News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
A7
City greenhouse project could grow by two bays
Hops for
microbreweries
could be grown
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city of John Day took anoth-
er step closer to entering the agri-
cultural industry at the Nov. 13 city
council meeting.
City Manager Nick Green was di-
rected to begin the process to apply
for a $180,000 loan from Business
Oregon to construct an additional
two greenhouse bays at the former
Oregon Pine mill site.
EuroMex, the company that will
supply the first three bays at the fu-
ture Innovation Gateway project,
recently offered to sell the city two
more 2,000-square-foot bays at $45
per square foot — instead of the $61
charged for the first three bays, a
savings of $58,000.
“We are not under any obligation
to proceed with the additional bays,
but if we anticipate expanding in the
future, this is probably our best op-
portunity to do so,” Green said.
The city’s goal has been to use the
first three bays to produce enough
garden vegetables to meet local de-
mand. Green said the produce will
go to local grocery stores, schools
Contributed photo
John Day agriculture projects
leader Matt Manitsas views
young tomato plants at the
Agriciola Nueva Generacion
greenhouse farm in Mexico. The
city of John Day may expand its
planned greenhouse from three
bays to five.
and restaurants, and demand might
exceed estimated harvest levels.
How the additional two bays are
used will evolve from talks with Or-
egon State University faculty and
agricultural companies. The focus
currently has been on hops for craft
breweries, Green said.
“Distributors are working on esti-
mates for market pricing and market
volatility for off-season hops as well
as specific varieties that may be of
interest to IPA brewers,” Green told
the council.
The city can cover the Business
Oregon loan with a monthly revenue
of $1,000, Green said. He advised
the council that construction costs
appear to be increasing, but he want-
ed a commitment from both OSU
and the hops distributors.
“If the hops were not successful,
we would likely be able to reach this
target by expanding our fresh pro-
duce selection,” Green said. “OSU
faculty are also looking into the op-
tion of using a portion of this space
for commercial research opportuni-
ties.”
Agriculture project leader Matt
Manitsas said he had located online
greenhouses growing hops in Colo-
rado and Pennsylvania. Mayor Ron
Lundbom said the microbrewing in-
dustry was “hot” and the city should
get into it.
Green was directed to bring the
proposal back to the council Dec. 4.
If approved, construction could be-
gin Dec. 12. The first three bays will
arrive in November.
In other city council news:
• The council approved a lease
agreement pending attorney review
for use of the John Day Fire Hall
by the new 911 dispatch agency.
While fire hall improvements are
River linking the south and north
portions of the former Oregon Pine
mill site indicated the bridge was
structurally sound.
Green said DR Johnson Lumber
has offered to donate cross-lami-
nated timber panels to replace the
bridge decking if the city pays for the
engineering and design. The bridge
would become a key element in the
future Innovation Gateway project.
• A public hearing on the city’s
request for $366,500 in federal
Community Development Block
Grant funding for a new wastewater
treatment plant will take place at the
Grant County Regional Airport con-
ference room on Dec. 4. This will be
a joint meeting with the city’s ad-
visory committees and the Canyon
City Council, Green said.
Anderson Perry, the engineering
consultant for the city, has estimated
the cost of engineering the new plant
at $320,000. Another $50,000 will
be needed to pay for an environmen-
tal review, Green said.
The engineering work will begin
in January. A technical memoran-
dum also will be prepared for the
Oregon Department of Environ-
mental Quality. The city plans to
construct a facility that uses plants
to treat wastewater and produces
Class A reclaimed water, rather than
a traditional mechanical treatment
plant or lagoons.
nearly completed, the new con-
soles will not arrive until mid-Jan-
uary, delaying the transition, Green
said.
The city provided formal notifica-
tion to the Grant County Peace Of-
ficers Association, representing dis-
patchers, that their transition to the
Grant County Emergency Commu-
nications Agency will be effective
Jan. 1. Rural fire district boards are
still in the process of adopting the
intergovernmental agreements estab-
lishing a new 911 dispatch organiza-
tion for the county, Green said.
