NEWS
BlueMountainEagle.com
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
A5
Sewer treatment plant options presented
Green: No plan
to seek bond for
project
By RICHARD HANNERS
Blue Mountain Eagle
With an estimated $12.5
million construction cost
and $616,864 in annual
operation and maintenance
costs, a new sewer treatment
plant for John Day and Can-
yon City poses tremendous
liabilities for a community
with declining population
and a sagging economy.
But John Day City Man-
ager Nick Green wants to
turn those liabilities into an
asset by producing 80 mil-
lion gallons of reclaimed
water that can be used by the
city or sold to customers to
help pay for the new plant.
It’s been 70 years since
the sewer treatment plant for
John Day and Canyon City
was constructed at the con-
fl uence of Canyon Creek
and the John Day River,
Green explained at a special
meeting at Grant County
Regional Airport on Dec. 4.
The facility saw major
additions in 1970 and 1978
to keep up with population
growth. Today the plant’s
aging concrete and plumb-
ing handles wastewater from
about 2,440 people in 1,036
households.
The treatment plant has
been operating with an
expired permit since 2007,
and the state Department
of Environmental Quality
wants the plant brought into
compliance, Green said.
A wastewater facilities
plan completed by the con-
sulting engineering fi rm
Anderson Perry in 2010
found that sewer rates were
too low and city reserves
were insuffi cient to meet the
major fi nancial commitment.
Shortly after he was hired
in 2016, Green proposed
the idea of reclaiming the
wastewater. A feasibility
study was conducted using
$70,000 in state grant fund-
ing, and a treatment plant
design from Sustainable
Water was approved by the
city council in June.
The city purchased the
former Oregon Pine mill site
in 2017 with plans to build
the new plant on land outside
the fl oodplain on the north
side of the river. The exist-
ing mechanical treatment
plant, drying ponds and per-
colation lagoons would be
eliminated and replaced by a
more compact facility using
hydroponic agriculture to
treat the wastewater.
An income survey found
that 57 percent of John Day
and Canyon City house-
holds were classifi ed as low
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
About two dozen people attended the John Day City
Council’s special joint meeting at the Grant County
Regional Airport on Dec. 4.
to moderate income, which
meant the project was eligi-
ble for up to $2.5 million in
federal Community Devel-
opment Block Grant fund-
ing. The Dec. 4 public hear-
ing was a requirement for
the federal funding.
An updated facility plan
was submitted to the DEQ in
August. If all goes accord-
ing to plan, construction of
the new plant could begin in
winter 2019, and the facility
could be operating by spring
2021, Green said.
A survey found uses for
about 139 million gallons
of reclaimed water, far more
than the 80 million gal-
lons the plant will produce.
A problem is that virtually
none of the potential uses
exist in winter, leaving the
city with a wintertime dis-
posal problem.
Injecting the water under-
ground for storage would
require special approval by
the DEQ, which could take
time, Green said. The latest
proposal is to bury perfo-
rated pipe between the frost
line and the water table to
disperse the reclaimed water
underground at the Oregon
Pine site, he said.
Green said the city’s goal
is to fund the $12.5 million
plant with 60 percent grants
and 40 percent loans, but
a 50/50 ratio is more typi-
cal. Since the plant will sell
reclaimed water, alternative
funding sources are possi-
ble, he said.
The sewer fund has man-
ageable debt, Green said
— a $500,000 loan to be
paid off in four years and a
$29,217 per year payment
on a 30-year loan for the
Oregon Pine property.
Operations and mainte-
nance costs are expected
to climb by 6 percent a
year, but according to Busi-
ness Oregon’s affordabil-
ity index, a minimum sewer
rate for the new treatment
plant would be $34.66 per
month. The current rate is
$46 per month.
Green said he doesn’t
expect a bond will be pre-
sented to the voters to pay
for the project — what isn’t
paid for with grants should
be absorbed by the treatment
plant’s ratepayers.
