Winners of 2015 Wallowa County Digital Photo Contest!
PAGE A5
www.wallowa.com
Enterprise, Oregon
February 18, 2015
$1
Joseph gov’t to
try scaled-down
street bond
By Stephen Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
The Joseph City Council
forged ahead with its latest ef-
fort to fund street repair. The
council hammered out a reso-
lution to place a $1.2 million
bond levy on the May ballot.
The new levy is a scaled-
down version of a more com-
prehensive $2.55 million
street repair levy that met
defeat at the ballot box in No-
vember of 2014.
Previous town hall meet-
ings on the subject failed to
bring citizens into majority
support for any of the three
proposals the council set be-
fore the public.
Mayor Dennis Sands
opened the council’s Feb. 5
meeting telling the council it
must quickly reach a decision
on a proposal in order to place
it on the May ballot.
Sands repeated a previous
proposal to raise street repair
funds by placing a monthly
surcharge on city sewer/wa-
ter bills. He emphasized the
surcharge would not be fund-
ing anything related to sewer/
water. The city would merely
be utilizing those bills as a
means of collecting fees for
the streets.
The debt service on the
$1.2 million plan amounts
to $100,000 per year for 20
years. Divided among the
town’s 600 billable meters,
the monthly bill addition
amounts to approximately
$13.90.
Sands added that further
investigation showed the city
carried an additional 146 tax
lots with no permanent struc-
tures attached. The mayor
speculated that at least some
of the lots possessed water/
sewer connections. He added
the addition of the 146 tax lots
to the billable mix could low-
er the monthly rate to $10.65.
“To me, it seems feasible; it’s
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said.
See BOND, Page A9
Dr. Grandi decides
to take a year off
By S.F. Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
After more than 12 years
of service, Dr. Renee Gran-
di of Winding Waters Clinic
in Enterprise announced her
decision to take a year-long
sabbatical.
Grandi came to the area af-
ter a serious recruiting effort
by the Enterprise community,
which included a dinner at
Fishtrap house with about 20
attendees. “They sat around
the table and they told their
stories, and it was like people
you felt you’d known forever.
The community is what sold
us on the job,” Grandi said.
However, long hours and
a changing medical climate
take their toll. “I’m kind of at
a tipping point here. One of
the reasons I’m taking a year
off is the tremendous hours
and the neglect of my family.
I have a teenage daughter I’d
like to spend the summer with
before she takes off to France
for a year as an exchange
C HIEFTAIN
WA L L O WA
C O U N T Y
Wallowa County’s
Newspaper Since 1884
Dr. Grandi
student,” Grandi said. She
added that her husband of 22
years desires more time with
her and that her friends in the
community feel neglected as
well.
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culties with changes in the
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gone to a much more com-
puterized world since I’ve
been here. I’m not good at the
See GRANDI, Page A9
Courtesy photo/Dolores Bridges
A hiker on the East Moraine gazes southward, toward the head of Wallowa Lake.
Coalition closer to
purchase on moraine
money, is set to expire in best-preserved glacial land-
September 2015.
scapes” — will be preserved.
And, according to last
Hayward, highly involved
An effort to permanently week’s press release from ZLWK WKH ¿UVW PDMRU HIIRUW WR
protect the East Moraine of Wallowa Land Trust, a recent preserve the East Moraine
Wallowa Lake from devel- vote in the U.S. Senate to re- that evolved through an ap-
opment, an undertaking in its authorize the program fell one praisal effort before falling
second major foray with new vote shy of passage.
short of its goal, hopes the
players, appears closer to suc-
But all is not lost. In re- purchase of more than half
cess than ever before.
cent weeks, both U.S. Sen. of the East Moraine with the
A $3 million award re- Ron Wyden, Oregon Dem- help of Forest Legacy funding
quest through the federal ocrat, and U.S. Rep. Greg materializes. He says that For-
Forest Legacy grant program Walden, Oregon Republican, est Legacy’s overriding pur-
has been designated No. 10 have expressed strong com- pose of maintaining forestry,
priority status among 19 suc- mitments to have the bill grazing, and public access to
cessful requests nationwide. reauthorized. Ackley is con- select areas is consistent with
Collectively, the requestors vinced the reauthorization the county’s longstanding de-
are targeted to receive $61 will happen. She says, “It’s sires for the East Moraine.
million to implement onshore a popular program across the
Ackley points out that
conservation projects ranging country with strong biparti- gaining the $3 million, even
in cost as high as $6.5 million. san support.”
if it does happen, only would
And yet the good news
And regardless of the reau- be the start.
