Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Shelter Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council clarifies overnight camping site behind Dairy Mart after citizen questions
Summary
A resident asked for clarification about a temporary camping site; councilors and city staff confirmed the site is opened nightly by city staff and is intended as a temporary sleeping site with set hours.
A Cottage Grove resident raised questions about a temporary sleeping site that had signage and fencing, prompting council discussion and staff clarification.
During the public comment period, resident Suzanne Reynolds asked for clarity about an area she described as the former pallet-site and asked whether the site was open and who could use it. She said signage included mixed messages: “No overnight parking,” “park is closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.,” a notice that left belongings would be removed, and “no camping” citations referencing “Cottage Grove MC code 12.24.”
Councilor Bridal responded that the fenced site behind the Dairy Mart is operated as a sleeping site: the gate is opened in the evening by public works employees or police at 5 p.m., people may camp there overnight, and the gate is closed the following morning at 8 a.m. A city official identified in the transcript as the chief (name not specified in that exchange) confirmed the site is still being opened in the evenings and that nightly usage ranges from about five to a dozen people on different nights.
Public Works Director Faye Stewart later confirmed to the council that hours had been adjusted for winter and that the site remains in use. No ordinance changes were proposed during the meeting; the remarks were presented as clarification of existing operating practices. The council did not take a formal vote on the camping-site policy at this meeting.
