
Spot Asphalt Patches
Beginning next week and continuing for two weeks, Western Asphalt will
be completing asphalt patches throughout the City. Utilities
Supervisor, Tony Kirk, has marked numerous places where the asphalt is
crumbling, alligatoring, or sinking. These areas will be cut-out,
filled with new compacted base rock as needed, and overlaid with new
asphalt. This action helps preserve the road surface and prolongs
the useful life of the road, until such time that funds become
available to complete an asphalt overlay of the entire street.
Knox Hill Reservoir Kick-off Meeting
On Wednesday of this week, Water Production Superintendent, Ray Pardee
and City Engineer, Ron Bradsby met with principals of Water Recycle
Engineering for the Knox Hill water reservoir evaluation and repair
project. Water Recycle Engineering will analyze the condition of
the concrete and caulk, recommend needed repairs, develop plans and
specifications, and provide cost estimates to complete the
repairs. The group reviewed the as-built drawings for both water
reservoirs, and traveled to the reservoir site to observe the condition
of the hatches, concrete, caulk, and exposed reinforcing steel.
The final report from the engineering firm will be used to prepare an
RFP to address the needed repairs, to be distributed to area concrete
contracting companies.
Police Training
Police Chief Michael Grover attended the Glock Armorer’s Course, in
Albany on October 25, 2011. Chief Grover is now a Certified
Armorer for all Glock Model Pistols (except G18/C Select-Fire models).
On November 2, 2011, Commander Dan White attended training on
Supervisor Force Liability Prevention at the Serbu Juvenile Justice
Center in Eugene. The course countered the latest Plaintiff's
litigation tactics by providing practical guidelines and
checklists for the police force response and its documentation by
officers and supervisors.
Classic Film Festival at the Library
Please join us on Thursday, November 17th at 1 pm in the Shepherd Room
at the Cottage Grove Community Center for a screening of "Cimarron",
starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. This film is free, so bring
a friend and come enjoy this classic film.
Reading with Rover at the Library
Please join us on Monday, November 7th at 6:30 pm for “Reading with
Rover” at the Cottage Grove Public Library. This is a great
opportunity for your child to read to a trained therapy/companion dog.
Winter Rates at the Golf Course
Time to take advantage of the lovely Fall weather with a round of golf
at Middlefield Golf Course and take advantage of our discounted winter
rates! Currently you can play 9 holes for a mere $10 or 18 holes
for $15. What a deal! So bring a friend, watch the weather,
and stop by soon for some Oregon Fall & Winter golf fun!
Aaron Ray Leaves
A reception for Aaron Ray was held to send Aaron off to his new
position with Benton County Planning Department located in
Corvallis. Aaron has worked on the Row River Nature Park Plan and
developed the permit tracking program for planning applications for the
Community Development Department. We wish Aaron well in his new
position.
Fall Back on Sound Advice: Time to Change Your Clock and Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
Emmitsburg, MD. – As our nation moves back to Standard Time beginning
this weekend, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to
mark the occasion as a time to test your home smoke alarms.
Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur.
Working smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a
deadly home fire. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is
the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a
fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you're awake or asleep,
a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert scanning the air for fire
and smoke.
In addition to checking your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the
USFA recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your
loved ones, and your home:
• Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.
• Test alarms once a month using the test button.
• Replace the entire alarm if it's more than 10 years old or doesn't work properly when tested.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home,
including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
• For the best protection, equip your home with a
combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor
alarms.
• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home
so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are
available at most stores that sell smoke alarms.
• Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
Finally, prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved
ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to
meet in a place a safe distance from the fire and where first
responders can easily see you.
For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire
prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov/smokealarms
Emergency Alert System (EAS) National Test - Wednesday, November 9th at 11:00 am
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will
conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The national test will occur on Wednesday, November 9 at 11:00 AM PT
and will last 30 seconds. DO NOT CALL 911 CENTERS!
The EAS is a national alert and warning system established to enable
the President of the United States to address the American public
during emergencies. NOAA's National Weather Service, governors
and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system
to issue more localized emergency alerts.
Similar to local EAS tests that are already conducted frequently, the
nationwide test will involve broadcast radio and television stations,
cable television, satellite radio and television services and wireline
video service providers across all states and the territories of Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
On November 9, the public will hear a message indicating that "This is
a test." The audio message will be the same for both radio and
television. Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters,
cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers,
direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service
providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS
messages to the public. A national test will help the federal partners
and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system and its
effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential
dangers nationally and regionally.
Quote of the Week
I don't mind going
back to daylight saving time. With inflation, the hour will be the only
thing I've saved all year.
Victor Borge