News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
A3
Court signs on for broadband
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Court on March
28 conditionally approved the for-
mation of a governing body and a
cost-sharing formula for a new broad-
band internet network intended to
improve the lives of residents in the
county.
An amended ordinance and an in-
tergovernmental agreement between
the county, John Day and Seneca
each passed by 2-1 votes, with Grant
County Commissioner Hamsher op-
posed each time.
The ordinance was similar to one
approved in November that creates
an intergovernmental entity called the
Grant County Digital Network Coali-
tion, which will plan, own, manage,
control and operate a broadband net-
work that will start out with a fiber
optic line running from Burns to John
Day, with a provision for connections
in Seneca. The effective date was
changed to April 10 in the amended
version, and it was passed as an emer-
gency to take effect immediately. The
amended ordinance also adopted the
intergovernmental agreement.
County Judge Scott Myers re-
ceived a draft of the intergovernmen-
tal agreement by email on March 26,
two days before the court meeting,
that was marked up by Grant County
Attorney Ron Yockim.
Hamsher said he hadn’t seen the
latest version until he was provided
a printed copy just before the court
meeting began. He said he had more
questions on the IGA, including
about cost-sharing and severability,
and wanted to speak with Yockim be-
fore approving it.
Further details on how the coali-
tion will be managed and how costs
would be shared are provided in the
intergovernmental agreement. The
city of John Day will be the lead
agency, and a five-member board will
create bylaws, establish a mission and
goals, oversee development and op-
erations of the network and approve
the coalition’s budget and capital pur-
chases.
The county, John Day and Seneca
each will choose one board member
to represent them. Until two more
possible entities join the coalition, the
remaining two board members will
be chosen at large by the three parties
to the agreement.
The board will not have the power
to commit taxing authority or general
funds of the county, John Day or Sen-
eca, or to expend funds in excess of
the amount received from the mem-
bers in a fiscal year. Grant County,
John Day and Seneca can terminate
participation in the agreement with
90 days notice.
According to a cost-sharing for-
mula attached to the agreement, oper-
ating expenses will be shared among
the three entities based on a 2017
certified population estimate. Grant
County will be responsible for 60 per-
cent of the operating costs, John Day
37 percent and Seneca 3 percent.
Hamsher told the court he needed
more time to review the agreement.
He also said he was concerned about
the cost-sharing formula and how the
county’s share of the network’s costs
would be included in the county bud-
get.
Hamsher also suggested that the
county could save money by putting
the network’s northern terminal facil-
ity in a county-owned building. He
also was concerned about insufficient
financial planning for the agreement
and about hanging a main fiber optic
cable on power poles across national
forest land.
Commissioner Boyd Britton said
he was comfortable with the agree-
ment because Yockim had reviewed
it. He said he had looked over the
severability clause and felt the county
could easily get out of the agreement
if necessary.
A timely vote on the ordinance
was needed to get the project start-
ed, Britton said. He suggested the
court approve the intergovernmen-
tal agreement on the condition that
Hamsher could talk more with Yock-
im about his concerns before final
approval.
Hamsher said the attorneys for the
county and John Day had months to
look at the agreement, while the court
had just received it, and the county
had the lion’s share of the financial
responsibility.
Hamsher said he wasn’t opposed
to bringing broadband to Grant Coun-
ty, but he wasn’t ready to approve the
ordinance and the intergovernmental
agreement.
Myers said the ordinance changed
little except the coalition’s starting
date. Project planning couldn’t start
until the documents were signed, he
said.
“This project will affect Grant
County citizens in a positive way,”
Myers said.
County sets minimum bids on foreclosed sites
O BITUARIES
Dennis Dee Olsen
March 15, 1935 - March 24, 2018
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Dennis Dee “Denny” Olsen, 83,
died March 24, 2018. He grew up
in John Day, where he was very
involved in athletics. He played
college baseball at the University
of Oregon for his hero Don Kirsch.
His first teaching job was in Drain
High School, where in 1962 he
coached a talented team to a state
baseball championship. In 1963,
he continued teaching and was a
counselor in the Springfield School District until he retired.
He married Brenda Gustafson in 1961, and they moved
to a ranch close to Creswell. The couple loved to dance
in their younger years, and he was an exceptionally good
dancer. They enjoyed riding their horses and taking horse-
back trips to the high lakes and fishing there. They enjoyed
water skiing and trips to the lake with family and friends.
Olsen coached their son, Scott, in little league baseball,
and they enjoyed watching him play ball, ride motorcy-
cles and play slow pitch as an adult. They enjoyed seeing
Shauna, their daughter, excelling in school activities and
music. They were also proud of their grandkids. They en-
joyed traveling to Cody’s swim meets for many years and
watched Jake play basketball and soccer. Family time was
always special to Olsen. A favorite outing was taking the
family to Sun River over Labor Day weekend for many
years where they biked, ran the river, played cards and just
hung out together.
