Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2018)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Applications sought for advisory group By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The establishment of a committee to advise the Grant County Court on wa- ter issues took a big step forward after it was dis- covered that a similar com- mittee was created in June 1992. The court formed the Grant County Riparian and Water Management Board to “serve as a forum to en- courage dialogue between those entities and individ- uals with interest in water and riparian management” and to monitor and report on progress toward attain- ing the county’s goals. The board “shall not be consid- ered a planning, zoning or development commission,” the 1992 resolution stated. The idea of establish- ing a committee to advise on water issues came up during the court’s Sept. 12 meeting. Commissioner Rob Raschio said he had met with Grant County Wa- termaster Eric Julsrud and Shaun Robertson about es- tablishing such a commit- tee. Julsrud said committee proponents presented cre- ative “out of the box” ideas to increase the timing when water would be available, mostly by holding back spring runoff. Elaine Eisenbraun elab- orated on the origin of the proposed committee at the court’s Sept. 26 meeting. Recognizing that water shortage issues were in- creasing around the globe, she said she saw an oppor- tunity for Grant County to be a leader in this field by turning to innovative high- tech solutions. A volunteer group met to brainstorm ideas, and Shaun Robertson urged her to present the idea of forming a committee to the court. Robertson said he was concerned about “out- side interests” driving wa- ter discussion in the past. Eisenbraun and Rob- ertson told the court they could begin committee work under the authority of the 1992 resolution, but some amendments would be necessary. Robertson noted that the 1992 reso- lution established a board, not a committee, and the term “water board” had a defined meaning under state law. He also noted that the intent of the 1992 resolu- tion was to address federal grazing regulations. Eisen- braun said having the word “riparian” in the title could lead to conflicting issues. Raschio noted, even though the committee was called a board, it had no regulating authority. Grant County Judge Scott My- ers said the name could be amended at a later date. The court agreed to open up applications for the five- to seven-member committee with the goal of filling the positions by November. A7 Marijuana regulations tabled over variance issue Emergency plan for courthouse reviewed By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle A county ordinance estab- lishing regulations for mari- juana businesses was tabled until Oct. 17 after County Commissioner Rob Raschio asked for several modifica- tions to the regulations ap- proved by the county plan- ning commission on July 19. The intent of the ordinance was to bring the county’s land development ordinanc- es and regulations in confor- mance with the state’s when it comes to marijuana business- es, Planning Director Hilary McNary said. In addi- tion to setting standards for how business- es operate and facilities are Ted constructed, Williams the proposed ordinance prohibits certain marijuana businesses from operating in specific zoning districts. The ordinance was brought to the court as an emergency measure because marijuana businesses currently in oper- ation or planning to operate in Grant County are in limbo, McNary said. A marijuana grower in the Monument area had emailed concerns to the county about the cost of a ventilation sys- tem required under the pro- posed regulations. The green- house in question was opened up to the ambient atmosphere in summertime but was isolat- ed from any neighbors who might be impacted by nui- sance smells. McNary suggested a vari- ance could be requested on a case-by-case basis to ad- dress concerns of businesses in rural areas with no nearby neighbors, but Raschio noted that the variance process can be costly and time-consum- ing. He suggested language that could be added to the or- dinance to protect rural oper- ations. Raschio also suggested removing all references to federal law in the ordinance. Marijuana businesses and consumption are prohibited by federal law, he said. Mc- Nary noted that the language came from the county coun- sel. The ordinance will be brought back to the court Oct. 17. In other county court news: • Grant County Emergency Management Coordinator Ted Williams updated the court on the county’s Continuity of Operations Plan, which will protect records and help county government return to business within 12 hours of a major fire or flood. Specialized trucks can be brought in to freeze wa- ter-soaked documents and then scan them into a com- puter, he said. The county doesn’t have a full-time archi- val person to implement doc- ument-retention regulations, he noted. Myers commended Wil- liams’ work and noted that a mad scramble could follow a catastrophe in the courthouse to get the clerk’s, sheriff’s and assessor’s offices back in op- eration. • A request by Justice of the Peace Kathy Stinnett to appoint Robin Ordway of Wheeler County to be a jus- tice of the peace pro tem was tabled by a 2-1 vote. Raschio said he wanted to see a local person appointed to the position. Judge Scott My- ers opposed the motion, say- ing Stinnett was in a position to say who was fit to fill the position. The matter is sched- uled to come back Oct. 17. • The court’s schedule has changed. It will meet Oct. 17 instead of Oct. 10 and Nov. 14 instead of Nov. 7. Spec home builders left out of incentive plan Benefits could go to new owner, not builder By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The city’s new urban re- newal housing incentive plan may not help contractors who build spec homes, contractor Joe Madden told the John Day City Council Sept. 26. He said he was concerned that, because of the lag in awarding incentives, benefits could end up going to new owners and not the builders who took the risk to construct new homes or invest in ex- pensive remodeling projects. The council approved the housing incentives plan June 12 with the goal of seeing 100 new homes built in the 20-year life of the program. To encourage new home con- struction, the city will waive system development charges for water and sewer service and provide property own- ers a 7-percent rebate on the increase in the property’s as- sessed value. The plan also creates an incentive for home remodeling. According to Elaine How- ard, the consultant