• The council approved annex-
ation of city-owned land in the Da-
vis Creek area and the adjacent Mid
County Cemetery District, totaling
about 6.1 acres, along with the city-
owned former Oregon Pine mill site
and portions of two adjoining prop-
erties, totaling about 51 acres. Re-
zoning accompanied the annexation
ordinances.
• The city has moved up plans to
install fencing and security cameras
at the new city shop at the former
Oregon Pine mill site. The building
was broken into in mid-October, be-
fore city equipment was moved to
the site. Police Chief Mike Durr said
it appeared the break-in was a case
of vandalism, not theft.
• Public works director Monte
Legg said an engineering analysis of
the small bridge over the John Day
B RIEFLY
B & M Timber nominated as
operator of the year
B & M Timber from Burns, operated by Brad Clemens, has
been nominated for the Eastern Oregon Regional Operator of
the Year Award. Each year, the Oregon Department of Forestry
selects an outstanding logger from each of the three regions for
this award.
B & M Timber’s work has consistently exceeded the Forest
Practices Act and Forest Practice rules, according to a press re-
lease, and their work has demonstrated the ability to handle dif-
ficult circumstances, innovation and extra effort to consistently
produce outstanding results.
On Oct. 16, a committee consisting of ODF employees
toured a logging site that B & M Timber had recently completed
on private property within the McClellan Creek drainage with
landowners Roger and Meridith Ediger of the Box T Ranch.
This logging job was particularly challenging because of the
fish bearing stream, McClellan Creek, bordering the west side
of the job.
B & M Timber used some unique logging techniques to re-
move the timber while working within the Forest Practices Act
to protect the riparian area.
The committee visited logging sites in Baker and Klamath
counties that were also nominated for this award. The 2018
Eastern Oregon Operator of the year award will be announced
in December.
B & M Timber’s nomination was submitted by Kirk Aus-
land, the ODF stewardship forester in John Day.
Paleontology center hours change
Winter operations at John Day Fossil Beds National Monu-
ment begin Nov. 1. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center,
in the Sheep Rock Unit, will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays
through Saturdays. The visitor center will be closed on Sundays
and Mondays as well as all federal holidays. All recreation op-
portunities in the park will remain open from sunrise to sun-
set, including all overlooks and hiking trails at the park’s three
units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills and Clarno. Beginning March
1, the visitor center will be open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Forest internships available for vets
Two 45-week internships for veterans are available in 2019
on the Malheur National Forest through VetsWork.
VetsWork, a program of the Mt. Adams Institute, trains mil-
itary veterans for potential careers in public lands and natural
resources management.
The program entails a 45-week hands-on internship in which
participants learn new skills while supporting recreation, facili-
ties, roads, community engagement and volunteer coordination
projects on the forest.
Since the inception of the program, over 95 veterans have
been hired into positions with public lands agencies as a result
of the program.
This is the second year the forest has partnered for the pro-
gram. The program begins Feb. 4. Interested applicants should
contact Mt. Adams Institute’s recruitment coordinator, katie@
mtadamsinstitute.org, or review the position descriptions at
mtadamsinstitute.org/internships.
Participants receive a modest living stipend, basic health in-
mittee for the Pacific Northwest Region. The Recreation RAC
will provide recommendations on recreation fees for Forest
Service lands in Oregon and Washington, according to a press
release.
All applicants must be United States citizens and at least
18 years old. People selected for positions will initially serve
two or three-year terms and can apply to serve a subsequent
three-year term. Recreation RAC members serve without pay
but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses for regu-
larly scheduled committee meetings, which occur at least once
annually.
People interested should send contact information by Nov.
30 via email to R6_Recreation_RAC@fs.fed.us or write to
USDA Forest Service, Attn: Recreation RAC; 1220 SW Third
Ave., Suite 1700; Portland, OR 97204. For more information,
visit fs.usda.gov/main/r6/recreation/racs.
Contributed photo
Bud Gienger, left, and Brad Clemens pose for a photo.
Clemens’ B & M Timber of Burns has been nominated for
the Eastern Oregon Regional Operator of the Year award
from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
surance, an AmeriCorps education award of $6,095 and other
benefits including housing assistance. As a result of the pro-
gram’s success, the Department of Labor has designated Vets-
Work as an official apprenticeship program, which allows par-
ticipants to access additional GI Bill benefits.
Kelly named to state forestry board
The Oregon Department of Forestry welcomes three new
Board Members. Gov. Kate Brown announced her nominations
Aug. 30.
The Oregon Senate confirmed Joe Justice, Brenda McComb
and Jim Kelly to the Oregon Department of Forestry board
Sept. 26.
Kelly is an entrepreneur with a long history of civic involve-
ment. Since 1999, he has owned and managed a ranch that pro-
duces grass-fed beef in rural Grant County. He has served on
boards of 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Portland Housing Au-
thority and Business for Social Responsibility. He is co-founder
of the Oregon Business Association and served on that organi-
zation’s board for 17 years. Kelly is a lifelong Oregonian who
grew up in northeast Portland and founded a successful hard-
ware company. He is also co-founder of the North Star Civ-
ic Foundation, a small Oregon nonprofit involved with public
policy issues.
Justice is the Region Manager of Hancock Forest Manage-
ment lands in northeast Oregon. McComb retired as vice pro-
vost for academic affairs at Oregon State University in 2016
and is professor emerita in the Department of Forest Ecosys-
tems and Society at OSU.
More information on the Board of Forestry is available at
oregon.gov/odf/board.
Forest Service seeks recreation
advisory committee members
The Forest Service is soliciting potential nominees as part of
its effort to re-establish a Recreation Resource Advisory Com-
!
ODFW electronic licensing system set
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is encouraging
hunters to take note of their Hunter/Angler ID to verify their ac-
count in a new electronic licensing system set to launch Dec. 1.
Once the new system launches, hunters and anglers should
use their Hunter/Angler ID to verify their account in the new
system, which can be done either online at MyODFW.com or
at a license sale agent, according to a press release. The Hunter/
Angler ID number is printed on all ODFW licenses and tags and
stays the same from year to year.
It will be known as the “ODFW ID” in the new licensing
system.
Hunters and anglers can also enter a phone number or email
associated with their ODFW account to verify it in the new sys-
tem. Those who don’t have any of this information can visit a
license sale agent or call ODFW Licensing at 503-947-6101 for
help.
Verifying an account will be an important step for hunters
and anglers who have big game preference points or other certi-
fications/special status in effect (such as a Pioneer License, Or-
egon Hunting and Fishing Disability Permit, Northwest Goose
certification, etc.). Customers who have purchased a hunting,
fishing, shellfish, combination or Sports Pac license in the last
three years (2016-2018) should also verify their account in the
new system.
All others can choose “I am a new customer or have not pur-
chased an annual license in the last 3 years” to open an account
either at MyODFW.com or a license sale agent.
With the new system, hunters and anglers will be able to
carry their documents electronically (on a smartphone or tablet)
and tag fish and wildlife with a mobile app that will even work
offline.
Or, they can continue to use paper documents, but will be
able to buy online at MyODFW.com and print licenses and tags
directly at home on regular paper.
The old licensing system will stop operating at 6 p.m. on
Friday, Nov. 30, so the new system can launch sometime on
Dec. 1.
Not all license sales agents may have their new systems up
and running immediately on Dec. 1, so customers who need to
purchase 2018 licenses or tags to hunt, fish, crab or clam the
first weekend of December are encouraged to purchase needed
documents before Nov. 30.
For more information, visit https://myodfw.com/articles/
odfws-new-electronic-licensing-system-els.
Blue Mountain
Hospice’s
up a
light
!
life
!
December 13th, 2018 6:00 pm
At
Valley View Assisted Living Facility
Contact Blue Mountain Hospice at 541-575-1648, or mgibson@bluemountainhospital.org
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-576-2160
90632
90080