BURKE, PANTHERS LEAVE LOCOMOTIVES IN THE DUST
– PAGE A10
Blue Mountain
The
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , J ANUARY 18, 2017
• N O . 3
• 18 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
From the backcountry
to the state board
Mt. Vernon pilot represents all of Eastern Oregon
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
“
I’m just
trying
to give
back to
something
I love.”
L
ocal pilot Doug Ferguson may fl y a small, two-seat
plane, but he carries a massive load in terms of the
area he represents on the Oregon State Aviation Board.
The engineer from Mt. Vernon was appointed to
the board for a four-year term in July, replacing Larry
Dalrymple of Pendleton, as the sole voice from Eastern Oregon.
“I represent everything east of the Cascades, and that’s what
they want me to do,” he said. “We need some representation out
here.”
After attending two meetings, Ferguson said the Oregon De-
pilot Doug Ferguson partment of Aviation staff are “go-getters” and he enjoys work-
ing with the other board members. He said his goal is to promote
general aviation and services in rural areas.
A 2-cent aviation fuel tax increase approved in 2015, with
the funds earmarked for aviation improvements, may help rural
air projects get off the ground. Ferguson said the tax is expected
to generate $3.5 million to $4 million each year, with about 25
percent slated for rural air service enhancements, 25 percent for
maintaining state airports and 50 percent for critical airport relief
grants for improvements, such as helicopter landing pads at the
Grant County Regional Airport in John Day.
Ferguson said a feasibility study for establishing commercial
fl ights in rural Oregon has been planned, and he looks forward to
seeing the results, though he admitted establishing commercial
services in places such as Grant County would be “a big order.”
See BOARD, Page A18
Doug Ferguson, who was appointed
to a four-year term representing all of
Eastern Oregon on the State Aviation
Board, shows off his 1959 model Cessna
182, which weighs about 1,000 pounds
and travels about 150 mph.
Eagle photos/Sean Hart
New, returning Prairie City offi cials take oath
Phippen joins
city council
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City City Coun-
cil welcomed a new face
Wednesday.
New City Councilman
Joe Phippen took the oath of
offi ce, along with returning
councilors Frank Primozic
and Georgia Patterson. Mayor
Jim Hamsher was also sworn
in for a third term
Phippen is a retired lum-
berjack and long-haul truck
driver. He and his wife have
been living in Prairie City for
seven years. They previously
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
From left: Prairie City City Councilors Frank Primozic,
Joe Phippen and Georgia Patterson, City Recorder Taci
Philbrook and Mayor Jim Hamsher take part in a city
council meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
lived in Seneca.
“I got tired of plowing so
much, and I got tired of the
really cold winters,” Phippen
said.
He ran for city council be-
cause he loves the town and
the people.
“I thought maybe I could
make a difference,” he said.
While on the council, he
wants to address the issue
of dogs running loose and to
work toward a new sewer sys-
tem for the city.
He knows many in the
community and takes pride
in helping people by plowing
snow with his tractor and do-
nating food from his garden to
the food bank.
Patterson served as the
city’s public works director
for 25 years and is beginning
her second consecutive term
as a city councilor. She was
raised in Portland but has
been a Grant County resident
for 36 years. She said this will
be her last term as a councilor,
and she is looking forward to
working on long-term proj-
ects such as the sewer system
upgrade.
Primozic served one term
as a city councilor, took a one-
term hiatus and is now begin-
ning his second term as a city
councilor. Primozic volun-
teers at the Dewitt Museum
in Prairie City and is looking
forward to helping with proj-
ects like the new sewer sys-
tem and other water projects.
He was born in Wise River,
Montana, and moved to Prai-
rie City in 2004.
During the meeting, Pub-
lic Works Director Chris Ca-
marena informed the council
one of the city’s main water
lines had frozen, cutting off
water to one resident. The
resident has family nearby
with access to running water
and has been supplied with
bottled water by the city, he
said.
The council also heard a
request from Dewitt Museum
Director Bob Shive for more
hours to be granted to the
museum to help keep up with
maintenance during the off
season. Shive also informed
the council of the continued
need for volunteers at the mu-
seum.
The city will soon be seek-
ing a new clerk to work 35
hours per week. The posting
for the job may go up as ear-
ly as February and will seek
someone with a solid grasp of
social media.
The council concluded the
meeting by unanimously vot-
ing to pay the city’s bills.
Rivers may rise with Grant Union alum named
warmer weather, rain county veteran service offi cer
Flooding not
expected
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Warmer temperatures and
rain may cause water levels to
rise this week.
The National Weather Ser-
vice does not anticipate fl ood-
ing in Grant County but has
warned of rising snow levels,
with lower-elevation rain, un-
til the snow levels begin grad-
ually receding Thursday. The
agency also issued a Winter
Weather Advisory for a “win-
try mix of precipitation” for
Dayville, Mt. Vernon, John
Day and Canyon City, and a
Winter Storm Warning for the
rest of the county, in effect un-
til 6 a.m. Thursday.
“The potential impacts
from the snow-melt and
rainfall runoff include pond-
ing of water where storm
drains or ditches are clogged
with snow and ice, ponding
of water in low lying areas
with poor drainage or frozen
ground, and possible ice jams
on small creeks and rivers
that have frozen over,” a Na-
tional Weather Service out-
look states. “While no major
See RAIN, Page A18
Former soldier
looks forward to
serving veterans
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
An Army veteran who
graduated from Grant Union
High School has been hired
as Grant County’s new vet-
eran service officer.
Jeff Wilcox enlisted twice
in the Army and once in
the National Guard, served
during Operation Desert
Storm and started in his new
role representing and help-
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Jeff Wilcox, Grant County’s new veteran service officer,
stands for a picture with his fiancée, April Petty.
ing county veterans Jan. 9.
“I think he’s going to be
great,” Grant County Com-
missioner Boyd Britton said.
“I see a lot of enthusiasm
there, and I’m glad to have
See VSO, Page A18