The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current, June 26, 2019, Image 34

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Newspaper Page TextPROGRESS 2019: INNOVATION GATEWAY/BROADBAND Blue Mountain Eagle 16 Wednesday, June 26, 2019 John Day embarks on ambitious project Former mill site restoration to feature greenhouses, pavilion and riverfront trail system By Nick Green For the Blue Mountain Eagle Eagle ﬁ le photo A Blue Mountain Telecommunication Services bucket truck is used to run an optical ﬁ ber cable along South Canyon Boulevard from the John Day Fire Hall to the Grant County Education Service District building on April 3. Two years ago, the city of John Day embarked on an ambitious project — to pur- chase and restore the Ore- gon Pine mill site to create a home for our new waste- water treatment plant. But it wasn’t just any old site. It was the gateway to our city. And it wasn’t just any old treatment plant. It was a reclaimed water facil- ity that w o u l d allow us to harvest and reuse 100% of our solid Nick Green and liquid waste, turn- ing an environmental liabil- ity into an economic asset. Oregon Pine was cho- sen as the site for the new treatment plant both for its buildable area north of the John Day River, which lies outside the 100-year ﬂ ood plain, and for the poten- tial of its large open space adjacent to the highway. As we got to know the prop- erty, we realized it had tre- mendous public beneﬁ t for riverfront recreation, parks, trails and greenway. The property could also be used to expand commercial and industrial opportuni- ties in emerging industries like controlled environment agriculture. After two years of plan- ning, we are now ready to present our work. The John Day Innovation Gate- way and Riverfront Rec- reation Area is an 83-acre site that integrates 20 new initiatives, including a hydroponic greenhouse, an open-air pavilion and com- munity gathering space, and a system of parks, trails and greenways that con- nect our residents to the river and our neighbors to each other. It includes new street improvements to enhance our local street net- work and leaves room for future growth in mixed-use development, smart agri- culture and other advanced industries. The area plan was cre- The 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. ated by an integrated design team led by Walker Macy, a leading landscape archi- tecture, urban design, plan- ning and sustainability ﬁ rm. The economic strategy that accompanies the plan was developed by EcoNorth- west, Oregon’s premier economic development consulting ﬁ rm. Our teams have done an excellent job of bringing what’s great about John Day and Grant County to the forefront of our planning process — honoring our heritage as a natural resource community — while also creating via- ble opportunities for eco- nomic expansion and diver- siﬁ cation into new frontiers. I’ve had the opportunity to present these concepts at state and national confer- ences as they’ve developed. This year, I’ll be present- ing the John Day Innova- tion Gateway concept plan at the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies annual conference in Bend and at the 2019 Oregon Infrastructure Summit in Salem. We have also been featured in WIRED maga- zine and Oregon Business magazine articles for our recreation and economic development initiatives. People are talking about our community in positive ways because they believe in our potential and the work we are doing. ogy allows the automation of parameters such as tem- perature, humidity, CO2 levels, irrigation and fer- tilizer. While the green- house is initially operating with fresh, potable water from the city water system, the design includes a pur- ple-pipe extension to the future wastewater treatment plant. Using reclaimed water, treated to a class A efﬂ uent for irrigation within the greenhouses, we are hoping to launch a new industry in John Day. Hydroponics and con- trolled environment agri- culture have been used for years by researchers, educators and commer- cial farmers. By combin- ing these three most com- mon users, we are doing our part to remediate a rural food desert and jump start our recovering econ- omy. Our goal is to attract commercial-scale grow- ers who can use the city’s reclaimed water supply, land and growing climate to expand their existing busi- ness. The greenhouse can also be used for research and development of new products and as an incuba- tor or accelerator to help local growers establish their own hydroponics markets, all while delivering fresh, locally grown produce for our residents. Community pavilion The greenhouse at Oregon Pine The Oregon Pine mill site is in a prime location to be a gateway to the city and to provide a signiﬁ cant message about our identity and energy. When redevel- oped, this site will be home to a myriad of community events, markets and con- nections to the river and downtown. The commu- nity pavilion project will provide a signature space for events and community markets and become an important marker for our family-oriented identity. This former mill build- ing will come to life daily with community arts, gatherings and family use. Its renovation will mark a signiﬁ cant step in our emphasis on livabil- ity and vitality and will help establish a new cre- ative community space for residents. The proposed use for the main shed structure visible from the highway is an open park pavilion that can be used for a vari- ety of community events including farmers mar- kets, performances, food The ﬁ rst greenhouse at Oregon Pine is now fully operational. This 6,240-square-foot fully-au- tomated facility is expand- able to 10,400 square feet (with two additional bays). Advanced technol- Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS, THE EAGLE HAS BEEN PROMOTING LOCAL PROGRESS. Winner of the 2018 ONPA General Excellence and Sweepstakes Awards • Best writing • Best editorial • Best editorial page • Best coverage of business and economic issues • Best feature photo • Best sports photo • Best page one design SUB TOD SCRIBE A ONL Y FOR Y $4 5 . 