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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 17, 2016 PC council votes to support effort to preserve Bates School building Local citizen hopes to halt district’s plans to sell empty facility PRAIRIE CITY — The Prairie City City Council voted at its Feb. 10 meeting to support a local citizen’s campaign to prevent the Bates School building, located at Prairie City School, from be- ing sold or demolished. The campaign, headed up by Frances Preston of Prai- rie City, is striving to garner enough local support to pre- serve the building, which at one time served the school with art and music classes and a library, but is now empty and not in use. In a 4-3 decision, the coun- cil voted to draw up a letter of support for Preston for her cause. After the meeting, Preston said, she was “delighted with the outcome.” “It was so nice to see the council agree with what the citizens want,” she said. In her presentation to the council, Preston offered sev- eral suggestions for alternate uses of the school, includ- ing housing for exchange students and a community learning center. She said Prairie City has a potential for growth, which would re- sult in growth at the school and the need for more space in the future. Preston, who grew up in the nearby logging town of Bates and attended the school, stressed the build- ing’s historical quality and the emotional connection for many people in the commu- Lenten lunch The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler The Prairie City City Council voted at their Feb. 10 meeting to support a local effort to prevent Prairie City School from selling the empty and unused Bates School building, located at Prairie City School. She added the school board isn’t interested in housing ex- change students, nor costly A 1965 graduate of Bates School is planning an all-class DQG GLI¿FXOW PDLQWHQDQFH RQ reunion. the building. Frances (Raines) Preston, who lived in Bates from 1947 The board has directed her until her graduation, is seeking out other alumni. She is to proceed with the sale of requesting feedback about possible dates and activities. She the building, and if it doesn’t is also requesting memorabilia. sell, it will be destroyed, For more information, contact Preston, fmpreston1@ Gurczynski said. gmail.com; P.O. Box 3, 121 S. Washington St., Prairie City, With a pending letter of OR 97869; 541-820-4463. support in her corner, Preston plans to continue her quest by nity who attended classes not in use at the school, which knocking on more doors in there. has been maintaining a steady Prairie City. Preston, who has been enrollment of 145 students for “I’m hearing the people of working on the cause since the past decade. Prairie City want to keep it, last summer, said she had “We can house what we and keep it where it is,” she received the support of 107 have within our current build- said. signatures from people in the ing space,” she said. Preston has also ap- community to save the build- Gurczynski added the pealed to the Oregon Parks ing. EXLOGLQJ KDV EHHQ ³VLJQL¿ and Recreation Department Prairie City School Su- cantly changed” over time, about the possibility of re- perintendent/Principal Julie ZLWK QHZ ZLQGRZV URR¿QJ locating the school to Bates Gurczynski told the council and paint over the years de- State Park. According to an that the school board has de- creasing its “historic” status. email provided by Preston termined the building, which The absence of the build- from Eastern District Man- has been deserted and not ing would be an asset for the ager Jim Hutton, the depart- maintained for the past 10 school, she said, providing ment assessed the building’s years, is “no longer suited to easier access for students to condition and considered its our needs.” and from the main school fit with the park but deter- Gurczynski said they have building and the new gym, mined it had been altered too plenty of room for growth. and allowing space for an add- much to be worth the signif- As it is, six rooms are already ed grassy area for students. icant cost. Bates School all-class reunion /DEKDUW ¿OHG IRU UHHOHFWLRQ as commissioner No. 2 Sept. Several Grant County po- DQG -LP +DPVKHU ¿OHG sitions are open for elections for the same position Jan. this year. *OHQQ 3DOPHU ¿OHG IRU Positions up for election re-election as sheriff Dec. include assessor, commis- DQG7RGG0F.LQOH\¿OHG sioner No. 2, sheriff, survey- for the same position Jan. 25. or, treasurer and Public For- 0LNH 6SULQJHU ¿OHG IRU VXU est Commission Nos. 1, 3, 5, veyor Dec. 11. 7 and alternates Nos. 1 and 2. 