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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2018)
A16 News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 25, 2018 COUPLE Continued from Page A1 very social and she talked to Sharon two or three times a day. She said she and Sharon have known Terry since they were in their early teens in Springfield and often went camping together. Hinshaw also said the Smiths sometimes let peo- ple stay on the 80-100 acre property on Nan’s Rock Road they bought in the mid-1990s, but the man who served as a caretaker for the property was gone at the time of the fire. Two men who said they’ve known the Smiths for several decades contacted the Eagle about the missing couple. James Parker said he lived near the Smiths’ home in Ha- waii, and Magnus Julleryd of Sweden said he knew the Smiths from their business trips to Bali, Indonesia. According to Parker and Julleryd, the Smiths Contributed photo A photo Sharon Smith posted on Facebook of her ‘hunting cabin in Eastern Oregon.’ Terry Smith, 67, and Sharon Smith, 65, are missing along with their pickup after a fire destroyed their cabin on Nan’s Rock Road. had made a living import- ing clothes from Bali and selling them in Birch Bay, Washington. Hinshaw said the Smiths got out of that business about 1998, and Terry got involved in other businesses including real es- tate. Sharon volunteered for COUNCIL POT Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 Over time, the Oregon Parks and Recreation De- partment acquired about 1.5 acres at the Kam Wah Chung site, and a mas- ter plan was developed in 2009 and updated in 2012. Ultimately, the state wants to build a new interpretive facility at the Kam Wah Chung site to replace the current museum across the street. As approved by the state parks planning commis- sion, the plan calls for the state to acquire the three acres of city park land sur- rounding Kam Wah Chung in exchange for cash that could be used to leverage grants for a new city pool. “The city would like to pursue this option with the state in order to create a world-class heritage site in our community,” Green said. “The age and condi- tion of our current pool, coupled with the strategic opportunity to create new recreational facilities with improved street access along the John Day River, make this a logical time to reopen negotiations.” Green recommends that the city approve spending $17,500 for a feasibility study by Counsilman-Hun- saker, a leader in planning and design of aquatic cen- ters. He would like to have three viable pool options: a basic one similar to the current facility, an interme- diate option and “what we want,” he told the Eagle. “Our goal in this pro- cess should be to create an all-season facility that will provide year-round oppor- the business shifts from regula- tions under the Oregon Health Authority to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Nobody under 21 will be allowed in the store, she said. People with a medical mari- juana card who are 18-20 will have to rely on a caregiver to purchase their medical marijua- na, she said. This could a create a hardship, she said, but she didn’t know of any customers at the John Day store who were under 21. Rocky Mountain Dispensary managed to get state approval despite a tremendous backlog of OLCC applications. On May 30, the agency announced it would set aside marijuana business li- cense applications received af- ter June 15 so the commission’s 13 employees could catch up with 1,423 applications. But the agency received 1,001 more applications follow- ing the announcement, increas- ing the backlog to about 2,295 applications. Ninety-two appli- cations were approved follow- ing the announcement, bring- ing the statewide total of active marijuana business licenses to 1,964. Olson’s family already grows medical marijuana in Grant County using hydropon- ics, and they plan to eventually grow recreational marijuana, Olson said. “We’re waiting to see what happens with Grant County zon- ing,” she said. Eagle file photo Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum in John Day. The city will consider selling the park surrounding the museum to the state for a heritage site while developing a new city park and pool elsewhere. tunities for recreation that is achievable within our financial constraints,” he said. In any case, planning should start now to avoid a time in the future where the pool is closed and no viable options exist to re- place it, he said. Hill properties The council will also consider buying 10 acres of land along the John Day River from Colleen and Celeste Hill for $115,000. Seven acres on the north side of the river would be acquired using money from the Sewer Fund, as part of that land would be used by the city’s new sewer treatment plant. Located between Val- ley View Drive and the river, the property in- cludes the Davis Creek ravine, which is currently overgrown with junipers and inaccessible to the public. According to Green, the city could improve the land with trails and park- ing to connect residents in the Charolais Heights, Val- ley View Drive and Bridge Street neighborhoods to the riverfront. The land also would be an ideal lo- cation for a botanical gar- den using reclaimed water from the new sewer treat- ment plant, he said. The four acres along the south side of river would be held in the Street Fund until the park design, in- cluding the trail system and bridges, for the site is completed by consul- tant Walker Macy as part of Transportation Growth Management grant-funded planning and these plans are approved by the city planning commission. The land is located im- mediately west of the new cul de sac being construct- ed as part of the current Canton Street extension. Through lot line adjust- ments, the city could ac- quire enough land along Canyon Creek to