who helped draft the urban renewal plan, property owners will not see incentive payments until af- ter the next fiscal year starts in 2019. The county assessor will certify tax bills in Octo- ber based on what occurred in the prior year, she said. City Manager Nick Green noted that Madden raised val- id points and proposed sev- eral solutions. He said the incentive program wasn’t designed for spec homes but could be amended. Negotiating in advance The Eagle/Richard Hanners John Day City Manager Nick Green, left, and Mayor Ron Lundbom listen to discussion about the city council’s procedures manual during the Sept. 25 city council meeting. with a buyer would be diffi- cult to make legally binding, and raising the sale price to include the incentive won’t work because banks won’t of- fer larger loans, Madden said. Another option was for the city to estimate the new as- sessed value before the coun- ty assessor’s office and to make a payment in advance. Green said the city will ac- cept an assessed value for the incentive program but not an appraised value. Madden said he was will- ing to wait for the incentive payment so long as he re- ceived it. He also suggested allowing the city and builder to correct an estimated assess- ment by paying back the dif- ference. Madden noted that numer- ous remodeling opportunities exist in John Day. The coun- cil agreed to bring the matter to the urban renewal agency board for discussion. In other city council news: • Green said the city learned several hours before the council meeting it had been awarded a $70,000 fed- eral Economic Development Administration planning grant. The total project cost for the partnership planning is $142,000. The award is one of four anticipated planning grants. A grant from Travel Oregon will be announced Oct. 17. The city has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Business Oregon to assist with eco- nomic resiliency planning. The city also received no- tice from the state Department of Land Conservation and De- velopment that an economic opportunity analysis grant had been awarded to Grant Coun- ty on behalf of the county’s eight cities. DLCD Commu- nity Services Division Man- ager Gordon Howard said the state will hire an analyst to conduct the work, but there will be coordination with oth- er grant-funded analysis. Green said the grants will be used to look at a variety of socio-economic conditions related to the city’s econom- ic development projects and inadequate housing stock. He described a demand for sin- gle-floor homes for the city’s aging population and new ideas about how neighbor- hoods could determine build- ing standards. He also noted that sev- eral businesses had passed on coming to John Day and chose Baker City, Prineville or Burns instead. It was im- portant for the city to learn why and be proactive about attracting new business to the area, he said. • Green suggested a re- view of the city council’s pro- cedures manual to ensure the council is consistent in how it implements its responsibili- ties. He said he found specific procedures for what to do but not how to get them done. Green noted, for example, that the city had a procedure for requesting applications to fill council vacancies but no procedure for how to eval- uate and choose applicants. He suggested the councilors review the manual for further discussion. • Councilor Shannon Adair reported on exploratory dis- cussions she had with local business owners about form- ing a downtown merchants association. One goal of the association would be to im- prove the look of downtown and cooperate in decorating the area with flower baskets in spring and holiday deco- rations for Christmas. These small efforts can make a dif- ference, she noted. She said she also talked to people in other cities about their merchants associations and discovered how complex the issue could become. With many local merchants al- ready belonging to the Grant County Chamber of Com- merce, she suggested John Day wasn’t a large enough community to benefit from a merchants association at this time. Coordinating the city’s economic development ef- forts with the chamber could be an effective way to move forward, she said. John Day merchants have been invited to a meeting on the topic at 6:30 p.m. Thurs- day, Oct. 4, at the John Day Fire Hall. • Green reported he had re- ceived a low bid of $76,000 to remove asbestos and hazard- ous materials from the Weav- er Building on Main Street. He said he will submit the bid to the state Department of Environmental Quality as part of the city’s application for a brownfield grant to pay for the cleanup work. The city’s goal is to strip the building’s top floor down to the framing in prepara- tion for selling the building to a developer. The first floor could remain retail while the second floor could be remod- eled into residential units. A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Are you using or interested in learning about Choice Card Medical Care? Katee See your Grant County Veteran Services Hoffman Officer today for more information. Monday through Friday 10 am – 4 pm. 1809 First Street • Baker City • (541)523-5439 BARGAIN MATINEE IN ( ) Adults $7 ALL FILMS $6 ON TIGHTWAD TUESDAY Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment MOVIE SCHEDULE OCT 5 - OCT 11 A STAR IS BORN (R) A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism threaten his own career. FRI & SAT (3:45) 6:45 9:35 SUNDAY (3:45) 6:45 MON-THURS 6:45 VENOM (PG-13) Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, and must release his alter-ego “Venom” to save his life. FRI & SAT (4:00) 7:00 9:40 SUNDAY (4:00) 7:00 MON-THURS 7:00 SMALLFOOT (PG) A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as “humans” really do exsist. FRI & SAT (4:10) 7:10 9:45 SUNDAY (4:10) 7:10 MON-THURS 7:10 530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR. 81970 1992 water committee resurrected Wednesday, October 3, 2018 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth A man wakes up in the morning after sleeping on an ADVERTISED BED, in ADVERTISED PAJAMAS. Whether you’re planning for next year’s working capital, expansion, or equipment… now is the time to come visit BEO. Term Loans 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. 80933 71661 Lines of Credit Ag & Commercial Real Estate John Day & Prairie City Branches AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK? DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com 81971 Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it! Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710 beobank.com Member FDIC