IRUWKH¿YHSURQJHGFRDOLWLRQ thorization effort’s outcome,
At best, Forest Legacy will
called the Wallowa Lake Mo- Ackley declares, the East Mo- not pay beyond 75 percent of
raines Partnership that sub- raine — which she describes the total cost of a project and
mitted the grant application as “one of North America’s Hayward says additional mon-
is tempered somewhat by an most perfectly formed and ies likely would need to come
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sional business.
Wallowa Land Trust Exec-
utive Director Kathleen Ack-
ley, a primary writer of that
grant, admits the $3 million
might not be forthcoming.
The coalition current-
ly includes Wallowa Land
Trust, Wallowa Resources,
The Trust for Public Land,
Wallowa County, and the
Oregon State Parks & Rec-
reation Department.
One reason the funding
could fall through, points
out Wallowa County Com-
Courtesy photo/Anette Christoffersen
missioner Mike Hayward, is
that the 50-year-old federal Horseback riders on the East Moraine. If Congress
Land and Water Conserva- reauthorizes the Federal Land and Water Conservation
tion Fund, from which For- Fund, preservationists are positioned for grant funding
est Legacy draws its grant that would purchase more than half of the moraine.
By Rocky Wilson
Wallowa County Chieftain
L AKE SUNRISE IMAGE PEOPLE ’ S FAVORITE
Volume 132 Issue No. 44
© 2015 EO Media Group
from state agencies, such as the
Oregon Watershed Enhance-
ment Board, or from private
foundations or contributors.
The 10th-rated grant ap-
plication was submitted to
purchase 1,533 acres of the
East Moraine from one will-
ing seller, the Ronald C. Yan-
ke Family Trust. That family
trust owns about 250 addi-
tional acres there that it’s also
willing to sell, but the lack of
tree cover on so much of the
East Moraine, matched with
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But even the 1,533 acres is
a far cry from the overall mo-
raine protective aspirations of
the Wallowa Lake Moraines
Partnership.
Fully aware that Forest
Legacy operates by purchas-
ing easement rights as well as
assisting in outright purchases
of private land, the Moraines
Partnership is negotiating
with all landowners of the
East Moraine to buy addition-
al lands or easements.
In regard to the 1,533
acres, Ackley says, “Probably
one of the most comprehen-
sive appraisals in Wallowa
County for some time should
be ready soon.” Once that’s
available, she says, an Option
Agreement between Ronald
C. Yanke Family Trust and
the Moraines Partnership
will be signed with set dollar
amounts and time limits, and
the Partnership’s work can be-
gin in earnest.
Actually realizing the $3
million grant award would
spur others to also give to the
project, suggests Ackley.
Coming soon:
free historic
tour by phone
By Rob Ruth
Wallowa County Chieftain
Photo by Mike Despot
Boise resident Mike Despot, who likes to vacation at Wallowa Lake, produced this People’s
Choice 1st Place photograph, “Golden Sunrise,” in the recently concluded 2015 Wallowa
County Digital Photo Contest, sponsored by the Wallowa Valley Photo Club and the Wallowa
County Chieftain. For complete lists of People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winners, along
with some of the winning photos, turn to Page A5.
ENTERPRISE — Members of the city’s Histor-
ic Landmarks Commission can anticipate a decided
uptick this year in visits to historic buildings, the re-
sult of a new program of free and convenient audio
tours that’s launching over the next several months.
For visitors or anyone else, reaching a friend-
ly voice that narrates a given structure’s history
will be as simple as placing a phone call, then
punching in the short number identifying the
building the caller wants to hear about. That
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or, making this “audio tour” an all-hours service.
“The business doesn’t have to be open,”
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landmarks commissioners. The audio recording
can include some information about the build-
ing’s currently housed business in addition to
the structure’s older history, Rudger adds.
Michele Young, city administrator, says the au-
dio tour program is getting its launch courtesy of
a two-year, $3,500 grant through Oregon govern-
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See TOURS, Page A9