In other city news:
• The council approved
a $110,000 contract with
ECONorthwest and subcon-
tractor Bell and Funk for
help developing a compre-
hensive economic develop-
ment strategy for the John
Day area. Most of the fund-
ing will come from federal
and state grants.
The contract calls for
assessing potential growth
in the hydroponic industry,
digital marketing and brand-
ing, hosting meetings on
tourism and recreation, sup-
porting the city’s efforts to
improve broadband access,
assessing the local housing
situation and offering sug-
gestions, drafting a fi ve-year
action plan, and supporting
the city when it hosts the
Regional Economic Devel-
opment Summit in John Day
next spring.
• The city awarded a
$74,924 contract to Alpine
Abatement Assoc. of Bend
for removing asbestos and
lead from the city-owned
Weaver Building on Main
Street.
Most of the funding
will come from a $65,300
DEQ brownfi eld grant. The
30-day renovation project
was scheduled to start Dec.
10. The ground fl oor retail
tenants can remain in the
building during the renova-
tion, Green said.
• The council also
approved a series of budget
changes that included fund-
ing for the Grant County
Emergency Communication
Agency. The city will pro-
vide $150,000 to the new
intergovernmental agency to
pay 911 dispatchers through
the end of the current fi s-
cal year. The city will also
pay dispatchers $60,000 in
accrued leave as they transi-
tion to the new agency.
• Coming up, the Grant
County Digital Network
Coalition will hold a town
hall meeting on Dec. 18, and
an open house for the Inno-
vation Gateway project will
be held Jan. 8.
• Grant County Sher-
iff’s Offi ce
Dec. 5: Advised of a bur-
glary on Highway 26 in Mt.
Vernon.
Dec. 6: Received a theft
report from Front Street and
Main Street in Prairie City.
Dec. 8: Advised of a
fraud case in Seneca.
Dec. 8: Received a report
of a domestic dispute on
South McCallum Street in
Prairie City.
Dec. 9: Advised of crim-
inal mischief on Ingle Street
in Mt. Vernon.
Dec. 9: Received a report
of a dispute on Harpers
Creek Road in Mt. Vernon.
• John Day ambulance
Dec. 3: Responded to a
ranch east of John Day for
a man in his 70s.
Dec. 3: Dispatched to
North Scenic Drive in Can-
yon City for a 74-year-old
man who had fallen.
Dec. 3: Responded to a
senior home in Prairie City
for a 50-year-old woman
with abdominal pain and
diffi culty breathing.
Dec. 4: Dispatched to
East Fifth Street in John
Day for a 79-year-old
woman who had fallen.
Dec. 5: Responded to a
senior home in John Day
for a 75-year-old woman.
Dec. 5: Dispatched to
Northeast Seventh Street in
John Day for an 85-year-old
woman.
Dec. 6: Dispatched to C
Avenue in Seneca.
Dec. 6: Responded to
Northeast Seventh Street in
John Day for an 85-year-old
woman.
Dec. 6: Dispatched with
Seneca ambulance to Park
Avenue in Seneca for a
6-year-old boy.
Dec. 6: Received a 911
call from North Humbolt
Street in Canyon City.
Dec. 7: Responded to a
mobile home park on West
Main Street in John Day for
a 58-year-old woman.
Dec. 7: Dispatched to
South Canyon Boulevard.
Dec. 7: Received a 911
call from Courtrock Road
in Monument.
• John Day fi re
Dec. 3: Responded to
a request about heaters on
Northwest Third Street in
John Day.
• Prairie City fi re
Dec. 4: Responded to
West Sixth Street in Prai-
rie City for a possible
fl ue fi re.
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle
are taken from the logs
of law enforcement agen-
cies. Every effort is made to
report the court disposition
of arrest cases.
Grant County
Circuit Court
One case fi led against
Gildardo T. Aguiire was
dismissed and an arrest
warrant was recalled Nov.
25 in the best interests of
justice following the district
attorney’s motion. He was
charged with a secret indict-
ment on Aug. 12, 2009.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Offi ce reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Dec.
5:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 8
Average inmates: 16
Bookings: 5
Releases: 9
Arrests: 2
Citations: 1
Fingerprints: 2
Civil papers: 12
Warrants processed: 2
Asst./welfare check: 1
Search and rescue: 1
Dec. 3: Matthew May-
fi eld, 37, Boise, Idaho, was
cited for violation of the
basic rule, 65/55 zone.
Oregon State Police
Dec. 5: Responded to a
pond near Highway 26 west
of John Day for a horse that
had fallen through the ice.
Only the head was above
water. With assistance from
John Day police, pass-
ing motorists and the land-
owner, a rope was placed
around the horse’s neck to
keep it from totally sub-
merging. A backhoe broke
up the ice, and the horse was
brought to the shore. It was
treated for hypothermia.
Dec. 8: Following a traf-
fi c stop on Highway 26 near
Clyde Holliday State Park,
a 17-year-old from Parma,
Idaho, allegedly admitted
to smoking marijuana ear-
lier. He was arrested and
charged with driving under
the infl uence of intoxicants
and being a minor in pos-
session of marijuana.
Dispatch
John
Day
dispatch
worked 165 calls during the
week of Dec. 3-9, including:
• John Day Police
Department
Dec. 3: Received a call
about a possible theft on
Southwest Brent Drive in
John Day.
Dec. 3: Investigated a
report of suspicious circum-
stances at a health depart-
ment offi ce on Main Street
in John Day.
Dec. 3: Following a traf-
fi c stop on Main Street in
west John Day, Charles C.
Briet of Vantage, Washing-
ton, was cited for driving
uninsured.
Dec. 4: Responded to a
restaurant on Main Street
in John Day for a report of
suspicious activity.
Dec. 5: Received a report
of sexual abuse at Grant
Union High School.
Dec. 5: Advised of fraud
on Northeast Elm Street in
John Day.
Dec. 5: Responded to a
mobile home park on West
Main Street in John Day
for a report of unwanted
persons.
Dec. 6: Following a traf-
fi c stop on West Main Street
in John Day, Tylor Gifford,
24, John Day, was cited for
driving with a suspended
license, no insurance and
switched license plates.
Dec. 6: Advised of a
suspicious person on East
Third Avenue in John Day.
Dec. 6: Attempted to
stop a vehicle on West Main
Street in John Day but ter-
minated the resulting pur-
suit for safety reasons.
Dec. 6: Following a
traffi c stop on South Can-
yon Boulevard, Nathan
M. Elledge, 27, Bend,
was arrested and charged
with eluding and reckless
driving.
Dec. 7: Responded to a
grocery store in John Day
for a shoplifting report.
Dec. 8: Dispatched to
West Bench Road in John
Day for a report of credit
card fraud.
Dec. 8: Responded to a
report of shots fi red above
the police department in
John Day.
• Oregon State Police
Dec. 3: Responded to a
noninjury crash on High-
way 7 near Austin Junction.
Dec. 4: Dispatched to
Highway 26 near Indian
Creek Road for a report of
horses on the highway.
Dec. 5: State police and
sheriff’s deputies were
advised of suspicious activ-
ity on Highway 26 east of
Dayville.
Mission Statement:
22
CENTRAL
OREGON
MOBILE VET
CENTER
WHEN/WHERE
To welcome home and
honor those who served,
those still serving, and
their families by reaching
out to them, engaging
their communities, and
providing them with quali-
ty readjustment counsel-
ing and timely referral.
READJUSTMENT
COUNSELING
Civilians...they just don’t
get it!
Come down and let’s
talk...Veteran to Veteran.
John Day-Elks Lodge-
December 19th
BENEFITS
Find out about what is
available that you may
have earned.
WHO ARE WE?
CENTRAL OREGON VET CENTER
1645 NE FORBES RD, SUITE 105
BEND, OR 97702
541-749-2112
WWW.VETCENTER.VA.GOV
For more information contact
Grant County Veterans 541 620-8057
91116
61008
94762