News
Blue Mountain Eagle
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Members of the Grant
County Court voted unan-
imously to refer to voters a
ballot measure for a local
option tax to support the
John Day Dispatch Center.
The measure, if ap-
proved by voters, would
tax property owners an
additional 36 cents per
$1,000 of property value.
The measure will be on the
Nov. 7 ballot.
This money would
be used to help fund the
John Day Dispatch Center,
which provides dispatch
services for all of Grant
County, for up to five years
or until the state increases
the 911 tax.
The city of John Day
recently received $420,000
in state funding to help op-
erate dispatch for the next
two years. John Day City
Manager Nick Green and
State Sen. Ted Ferrioli’s
pushed the Legislature to
safeguard the dispatch cen-
ter for the next two years.
After that, if the 911
tax is not increased and
the local option tax is not
passed, the dispatch cen-
ter would likely have to
be outsourced. This could
lead to local job loss
and reduced quality of
service.
The state taxes 75
cents a month for each
phone line. This provides
about $250,000 to John
Day each year. Operating
the dispatch center 24/7,
year-round costs about
$450,000. The 911 tax was
last increased in 1995.
The court also:
• approved budget res-
olutions moving money
from budget line to budget
line in county departments.
• approved leasing a
spot on Fall Mountain to
the Burns/Paiute tribe for
an antenna.
• approved a contract
with Spitfire Cocktails to
serve alcohol at the county
fair and bullfights.
• signed a contract with
Redmond Sign for reader
boards at the fairgrounds.
• approved an intergov-
ernmental agreement with
the state to receive grant
funding for juvenile crime
prevention.
• approved the hire of
a grant specialist and part-
time assistant for the Grant
County Economic Devel-
opment Coordinator.
• approved the Exten-
sion and 4-H Service Dis-
trict to lease property at the
old Blue Mountain Junior
High.
• approved the rental
of a 500-gallon fuel tank
from Ed Staub and Sons
for emergencies during the
eclipse.
• approved a request
from the sheriff’s office to
apply for grants.
• approved a request
from a landowner near
Monument to vacate an
unused stockpile site.
A5
John Day council votes to
purchase Weaver Complex
Making the building fire-
safe and bringing it up to code
would cost approximately
$130,000, and an additional
$34,000 if asbestos was found
in the building, according to
Peter Baer of Pinnacle Archi-
tecture.
This would be paid for
by an up-to-$200,000 loan,
which would be repaid with
rental income from the busi-
nesses who rent space on the
first floor over a period of 10
years. This option would give
the city a 10-year period to
identify a funding strategy
and raise capital to renovate
the top floor.
The building currently
houses four businesses, Natu-
rally Yours, etc., Karen Barnt-
ish LTC and H & R Block.
After a walk-through,
Baer said the 12,000-square-
foot building was in fact
three to four buildings with
a facade placed over them.
While the building has voids
in the walls, which create
fire danger, and will require
electrical work, Baer said
“it has character.” He said
the building had good floors
and a solid roof he expected
would last another 30 to 40
years.
Baer estimated it would
cost roughly $250 per square
foot to create new apartments
in the top floor for a total proj-
ect cost of $1.9 million, which
includes the cost of the dem-
olition.
Green said these estimates
were on the higher end and
had faith the number could
be reduced. He said, while
the project was challenging,
he still saw it as a good in-
vestment and said employing
local contractors and using
local materials where possible
would be a focus.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
Aug. 9: Received a report
of a vehicle that hit a cow on
Highway 26.
Aug. 11: Responded for an
intoxicated subject at the fair-
grounds.
Aug. 12: Responded to
Dayville for an unwanted sub-
ject at a private residence.
• John Day ambulance
Aug. 7: Responded for a
female patient who fell and
hit her head.
Aug. 8: Performed a Life
Flight transfer.
• Mt. Vernon Fire De-
partment
Aug. 7: Responded with
United States Forest Service
and the Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office for a fire on Lay-
cock Creek Road.
• United States Forest
Service
Aug. 7: Advised of a fire in
the Ritter Area.
Aug. 12: Advised of a pos-
sible fire on Highway 395B.
Advised of a fire near the old
Long Creek lookout site. Ad-
vised of a fire on the Izee/Pau-
lina Highway. Advised of a
possible fire on Cougar Ridge.
Long Creek Ambulance
Aug. 11: Responded with
the John Day ambulance and
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
to a motorcycle crash on Mid-
dle Fork Lane.
Prairie City Fire Depart-
ment
Aug. 12: Paged for a grass
fire near the city’s sewage la-
goons.
Local business
owners and
residents
supportive
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city of John Day is
moving forward with the
purchase of the Weaver Com-
plex.
The city council voted to
approve the $100,000 pur-
chase using a Main Street Re-
vitalization Grant of the same
amount during a Tuesday,
Aug. 8 council meeting. The
building is at 131 W. Main
St. on the northwest corner of
the intersection with Canyon
Boulevard.
The city will make an offer
to the building’s owner and,
if approved, pay the roughly
$6,000 in closing costs.
Local residents and busi-
ness owners gave passionate
testimony during the meeting
to help convince the council
that investing in the building
was the right choice.
House to Home owner
Kattie Piazza said John Day is
a gem and worth preserving.
“This is so much bigger
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
The Weaver Complex, at 131 W. Main St. in John Day, currently houses four business,
Naturally Yours, Etc., Karen Barntish LTC and H & R Block.
than buying a building,” she
said.
Resident Nick Piazza said
investment in the downtown
area is necessary if the city is
going to survive.
“The world keeps turning,
you’ve got to turn with it,” he
said.
City council member Lisa
Weigum echoed their senti-
ments on investment.
“It’s our responsibility to
invest in our community,” she
said.
To move forward with ren-
ovations, the city will have to
bring the building up to code
and make it fire-safe. From
there, the city can choose to
develop the space, or sell it to
the private sector.
Also on the table is demol-
ishing the structure to create
a parking lot. John Day City
Manager Nick Green said
turning the building into a
parking lot was unlikely at
this point, but still a fall-back
option.
C OPS AND C OURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law en-
forcement agencies. Every ef-
fort is made to report the court
disposition of arrest cases.
Oregon State Police
Dillon James Hawkins,19,
Austin, Indiana, was charged
with minor in possession of
alcohol after being stopped
for expired registration, Aug.
6.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Aug.
4-10:
• Concealed handgun li-
censes: 8
• Average inmates: 16
• Bookings: 8
• Releases: 7
• Arrests: 2
• Fingerprints: 5
• Civil papers: 9
• Warrants processed: 2
• Asst./welfare check: 3
Justice Court
The Grant County Justice
Court reported the following
fines and judgments:
Carrying a child outside
of a vehicle: Mallory Rose
Thomas, 27, John Day, June
23, fined $260.
Exceeding
maximum
width: Josh Winegar, 34, John
Day, July 12, fined $110.
Careless driving – acci-
dent: Raven Kristen Willard,
18, Scio, March 30, fined
$435.
Exceeding speed limit:
John R. Brinkley, 35, Donnel-
ly, Idaho, 73/65 zone, May 26,
fined $160; Graham Powell-
henry Sarasy, 23, Healdsburg,
California, 50/30 zone, June
23, fined $170.
Violation of the basic rule:
Bruce Robert McClinton, 60,
Mauretown, Virginia, 70/50
zone, Aug. 4, fined $135.
Small Claims
Ray Klein Inc. v. Gary E.
Bolman. Money judgment
awarded to Ray Klein Inc. for
$1,446.68.
Ray Klein Inc. v. Marie
A. Hodge. Money judgment
awarded to Ray Klein Inc. for
$5,102.77.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
164 calls during the week
of Aug. 7-13. Along with
the various traffic warnings,
trespassing, injured animals,
noise complaints and juvenile
complaints, these calls includ-
ed:
• John Day Police De-
partment
Aug.7: Arrested a 44-year-
old Canyon City resident for
driving under the influence of
intoxicants.
Aug. 8: Arrested an Ida-
ho man for driving under the
influence after responding to
suspicious circumstances at
the fairgrounds.
Aug. 10: Took a report of a
theft in Prairie City.
Aug. 11: Responded to a
hit and run accident near the
intersection of Highway 395
and Highway 26.
Aug. 13: Responded to a
report of a theft in John Day.
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Limited Menu
Friday - Saturday - Sunday
18th, 19th & 20th
After the Eclipse Party - Monday 21st @ 4pm
Make Your Reservations Now! 06021
• Oxygen • Braces
• In Home Care Products
FOR RENT
• Walkers
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Please call for hours and reservations
541-575-2426
830 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day
437 W Main, John Day
541-575-0372
05998
Blue Mountain Eagle
Early Deadline
For the August 23rd Edition
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August 17th
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Blue Mountain
06005
County refers
dispatch center
tax measure
to voters
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
EAGLE
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Office will
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Monday
August
21st.
195 N. Canyon Blvd,
John Day, Oregon
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