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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
COUGARS PLAY TOUGH BUT FALL IN OPENER Wallowa High School gridders come out tough but lose a to St. Paul, one of the highest ranked teams in the state | A9 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com 135th Year, No. 22 Wednesday, September 11, 2019 $1.50 Joseph City Council OKs draft plans for new subdivision By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain Tyanne Jacksin of Rathdrum, Idaho, gallops Starbucks Baby toward the fi nish line in the Speedball race. It was the winning ride in the event. Photos by Ellen Morris Bishop Mule Days boasts long-ears galore Weather dampens attendance, but not competition By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain The 39th annual celebration of Hells Canyon Mule Days went off with plenty of hitches. Four mule hitches, two mule hitches, and single-mule hitches that is, along with races and riders. There were lots of other fun events, including the annual Dutch Oven Cook- off, Cowboy poetry, and Kristyn Harris’ outstanding concert. “We had great attendance, considering the weather” said Mule Days president Sondra Lozier, “and an increased number of entries.” What was really import- ant, Lozier emphasized, was the larger number of youth who participated in the events. The weather cooperated on Friday, September 6th, with mild temperatures and fi tful sunshine. But Sat- urday the weather changed, and in the afternoon around 4 p.m., a thunderstorm generated rain, hail, Mary (left) and Jean wait patiently for their next event, while Brian Cook holds the reins. At its regular meeting on Thursday, September 5th, the Joseph City Coun- cil gave fi nal conditional approval to the Mountain Meadows subdivision. Located on the northeast boundary of Joseph, the project will bring 49 new single family residence homes to the city, and one small park that will serve as the subdivision’s open-space . It may help ease the growing pains and housing shortage in the county. Wallowa surveyor Matt Brockamp presented plans updated since an earlier (May) meeting in which the preliminary plan was sent back for some redesign. The Mountain Meadow subdivision will extend the present Daggett Street approximately 500 feet eastward. Its design includes a loop road and two short interior cul-de sacs. It also extends the city limits and “urban growth boundary” about 500 feet to the east. Several local residents expressed con- cerns about the subdivision. Kathy Nor- man asked whether the city’s sewage system and sewage treatment plant was adequate for this large number of new family residences. Mayor Teresa Sajo- nia assured her that the present treatment facilities were suffi cient, and that improve- ments and upgrades to the plant, scheduled for 2021, would boost the plant’s capacity even farther. Other concerns included the sharp radius of a curve in the subdivision’s roadway (It meets state standards accord- ing to Brockamp and the project engi- neer.) whether wet areas of the subdivision would be regraded so that homes could be more easily built (Yes.) and whether the extension of Daggett Street should be named Daggett Street or Daggett Lane. (“Street” was the hands down winner.) In other matters before the council, Scott Schmidt and Lisa Dawson’s applica- tion to construct a 40-foot-long storage and wood-working building on their property was approved. James Monteith, the neigh- bor whose home is just 55 feet from the pro- posed woodshop, had fi led an appeal citing noise, sawdust, and the potential for a com- mercial, small-diameter sawmill operator to be established in that business. In response, Schmidt noted that the hand-turned bowls and other artistic objects that he creates in wood manufacturing do not require much wood to produce, and certainly not enough to establish a commercial sawmill. The Joseph City Council approved Mr. Schmidt’s application to build his shop, with several caveats. They include allowing oper- ating hours only between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Other agenda-based items included accepting fi refi ghting payments in the amount of $6,281 from the Joseph Fire Department as well as other funds. Ellen Morris Bishop See Mule Days, Page A17 The new, 49-home Mountain Meadows subdivision will be built on the land east of East Street, and south of Daggett Street. 37th annual Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts opens Sept. 13 Weekend show held at Josephy Center By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain The Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts, held this year at the Jose- phy Center in Joseph, will open its doors at 7 p.m. on Friday Septem- ber 13th for a gala opening night reception. The exhibit will remain open only through September 15. This year’s show features paint- ings, photographs, sculptures, and other creative works from artists across the Northwest. This year the Festival again features plein air watercolors, and a plein air competition which will be a fea- tured exhibit, opening at the Wal- lowology Natural History Cen- ter across the street. The festival also has a new emphasis on music, with performances throughout the weekend. The Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts was initially established in 1982 to celebrate the bronze sculp- tures for which the town of Joseph is renowned. In its 37 years, the festival has grown into the larg- est juried art exhibit in eastern Oregon, and is now recognized as one of the fi nest of its kind in the Pacifi c Northwest. Each year, it consistently attracts talented artists See Art, Page A7 Courtesy photo Part wood, part glass, this intriguing sculpture will be on display at the Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts.