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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2017)
W EDNESDAY , O CTOBER 4, 2017 The • N O . 40 • 18 P AGES • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 Blue Mountain EAGLE A Grand Plan John Day’s massive Innovation Gateway project moves forward The Eagle/Richard Hanners According to Innovation Gateway project plans, the planer shed at the former Oregon Pine mill site in John Day could be used for farmers markets and other community or tourist-related events. By Richard Hanners N.W. Seventh Street extension Blue Mountain Eagle Existing city property N.E. Seventh St. John Da y River New trail W. Main Street N . Third Ave. N.W 26 New property 500 feet John Day Innovation Gateway 26 The city of John Day is purchasing 50 acres of property to open a trail along the river and to integrate community, technology, education and commerce in a single complex. Source: City of John Day S. Canyon Blvd. J O H N D AY N.W. Bridge Street Road Patterson Bridge Valley View Drive A high-tech $8 million to $12 million wastewater treatment plant and conceptual plans for com- mercial and research greenhouses, botanical gardens and an academic campus are key compo- nents of John Day’s Innovation Gateway project. With land development plans, annexations, fl oodplain amendments, engineering and fi nancing needed for the com- plex project, John Day City Manager Nicholas Green on Sept. 26 presented the city council with a Plan of Action and Mile- stones to track progress in the project. The overall goal is to revitalize the local economy with job creation and new revenue sources by developing a shut- tered timber mill site and putting reclaimed wastewater back to work. The 53-acre former Oregon Pine mill site the city purchased from DR Johnson Lumber includes a two-story sawmill build- ing that could be used by a private investor, a single-fl oor See PLAN, Page A8 Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group “ John Day City Manager Nick Green. Oregon State doesn’t have this type of facility. This will draw attention to John Day.” Nick Green, John Day City Manager Adair appointed to John Day city council By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The John Day City Coun- cil on Sept. 26 unanimously appointed Shannon Adair to fi ll the position that was va- cated when Councilor Lisa Weigum resigned. Five city residents applied for the seat, and the council considered diversity, civic en- gagement, commitment and qualifi cations when reviewing the candidates. Adair, a 1985 Grant Union High School graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oregon State University, is a co-own- er of the 1188 Brewing Com- pany in John Day. She has The Eagle/Richard Hanners Shannon Adair, co-owner of the 1188 Brewing Company, has been appointed to the John Day City Council. “I love this area and want to see it succeed and prosper in the future,” she said in her application for the position. been involved in children’s dance programs and coach- ing and currently serves on the Grant County Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Several councilors noted that they appreciated Adair’s role as a business owner. In her application, Adair said she was excited to see the direc- tion that the city was heading and wanted to be part of the growth that she expects to see in the future. “I grew up in John Day and have since raised my chil- dren here and built my busi- ness from the ground up with my family,” she said in her application. “I love this area and want to see it succeed and prosper in the future.” In other city council news, Councilor Paul Smith noted that City Manager Nicho- las Green had lined up more than $2.7 million in external funding for the city since he started work in John Day in July 2016. A $142,000 Fed- eral Emergency Management Administration grant to assist fi refi ghters is still pending. The largest of the 11 awarded programs is $1.82 million in broadband fund- ing from the state legislature which will be used to run a 75-mile 144-strand fi ber cable on power poles from Burns to John Day. Green said John Day, Can- yon City and Seneca were prepared to adopt the Grant County Digital Network Coalition agreement and or- dinance. Grant County and Prairie City had not formally committed to the project, he said. Once the project is certi- fi ed by the Oregon secretary of state, the coalition’s board of directors will issue a contract for technical advisory services, solicit bids for the design and construction of the network infrastructure and issue a con- tract for operation and mainte- nance of the system. Green noted that 2,000 square feet of unfi nished space in the city’s new fi re hall could be used as a ter- minal for the digital network. The contractor’s estimate was $290,000 to fi nish that part of the fi re hall. “We don’t have that mon- ey,” Green said. Using the See ADAIR, Page A8 Veteran takes over as new service offi cer Katee Hoffman serves Grant County veterans By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Katee Hoffman started her new position as Grant Coun- ty’s veteran service offi cer last month, on the anniver- sary of the 9/11 terrorist at- tacks. A disabled veteran herself, Hoffman said she’s ready to assist local vets. “I’ve been a veteran ad- vocate for about 12 years,” she said, adding that as a volunteer she’s helped vet- erans file for medical care The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Katee Hoffman, Grant County’s new veteran service officer, stands outside her office at the courthouse in Canyon City. and disability claims. “Navigating the VA (De- partment of Veterans Af- fairs), if you don’t under- stand how it works, it’s a nightmare,” she said. “Some vets give up.” As a veteran service offi - cer, Hoffman works 30 hours a week to help veterans ob- tain the assistance they need. She said she can help vet- erans from any era, whether they’ve served in a time of war or peace. Some of the ways she can assist include applications for medical care, disability claims, spouse benefi ts (such as Dependency and Indemni- ty Compensation), education benefi ts, transportation and grants for assistance. Hoffman, who’s lived in the Mt. Vernon area for more than seven years, served in the Army for nine years, starting in 1978 as a helicop- ter electrician. She said she decided to join the Army when she was in sixth grade when her teacher’s husband was shot down in Vietnam. “It was kind of a wake-up call that people were dying and not coming home, and it was affecting the people in my life,” she said. She said almost all of her dad’s and mom’s brothers served in Vietnam. Hoffman said she enjoys learning history in her con- versations with vets. “When you’re talking to World War II vets, and they’re talking about Pearl Harbor, I like the interac- tion,” she said. She said she also likes winning their claims to help ease their fi nancial burdens. Hoffman said she’s helped See VETERAN, Page A8