A8
News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
DERBY
Continued from Page A1
Photo by Karen Roganov
Malheur National Forest Range Program Manager Ernie Gipson (center)
describes to Forest Service leadership, M.L. Smith (to his right) and Allen Rowley
(to his left), the benefits of using the solar-powered electrical pumps that feed
water from the creek into cement troughs that enhance forest utilization and
protection of threatened fish habitat.
National Range Director sees
community partnership up close
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – The Mal-
heur National Forest team
showcased Forest Service
and community collabora-
tive efforts to Allen Row-
ley, the National Director of
Rangeland Management and
Vegetation Ecology during
a two-day site visit Tuesday
and Thursday last week.
“The exceptional com-
munity and Forest Service
partnership efforts here are
impressive,” said Rowley.
“One can’t help feel a sense
of pride and enthusiasm for
the Malheur when witness-
ing the attention to the bal-
ance of ecological health and
economic sustainability.”
The Blue Mountain and
Prairie City districts hosted
the field visits to the Mur-
derers Creek, Little Crane
and Summit Creek allotment
areas for Rowley along with
M.L. Smith, the Regional
Office Director of Natural
Resources and Tom Hilken,
the Regional Office acting
Assistant Director of Natural
Resources.
Of interest were two live-
stock fencing and a water
supply project.
Along the North Fork of
the Malheur River, the North
Fork John Day Watershed
Council and Oregon Youth
Conservation Corps in part-
nership with the Forest
Service built a four-strand
barbed wire fence.
The newly-constructed
fence reduces conflicts with
livestock grazing and critical
fish habitat.
“The project also provid-
ed seasonal employment for
teenagers and young adults,
who learned key building
skills from technical experts
and took part in managing
our natural resources,” said
Steve Beverlin, Forest Su-
pervisor, Malheur National
Forest.
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Along Summit Creek,
southwest of Prairie City,
a buck and pole log fence
also made it possible for cat-
tle to graze near bull trout
habitats. Inmates from the
Powder River Correctional
Facility in Baker City pro-
vided the labor to construct
the fence.
Another area of interest
during the site visit was an
extensive livestock water
distribution facility near
Lake Creek, south of Prairie
City.
Solar-powered electrical
pumps fed water from the
creek into cement troughs
to enhance forest utilization
and protection of threatened
fish habitat.
The troughs allow cattle
easy access to water so they
can graze land to which they
would not normally venture.
“The Grant County Soil
and Water Conservation Dis-
trict funded the infrastruc-
ture, improving livestock
distribution and fish habi-
tat,” said Beverlin. “This is
community resource stew-
ardship at its best.”
The Forest Service re-
mains hopeful for oppor-
tunities for similar future
projects, according to Bev-
erlin. “We look forward to
continuing to build effective
working relationships with
the Grant and Harney Coun-
ty agricultural community.”
Nodine walked away with two
other awards. He was ¿rst place
in the second heat winning
$250, and he won the “beau-
ty contest” for best-looking
vehicle.
“It’s awesome just to have
that crowd out to watch,”
he said. “That’s what it’s all
about – without that crowd,
we wouldn’t be out here.”
The best part for him, he
said, was “hearing that car
start up at the end (of the sec-
ond heat).”
Steve Patterson of Prairie
City was nicknamed “Grand-
daddy of the Derby” by an-
nouncer Mark Bagett.
Patterson, who placed sec-
ond in the second heat, said
there is a lot of ego involved
in the sport.
“We’re all friends outside
the arena, but inside, it’s game
on,” he said. “It’s all about
playing the game.”
Voted Most Aggressive
Driver, Nick Dieter of Burns
said he hadn’t driven in a der-
by for 16 years.
He earned the title for push-
ing driver Wayne Saul up on
the logs at the perimeter in the
¿rst heat – Saul won second
HALL
Continued from Page A1
Kirby Nagelhout Con-
struction Co., of Bend, is the
general contractor on the proj-
ect. The company will subcon-
tract much of the work to more
Grant County
HEALTH
Department
528 E. Main, St. E,
John Day
Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
541-575-2725
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michaelbdesjardindmd.com
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Don’t
Forget
to Floss
Demolition Derby results
First place: Eric Johnson, Walla Walla,
Wash., $1,500
Second place: Jason Ward, Burns,
$1,000
Third place: Tyler Nodine, John Day,
$500
+eat 1, ¿rst place: NicN Dieter, Burns, $50
Heat 1, second place: Wayne Saul, $50
Heat , ¿rst place: Tyler Nodine, $50
Heat , second place: SteYe 3atterson, $50
0ost $JJressiYe DriYer: NicN Dieter, Burns,
$50 cash aZard IroP True 9alue
Hard /ucN Trophy: Dustin 5anJe, Burns,
Iree 01 entry
Beauty Contest: Tyler Nodine, trophy
DriYers draZinJs NydaP¶s $ce HardZare
3ortaEle MuPp start: Tyler Stout oI John Day
ToZ strap: $nthony Ellis oI Burns
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Winners of the Whiskey Gulch Gang Demolition
Derby are, from left, second-place winner Jason
Ward of Burns, Most Aggressive Driver and winner
of Heat 1 Nick Dieter of Burns, and third-place
winner and first place in Heat 2 Tyler Nodine of John
Day who also won the “beauty contest” trophy. First-
place winner of the derby was Eric Johnson of Walla
Walla, Wash.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
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“There is a lot of volunteer work
that goes into this.”