Olsen was also a great community man. He was an ac-
tive member in the Creswell Presbyterian Church for 40
plus years and served on the session several times and sang
in the choir. He was active in Kiwanis and volunteered for
South Lane Wheels to drive people in need. He always spoke
fondly of his riders and called them his friends.
Olsen had a life well lived. He is remembered as always
being kind. He loved his family, and they loved him in re-
turn. A family celebration of life will be held.
Thirty-one tax-foreclosed
properties will be deeded to
the county April 10 and sold
as quickly as possible to get
them back on the tax rolls,
Grant County Assessor David
Thunnell told the county court
March 28.
The court approved Thun-
nell’s recommendation that
the minimum bid for the prop-
erties should be 50 percent of
their real market value. If all 31
properties sell at the minimum
bid, the county would receive
about $395,000, Thunnell said.
The total in back taxes with in-
terest owed on the properties is
about $365,000, he said. Grant
County Attorney Ron Yockim
suggested holding an oral auc-
tion, Thunnell noted.
Some of the tax liabilities
were very old, Grant County
Judge Scott Myers pointed out,
and some owners didn’t know
about these properties. The
county exhausted all remedies
trying to track down owners,
he said, adding that the real
market value of one property
was only $10.
A dozen trailer homes still
sit on a foreclosed mobile
home park property in Mt.
Vernon with tenants who may
need to be evicted, Myers later
Eagle photos/Richard Hanners
The 31 tax-foreclosed properties that will be deeded to Grant County on April 10
include (from left) a burned-out motel building and a hillside covered with trailers.
told the Eagle. He said some of
those trailer homes didn’t have
running water.
“It’s a sad state of affairs,”
he said.
Bob Crisler told the court
a foreclosed house next to his
in Prairie City posed a safety
hazard, with wind blowing
pieces of metal around. Thun-
nell, however, said that proper-
ty had only recently received
foreclosure judgment in circuit
court and hadn’t gone through
the two-year redemption peri-
od.
Thunnel said the foreclo-
sure process could be hastened
in some cases, and Myers not-
ed that Prairie City could use
its nuisance ordinances to deal
with the home, which is con-
sidered an eyesore.
Grant County Commis-
sioner Boyd Britton suggested
the court address how it will
deal with liabilities incurred by
taking ownership of foreclosed
properties in the future.
Attend a Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation Dinner
and Benefit Auction
Where fun and fund-raising combine for a
memorable evening.
Date:
Time:
Saturday, April 21
4:00—Doors open
5:30—Dinner
7:30—Auction
Place: Pavilion—
Grant County Fairgrounds
Ticket Information:
Gale Wall (541) 575-2661
In other county court news:
• The court agreed to table
a motion to establish a natural
resource adviser position after
Commissioner Jim Hamsher
said he wanted time to find
a way to pay for the position
using federal Secure Rural
Schools or payment-in-lieu of
taxes funding.
Budget constraints and po-
litical concerns were raised by
court members at their March
14 meeting as reasons for de-
laying a decision on filling
the proposed position. Nearly
$50,000 exists in the current
county budget for the position,
Myers noted at the time, but he
also expressed concern about
how to continue funding the
position.
Hamsher had agreed sus-
tainability was an issue, but he
made a motion that the court at
least try filling the position for
a year. Britton had raised con-
cerns about the nature of the
position and how it would be
structured.
A TTENTION G RANT
C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Did you know a service-connected
disabled veteran is entitled to
FREE use of Oregon State Parks?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
Katee
located at Grant County Courthouse. Hoffman
Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment
530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR
49762
A man wakes up in
the morning after
sleeping on an
ADVERTISED BED,
in ADVERTISED
PAJAMAS.
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
A great time for a great cause.
Proceeds benefit elk and other wildlife.
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
EOU
Need a tuxedo for Prom?
It’s
official:
49468
It’s that time
of the year again…
49489
By Richard Hanners
IS
CONNECTED
First Friday! Join us for a time when
downtown John Day comes alive with
food, fun, shopping and so much more!
When: Friday April 6th
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Where: Downtown John Day
EOU has been
(1188 Brewing Co.; etc.; A Flower shop N’ More; House to Home)
This month try out your
hunting skills on Easter
eggs! Enjoy an Easter egg
hunt through participating
businesses. Will you be the
winner of the grand prize
egg? Other prize eggs will
be available as well!
50152
Come see us at
Bar WB in Prairie City!
541-320-3675 | 234 Front St.
FEATURING
DESIGNS BY
Jim’s Formal Wear
designated
Oregon’s Rural University!
eou.edu/connected