LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Enterprise may have
to return ARPA funds
But Oregon not
on ‘claw-back’ plan
list for its $443K
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Some
of the federal American Res-
cue Plan Act funds the city
of Enterprise is to receive
may have to be returned,
the City Council was told
during its meeting Monday,
March 14, according to a
press release from City Hall.
The city resolved at its
Feb. 14 meeting to dis-
tribute the $443,000 it has
received under the Ameri-
can Rescue Plan Act distrib-
uted because of the COVID-
19 pandemic. However,
on March 14 city Admin-
istrator Lacey McQuead
announced the possibil-
ity that some of the funds
may have to be returned.
City attorney Wyatt Baum
agreed that losing the funds
is a possibility, so McQuead
said none of the funds will
be spent until the expected
second round of funding is
received. She said the next
round is expected in July
or August and is to total
$221,795.
She said after the meet-
ing that there was a notice
sent out regarding a “claw-
back plan,” that would have
rescinded recently allocated
funds.
“However, it doesn’t
sound like Oregon is a part
of the rescinding funds dis-
cussion, as it was not on the
list of 30 states this could
impact,” McQuead said in
an email.
Fire Chief Paul Karvoski
said there is a concern over
rising prices and the list of
funding requests he had pre-
viously made likely will go
up.
After a discussion by
the council, it was agreed
the ARPA Committee will
review recommendations
made, make adjustments
and revisit the issue at the
next council meeting.
Housing study
In another matter, Katy
Nesbitt, the county’s direc-
tor of natural resources and
economic
development,
presented a housing study
completed by Zack Cahill of
Eastern Oregon University
that had been simplifi ed by
the county housing commit-
tee. Nesbitt explained the
results of the study, focus-
ing on how the city of Enter-
prise can help.
Sara Miller, of the
Northeast Oregon Eco-
nomic Development Dis-
trict, spoke on the bene-
fi t of having city staff and
its Planning Commission
actively involved in the pro-
cess to improve the housing
shortage.
McQuead told the coun-
cil that the city currently
has two representatives
— herself and John Law-
rence — serving on the
group two Workforce Hous-
ing Team. The city also
has received $50,000 for a
Technical Assistance Grant
from the state Department
of Land Conservation and
Development.
Of that amount, $25,000
will be allocated to help-
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
A3
Lilts of the Emerald Isle
ing fi nd solutions with the
workforce housing and mid-
dle-income housing short-
age and $25,000 will be
allocated to an economic
analysis study, both of
which will be part of the city
comprehensive plan.
Pump track
The council also heard
from Angela Mart, president
of the Wallowa Mountains
Bicycle Club, which is pro-
moting the construction of a
pump track on city property.
Mart and club Vice Pres-
ident Zeb Burke visited a
proposed site near the city
well and agreed to move for-
ward with the next step, the
application for a conditional
use permit. McQuead said
she would email an applica-
tion to Mart and review with
Baum the requirements for
the city moving ahead with
the project.
Other business
In other business, the
council:
• Heard a request by
Dave
Hayslip
regard-
ing speeding on East First
Street and East Park Street.
The council asked Enter-
prise Police Chief Kevin
McQuead for more police
presence for that location. In
his department report, Chief
McQuead explained the rise
in thefts in the city.
• Heard a thank-you let-
ter submitted by Ron Pick-
ens of Building Healthy
Families.
• Approved an event per-
mit submitted by New Life
Film for a street and side-
walk closure in order to
shoot an indie feature fi lm.
The request was modifi ed
to a one-day closure rather
than the originally requested
three days.
• Approved Resolution
No. 676, which describes
the operating parameters for
2022.
• Heard requests for
CETRA Grant Applica-
tions of $2,000 each for the
Courthouse Concert Series,
the Juniper Jam, the Main
Street Show & Shine and
Hells Canyon Mule Days.
The Motel Tax Committee
is to review the applications
and submit a recommen-
dation for approval at the
council’s April meeting.
• Approved a recommen-
dation from a member of
the city’s Budget Commit-
tee, Christie Huston, who
recommended
accepting
the resignation of commit-
tee member Kim Stoff el and
appointing Hayslip to fi ll
Stoff el’s position.