No. 77 Ed Moulton of Burns, left, No. 57 Tyler Nodine of John Day and No. 338
Nick Dieter of Burns get aggressive in Saturday’s Main Event at the demolition
derby held at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
Preventive, Restorative,
& Endodontics
208 NW Canton,
John Day
place in that round and came
back for the Main Event.
“This was my ¿rst one com-
ing back,” he said. “You just
have to go and drive – don’t
worry about a strategy and
just go.”
“It was a very successful
demolition derby,” said derby
board member Leslie Traylor,
noting that the City of John
Day and L&L Excavating pro-
vided water trucks, and John
Day City Police provided se-
curity as well as many other
helpers behind the scenes.
“We couldn’t do it with-
out everybody,” said Traylor.
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specialized companies. Gray
said initial bids from subcon-
tractors were coming in higher
than expected, but none had
yet been ¿nalized. The entire
project is expected to come in
at $1.8 million, which includes
the cost to purchase the prop-
erty and demolish the original
building.
Smith said requirements
to follow both state and feder-
al wage rules means the $1.2
million approved by taxpayers
wouldn’t go as far as it would
on most local building projects.
“I understand it’s great for
the workers,” said Smith “But
giving $75 an hour to someone
who usually makes $25 is hard
to do in such a poor county ...
It’s hard when the majority of
your dollars go toward labor,
when you want to do as much as
you can for a building that is go-
ing to be here for a long time.”
The El Cocinero Mexican
restaurant, which operated at
the site of the new ¿re hall,
located at 316 S. Canyon Bou-
levard, closed June 19. Last
week, the John Day Public
Works Department made short
POT
Continued from Page A1
City Manager Peggy Gray ex-
pects the ordinance to be present-
ed to the city council in August
for its consideration and public
comment. The ordinance, which
requires only one reading, could
be passed the evening of the
meeting and with the inclusion
of an emergency clause, could go
into effect immediately, accord-
ing to Gray.
The city council has up until
Dec. 27, 2015 – 180 days from
June 30 – to act, but John Day
looks to adopt an ordinance sooner
than later. After that date, localities
throughout Oregon meeting the
55 percent standard and wishing
to “opt out” will have to do so by
means of a general election.
Meanwhile, HB 3400 has been
a subject of conversation at the
Grant County Court. The county
could also choose to “opt out” but
doing so would disallow Grant
work of taking down the old
building, once home to an A
& W Drive-In. Asbestos-con-
taminated materials were trans-
ported to the dump at Arlington.
Less dangerous materials were
dispatched locally, according to
Smith.
The ¿re hall itself is just
phase one of the project. A
community meeting room will
be part of the facility too, but it
may not begin construction until
February, or when fundraising is
complete.
So far, over $220,000 in
grants have been secured for the
project, the latest a $9,170 grant
from Trust Management Ser-
vices, LLC in early July. Pend-
ing full funding of the commu-
nity room, the Ford Foundation
will kick in $200,000. Other
grants awarded include $20,000
from the Oregon Community
Foundation and another $1,000
from the Shelk Foundation.
“We still have a couple more
grants we have applied for still
out there,” the potential for
another $240,000, said Gray.
The budgeted amount for the
community room is $450,000.
County from having a local tax or
receiving state revenue, according
to District Attorney Jim Carpen-
ter, who was on hand at the July 8
meeting of County Court to brief
Judge Scott Myers and commis-
sioners Chris Labhart and Boyd
Britton.
While HB 3400 primarily
addresses the commercialization
aspects of the new law, one thing
that won’t change is the Measure
91 provision that went into effect
July 1, 2015, allowing Oregonians
to grow limited amounts – up to 4
plants – of marijuana on their prop-
erty and to possess personal limited
amounts – up to 8 oz. per residence
– of recreational marijuana for per-
sonal use.
In addition, medical marijuana
dispensaries, under HB 3400, reg-
istered or applied to be registered
on or before July 1, 2015 or have
successfully completed a city or
county land use application pro-
cess would not be subject to a local
ordinance. No medical marijuana
dispensaries currently operate in
Grant County.
