NEWS
BlueMountainEagle.com
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
A3
Finding bright spots in new economic study
Grant County cities
have growth potential
with buildable land
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
John Day and other cities in
Grant County are not short on land
for economic development, but
fi nding a way to get businesses to
invest in the area is still an open
question.
That was the take-away from
a presentation at the May 28
John Day City Council meeting
by Johnson Economics, which
recently completed a draft 71-page
economic opportunities analysis
for Grant County and its cities.
The report includes economic
and demographic trends, target
industry analysis, employment and
land forecasts and next steps to
promote economic development.
Referring to the report’s tables
and graphs, City Manager Nick
Green said Grant County was
close to a 40-year low for employ-
ment, but the past four years in a
row have seen some improvement.
That indicates the economy
may be turning around, Green
said. The rest of the nation is expe-
riencing strong employment, but
Grant County is just “late in the
game,” he added.
Consultant Brendan Buckley
noted that Grant County has taken
signifi cant losses in past decades.
Contributed image
A conceptual map of the Innovation Gateway project in John Day made
by landscape architectural consultant Walker Macy includes, left to right,
a 150-170 room hotel, a water garden at the former sawmill building, a
riverfront beach, a seasonal or permanent lake, a pavillion built from the
former planer shed and a fi ve-bay greenhouse complex.
However, using industry-spe-
cifi c growth rates and a regional
forecast, the report projects 0.8%
annual growth in the county and
John Day over the next 20 years,
which will bring 533 new jobs
in the county and 330 new jobs
in John Day over the next two
decades.
According to the report, Green
noted, John Day has fi ve times the
acreage for industrial develop-
ment than the nearest other city in
Grant County and seven times the
commercial acreage.
Green said he saw that as a pos-
itive, as growth potential, but the
city was not attracting customers
for its industrial park at the airport.
The city was likewise well sup-
plied with land for housing devel-
opment, he said.
Phil Stenbeck, the Eastern Ore-
gon regional representative for
the Oregon Department of Land
Conservation and Development,
which provided a grant to pay for
the study, said state legislators
were aware of that potential. He
said the city’s industrial park had
been discussed at state Regional
Solutions meetings.
Buckley noted that John Day
is not on a major rail or highway
route, but the steps the city has
taken to improve its economic
position puts it ahead of other
Eastern Oregon communities fac-
ing similar diffi culties.
Developing strategic plans was
one thing, but fi nding the funding
to promote economic growth was
another matter, Green said.
Stenbeck agreed but noted that
in places like Prineville, busi-
nesses that came to the com-
munity were willing to pay for
needed infrastructure — but the
city needed to have a plan ahead
of time to take advantage of that.
In other council news:
• Conceptual plans by land-
scape architect fi rm Walker Macy
for the Innovation Gateway proj-
ect were presented to the council.
The plans will be used to apply for
USDA Rural Development and
Ford Family Foundation grants
needed to rehabilitate the former
mill property.
Phase 1 of the plans includes
roads, parking and trails connect-
ing the new commercial green-
houses and the former Oregon
Pine planer shed. Drawings of the
planer shed suggest how it could
be used as an open-air pavilion
for farmers markets and other
functions.
The rest of the former mill
site south of the John Day
River could be used for a 150-
170 room hotel, a water gar-
den around the former sawmill
building, a riverfront beach and a
lake.
Green noted that the draw-
ings represent a 20-year plan,
not a two-year plan. Reclaimed
water from the city’s new waste-
water treatment plant could be dis-
charged into the lake to prevent
scum formation.
Public Works Director Monte
Legg referred to photos of the sea-
sonal lake in the Eagle and the pos-
itive response by the public. Some
people even suggested letting the
lake freeze for winter activities.
The planer shed pavilion will
be constructed in a way to allow
for seasonal fl ooding. Part of the
site will inevitably fl ood and is
unbuildable, Green said, “so why
not a lake?”
• The John Day fi scal year 2019-
20 budget approved by the city bud-
get committee has been reduced by
about $3.1 million from the pro-
posed budget to $10.8 million. The
council will vote on the fi nal bud-
get at its June 25 meeting.
Green said the reduction mostly
results from an expected agreement
with Oregon Telephone Corpora-
tion to apply for a USDA ReCon-
nect grant rather than the city to
improve internet access in Grant
County.
• The council recognized
the extra work Offi cer Scott
Moore took on during the tran-
sition between two police chiefs
in 2018. Moore has been pro-
moted to sergeant effective
June 1.
Artist describes a Main Street vision for John Day
City accepting
bids for Weaver
Building
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Creating a unifi ed and
attractive look for John
Day’s Main Street by sim-
ply painting buildings and
adding false fronts could
maintain the city’s historic
character while increasing
property values and enhanc-
ing John Day’s small-town
neighborhood spirit, local
artist Kim Randleas told the
John Day City Council May
28.
Randleas said she’s
been working on a Main
Street vision for John Day
for about 20 years. A suc-
cessful look for downtown
will increase foot traffi c on
Main Street, add charm and
vibrancy, update storefronts
and entice visitors to stop on
their way through town.
There are challenges, she
said. In addition to fi nan-
cial diffi culties and the mix
of architecture styles, Main
Street businesses need to
communicate with each
other, Randleas said. A
“cookie cutter” approach is
not a good end result.
Rand-
leas advised
strategic
use of color
to
create
both unity
and unique-
Kim Randleas
ness, while
employ-
ing false fronts to tie build-
ings together with differ-
ent heights. She noted that
a historic look can be cre-
ated without looking too
“Western.”
