Cottage Grove historic downtown gets messy makeover

COTTAGE GROVE – There’s no sugarcoating it: Sometimes the Main Street Revitalization project can be a real pain in the ear. It isn’t too pleasant on the other senses, either. 

The sense of community pride, though, is still standing strong … for the most part. The steady grind of construction work, the dusty atmosphere, and the slightly inconvenient parking hasn’t scared away too many people. 

“I like to say it’s like we’re having heart surgery,”…