541- CALL 575 -07 10 The Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector Tristan Morris pitches against Heppner/Ione. Copy d to Reduce 45% ginal from ori H RACK C ETES ATHL AT DIUM THE PO T EE TE M to Blue Mountain Copy Re EAGLE Blue M The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Un page fit letter Th e Grant County·s newspaper since 1868 STATE S PION AM PLAYOFFS duced to 45% undefeat from ori ginal to ountain ed in Blue Wednes day, Jan uar fit letter Mountai EAGLE GRANT UNION/ PRAIRIE CITY BASEBALL TEAM ADVANCES TO FIRST ROUND TOP ion girls page n Confer e Grant Co unty·s newspa per sin 9 ce 186 8 151 y 23, 201 st Year • No. 4 • 18 Pag es • $1.00 BlueM PAGE B1 GE B1 CONGRATULATIONS TO DAYVILLE, LONG CREEK, PRAIRIE CITY AND MONUMENT GRADUATES! Pages A6-7 ountain Cleared Blue M Wednesday, May 15, 2019 The EAGLE 151st Year • No. 20 • 20 Pages • $1.00 for takeoff Congratula tion Graduates s, GRANT UNION “Start where June 1, 2019 you are. Use W HIGH SCHOO • 10 a.m. • Grant Union AMONG THE High Schoo Big grant will fi x airport runways 8 6-05 at ht of since 186 Airport Improvement a heig Lonergan spaper title with Eagle/Ben ·s new Program jump provides the County s high mouth. For Grant 1A boy McKeely Miller Valedictorian Madison McKrola Salutatorian what you have. Do what you - Arthur Ashe can.” A -7 s A6 S | Page eMountainEagle.com Blu GRADUATE BlueMountainEagle.com Dems agree to drop gun, vaccine bills to get Republicans to return BEST Mon $6.25 million Student Success Act will won the May 17-18 in s i Burke By Richard Hanners raise $1 billion per year ior Lev Championship e Blue Mountain Eagle 00 City sen • $1. Prairie k and Field Stat By Aubrey Wieber, Claire Withycombe Pages the Trac and Mark Miller 21 • 20 large federal grant r • No. with no match Oregon Capital Bureau 151st Yea required will enable Four Oregon senators leading the charge Grant County to WR LQMHFW QHZ OLIHEORRG LQWR WKH VWDWH¶V WURX “decouple” its two 9 tion y 22, 201 runways and make takeoffs and bled education system said in their combined ts applica ay, Ma mi esd landings safer. 88 years in the Legislature, the passage of the sub edn City The $6.25 million grant was Student Success Act was the pinnacle of their ng grant secured through the federal career. for planni ners ard Han But passing the bill took some backroom Department of Transportation’s By Rich ntain Eagle horse trading with Republicans, and two Airport Improvement Program. Blue Mou VHH U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, GHHSO\ FRQWURYHUVLDO ELOOV ZHUH WKH FDVXDO HO\ZRQ¶W YRWHUVOLN new service - 52UHJRQ YRWHG WR LQFUHDVH Eagle fi le photos ties. 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Silvies Valley Ranch of the gr course s eat golf many in in the United States, Europe and , in course manage my 40 years in golf ment. No will you fi nd an where Legal ch else experie nce like this.’ measure allenges to co unty s, ordin ance dis Hemp fa missed to rmers lo ok Prai MyEagleNews.com LQWHUDJH QF tes coordina rescue FXDWLRQGULOO YD \¿UHH ake eers m ts , volunt Dobler s improvemen numerou past pres ident of Golf Cour se Supe rintenden Sean Hoo lehan, ciation of Ame rica ts Asso rie Ci festivals and large commu- nity gatherings. The build- ing will be structurally sta- bilized with steel or timber cross bracing to meet cur- rent codes. A new slab ﬂ oor will be provided with an artistic paving pattern and openings on both the north and south sides will be expanded to provide gener- ous connections to the adja- cent outdoor spaces. The trusses, columns and wood framing will be lightly sandblasted and sealed to retain the current appear- ance. Exterior materials will be repaired or replaced with similar industrial materials including corru- gated siding and metal roof- ing, with skylights allowing natural light into the center of the building. Large open- ings will be created to cap- ture views of the river, site and surrounding mountains while also providing views of the activities within. Integrated park system and riverfront trails We have begun the site preparation and construc- tion of our new trail sys- tem along the north side of the river and are actively planning the expansion of this system to connect to our existing parks at the Kam Wah Chung heritage site, Grant County Fair- grounds and Seventh Street Complex. We are also invest- ing in two new riverfront parks at Davis Creek and north of Canton Street. The city of John Day, the John Day-Canyon City Parks and Recreation District and local nonproﬁ ts have also worked together to build a new playground, splash pad and bike park at the east end of the Seventh Street Com- plex. Our hope is that these new amenities will bene- ﬁ t all our residents by cre- ating more opportunities for outdoor recreation close to home. