Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2016)
A16 News Blue Mountain Eagle WASTEWATER Continued from Page A1 reclaimed water at an agreed upon price. Or, the city could petition the state for financ- ing and create a similar fa- cility by paying the cost upfront and owning its own wastewater facility. Green said the city is evalu- ating both courses of action. A new plant is estimated to cost between 8-12 million dollars. Sustainable Water would require a water purchase agree- PHQWWREXLOGDSODQW²³D¿- nancing vehicle that allows Sustainable Water to fully con- struct and operate water recla- mation systems at no capital expense or development risk to the end user,” Sustainable Water’s website states. The current plant process- es roughly 200,000 gallons of waste a day and is outdated. Fluid leaks from the sides of old concrete tanks, and em- ployees must remove solid gar- bage manually by using rakes. “When people ask, ‘Why are we making this investment?’ I want to bring them out here with rakes and have them pull garbage out of the headworks,” he said. “Because that’s what these (city public works) guys are doing.” Gurczynski said student safety is a top priority but also noted the test- ing was expensive, $60 per fountain, Continued from Page A1 which quickly adds up even for a small She said she has removed some of school. All school districts will soon have the fountains and replaced them with RQHWKDWLV¿OWHUHGDQGFDQ¿OOERWWOHV to develop a plan to regularly test for in the hallway by the elementary re- lead and radon as well, after the Ore- gon Board of Education recently ad- strooms. Of the other Grant County schools opted a new rule. The board in June agreed to fast- tested, only Monument School Dis- trict had high levels, .0188 mg/L, but track adoption of the rule at the request a handwritten note on the results states of Gov. Kate Brown, after widespread it is a custodial sink with no drinking media coverage of a scandal in Port- fountain. The next highest result was land Public Schools over lead in drink- ing water that went unreported. .0117 in the weight room. The rule requires school districts In Long Creek’s two tests, the kitch- en sink tested highest at .00198 mg/L. to submit a preliminary plan for test- The highest level in Dayville was ing for both lead and radon by Oct. 1, .00374 mg/L. For Grant Union, the ZLWKD¿QDOSODQGXHE\-DQ:KLOH highest level detected at the junior-se- WKHUXOHJLYHVQRVSHFL¿FGHDGOLQHIRU nior high school was .00242 mg/L; testing for lead, it does require districts Seneca, .00126 mg/L; and Humbolt to report results to the public within ¿YHEXVLQHVVGD\VDQGWRVHQGRXWDQ Elementary, .011 mg/L. Gurczynski said she has not re- annual report. “What we like about this plan is ceived any complaints about high lead levels in students. The EPA reports that part of what we saw in Portland high levels of lead can cause brain, red was the community didn’t have ac- blood cell and kidney damage in chil- cess to information, and in fact, when dren. She said the district also tested you have large institutions information for copper on the second test, but all can get lost over the years,” said Em- were below the EPA action level of 1.3 ily Nazarov, operations policy analyst with the Oregon Department of Edu- mg/L. cation, who headed up the rulemaking. “By creating a plan you have one place that community members and SDUHQWV FDQ ORRN WR ¿QG RXW KRZ does the school district address ra- don, how does the school district plan to address water.” The Board of Education pushed ahead with the rule despite protests from school advocates who said the timeline was too tight and expressed ZRUU\DERXWZKHUHWR¿QGPRQH\WR address the cost of testing and mit- igation. “You are setting up a framework by which we have assurances at the state level that our schools are taking action in a comprehensive way toward health and safety,” said 2UHJRQ &KLHI (GXFDWLRQ 2I¿FHU Lindsey Capps. “It’s an imperative that every student should be enti- tled to.” The requirement will entail hun- dreds of millions of dollars in addi- tional costs to schools in the form of testing, supplying bottle water, mitigation and testing individuals who might have been exposed to high levels of lead, according to the Oregon School Boards Association. Capital Bureau reporter Paris Achen contributed to this report. PC tournament last year, after winning the district tournament. Adrian placed second, and Jordan Valley third at dis- tricts. The Panthers hope the season ends on a better note, but the main thing, Lance said, is they give it their all. “We’re in a position to be very competitive in league,” Lance said. “If they know they put it all out there RQWKHÀRRUDQGFRQWLQXDOO\WU\WRLP- prove throughout the season, then they should be proud of wherever they end up, as far as league standings.” Teams invited to Saturday’s Prai- rie City Tournament include: Joseph, Harper/Huntington, Jordan Valley, Adrian, Union and Cove. Games start at 8:30 a.m. and junior varsity teams will play in the old gym. LEAD Continued from Page A8 hitter. “Taci is a good addition to our team. We all get along and that’s what makes it fun.” Jones, who is a middle hitter, said she’s impressed with the incoming freshmen. “They’re a really good addition to the team,” she said. “I think that once we have more practice, we’re going to do really well. We work really well together with no drama. That’s really helpful for