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Council debates fate of donated pallet shelters; staff says storage and re-deployment require significant work
Summary
Council members, staff and residents discussed what to do with a set of pallet shelter units gifted by Lane County—options discussed included returning units, storing them for emergency use, or repurposing. Staff flagged electrical, siting and storage constraints and council asked staff to return with options.
City residents and councilors on July 29 pressed the Cottage Grove City Council for clarity on a cluster of pallet shelter units the city received during the COVID period and later returned in part to Lane County.
At public comment, Suzanne Reynolds of Downtown Cottage Grove asked why the pallet shelters “are just sitting out there” and whether they could be used to support people experiencing homelessness or sold to the public. Multiple councilors and staff replied that the units were procured as emergency shelters and that liability, management and funding considerations constrained broader use.
Public works director Faye Stewart said the units are not simple tents and require infrastructure to function. “Each unit requires, at least a 20 amp electrical feed to it,” Stewart…
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