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our community advisory com- mittees, city staff and city councilors who have spent months reviewing plans, providing critical feed- back and sharing their val- ues and priorities with our consultants. Their efforts have helped make this our plan for our community. We hope you’ll enjoy these projects as much as we have and take the time to share your voice with the city in our future planning efforts. Nick Green is the John Day city manager. Grants could connect all county cities to broadband By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Bringing broadband inter- net connectivity to Grant County has been a geo- graphic, ﬁ nancial and politi- cal challenge, but some light glimmers at the end of the tunnel. Grant County ranks No. 2 among Oregon counties on the Digital Divide Index pro- duced by Roberto Gallardo at Purdue University, after Wheeler County. Major internet trunk lines are routed along U.S. high- ways 97 and 20 and Inter- state 84, basically circling around Grant County. On top of that, the internet infrastruc- ture serving Grant County is a patchwork quilt of differ- ent companies utilizing cop- per phone lines, optical ﬁ ber cable and satellite. The Digital Divide, which measures lack of broad- band access, “is the num- ber one threat to commu- nity economic development in the 21st century,” a John Day city resolution stated in 2018. John Day led the effort to improve broadband con- nectivity in Grant County as part of the city’s overall strategy for success. In Feb- ruary 2017, City Manager Nick Green lobbied in Salem for grant funding, visiting Gov. Kate Brown, Rep. Cliff Bentz and Sen. Ted Ferriolli. Fiber-optic access would boost internet capabilities and help local residents and busi- nesses as well as potentially attract new ones, Green told the ofﬁ cials. Increased con- nectivity could also play a critical role in public safety. In July 2017, the city learned that Ferrioli’s broad- band funding request had been approved, providing John Day with $1.82 million to improve internet access in the county. The city took steps to establish a coalition between the county and several cit- ies to utilize the funding, the Grant County Digital Net- work Coalition, but it imme- diately ran into opposition. Canyon City Mayor Steve Fischer and Prairie City Mayor Jim Hamsher said more information with better ﬁ nancial ﬁ gures was needed before their city coun- cils could approve an agree- ment to join the project and assume uncertain ﬁ nancial obligations. Hamsher, who is also a county commissioner, noted that Prairie City and Mt. Ver- non had good internet access through ﬁ ber-to-home service provided by Oregon Tele- phone Corporation. Several emotional hear- ings were held by the county court before Grant County would join the broadband coalition. Support came from the economic development ofﬁ ce, Grant School District 3 and numerous residents and business people. Opponents raised three key issues — fear of trap- ping the county in a ﬁ nan- cial agreement that could go awry, the need to provide broadband to Long Creek and Monument not just the John Day Valley and the need for the coalition to work more with current internet provid- ers, Ortelco and CenturyLink. In March 2018, the county court agreed to join John Day and Seneca in the broadband coalition. Two months later, after two years of private negotiations, a public-private partnership between the coa- lition and Ortelco was ofﬁ - cially unveiled. “Ortelco is excited to be able to continue to do what we do best, which is to con- tinue to offer service to out- lying areas comparable to our existing service areas,” Ortelco General Manager DeeDee Kluser said at the time. “We look forward to opportunities ahead.” The coalition lined up a team of experts to help develop their goals, including Fiber Channels, Commstruc- ture Consulting, CTC Tech- nology & Energy and the Cohen Law Group. With a phased approach to how a ﬁ ber cable could be run from Burns south to John Day, the coalition made plans in May 2018 to apply for a $3 million USDA Com- munity Connect grant lever- aged by the $1.8 million state appropriation. Plans called for running ﬁ ber throughout Seneca as a way to boost the grant appli- cation’s chances and to use a server room in the John Day Fire Hall as a hub for the new broadband network. In November 2018, the coalition began to take steps to build public support for the broadband network. Many county residents didn’t under- stand the need for broadband in the county or that the coa- lition was a state-funded agency that was not using local taxpayer funds, coali- tion ofﬁ cials said. The coalition received bad news in December 2018. A total of 124 project applica- tions were submitted for $33 million in grants and $58 mil- lion in loans available from the USDA Community Con- nect program, and 19 projects were awarded. But the Grant County Digital Network Coa- lition was not one of them. As additional federal grant and loan programs for rural broadband became available, the coalition looked at the USDA ReCon- nect program. During a Dec. 18 town hall meeting, however, Christo- pher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Net- works Initiative at the Insti- tute for Local Self-Reliance, noted that most new funding would go to the most orga- nized agencies because fed- eral ofﬁ cials typically don’t like to see failure, he said. The Grant County Digital Network Coalition must be willing to “grind it out,” he said. Local plans took a leap forward in May this year when the coalition announced it would join Ortelco in the company’s application for a ReConnect grant large enough to con- nect Seneca to John Day and Mt. Vernon to Long Creek, Monument, Kimberly and Spray. The coalition would apply again for a Community Con- nect grant to connect Sen- eca to Burns, while existing Ortelco ﬁ ber cable would connect Dayville, Mt. Ver- non, John Day, Canyon City and Prairie City. Success with the two grant applications would result in a “hat trick,” as coalition board member Josh Walker charac- terized it. All of the county’s cities would be connected to the broadband network, and internet would be brought into the county on ﬁ ber cable from three directions — east, south and west. By June, the grant appli- cations had been submitted, with a $1 million commit- ment by John Day on behalf of the coalition.