News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
A5
Council approves Weaver Building purchase
Green supports
public investment
in downtown
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
Grant County Commisioner Boyd Britton listens to feedback
at a Grant County Court meeting this year.
County optimistic about
Forest Plan revision
Eastern Oregon
representative
will present plan
in Washington
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Two members of the Grant
County Court expressed some
optimism in the ongoing Blue
Mountain Forest Plan revi-
sion process during their Oct.
25 meeting.
County Judge Scott My-
ers and Commissioner Boyd
Britton said they traveled to
Pendleton to meet with For-
est Service officials and other
Eastern Oregon county com-
missioners to discuss the plan
revision.
“We’ve had discussions
with the Forest Service nearly
every day,” Britton said.
Britton said he was op-
timistic about how the plan
would deal with grazing is-
sues. He also noted that a
representative of the Eastern
Oregon counties would travel
to Washington, D.C., to pres-
ent the plan to the chief of the
Forest Service.
“Things were not as rosy
as we’d like,” Myers said,
but mutual compromise was
reached on study areas and
backpacking protections.
Frances Preston asked if
the presence of two county
court members at the meeting
constituted a quorum.
Myers said he and oth-
er court members could be
together outside of official
meetings so long as they
didn’t discuss court business
with each other. Britton noted
that three other counties each
sent two representatives to the
Pendleton meeting.
In other county court news,
Alan Hickerson, the Grant
County roadmaster, recom-
mended that the court accept
a $62,800 bid from Columbia
Basin Helicopters for snow-
plowing the 20-mile section
of road from Sumpter to
Granite. The county received
only one bid for the work.
Hickerson said the county
shares the snowplowing cost
with Baker County. Columbia
Basin did a good job of snow-
plowing the road last year, he
noted, but their bid was about
$6,000 to $7,000 higher this
year.
“There was a lot of snow
last year,” Hickerson said.
The court unanimously
approved the Columbia Ba-
sin bid and also voted 2-1
to approve the purchase of a
22-foot trailer for hauling the
county’s two mini-excava-
tors. Britton cast the lone nay
vote.
The court also approved an
agreement with Blue Moun-
tain Community College that
will provide $11,706 to the
college. Assistance to col-
leges by counties was man-
dated by the state, Myers said.
The college maintains a small
office here to help local stu-
dents earn college credits at a
lower cost, he said.
“This is a great deal for the
residents of the county,” Brit-
ton said.
Victim Assistance Direc-
tor Andrea Officer reported
that the county had received
a two-year Child Abuse
Multi-Disciplinary Interven-
tion grant. The $53,555 will
be used to support a multi-dis-
ciplinary team dealing with
child abuse, child sexual as-
sault and child neglect.
“The team will meet once
a month and look at what is
most beneficial,” she said.
The money would also
support training and trans-
porting victims to sites for
forensic interviews, she said.
The court congratulated Offi-
cer for obtaining the grant.
The court also approved
an intergovernmental agree-
ment with the Department of
Corrections that extends the
life of the agreement from
five to 10 years, and a sec-
ond amendment to an agree-
ment with the Oregon Health
Authority that will increase
public health funding to the
county by $6,850.
The city of John Day is
taking an active role in reno-
vating a downtown building.
The John Day City Coun-
cil on Oct. 24 approved a
purchase agreement for the
Weaver Building near the
northwest corner of the in-
tersection of Main Street and
Canyon Boulevard. The city
will close on the property
Nov. 1, City Manager Nick
Green said.
The city will use a
$100,000 Main Street Re-
vitalization Grant to pur-
chase the 120-year-old,
12,000-square-foot complex
and then line up a $200,000
loan to complete Phase 1
renovation work.
That should be enough
money to handle interior
demolition of the top floor,
removal of hazardous ma-
terials, required structural
reinforcement and con-
structing a fire separation
between the first and second
floors, Green told the Eagle.
He said the city was looking
at three potential lending
sources.
