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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
PROGRESS 2019 CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, June 26, 2019 1 JOHN DAY CLAIMED WATER AL PRODUCE Contributed photo Eagle fi le photo John Day is pursuing a wastewater reclamation facility similar to a larger facility at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. John Day’s commercial greenhouses have been constructed at the former Oregon Pine mill site. CREATION The Eagle/Richard Hanners Eagle fi le photo The new playground at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day was completed in time for the summer in 2019. A for sale sign in the city of John Day, which has implemented a housing incentive program in hopes of attracting new residents. Numerous projects in the works in John Day City focusing on growth, housing, livability By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle I n his fi rst state of the city address in March 2018, John Day City Manager Nick Green called on the city to be smart about spending and to stick with its strategy for success. He noted that a Portland State University report forecast Grant County would lose 17% of its pop- ulation over the next 50 years. Declining population means less revenue for city services, he said. “Does that have to be our fate?” Green asked. “We don’t think it does.” One year later, Green announced plans to apply for more than $10 million in grant funding. That would be on top of the $4.5 million the city was awarded over the past two years, he noted. “We’re undertaking some com- plex and ambitious projects,” Green told the Eagle at the time. Contributed photo John Day agricultural project leader Matt Manitsas, checked shirt, leads a tour of John Day’s new commercial greenhouses during the Regional Economic Diversifi cation Summit in John Day on June 11. “We recognize that. We also feel it’s necessary to help our commu- nity recover fi nancially from its extended economic decline.” The city’s strategy for growth hopes to attract digital commuters, active retirees and young work- ing families to John Day by pro- viding more recreational ameni- ties, broadband internet access and improved housing stock. But the strategy depends on a number of interconnected projects and mil- lions of dollars in grants and loans to succeed. John Day is the largest city in Grant County and provides many of the services not available in the smaller cities. Economic challenges With about 1,750 residents, See City, Page 14 FORESTS New growth emerging in timber industry Construction underway on fi rst commercial torrefaction plant in North America By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The collapse of the timber industry in Grant County over the past decades negatively impacted the entire community, from jobs to schools to public services. Just as the lights seemed to be going out for the last mill running in the county, collaborative efforts and a long-term stewardship con- tract kept John Day’s lone mill running and loggers in the woods. A new high-tech plant currently under construction may provide additional help to the struggling industry. Declining industry The timber and forest-related industry has been a signifi cant eco- nomic driver in Grant County for decades. At one time, timber mills and related businesses could be found across Grant County, with several mills running in John Day and smaller operations in Monu- The Eagle/Richard Hanners The Eagle/Richard Hanners Finished product ready to be shipped at Iron Triangle’s post and pole plant in Seneca. A handful of briquettes made from torrefi ed wood at a research facility in Louisville, Kentucky. ment, Long Creek, Dayville and Mt. Vernon. Larger mills operated in Prairie City, Bates and Seneca. According to a May 2019 draft Economic Opportunities Analy- sis report by Johnson Econom- ics, local employment in natural resource jobs is nearly six times the national average. But this local economic sector has seen a sharp decline, largely attributable to fall- ing timber production on public lands since 1993. tion then fell to less than 100 mil- lion since 1996, bottoming out at about 20 million board-feet for 2008-2015 before slightly increas- ing to about 35 million in 2016. Grant County has a strong timber history. In 1922, the For- est Service laid out the Bear Val- ley Unit timber sale, which the Edward Hines Lumber Co. picked up in 1928. At 890 million board- feet, the multiyear contract is con- sidered the largest timber sale According to data from the Oregon Department of Forestry, annual timber production in Grant County ranged around 200-260 million board-feet per year from 1962 to 1977, with peaks of 300 million in 1973 and 340 million in 1975. Production plunged to about 110 million board-feet per year in 1980-1983 before dramatically increasing to 300 million in 1985 and 290 million in 1989. Produc- in Pacifi c Northwest history. A 52-mile railroad spur was run from Burns to Seneca, and timber cut- ting on the unit continued through 1968. Hines built a company town in Harney County next to Burns, and the city of Hines was incorporated in 1930. Seneca began to grow in 1929, when the company estab- lished a planing mill and railroad See Timber, Page 12
