The
Blue Mountain
OURNEY
EAGLE
Through Grant County and beyond
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
Inside this week’s newspaper
W edNesday , J uly 25, 2018
• N o . 30
• 26 P ages
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Search continues for missing couple
Cabin destroyed in
fire, truck missing
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office
has no new leads on the couple who are
missing following a house fire in the
Laycock Creek Road area last week.
Sheriff Glenn Palmer said the
“phone’s been off the hook” as numerous
friends and family have called his office
after Terry and Sharon Smith’s home on
Nan’s Rock Road burned to the ground
July 17-18.
Foul play is not yet suspected, but
law enforcement are still looking for the
Smiths’ vehicle, Palmer said. Friends and
family who have contacted the sheriff’s
office said it was unusual for the Smiths
to have lost contact with them, he said.
“They’re a very social couple,” Palm-
er said.
Palmer confirmed cadaver dogs
searched the debris from the house fire
and found no human remains. A search
effort was planned for the surrounding
area Tuesday, he said.
A statewide press release was issued
by the sheriff’s office last week, asking
anyone with information about the lo-
cation of Terry Smith, 67, and Sharon
Smith, 65, or their silver 2006 Toyota Ta-
coma pickup truck with license plate 714
EGG to contact law enforcement. Palmer
said the press release was not sent to Ha-
waii, where the Smiths had a home.
Cathy Hinshaw, Sharon’s sister who
lives in Hawaii, said she spoke to Sharon
the evening of the fire, and Sharon said
they were headed to bed. Hinshaw said
she then got a call about 4 a.m. from a
friend of Sharon’s who lived near Nan’s
Rock Road informing her about the fire.
The Smiths’ disappearance is very
unusual and could suggest foul play,
Hinshaw said. She said the Smiths were
See COUPLE, Page A16
Contributed photo
Terry and Sharon Smith and their pickup are missing
after a fire burned down their cabin in the Laycock Creek
Road area July 17.
COMING
SOON
The sign at Rocky Mountain Dispensary will change once the store begins
selling recreational marijuana planned by the end of July.
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES
Planning commission
considers zoning restrictions
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
R
ecreational marijuana sales in Grant County
could be happening by the end of July, ac-
cording to Haley Olson, the store manager
at the Rocky Mountain Dispensary in John
Day.
“The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has com-
pleted their inspection and everything went smooth,”
she said. “We passed with flying colors.”
The business already has a land-use compatibility
statement from the county approving the location of the
business, but the store is undergoing some remodeling,
Olson said.
Same store, same location
Rocky Mountain Dispensary has been selling med-
ical marijuana just outside the John Day city limits in
the city’s urban growth boundary since June 1, 2017.
All cities in Grant County ban the sale of medical or
recreational marijuana inside their city limits, including
John Day.
Olson, whose family owns the local business, led the
effort to overturn a ban on sales of recreational mari-
juana, succeeding on a second ballot measure this May.
Fifty-three percent of Grant County voters supported
overturning the ban.
Rocky Mountain Dispensary will continue to sell
medical marijuana in the same building alongside rec-
reational marijuana, Olson said. The store’s name will
remain the same, but some changes will take place as
See POT, Page A16
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
From left, Cindy Olson and daughter Haley Olson pose in front of Rocky Mountain Dispensary July 20.
Council to look at new pool, new park
Goal is to improve
city’s recreational
amenities
Eagle file photo
Ethan
Moore, left,
Damion
Young and
Hunter
Wright play
basketball
at Gleason
Pool in
John Day.
The city is
looking into
a feasibility
study for
future pool
options.
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Recreational amenities, including a
new city park and pool, were on the
agenda for last night’s John Day City
Council meeting.
The council planned to vote on
three action items past press time:
the purchase of a 10-acre proper-
ty on both sides of the John Day
River near the north end of Canton
Street, approval of funding for a
feasibility study for a new aquat-
ics facility to replace Gleason Pool
and an agreement to proceed with
appraisal and negotiations for the
sale of city land at the Kam Wah
Chung State Heritage Site to the
state.
These three actions will tie in with
other city infrastructure projects, from
the Innovation Gateway at the former
Oregon Pine property west of town to
a new trails network running along the
John Day River to the Seventh Street
Complex.
Aquatics facility
It’s been 21 years since a plan was
written that tied the public pool and
Kam Wah Chung, City Manager Nick
Green told the Eagle. With all the oth-
er city projects underway, public sup-
port for more recreational amenities
and the city taking over Gleason Pool
at the end of the 2020 season, now was
the time to bring these matters to the
forefront for another public discus-
sion, he said.
The John Day-Canyon City Parks
and Recreation District currently man-
ages Gleason Pool, which is 60 years
old and open only 12 weeks per year.
A 2017 survey of Grant County resi-
dents indicated strong public support
existed for a new aquatics center and
more outdoor recreational opportuni-
ties.
See COUNCIL, Page A16