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tourists that would give them
reason to stay longer. Other
benefi ts included connection
of the communities in new
ways, a place for seniors and
disabled to walk, personal use
for exercise and a safer route
for commuting.
The top reasons for oppo-
sition included concerns over
litter or damage to private
property, concerns about main-
tenance and future funding,
concerns about interruption or
danger to agricultural opera-
tions and a desire to maintain
roadless sections of the Wal-
lowa and Grande Ronde rivers.
All concerns will be ad-
dressed as the plan moves
forward, according to Terry
Edvalson, Joseph Branch Trail
Consortium Project Coordina-
tor.
To that end, the Main-
tenance and Management
Committee, which is an inde-
pendent citizens committee,
continues to work with the
Wallowa Union Railroad Au-
thority (WURA) to advise on
policy and procedures related
to management and mainte-
nance.
The WURA board con-
fi rmed last May that it would
be responsible for the develop-
ment and management of the
trail and that it had submitted
applications to the U.S. Fed-
eral Highway Administration
(USFHA) for funding of the
Joseph-to-Enterprise segment.
The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife also has of-
fered the use of Marr Pond
recreation area as a trailhead in
Enterprise.
Representatives of the US-
FHA have since come out for a
site tour, Edvalson said.
“We still need to come up
with that match,” Edvalson
said. “We’ll be providing an
update on fi nancing at an up-
coming public meeting.”
The Joseph Branch Trail
Consortium oversaw the cre-
ation of a database of land-
owners with properties adja-
cent to the rail so as to keep
them all in the loop, and has
provided landowners multiple
opportunities to discuss con-
cerns. Those concerns serve as
a basis for refi ning policies and
principles within the manage-
ment and maintenance plans,
Edvalson said.
“We’re looking at positive
mitigation strategies in our
discussions,” said Edvalson.
“That will be ongoing. You
have to maintain good relation-
ships with your neighbors.”
Edvalson recently an-
nounced a workshop sched-
uled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct.
25 at the Tomas Conference
Room, 309 S. River Street in
Enterprise. Attendees will hear
a review of the Anderson Perry
and Associates design engi-
neering report, which includes
a discussion of wetlands, en-
vironmental conditions and a
recommended placement of
the trail along the route be-
tween Joseph and Enterprise.
An update on the fi nancial sit-
uation also will be provided,
and the draft management plan
will be discussed with oppor-
tunities for public comment
before the plan is presented to
the WURA board.
The plans as they have pro-
gressed will be available for
review online at www.jseph-
branchtrail.org beginning Oct.
17, and hard copies will be
placed at public libraries, city
halls and county commission-
ers’ offi ces.
GRANGE
they emphasized the neces-
sity for careful assessment
and individualized, mandated
treatment as a condition of the
lower conviction.
Lest the legislature gut
recidivism programs already
in existence, the chiefs and
sheriffs also make it clear that
there should be no “savings”
through reductions in Com-
munity Corrections funding.
Access to drug court or other
accountability tools also are
considered essential.
“We must be clear,” the
statement reads. “It is imper-
ative that mandated assess-
ments and treatment services
accompany this change in
drug-crime policy so that
individual risks and needs
can been identifi ed and ad-
dressed.”
Wallowa County is in a
better position than many
counties with regard to “ac-
countability tools” in that it
has oversight of misdemean-
or cases. Parole Offi cer Kyle
Hacker has agreed with local
judges to take some of those
on, according to Wallowa
County Sheriff Steve Rogers.
However, many counties
do not have such an arrange-
ment.
“What this means state-
wide is we’ll have all those
misdemeanor drug users un-
supervised,” Rogers said. “I
think if this happens you’ll
see street crime go way up.”
His major concern, howev-
er, is that offenders who have
no intention of going straight
will be free to own fi rearms
once their probation ends,
since they were not charged
with a felony.
“I’m totally opposed to let-
ting people own guns who are
not of sound mind,” Rogers
said.
