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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
8 PROGRESS 2019: LONG CREEK Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Long Creek motors along with can-do spirit Mayor: ‘We don’t have soup lines over here’ By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Long Creek is a can-do community. Although there isn’t a cornucopia of growth hap- pening presently, the town of 190 is holding steady with some improvements in the works. Mayor Don Porter said the growth he’s seen over the last 10 years has been “astronomical.” “We went from no busi- ness — no store, no gas sta- tion, no nothing — (to) now, a top-of-the-line mechanic service in Long Creek ... a full-service restau- rant, chuck wagon and two stores,” he said. “We do everything we can to support the local busi- nesses,” he said. He recalls when peo- ple walked around with gas cans, before OK Garage was established. Now, he’s having repair- man Isaac Studtmann install a transmission in his car. “That’s phenomenal in my book,” Porter said. Studtmann and his wife, Bailey, bought OK Garage last August from Craig and Donna Palmer. The business includes a fueling station, a full-ser- vice repair shop and a con- venience store. Long Creek Lodge is another well-established business. Porter said the prices at the Long Creek General Store are reasonable com- pared with other stores in the county, but added he “would be willing to pay 7-11 prices just to have a store.” The Kitchen Cupboard is a new home-operated busi- ness owned by Lynelle and Arlin Hurst who make salsa and jams, sold at local stores. Residents of Long Creek The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Long Creek School is ‘front and center’ for their community, said Mayor Don Porter. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Lynelle Hurst of Long Creek and her daughter Courtney Hurst sell jams at the Keerins Hall Holiday Bazaar last December. Lynelle and her husband Arlin own a home-operated business call The Kitchen Cupboard. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Isaac Studtmann performs some regular maintenance on a semi-truck at the OK Garage in Long Creek. He and his wife, Bailey, bought the OK Garage & Mini Market in August of 2018. may enjoy the slower pace, overall, but many hope to see their internet connection speed up with broadband. Porter’s wife, Denise, a teacher at Long Creek School, is on the Grant County Digital Network Coalition board and is com- mitted to doing what she can to bring broadband speeds to the community. “It’s been slow — a lit- tle bit higher than dial-up,” SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE Your Professional Real Estate Choice in Grant County LORI HICKERSON Principal Broker, GRI Office: 541-575-2617 BABETTE LARSON Broker, GRI Office: 541-987-2363 SALLY KNOWLES Broker, GRI Office: 541-932-4493 www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com Eagle fi le photo ‘Fort Townsend’ in Long Creek is the entrance to the future site of the Long Creek Historical Society Museum. Don Porter said, adding broadband has 25 megabits per second, and tests on the local internet show Long Creek’s at 1.1. The mayor said he is see- ing potential in a new subdi- vision with 14 lots located 6 miles east of Long Creek. The development, called Long Creek Ranch Proper- ties, includes a road system with power, and so far, there is one new Palm Harbor double-wide on the property. “It’s an interesting devel- opment, because it’s so close to Long Creek,” he said. “It’s a unique addition to the area.” “There were two or three families that came through this weekend that said, ‘We’d really like to live here,’” he said. The city’s infrastruc- ture is sound, Don Porter said. The 40-year-old sewer plant was built for 800 peo- ple — the city has 100 hook- ups but could serve 300. The public water system hasn’t seen a major leak, with costs ranging from $5,000-7,000, since 2013. To the town’s credit, the Long Creek Volunteer Fire Department received accreditation through the Oregon Department of Pub- lic Safety Standards and Training in 2018. “Very few cities the size of Long Creek would have the accreditation,” said Don Porter, who is also the fi re chief. His wife is the depart- ment’s training offi cer and hosts trainings for other departments. The future site of the his- torical Fort Townsend on West Main Street (High- way 402), draws inter- est from passersby with its fortress-like fence, but the museum has not reached completion. Fort Townsend is named for a local man, William “Billy” Townsend, who is credited with saving the Long Creek community during the 1878 Bannock and Paiute Indian War. During the uprising, local people hastily built a fort east of town where settlers gathered to defend them- selves. Townsend, a veteran of the Civil War, prevented members of the approaching