Our motto, "Together we can"  brings needs and resources together for the benefit of Cottage Grove.

Our goal is to enrich and extend work of paid staff and increase effectiveness in delivering services that are facing greater demand.  We also strive to create new partnerships by increasing active citizen involvement in government and city services and by increasing awareness of the goals of the City of Cottage Grove.

We invite you to become a partner in the future of Cottage Grove.  To find out how, contact the Community Coordinator's office at, 942-1185.

City Administration
The City of Cottage Grove has numerous commissions and committees that are comprised of citizens meeting various requirements.  The volunteers are appointed by the City Council to serve as advisors to the Council.  Periodically vacancies arise on the commissions and committees.  To determine current vacancies or possible appointments please check the City's Notices or Boards and Commissions pages.

Citizens of Cottage Grove (and in some instances residents within the Urban Growth Boundary) may file applications with the City Manager's Office at City Hall if they are interested in any of the following:

• Planning Commission
• Parking Commission
• Budget Committee
• Audit Committee
• Comprehensive Plan Advisory Board
• Urban Forestry Citizens' Advisory Committee 

Cottage Grove City Library
Volunteers have been responsible for many tasks in our library and for our library.  The most visible volunteer efforts are the Friends of the Library Book Sale and the Storytelling Program.  Other areas where we have used volunteers include book shelving, book repair and project footsteps.

We would like to have volunteers to shelf-read; adopt-a-shelf, section or periodical; clean, maintain and repair materials; organize an outreach program for the community (nursing homes, homebound, senior housing, etc. ).  Clerical help would also be valuable during weekends and evening hours.

Planning/Development
The Planning and Development Department has utilized volunteers in partnerships for special projects, the most recent being seeking historical designation for the downtown district with the Historical Society.

Qualified volunteers may be used in the future for research in land use and zoning, as advocates for preservation, drafting, land use inventories, data gathering, computer data entry, and file management.

Cottage Grove Police Department
Currently, volunteers are serving as police reserves.  Qualified applicants are trained and monitored by the Police Department.

Volunteer positions that may be available in the future are receptionist to distribute and receive reports, greet visitors and assist in answering non-emergency phone calls; records clerk to assist in filing and other clerical functions; handicapped parking patrol; community crime prevention education and park patrol.

Public Works Department
Volunteers serve as individuals and groups in numerous ways with Public Works activities.  They have served on the Parking Commission; maintained parks while the City did not operate its Parks program; served on steering committees for special projects, such as the Community Development Block Grant for the NW Neighborhood and the North Regional Park development plan; performed cleanup projects around town with the C.O.P.S. (Clean Our Parks and Streams) group.  Scouts have completed service projects such as building a picnic shelter in Prospector Park and benches in the greenway and at the Library.  A corporate volunteer, Pacific Power, annually hangs and removes the Christmas decorations from the poles in the downtown area.

Most recently, volunteers have been asked to serve on an Urban Forestry Advisory Committee to assist with the planning, financing and implementation of future tree and landscaping projects; and to participate in the C.O.P.S. Adopt-a-Block and Adopt-a-Can programs.
 

For more information on current volunteer opportunities or if you see a service you would like to volunteer to do contact: