4
Blue Mountain Eagle
PROGRESS 2019: SENECA/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Eagle file photo
Grant
County
Economic
Development helped secure
$25,000 in grant funding for
repairs at the Lake Creek Youth
Recreational Camp.
Economic
Development
secures grant
for domestic
violence
shelter
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
The Bear Valley Lodge in Seneca was built by the Edward Hines Lumber Co. in 1939 to house mill workers. The lodge closed in 1962. Grayback Forestry
bought the lodge in 2014 and restored it for employee housing.
Seneca secures funding for
$3.5 million wastewater project
City receives grant
for fire station, plans
to apply for park
upgrades
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
At 4,690 feet on Highway 395
in Bear Valley, the small town of
Seneca was a company town that
has evolved over the years into a
cohesive community serving sur-
rounding ranches and occasional
tourists.
A post office was established
in the area in 1895, but the town
didn’t really begin to grow until
1929 after the Edward Hines Lum-
ber Co. took on one of the largest
timber contracts in Pacific North-
west history and built a rail line
from Burns to Seneca.
Logging in the area declined in
the 1970s, and Hines closed down
the railroad and local timber mills
in 1984. The restored Bear Val-
ley Lodge and bright red Seneca
School remain standing from the
company town days.
The city is now working on a
major infrastructure project for a
new wastewater treatment system.
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
The Seneca School was built by the Edward Hines Lumber Co. in the 1930s to educate the children of its workers.
After Hines
Hines built the lodge in 1939
as a boarding house for worker
housing. After the mill closed, the
building was mothballed, sold,
transformed into a residence and
informal bed and breakfast as the
Bearcat Lodge, and finally shut-
tered again.
Grayback Forestry Inc. bought
the lodge in 2013 and put about
$250,000 into the building, bring-
ing it up to code, clearing water
out of the basement, installing fire
sprinkler and alarm systems and
insulating the walls and ceilings.
Grayback houses firefighters
and employees for thinning, pil-
ing, burning and other forest res-
toration projects. About 25 work-
ers reside there nine months of the
year, and the building can accom-
modate up to 40 people at peak
use.
Hines also built the Seneca
School in 1932. In the past, stu-
dents attended the rural school
through eighth grade. Today, it’s
home to students in kindergarten
through sixth grade. After that, stu-
dents are bused to Grant Union
Junior-Senior High School in John
Day.
The main industries in Sen-
eca today are ranching and timber
production, with the potential for
some growth in tourism. Local ser-
vices include a general store and
limited dining. A medical clinic
connected to an office in Burns no
longer operates.
According to a May 2019 draft
Economic Opportunities Analy-
sis report by Johnson Economics,
challenges facing the small city
include geographical isolation, an
aging workforce, declining popu-
lation and difficulties in attracting
and retaining younger residents.
Seneca also experiences the
coolest weather in Grant County
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
The grills were busy at the annual oyster feed in Seneca on May 18.
— the coldest temperature offi-
cially recorded in Oregon was 54
degrees below zero in Seneca in
1933.
conference center, vacation homes
and cabins and opportunities for
shooting, hiking, bike riding, fish-
ing, four-wheel tours and other
ranch activities.
Outdoor activities
A number of outdoor recreation
opportunities exist in the Seneca
area. Hunting and mountain activ-
ities are within a short driving dis-
tance. The Grant County Shoot-
ing Sports Club operates a trap and
shooting range that is used by indi-
viduals and for events.
The Bear Valley Meadows Golf
Course, owned by the city, is a
nine-hole pasture golf course near
the Silvies River. The annual Sen-
eca Oyster Feed is a fundraiser that
supports the golf course. The event
features golf and softball tourna-
ments and oysters trucked in from
the west coast.
The
Seneca
Stampede
cross-country horse race, with
50-mile and 25-mile courses,
has faded away. And the Sen-
eca Winter Classic snowmobile
race depends on snow conditions,
which have been too late or nonex-
istent in recent years.
A major addition to the area is
the Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies
Valley Ranch. The boutique resort,
a 15-minute drive from Seneca at
a ranch dating to 1883, held a soft
open in 2017.
The 140,000 acres of deeded
and leased land are home to four
nationally recognized golf courses,
a resort building with a spa and
City projects
A major city infrastructure proj-
ect is underway in Seneca. Proj-
ect planning for a new wastewa-
ter treatment plant on the opposite
side of the Silvies River began in
2012 but was delayed until the
city became eligible for funding
assistance.
The $3.5 million project will
be financed with a $2.5 million
federal Community Development
Block Grant and a $500,000 grant
and a $500,000 loan from the Ore-
gon Infrastructure Finance Author-
ity, City Manager Raamin Burrell
said. The nearby airstrip, which
had been the site of the Winter
Classic snowmobile race, has been
deactivated because of the project.
Seneca is a small town with the
same problems found anywhere
else, Mayor Brad Smith said. He
credited former City Manager
Josh Walker for getting the huge
wastewater treatment plant project
underway and for keeping an eye
on it as the city’s project manager.
Seneca has about 160 perma-
nent residents and 130-140 active
water and sewer hook-ups. Much
of the sewer collection system was
built before the city was incorpo-
rated in 1970, Burrell said. Rates
were slowly increased over several
years ago to allow the city to take
on the debt needed to get the proj-
ect completed, she said.
The city, however, was unable
to line up sufficient funding to
replace the aging sewer and
water mains throughout the city
at this time. The city will look at
chip-sealing its streets by next year
to make use of a state Special City
Allotment Program grant, Burrell
said.
The city is also lining up funds
for a new fire station with three
bays to store its newer equipment.
The city was approved for a USDA
Rural Development grant and has
applied for other grants to make up
the difference.
The popular gazebo at the city
park was torn down shortly after
the 2018 oyster feed. The city
plans to apply for grants to update
the park with a new eating shelter,
playground equipment, benches
and a barbecue pit, Burrell said.
Internet access
One of the main challenges fac-
ing Seneca in the 21st century is
inadequate internet access. The city
joined John Day and Grant County
to establish the Grant County Dig-
ital Network Coalition to make use
of a $1.8 million legislative appro-
priation that John Day received to
promote broadband service in the
county.
The initial focus has been to
run fiber cable from a main trunk
line in Burns north to John Day.
Seneca would benefit as the cable
passed through town. Over time,
it became evident that leveraging
the coalition’s funding with fed-
eral grants would require provid-
ing connections to public build-
ings, businesses and residences
along the way.
The coalition already has run a
fiber cable from the Seneca City
Hall building to Seneca School,
which receives internet through a
network maintained by the Grant
County Education School District.
The coalition has applied for
a $3 million USDA Community
Connect grant, which would be
used to run fiber from Burns to
Seneca and route fiber around the
city of Seneca. A partnership with
Oregon Telephone Corp. would
provide fiber-to-home connections
and internet service.
Lake Creek camp
receives funds for
repairs and bedding
By Beth Simonsen
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Economic
Development office offers a
wide variety of assistance, both
in knowledge with business and
organization planning and the
ability to connect with funding
and other resources to promote
economic growth. Both busi-
ness and community groups
provide essential services and
infrastructure on a continuing
basis to help Grant County be a
more livable place.
Economic Development has
been successful this year with
Grant County being awarded
a $1.5 million federal Commu-
nity Development Block Grant
for the design and construc-
tion of Heart of Grant County’s
domestic trauma service center.
This project will take approxi-
mately one to two years to com-
plete and will result in the abil-
ity for Heart of Grant County to
improve and increase services
for victims of domestic vio-
lence in our area.
Another successful proj-
ect that will be completed
soon are improvements for the
Lake Creek Youth Recreational
Camp. The Gray Family Foun-
dation awarded $25,000 to the
camp for needed camp repairs
as well as new beds and mat-
tresses. In addition to funds for
the repairs and materials, this
project includes a substantial
time commitment from com-
munity volunteers from both
Lake Creek and Sleep in Heav-
enly Peace. SHP has a new
chapter in Grant County, and
the organization is a group of
volunteers dedicated to build-
ing, delivering and assembling
top-notch bunk beds for chil-
dren and families in need.
The 2019 John Day Farm-
ers Market manager, Steph-
anie LeQuieu, is also funded
this year by Economic Devel-
opment. The market provides
an opportunity for area busi-
nesses, individuals and orga-
nizations to sell fresh, locally
grown food as well as a variety
of locally made products. Sev-
eral have used the farmers mar-
ket as a testing ground for the
viability of their business.
Whether starting a busi-
ness or deciding to improve or
expand one, Economic Devel-
opment is a great resource
for information for the deci-
sion-making process. Some of
the services available include
business planning, marketing
assistance, information on reg-
ulations and resources to help
develop an idea. The office
also has information on busi-
ness loan and grant programs,
especially those that will cre-
ate employment, and the office
can provide guidance with the
application process.
Economic
Development
also helps community orga-
nizations that need assistance
with planning, leadership, mar-
keting and funding resources.
The Economic Development
office is located at 530 E. Main
St., Suite 10, in John Day. For
additional information or an
appointment, call 541-575-1555
or visit grantcountyoregon.net.
Beth Simonsen is a com-
munity and economic devel-
opment specialist for
Grant County Economic
Development.