tribes from entering the fort. The Long Creek Histor- ical Society has been striv- ing for years to establish a home for their collec- tion of local artifacts, doc- uments and other historical memorabilia. The group is in the midst of a fi ve-year plan to solicit input from Long Creek citizens on the direction and future of the museum and site. Don Porter said he’d like to see some younger resi- dents involved in the project. Reiba Carter Smith, who is a member of the histori- cal society, said they are still seeking funding to complete the project, and they’ve received some grant-writ- ing assistance from Elaine Eisenbraun. While Fort Townsend is on the west side of Main Street, Long Creek School is on the east side. The mayor said he’s happy the Grant County Road Department will install a fl ashing school-zone traf- fi c light near the school. “It’s the only county road that goes by a school,” he said. “Grant County has really stepped up to the plate. We’re feeling really good about that.” Don Porter said the school district’s budget is sound, and the staff and stu- dents are an important part of the community. “The school is front and center around here,” he said. The benefi ts of the Great American Eclipse of 2017 are still raining down on Long Creek School, due to the volunteer work of staff and students. Visitors from around the globe fi lled the upper and lower athletic fi elds at the school that year, camping and enjoying the hospitality of the locals. During the fi ve-day cel- ebration, astronomy experts taught workshops on the total solar eclipse and held star-gazing events with vis- itors donating funds to the school. Long Creek teachers Patch Freeman and Denise Porter, who contributed an article for the educators’ magazine “Today’s OEA,” wrote: “The majority of peo- ple who paid for camping spaces were families and serious eclipse enthusiasts. They saw spending their eclipse dollars on helping our school as a bonus.” The school’s offi ce man- ager and deputy clerk Jen- nifer Garinger said the fundraiser was created to remodel the school cafeteria. That work was com- pleted last summer, and the upgrades included new fl ooring, stainless steel prep tables and a fresh coat of paint. Resident James Her- cher also painted a Moun- taineer, the school mascot, on one wall. Garinger said it hadn’t had a facelift in 20 years or more. “It looks sharp down there,” she said. With a surplus of funds, the school’s offi ces will also see upgrades this summer, including new windows in the front offi ces, which will allow staff to see people approaching the building, she said. Five classrooms will ben- efi t from the fl oor fund, a pot of money raised through a yard sale of surplus school equipment, such as older desks. “We do a little at a time as the money is available,” Garinger said. Because housing is tight in Long Creek, she said the school district has built four homes for staff members to rent, and another is cur- rently under construction on the west side of the school with the foundation recently poured. The school’s strong for- eign-exchange program, which has been in place for several years, boosts student numbers and brings world culture to the school and the town. Six of those students have or will soon be leav- ing for their homes, mostly overseas. In the small community, Don Porter said, “a lot of tears will be shed.” Garinger hosted Jesus Olmos of Mexico and Tiger Zeng of China. Other foreign exchange students included Henry Grannis of Germany, Cherie Lee of South Korea, Jammy Santhob of Thai- land and Mathéo Buchart of France. “I’ve hosted for four years,” Garinger said. “I have nine children of my own. I’m a kid person and have four sons at home — adding two more to the mix is not a big deal.” She’s planning to host students from Thailand and Vietnam next school year. “My children have friends from all over the world, especially now with social media,” she said. “My son interacts with his host brother almost every day.” Mayor Porter said, although Long Creek is a small community and prob- ably not as thrilling as stay- ing in a bigger city where they might see fancy sports cars, the foreign exchange students enjoy their stay. “They want to come back,” he said. One boy came to stay, then his sister came another year, then another sister, he said. “They don’t only learn about this country, but inter- act with kids from other countries,” he said. Porter said not everyone in Long Creek wants to see major growth and change. He said about fi ve years ago plans were made to bring the mill back and hire 14 people — but not 14 Long Creek residents, because not many would be qualifi ed to work there. Porter, who has been owner and operator of Blue Mountain Herbs for 20 years, said he’s happy with the gains he’s seen in the town over the last 10 years. “Everything is going good,” he said. “We don’t have soup lines over here.”