The models Randleas
looks to for establishing a
coherent downtown look are
the historic Grant County
Bank building, now used by
Eastern Oregon Realty, and
the historic Johnson Bros.
building, now occupied by
Mosier’s Home Furnishing.
The bank building’s pos-
itive elements include beau-
tiful color, sharp-looking
white trim, canvas awnings
and upgraded windows and
doors, she said.
Painting buildings is
a lower cost approach to
upgrading Main Street that
provides opportunities for
individual expression and
allows scheme changes as
businesses change hands.
Phasing in is possible, she
said.
The challenge is to coor-
dinate colors with neigh-
bors. Cooperation will be
key, she said, and repaint-
ing will become necessary.
The goal is to add charac-
ter while avoiding a tourist
town facade or a fake look,
she said.
Randleas has used Pho-
toshop to change colors of
images of current store-
fronts so owners can see dif-
ferent possibilities. She said
she has met with many Main
Street owners, and four
have already committed to
repainting.
The council was very
supportive of Randleas’
efforts. Councilor Dave
Holland noted that the city
intended to continue apply-
ing for state grants to sup-
port her effort.
The city recently sub-
mitted applications for state
grants on behalf of two Main
Street businesses. The city
also acquired the Weaver
Building in November 2017
so it could be remodeled into
a mixed-use commercial and
residential building.
The city used a $100,000
Main
Street
Revital-
ization Grant to pur-
chase the 120-year-old,
12,000-square-foot Weaver
Building. At the time, four
businesses operated on the
25 Anniversary
Grant County
Family Health Fair
th
Friday, June 21, 2019 from 7-‐1 pm at
Grant County Fairgrounds
Blood Pressure, Canyon Mtn Center, Community Counseling,
Child Care Referral, Dental, Dermatology, Emergency Operations, Families First,
Fire Prevention, Health Dept,
Hearing (small charge to vendor), Medicare, OSU Food Hero,
People Mover, Red Cross Disaster, Recreating on the Forest,
Reflexology, Saturday Market, St Charles Balance, Stroke and Trauma, Strawberry
Clinic, Veterans Services, Young Living and so much more
NEW FOR 2019: KIDS CORNER 9 -‐ 1
There will be coloring books, rock painting, puppet show and other activities
for your child to do while you attend the health fair
PRESENTATIONS
TAI CHI
Starting at 0800 & – going throughout the fair
STOP THE BLEED
0730 – 0830 – 0930 – 1030 - 1130
Pre-‐registration:
June 4 -‐ Monument Senior Center
Fasting Blood Draws* -‐ $17.00
June
12 -‐Prairie City Senior Center
Below costs paid directly to GCHD
June 13 – John Day Senior Center
during Health fair:
June 18 – Chester’s 10 -‐ 2
HgbA1C -‐ $10.00
June 19 – Blue Mountain Hospital
Iron Level – free
foyer 10 -‐ 3
*See pre-‐registration for blood draw information
ground fl oor and a single
tenant lived upstairs.
The city hired Alpine
Abatement to remove asbes-
tos and lead paint from the
interior walls of one down-
stairs business unit and all
6,000 feet of the second
fl oor. Many of the walls
were stripped down to studs,
with most of the $75,000
abatement cost covered by
a state Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality brown-
fi eld grant.
The council held a pub-
lic hearing on proposed con-
ditions for the sale of the
building on May 28. Citing a
2018 property tax statement,
Green said the real market
value is $32,250 for the lot
and $106,710 for the build-
ing, for a total of $138,960.
According to terms agreed
upon by the council, the city
will take sealed bids from
interested buyers on June 25.
Buyers must include their
plans for the building.
The city will entertain
the option of owner fi nanc-
ing — accepting install-
ment payments — for the
sale of the building, which
is included in the John Day
Urban Renewal Area and
qualifi es for a 15% rebate
on eligible improvements
through the city’s incentive
program.
Sherrie Rininger, who
owns the boutique on the
ground fl oor, asked how the
three current tenants would
be protected from the new
buyer. The council agreed
to include some type of pro-
tections when the sale con-
ditions are brought back on
June 25.
TWELFTH
ANNUAL
TWELFTH ANNUAL
Saturday, June 15
11am – 3pm
John Day City Park
• POOL OPEN - NO CHARGE!
(from 11-2)
• Arts, Crafts & Activity Booths
(some activities at a minimal cost)
• Kid’s Bike Helmet Exchange−
bring your old one−or $6 each
• $1 Hamburgers and Hotdogs
• Kid’s
$5 for Bike
All Day
Waterslide,
Helmet
Exchange−
Ninja Warrior Wipeout Race,
bring
your old one−or $6 each
Spiderman Bounce House,
FREE Snocones and
GAGA Ball.
• If you need a FREE Family
Do n’t
Fun Pass to be able to enjoy
!
e
in
L
in
d
n
ta
S se pre-sale wrist
this event call 541-575-1006
rcha
Pu
le s
bands for the inflatab
at Fam ilie s First office
Do n’t
St and in Line !
ALCOHOL & TOBACCO
FREE EVENT
S pecial T hankS To o ur S ponSorS :
Local Community Advisory Council (LCAC) • Shelk Foundation
OTC Connections • Umpqua Bank • Bank of Eastern Oregon
rist
Oregon
Electric
• Mobile Glass • John Day Auto Parts
sale w Company
e pre-
rch as Trail
Pu
es River Veterinary Clinic
atabl Day
bands for the infl John
at Fam ilie s First office