connect this new city park with a trail system to Kam Wah Chung. County zoning The Grant County Planning Commission met July 19 to re- view a proposed amendment to the county’s land develop- ment code that would address time, place and manner regula- hospice when she was in Ha- waii, Hinshaw said. In January 2011, Sharon posted a celebratory note on her Facebook page, marking her and Terry’s 41st anniver- sary together. She noted that she enjoyed traveling to Bali each year for clothes and selling them seasonally on San Juan Island, Washing- ton. Another post described a “hunting cabin in Eastern Oregon” believed to be the structure that burned. Locating the fire initially proved difficult, John Day Fire Chief Ron Smith told the Eagle. A “glow” was observed by people west of Mt. Vernon and reported to authorities about 10:15 p.m. on July 17, but the reporting party thought there was a fire on Canyon Mountain. According to John Day dispatch, crews from the Forest Service, Oregon De- partment of Forestry, John Day fire and Mt. Vernon fire responded to Nan’s Rock Road around 12:15 a.m. in tions related to all marijuana businesses, from growers and processors to wholesale and re- tail sellers of both medical and recreational marijuana. Grant County planning di- rector Hilary McNary told the Eagle marijuana growing is considered an agricultural use and not currently subject to a land-use permit, but growers must obtain a land-use compati- bility statement from the county office. “We have signed one land- use compatibility statement for production of marijuana in a farm zone,” she said. McNary told the coun- ty planning commission that OLCC has lengthy, detailed and extensive regulations for marijuana businesses, but they didn’t address three land-use issues that she learned about from talking to planners in oth- er counties – odor, noise and light pollution. She noted that the state agri- culture department regards mar- ijuana growing as just another crop, and without the county imposing regulations on odor, noise and light pollution, “it would be a free for all.” Olson told the commis- sion she supports the proposed county regulations because they could prevent a very large mar- ijuana-growing business from coming to Grant County and setting up operations in the West Bench or Marysville areas. According to the proposed amendment, the draft standards do not apply to homegrown or homemade marijuana as al- lowed under state law, to in- dividuals who are registered medical marijuana cardholders or to designated caregivers at their primary residence who are providing services to a single registered medical marijuana cardholder. The regulations also do not apply to recreational use an attempt to locate multiple fire reports. By the time initial at- tack crews from ODF ar- rived, the house on Nan’s Rock Road was completely burned to the ground, Smith said. John Day fire crews secured the perimeter to prevent the fire’s spread to the surrounding area, which includes heavy timber and open meadows covered with dry grass, he said. The road off Laycock Creek Road is in a very iso- lated area, and the road was in rough condition, Smith said. There were no nearby neighbors who might have seen the fire and called it in right away, he said. Smith said he saw remains of solar panels indicating the house may have been off the grid. He said many people who live in this area are not year-round residents. Palmer encouraged anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office at 541- 575-1131. or possession of marijuana as al- lowed under state law. Primary owners or operators of marijuana businesses will be required to obtain a $120 annu- al permit issued by the county planning department. Marijua- na businesses will be required to have a license or certificate from the Oregon Liquor Con- trol Commission or the Oregon Health Authority and hold a land-use permit from the county. Explosive issue Under the amendment, mar- ijuana businesses of all types will be prohibited from all res- identially zoned districts and the county’s rural service center district. Marijuana growing will be allowed outright as a farm use in primary forest and agricul- turally zoned districts and be al- lowed under a Type II review in the county’s general industrial or general commercial districts. Marijuana production is prohib- ited as a home occupation in any zoning district. Marijuana processing busi- nesses will be allowed as a conditional use in agriculturally zoned, industrial and commer- cial districts. But the risk of explosion from use of butane or other gases in the processing of marijuana into oils, as explained by Olson, led to lengthy discus- sion by the commission. Commission member Steve Parsons, an electrical contractor, expressed concern that the pro- posed amendment did not spec- ify that the design and construc- tion of marijuana processing facilities using explosive gases be signed off by the appropriate officials. Because of the technical na- ture of Parson’s concerns, Mc- Nary was directed to look into the matter and bring the amend- ment back at the planning com- mission’s Aug. 23 meeting. Thank you to Boyd & Bonnie Britton Boyd - thanks for: Being the pyrotechnician for the 4th of July fireworks in Prairie City for 8 years; Conducting church services at the nursing home once a month for 10 years; Filling in as announcer for the 4th of July parade in Prairie City for many years; Dropping everything and rushing the eclipse signs for the celebration in Prairie City; Helping Charlie with his presentation at Lewis and Clark college. The class loved the slide show, proving logging could help save our forests. You were such a great friend to him. And thanks, Bonnie, for always being one of the first to organize food and services for those injured or sick. You both will truly be missed! Jan & Jake O’Rorke 70146