Repayment of the loan
would come from the rent
from four businesses using
the ground floor over 10
years. The building at 131
W. Main St. currently hous-
es four business, Naturally
Yours, Etc., Karen Barntish
LTC and H & R Block, and
six apartments upstairs, only
one of which is occupied.
The residential tenant on
the second floor will have to
move out during the renova-
tion, Green told the council.
Green said he hoped to
have Phase 1 completed in
this fiscal year. He told the
council an Idaho company
submitted a $165,000 bid
for the Phase 1 work, but he
wanted to see two more bids
and should have a better idea
on Phase 1 costs by mid-No-
vember. The building will be
re-assessed for tax purposes
before the 2018-2019 tax
season, he said.
Green supported the
city’s role in revitalizing the
downtown area amidst criti-
cism of public ownership of
the Weaver Building.
“The public sees costs –
not investments,” he said.
He noted that the private
sector had not invested in
renovating downtown build-
ings. If this project was suc-
cessful, the state might be
Eagle file photo
The city of John Day is purchasing the Weaver Building at 131 W. Main St., which
currently houses four business, Naturally Yours, Etc., Karen Barntish LTC and H & R
Block, and six apartments upstairs, only one of which is occupied.
willing to pro-
vide the city
with
more
grants to re-
vitalize John
Day’s down-
town, he said
Nick
– and perhaps
Green
the
private
sector would
be more interested in taking
on these kinds of projects.
Public hearings
There was no public com-
ment during three hearings
dealing with real property
and budget amendments.
The council unanimously
approved a lot line adjust-
ment and sales agreement
for six acres of the former
Oregon Pine property to I.T.
Logging. The city will sell
the property for $58,800 to
create a buffer for its new
wastewater treatment plant.
“This is an old action,”
Green said. “It took some
time to get to it.”
The council also unani-
mously approved a lot line
adjustment and quit claim
deed with Hugh Thompson
for a steep irregularly shaped
narrow piece of property near
Southeast Elm Street and
Hillcrest Road.
The city has no use for the
land other than for a utility
access corridor, Green said.
A utility easement agreement
will maintain access to a 10-
inch city water main along
the property.
The council also unani-
mously approved a supple-
Matt
Manitsas
mental budget
resolution that
accounts for
expenses and
revenue relat-
ed to this sum-
mer’s eclipse
and the city’s
acquisition of
the
Weaver
Building.
Green said he hadn’t yet
added up the costs for per-
sonnel, materials and ser-
vices related to the eclipse
event, but he estimated them
at less than $19,000. They
would be compensated by
$19,000 in additional reve-
nue from eclipse reservations
and merchandise sales.
Gateway assessment
Monte Legg, the city’s
public works director, report-
ed on environmental assess-
ment work at the former Ore-
gon Pine mill site, especially
the shop. The overall devel-
opment project is called the
Innovation Gateway.
The city already complet-
ed a Phase 1 assessment with
Mark Yinger and Associates,
Green told the Eagle, and the
Oregon Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality provided
the city with a $9,000 grant
for a Phase 2 assessment, in-
cluding soil testing and sam-
pling of areas of potential
concern.
Legg told the council that
instead of hiring a company
to bore through the concrete
in an oil-change pit in the
former shop, his crew was
able to bust through the con-
crete with their own tools to
sample the soil underneath.
“We are waiting for re-
sults,” Green told the Eagle.
Greenhouse update
Matt Manitsas, the city’s
agribusiness project manag-
er, presented a slide show
on a trip he, Green and se-
nior project manager Aaron
Lieuallen made to the Uni-
versity of Arizona to attend
a Controlled Environment
Agriculture course.
“It was a semester course
distilled into four 12-hour
days,” Green told the Eagle.
In addition to making
contacts and networking,
the three learned about
greenhouse designs and
key concepts for successful
operation of a commercial
greenhouse. Some peo-
ple travel to Tuscon, Ari-
zona, and pay $1,200 for
the course just to learn the
special “fertilizer recipe,”
Green told the council.