1R RQH KDV ¿OHG IRU WKH 7RQ\D &DWHV ¿OHG IRU other positions. The deadline assessor Dec. 16. Chris WR¿OHLV0DUFK Blue Mountain Eagle 'LVFRYHULQJVFLHQWL¿F VLJQL¿FDQFHRI-')RVVLO%HGV OPB will premiere a new Oregon Experience documen- tary that explores the life and legacy of Thomas Condon. Embracing both religion and science, Condon was the ¿UVWWRUHFRJQL]HWKHVFLHQWL¿F VLJQL¿FDQFH RI WKH -RKQ 'D\ Fossil Beds, becoming a na- tionally-known scientist and educator. Condon would de- vote his life to teaching others about Oregon’s ancient past. The half-hour documenta- ry “Thomas Condon: Of Faith and Fossils” airs at 9 p.m. Feb. 22 on OPB TV and online at watch.opb.org. %RUQ LQ ,UHODQG LQ Thomas Condon immigrat- ed with his family to New York. After graduating from a Congregationalist seminary LQKHDQGKLVZLIH&RU nelia Holt, traveled to Oregon and spent 10 years in the Wil- lamette Valley on various mis- sionary assignments. ,Q&RQGRQZDVWUDQV ferred to The Dalles, where he settled and found a small but eager congregation that grew and thrived. He also al- ways loved geology. He sub- VFULEHG WR VFLHQWL¿F MRXUQDOV and collected rocks and fossils wherever he lived. Towns- people, teamsters and soldiers stationed at Fort Dalles knew of his great knowledge of ge- ology and began bringing him fossils to examine and identify. %\&RQGRQZDVDF companying the soldiers on trips into Oregon’s interior and ZDVWKH¿UVWWRLGHQWLI\WKHVFL HQWL¿FVLJQL¿FDQFHRIWKHDUHD now known as the John Day HAPPENING WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 'HDGOLQHWR¿OHIRUFRXQW\ SRVLWLRQVLV0DUFK Blue Mountain Eagle WHAT’S The deadline for What’s Happening items is 5 p.m. Friday. Call Cheryl at the Ea- gle, 541-575-0710. Blue Mountain Eagle Fossil Beds — where nearly 50 million years of time are preserved. Condon’s early cor- respondence with East Coast paleontologists helped ignite worldwide interest in the area. 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 139 S. Washington St., Can- yon City A soup meal will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed by a service until 12:45 p.m. All are welcome. Call 541-575-1326 or 541- 575-0766. Meeting for weather observers 4-5:30 p.m., Grant Coun- ty Regional Airport, John Day Anyone interested in be- coming a volunteer weather observer is encouraged to attend the public meeting of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. For more information, visit www.cocorahs.org. SATURDAY, FEB. 20 Spay-ghetti Dinner 4-7 p.m., Squeeze In restaurant, John Day The all-you-can-eat spa- ghetti dinner buffet is a fund- raiser for New Hope for East- ern Oregon Animals, hosted by the group’s Grant County committee. The menu includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert and beverages. Other activities include door prizes, drawings and a silent auction. Suggested donation is $10 for adults and $5 for children un- der 12. Tickets for drawings and door prizes are available at the door. Beer and wine will be available for an added charge. TUESDAY, FEB. 23 Mad Hatters to meet 1 p.m., El Cocinero restaurant, Prairie City The Grant County Mad Hatters will meet for lunch. Everyone is welcome. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 THURSDAY, FEB. 18 Lenten lunch Blue Mountains Forest Partners to meet 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., First Christian Church, 311 N.E. Dayton St., John Day A soup meal will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed by a service until 12:45 p.m. All are welcome. Call 541-575-1326 or 541- 575-0766. 4-7 p.m., Grant County Regional Airport, John Day The Blue Mountains Forest Partners will hold its monthly full group meeting. The public is invited to participate. New hunters education class starts Feb. 22 Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — A new se- ries of hunter education class- es starts Monday, Feb. 22, at Grant Union Junior-Senior High School, and will continue on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays over a two-week period. Classes will start at 6 p.m. and run for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. $ ¿HOG GD\ OLYH VKRRW ZLOO be at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 5, at the police range. 1R RQH XQGHU DJH PD\ hunt wildlife — except on their own land — without successfully completing the course. 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Enroll at Nydam’s Ace Hardware, John Day True Val- ue Hardware, the local ODFW RI¿FH RU DQ\ RWKHU 2'): OL cense sales outlets. For more information, call %U\DQ1HOVRQDW or ODFW at 541-575-1167. Cowboy Chapel H our KJDY Sunday, 7 a.m. “Jesus and John Wayne” A3 Thursday, March 17, 2016 Maag Angus Ranch Headquarters, Vale, Oregon