our dynamic as a team.” Perrenoud is a libero, or defensive specialist, for the team. Her family moved to Prairie City this summer from Wyoming. She said she’s looking forward to getting to know the state and plans to attend col- lege in Oregon. She played volleyball in middle school, and was more recently in- volved with track and cheerleading. “I enjoy the way we learn together and the way we pick each other up,” she said. “I’m excited for the volleyball season because I think we’ll do really good.” In the 1A High Desert League this year, the Panthers will face Monument/ Dayville, Adrian, Jordan Valley, Crane, Burnt River and Harper/Huntington, Long Creek and Ukiah. Crane and Adrian are usually their toughest opponents, the co-coaches said. &UDQH ¿QLVKHG VL[WK LQ WKH VWDWH Wednesday, August 31, 2016 Oren Wyss is the treatment plant operator and one of the people charged with using the rakes. Wyss said the biggest problem with the facility is the quality of the treatment. “It doesn’t take out nitrites. It doesn’t take out nitrates. Phosphorous removal is pret- ty much none and those are the three main things why we can’t discharge into the river,” Wyss said. “This is World War II- era technology, that is Viet- nam-era technology,” Green said, gesturing around to vari- ous parts of the plant. “We’re wanting next-gen technolo- gy.” Rescue” and “Radio Tech/Communica- tions,” though the document also says Peterson is appointed “to do and per- Continued from Page A1 form any act which (Palmer) might per- property or had a right to acquire or form as Sheriff, this appointment to be dispose of it as he did, which would and reamin (sic) in full force and effect have been a valid defense under Or- during my pleasure.” Palmer did not respond to an email egon law. 7KH ¿UVWGHJUHH DJJUDYDWHG WKHIW Friday evening asking if Peterson was and possession of a stolen vehicle still an active deputy. Palmer originally investigated the FKDUJHV ZHUH IRU ZLWKKROGLQJ ¿UH vehicles and equipment in excess complaint against Peterson. In an April 25, 2013, letter, Palmer of $10,000 from the Monument Rural Fire District on or about Feb. 21, 2013. told Oregon Department of Forestry The charges stem from an investiga- State Forester Doug Decker he started tion by the Oregon State Police and the investigating “an alleged criminal case” Oregon Department of Justice that be- in 2010 between the city of Monument gan in May 2013. Police served a search DQGWKHUXUDO¿UHGLVWULFWRYHUHTXLSPHQW warrant in October 2013 at a property in obtained “legally and lawfully through WKH0RQXPHQWDUHDDQGVHL]HG¿UHYH- ODF” by Peterson. hicles and evidence for the case. Palmer said “there was a dispute as The indictment count for possession to who lawfully owned what equipment of a stolen vehicle lists “a 1970 Ford, and how some of the funding was chan- a 1974 Freightliner, a 1983 Ford L9M, neled through the City’s Federal Tax ID a 1993 Ford F350, a second 1993 Ford number and their (Dun & Bradstreet F350, a 1965 Western States, a 1966 number).” He said Ryan Joslin, the dis- Ford 900, a 1974 Western States, a 1986 trict attorney at the time, informed the Ford Econoline, and a 1988 Internation- parties the issue was a civil matter. al.” 3DOPHU¶V OHWWHU LQGLFDWHG WKH ¿UH For about a decade, Peterson was a district board believed it rightly owned vocal advocate for establishing a rural the equipment, because it was procured ¿UHSURWHFWLRQGLVWULFWLQWKH0RQXPHQW with grants in the name of “Monument area. He was chief of Monument’s city Rural Fire District.” However, Palmer department at one time and also acted as said “the grantee” — Peterson — ob- chief of the rural district that was yet to tained the equipment legally and still be formalized. possessed it. After the rural district was formed Palmer also said the equipment was by voters in November 2012, the newly on private property, and there was no installed board and Peterson differed on probable cause a crime was committed, its management and operation. Noting QRUMXVWL¿FDWLRQIRUDVHDUFKZDUUDQW challenges with meeting procedures, “As it stands right now ... I do not operations, equipment and leadership, have enough evidence, nor do I believe all of the board members resigned in I have the authority to intervene in this December 2012. dispute,” he wrote. The board was re-established in When Palmer deputized Peterson, January 2013 when the Grant County he joined a long list of Grant County Court appointed new members. The deputies. The sheriff has deputized 69 new chief of the district asked Peterson people in a variety of categories, includ- to return the equipment to the district, ing deputy, corrections, reserve, search but he did not. and rescue, chaplain, special deputy, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer public lands patrol, public lands deputy deputized Peterson March 1 of this year and natural resource committee. to assist with a search and rescue oper- Oregon law says sheriffs are re- DWLRQ3DOPHU¶VRI¿FLDOGHSXW\DSSRLQW- sponsible for the conduct of their ment of Peterson mentions “Search & deputies. GUILTY C OLOR E VENT Buy 1 get 1 FREE 3> ŝŵŝƚ3ϱ3ĨƌĞĞ3ŐĂůůŽŶƐ On EasyCare® Ultra Premium, WeatherALL® Ultra Premium Paint or Woodsman® Premium Stain A UG . 31 - S EPT . 6 Go online and use our Color 101 tool to find the perfect color for your next project at www.truevaluepaint.com Closed Labor Day 161 E Main St. John Day 541-575-0632 Open 7 Days a Week