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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2017)
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 19 Environmental groups Contractor builds to last in Sisters concerned about mega-dairy By Jim Cornelius News Editor PENDLETON (AP) — A coalition of health and envi- ronmental groups is asking Oregon officials to investi- gate construction of a mega- dairy in Morrow County. It’s unclear whether state agencies will sign off on the controversial 30,000-cow dairy farm, reported The East Oregonian. It hasn’t been determined whether Lost Valley Ranch broke the law by breaking ground long before it secured the neces- sary permits. Representatives from the health and environmental groups plan to meet face- to-face with state regula- tors in Portland on Friday. The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Quality are jointly responsible for out- lining how Lost Valley will manage the roughly 187 mil- lion gallons of liquid manure it generates each year and protect against groundwater contamination. The agencies said they haven’t yet issued a permit for Lost Valley, and the coali- tion said the dairy doesn’t have a construction storm water permit, either. “We will definitely be considering what our response should be,” said ODA Confined Animal Feeding Operations program manager Wym Matthews said. California dairyman Greg te Velde is developing Lost Valley Ranch. He did not comment on the coalition’s complaints other than to say that the company is work- ing through the permitting process. He also told The East Oregonian that Lost Valley Ranch has built milk barns and stalls on site, although he wouldn’t say exactly how much money has been spent so far. He would only describe the amount as “a lot.” The coalition is not only concerned that the farm is hurting the environment — it also believes it the mega- dairy could have violated laws by starting construction even though it still hasn’t registered as a business with the Secretary of State’s Office. There is already a Lost Valley Ranch, LLC, in Eastern Oregon. That ranch is registered to Robert and Joan Wade of Condon. “It suggests the company perhaps doesn’t take the per- mits seriously,” said Ivan Maluski, policy director for Friends of Family Farms, one of a dozen groups in the coalition. “That’s very prob- lematic as well.” Te Velde did apply for a confined animal feeding operation permit in August 2016. In the application, he described a system that stores liquid manure in six main lagoons and uses the nitro- gen-rich wastewater to irri- gate 5,900 acres of farmland, growing feed for the dairy’s cattle. ODA instructed the dairy to stop building the wastewa- ter system without its CAFO permit in November, and the dairy did comply with that request, said Matthews. But he said the state can’t stop them from building some other structures. Spay & Neuter Sponsorships Available for Dogs & Cats. Call Kiki at 541-549-9941. “I am very particular about what I do,” says contractor Ed Cook. “I’m all about detail.” That’s an ethic that Cook’s father instilled in him from an early age, and one that carried him through a long and dis- tinguished career in building restoration in Virginia. “My dad was my dad, my brother, my best friend and my teacher,” Cook recalled. “And I was taught if you can’t give 100 percent, don’t get out of your truck.” Cook is now bringing that lifelong commitment to qual- ity work to Sisters as 3 Sisters and Cook Contracting. Cook is quick to emphasize that he isn’t trying to elbow his way into the local trade. “There’s so much work that is here,” he said. “I’m not trying to take work away from anybody local … I just want to do what the local guys don’t want to do or can’t do — you know, they just can’t get to it.” He’s looking for modest- sized projects that he can take on himself. “There’s nothing I really can’t do,” he said. “I’m just going to be more selective because I want to be a one- man show out here.” Cook’s restoration busi- ness in Virginia is 69 years old, and he’s worked on his- toric homes of Founding YOUR YEAR-ROUND IRRIGATION EXPERT Backfl ow Installation & Testing Winterization Nelson Horse Waterers Underground Field Irrigation Residential Irrigation Services FURRY FRIEND S miller 501 ( c )( 3 ) FOUNDATION Furry Friends Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I R R I G A T I O N 541-388-0190 LCB#8234 FURRYFRIENDSFOUNDATION.ORG New Concepts in Low Back Pain Presented by Marie Risenmay, D.P.T. G R P T • Better understand back pain • Learn how pain becomes chronic • Why the low back is so susceptible • What to do to overcome, manage and resolve pain — Th ursday, January 19 — 5:30 p.m., Sisters Athletic Club Please RSVP | Call 541-549-6878 We’re Open! Wed. We d. thru t hr hru u Sun. Su n BREAKFAST & LUNCH 8 a. a.m.-2 p.m. a.m. . 2p .m.. DINNER 6 p.m. by reservation Call for reservations 541-516-3030 See our menu online at www.lakecreeklodge.com — Camp Sherman — PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS After many years of restoring homes in Virginia, Ed Cook has settled in Sisters and is ready to apply his commitment to quality to homes here. Fathers, like James Monroe, and the properties of movie stars. “I worked on some of the finest estates in Virginia,” he said. With so many buildings calling out for restoration, “we never did any new work at all,” he said. Cook is serious about his commitment to quality, and he’s not willing to cut corners or cheap-out. He’s not the bargain-basement guy — he prides himself on a job well done, built to last. And that offers the best value in the long run. “I’ve never cut corners and I never will,” he said. “To give a good product, you’ve got to use good materials. I want to sell the best product I can at the fairest price I can deliver to them.” Cook has been visit- ing Central Oregon for two decades, and he has felt most welcomed as he has moved into the Sisters community. He says he’s been well treated everywhere he goes. “The people here — it’s hard to explain ’em to people back East,” he said. “Everybody’s just gone out of their way to serve not just me, but to serve the community.” Cook is eager to find ways to pitch in and serve the com- munity himself. “I like to help people,” he said. “I’ve been blessed my whole life, and now it’s just time for me to give back as much as I possibly can with the time I’ve got left.” Contact 3 Sisters and Cook Contracting at 540-454-2040. Crazy- good comfort food! 541-549-EATS (3287) 243 N. Elm St. Sisters Tues.-Sun., 5-9 p.m. Walk-ins welcome!