Green said he expects to
announce four bidders in
December for construction
of the city’s greenhouse at
the Innovation Gateway site.
Sustainable Water, the At-
lanta-based consultant for
the city’s new sewer treat-
ment plant, which will sup-
ply treated water to the city’s
commercial greenhouse, will
be in John Day Nov. 13-17.
The John Day City Coun-
cil will meet only once in
November and December –
on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12.
C OPS AND C OURTS
Grant Count Circuit
Court
Joseph W. Leo, 40, John
Day, pleaded guilty Oct. 26
to unlawful possession of a
firearm, a misdemeanor, fol-
lowing a Sept. 9 incident at
the Ugly Truth Bar & Grill
in John Day. He was sen-
tenced to three days in jail
and 12 months probation and
fined $200. A second count of
pointing a firearm at another
person was dismissed.
Shelby Pickenpaugh, 25,
Mt. Vernon, was sentenced to
10 days in jail and 18 months
probation based on a Nov. 30,
2015, guilty plea of felony pos-
session of methamphetamine
on Sept. 24, 2015. Fines and
fees were waived as they were
paid in full on the conditional
discharge. A second count of
driving under the influence of
intoxicants was dismissed.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Oct.
19-25:
• Average inmates: 15
• Bookings: 8
• Releases: 10
• Arrests: 2
• Citations: 0
• Fingerprints: 1
• Civil papers: 13
• Warrants processed: 3
• Asst./welfare check: 3
• Search and Rescue: 0
Justice Court
The Grant County Justice
Court reported the following
fines and judgments:
• Exceeding the speed
limit: Donnell S. Brush, 56,
Long Creek, 72/65 zone, fined
$160.
• Violation of speed limit:
Samantha A. McLaren, 40,
Warrenton, 54/35 zone, fined
$160; Sean G. Ruhland, 28,
Huntington Beach, Califor-
nia, 59/35 zone, fined $260.
• Violation of basic rule:
Jay R. Trevillian, 39, Wood-
burn, 77/55 zone, fined $220;
Matthew F. Smith, 27, Union,
84/55 zone, fined $260.
• Following too closely:
Ann K. Marino, 34, Red-
mond, fined $220.
• Refusal to take breath
test: Billy W. Wells, 54, Sen-
eca, license suspended for one
year, fined $1,000.
Oregon State Police
Oct. 23: Responded to a re-
port of a cow on Highway 395
near Seneca.
Oct. 27: Responded to
a vehicle-deer accident on
Highway 26 east of John Day.
Oct. 27: Responded with
sheriff’s office and John Day
fire for a vehicle fire on High-
way 395 in Canyon City.
Oct. 28: Dispatched with
sheriff’s office to a vehicle ac-
cident on Highway 26.
Oct. 29: Advised of cows
on Highway 26 near Clyde
Holliday State Park.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
180 calls during the week
of Oct. 23-29. Along with
the various traffic warnings,
trespassing, injured animals,
noise complaints and juvenile
complaints, these calls includ-
ed:
• John Day Police De-
partment
Oct. 23: Responded with
Oregon State Police to a do-
mestic dispute in John Day.
Oct. 23: Responded to a
burglary report on Hillcrest
Drive in John Day.
Oct. 23: Dispatched to a
report of fraud on Johnson
Avenue in Prairie City.
Oct. 23: Dispatched to
Prairie City School for a mi-
nor in possession of tobacco.
Oct. 24: Responded for a
person with mental issues at
Blue Mountain Hospital.
Oct. 25: Report of a fraud
caller in John Day.
Oct. 25: A woman report-
ed that she and her dog were
attacked and bitten by another
dog on Valley View Drive in
John Day.
Oct. 26: Dispatched to a
harassment report on South-
west Brent Drive in John Day.
Oct. 26: Responded to a
shoplifting report at Chester’s
Thriftway in John Day.
Oct. 26: Dispatched to a
theft report at John Day Parks
and Recreation Department.
Oct. 26: Report by hospice
of harassment.