These are exactly the kind
of comments that Teague
hopes sheriffs and chiefs will
bring to a work group that will
be established as crafting of
the potential new regulations
moves forward.
“There is no heated debate
about whether it is the right
thing to do,” Teague said.
“(However) chiefs and sher-
iffs wanted to have a hand in
what this law will look like.”
Rogers looks at his email
and reads some pretty warm
comments from other sheriffs,
but is so far holding his fi re.
“This thing will get jock-
eyed around, changed and
moved a dozen times before it
becomes law,” he said.
And although he has not
weighed in on the subject,
Rogers guarantees that he will
if he doesn’t agree with the
decisions made.
Continued from Page A1
Of those who responded,
72.8 percent of business own-
ers supported the entire El-
gin-to-Joseph project. Another
11.2 percent supported seg-
ments of the trail. Opposition
accounted for 10.4 percent of
the vote, and 5.6 percent had
no comment.
Business owners who sup-
ported only segments mostly
indicated that their approval
went to the Joseph-to-Enter-
prise portion of the trail. The
Enterprise-to-Lostine and Los-
tine-to-Minam portions also
garnered substantial support.
The top two reasons given
for support were that the trail
would create a place for fam-
ilies and children to exercise
while providing an amenity for
DRUGS
Continued from Page A1
That is not the only prob-
lem with felony convictions
for drug offenses, said Keizer
Police Chief John Teague, one
of the signers of the statement.
“A number of the sheriffs
and district attorneys gath-
ered together with the Crim-
inal Justice Commission and
learned about the dispropor-
tionate ratio of minorities in
Department of Correction
facilities,” Teague said. “It
looked like a place where we
could make a difference was
with fi rst-time offenders.”
This attempt to “make a
difference” is part of an over-
all move in the justice sys-
tem toward problem solving,
Teague said.
That move toward problem
solving rather than increased
incarceration was a main
driver for law enforcement
agencies to come together to
discuss and recommend new
sentencing that expresses a
“more thoughtful approach
to drug possession when it is
the only crime committed,”
Teague said.
Oregon’s sheriffs and
chiefs of police were careful
to qualify their recommenda-
tions by specifying that the
knockdown to a misdemean-
or charge would be avail-
able only to persons with us-
er-amount convictions. Larger
quantities would still be con-
sidered a felony under the rec-
ommendations. Furthermore,
Coats
for Kids!
Please bring your
new or gently used
coats, hats, gloves
and boots to:
Bank of EO,
Community Bank in
Joseph and Enterprise,
Safeway and
Joseph High School
during the entire
month of October
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601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org
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Hurricane Creek Road
Enterprise, Oregon
541-426-3116
OPEN 7 DAYS
A WEEK
Continued from Page A1
The 40-by-40-foot space that
is fi nished is all well lit, newly
fl oored, and free span, provid-
ing open space for dancing,
dining or a wedding procession.
Saturday (Oct. 15) the
building will host a “Welcome
Home” harvest party with cider
pressing, a potato bar and apple
pie dessert, a book signing for
Lostine resident Eileen Thiel’s
memoir “Seasons Silently
Waiting,” dance music by (Ter-
ri and Gary) Moffi t Band, and
plenty of conversation. Ask
grangers about their plans for
future events and you’ll get an
earful of great news.
The hall is open for rental,
now, too. Call Scot Colony at
541-398-1828 for more infor-
mation.
A Non-Profi t Community Health Center
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OHSU Resident
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October 12, 2016
A5
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Sarah Skog, MD
Sept. 27 — Oct. 20, 2016
and Nov. 7 — Nov. 17, 2016
Hours:
Monday-Friday
7:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday
9:00am to 1:00pm
603 Medical Parkway
Enterprise, OR 97828
Join us weekendss
in October
to view the fall colors and
enjoy the crisp fall air
SEE YOU AGAIN 2017 SEASON: MAY 20 thru
OCTOBER • 5 DAYS A WEEK
NEXT YEAR
P edal through the beautiful Wallowa Valley
Book Now at www.jbrailriders.com
E-mail jbrailriders@gmail.com