• Administrator McQuead
reminded the council of a
budget freeze set to take
place in April. In his depart-
ment report, Fire Chief Kar-
voski said he is attempting
to fi ll positions caused by
recent retirements.
• In his department
report, Public Works Direc-
tor Shawn Young shared
concern for the sale of
property at the end of Golf
Course Road due to utility
easements that go through
the property. He asked for
a review of those ease-
ments once the descriptions
are received from the title
company.
The next council meeting
will be April 11.
Lisa Murphy/Contributed Photo
The Burns Family & Friend provide Irish music Saturday, March 19, 2022, while the Hurricane Creek Grange served a
corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patrick’s Day. The grange earned about $300 in the fundraiser.
Bike playground adds another $1,000 to coff ers
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — Fund-
raising eff orts toward the
planned bicycle playground
at Wallowa have reached
about two-thirds of the
needed money, after youths
sold about $1,000 worth of
tickets in a drawing for a
barbecue grill.
A drawing for the grill
was held Thursday, March
17, at the site of the future
playground at Wallowa
School. Todd Pederson of
Wallowa was the winner of
the Traeger wood-fi red grill
valued at $900, said Ron
Pickens, who is spearhead-
ing the project. The grill
was donated by Ace Hard-
ware in Enterprise. Tickets
cost $3 each.
He said the expected
budget for the playground
is about $235,000.
Annette
Moeller’s
sixth-grade class at Wal-
lowa Middle School had
the honor of drawing the
winner, with class member
Gavin Schaeff er earning
the right to actually draw
the ticket. Pickens said the
selection of Moeller’s class
was entirely random.
“We’re just trying to
spread the love,” he said,
adding that all the Wallowa
students had the opportu-
nity to participate in the
fundraising eff orts.
Together, the class
shouted, “Thank you Wal-
lowa County.”
Next on the project’s
fundraising drive is a Wal-
lowa School Piggy Bank
Coin Drive. That will run
from March 28 to April 15.
Plastic jugs decorated as
piggy banks will be placed
in various locations around
the county to take dona-
tions for the project, Pick-
ens said.
“The winning class gets
a pizza party at the end,” he
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa Middle School sixth-grader Gavin Schaeff er draws the winner for a barbecue grill
raffl ed off as part of the fundraising eff orts to pay for the new bicycle playground to be built
in the fi eld behind the kids at the school. Todd Pederson of Wallowa won the grill. Ron Pickens
of Building Healthy Families, who is spearheading the project, holds the bucket of tickets.
said, as well as a sponsor-
ship plaque on a piece of
playground equipment.
The kindergarten class
from Wallowa Elementary
School will have its “piggy
bank” at the Wallowa Pub-
lic Library, the fi rst grade’s
bank will be at M. Crow
in Lostine, second-grade
donations will be taken at
Goebel’s in Wallowa, third-
grade donations can be
taken at Wallowa County
Grain Growers in Enter-
prise, fourth-graders can
donate at ACE Hardware in
Enterprise, the fi fth-grade
bank will be at the Wallowa
Mountain Bar and Grill
in Wallowa and the sixth-
grade bank will be at Wal-
lowa Food City.
Pickens, a prevention
coordinator and alterna-
tive school teacher with
Building Healthy Families
in Enterprise, spearheaded
last year’s project to refur-
bish the Enterprise Skate
Park. Since then, he became
interested in seeing a simi-
lar project built in Wal-
lowa, where he lived until
recently.
He said originally, the
groundbreaking was sched-
uled for August, but the
schedule has been moved
up.
“Now we’re going to
break ground in early July
and hope to open in mid-
summer,” he said.
The project is expected
to accommodate bikes,
scooters, roller blades and
skateboards in a colorful
space that kids can play in,
Pickens said.
Births
A daughter, Holland Tye
Layton, was born March
11, 2022, in Enterprise to
Kelsey and Jacob Layton
of Wallowa. Grandparents
are Rene and Ron Layton,
Elizabeth Phelan and
Terry Kamlade.
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