Oct. 27: Report of criminal
mischief on Bridge Street in
John Day.
Oct. 27: Responded to a
report of a burglary on Main
Street in John Day.
Oct. 28: Report of a goat
on Highway 26 near Prairie
City.
Oct. 28: Responded to a
report of a fight at the Elkhorn
Motel in Canyon City. Joshua
M. Semler, 40, John Day, was
cited for disorderly conduct.
Oct. 28: Responded to a
report of an unwanted subject
at Chester’s Thriftway in John
Day. Raymond G. McDonald,
52, John Day, was arrested
and charged with disorderly
conduct.
Oct. 29: Responded to a
report of a theft on Canyon
Boulevard in John Day.
Oct. 29: Followed up on a
theft investigation on South-
west Brent Drive in John Day.
Oct. 29: Followed up on a
theft investigation on Industrial
Park Road in John Day.
Oct. 29: Checked on a sub-
ject reportedly sleeping in the
doorway of a church in John
Day.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
Oct. 23: Responded to an
assault report at Grant Union
High School.
Oct. 23: Dispatched to Long
Creek for a trespassing report.
Oct. 24: Responded to a
theft report near Ritter.
Oct. 25: Responded with
John Day ambulance and Or-
egon Department of Transpor-
tation for a single-vehicle crash
near Austin Junction.
Oct. 25: Responded with
John Day police to a report of
a stolen U-Haul trailer in John
Day.
Oct. 26: Responded with
John Day ambulance for a vehi-
cle-deer accident on Highway
26 near Mt. Vernon.
Oct. 26: Dispatched for a
suicidal subject at the Day-
ville School.
Oct. 26: Dispatched with
Oregon State Police, John
Day and Long Creek ambu-
lances, Long Creek fire and
Airlink for an injured hunter
in the Indian Creek drainage
northeast of Meadowbrook
Summit.
Oct. 26: Two callers on
Ingle Street in Mt. Vernon re-
ported someone entered their
houses when they were gone
during the day and items were
missing.
Oct. 28: Advised of a child
abuse complaint in Dayville.
Oct. 28: Responded to a
report of a prowler on Marys-
ville Road in Canyon City.
• John Day ambulance
Oct. 23: Responded for an
elderly male in the John Day
city park.
Oct. 24: Responded for a
66-year-old woman in John
Day.
Oct. 27: Responded with
Monument ambulance for a
16-year-old boy with a neck
injury at the Monument foot-
ball field.
Oct. 27: Dispatched for a
woman in John Day.
Oct. 28: Dispatched with
sheriff’s office for a woman in
John Day who had fallen.
Oct. 29: Responded for an
elderly woman in John Day.
Oct. 29: Responded with
Oregon State Police and Prai-
rie City ambulance and fire to
an accident on Highway 26 at
Austin Junction.
Oct. 29: Responded to
Blue Mountain Care Center
for a 65-year-old man.
THOR: RAGNAROK PG-13
Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial
contest against The Hulk, his former ally.
FRI & SAT
(1:20) (3:45) 6:45 9:45
SUNDAY
(1:20) (3:45) 6:45 9:35
MON - THURS (1:20) (4:00) 6:45 9:45
A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS R
3 under-appreciated and over-burdened
moms rebel against the challenges and
expectations of Christmas.
FRI & SAT
(1:20) (4:00) 7:00 10:00
(1:20) (4:00) 7:00 9:35
SUNDAY
MON - THURS (1:20) (4:00) 7:00 9:45
ONLY THE BRAVE PG-13
Based on the true story of the Granite
Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite
firefighters risk everything to protect a
town from a historic wildfire.
FRI & SAT
(1:20) (3:30) 6:30 9:30
SUNDAY
(1:20) (3:30) 6:30 9:35
MON - THURS (1:20) (4:00) 6:30 9:45
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
21237
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law
enforcement agencies. Every
effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest
cases.
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Are you using or interested in learning about Choice Card
Medical Care?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
located at Grant County Court House.
Katee Hoffman
Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment
16784