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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
A16 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 31, 2019 Hearing Continued from Page A1 coordinate with state and federal agencies. It will also establish a natural resources committee to advise the court. Pros and cons Mark Webb, a former Grant County judge and the executive director of the Blue Mountains For- est Partners collaborative group, emailed the county court the morning of the hearing to comment on the draft ordinance. Webb had submitted a letter to the Eagle express- ing concerns about how the new ordinance would conflict with county ordi- nances from 1995 and 2002. The letter ran in the Eagle the morning of the hearing. “Scott, Jim, Sam: nice job on the ordinance,” Webb said in his email. “Thoughtful and well writ- ten, I believe it addresses the concerns I raise in my letter to the editor.” Coordination will enable the county to be involved in agency plan- ning early enough to have an impact, Myers said. In the past, the court has received information on Forest Service projects just weeks before the deadline for input, he said. As an example, Myers said he was interested in talking to the Forest Ser- vice about elk security measures proposed in the Austin Project before the U.S. Forest Service talks to the state Fish and Wild- life Department. Frances Preston said she disagreed with state- ments by members of the court that the county was already coordinating with the Forest Service. The Forest Service wads up and throws away county suggestions, she said. But under coordination, they would be obligated to fol- low county suggestions, she said. Beth Spell said she pre- viously spoke with the late County Judge Dennis Reynolds about his 2011 trip to Nevada to attend a seminar on coordination. People in favor of coor- dination think it will give them the power to dic- tate planning decisions to the federal agencies, she said. But that is legally and practically dubious. The court needs clear and con- cise reasons to persuade the public that the ordi- nance is necessary, she said. Dan Becker said he sup- ports the “mutual princi- ples and practices for com- munication” proposed by the Eastern Oregon Coun- ties Association but not the draft coordination ordi- nance, which he said was too “demanding.” He said he expected the county will be challenged in court. Adele Cerny called the ordinance a regressive statement. She said Reyn- olds told her counties that adopted coordination ordi- nances would deplete their general funds defending themselves in court. The anti-federal government image could also nega- tively affect businesses considering a move to Grant County, she said. A draft of the ordinance was first presented by Sam Palmer on July 10. The latest version will have a second hearing. It would be effective 90 days after approval. Eagle photos/Richard Hanners No. 70, driven by Chad Law, Mt. Vernon, crashes into car No. 35, driven by Mark Jeys, Prineville, during the second heat of the 2019 Whiskey Gulch Gang Demolition Derby Derby Continued from Page A1 car from last year. By 7 p.m. the night before the derby, organiz- ers had no entries for pick- ups in the halftime barrel race. Grant County’s active social networking went to work, and by Saturday night more than a dozen side-by- sides and other vehicles had entered the event. Luke Claughton Jr. of Canyon City won the bar- rel race on his dirt bike, performing a wheelie right out the exit gate. His father drove a golf cart equipped with a 400cc Polaris engine. Steve Patterson won the first heat, in a wild smashing start to the derby. A radia- tor geyser didn’t stop his car from taking first. Last year, Mike Patterson took first at the demolition derby in Baker City, leaving his father in second place. Chase Jeys and his father, Mark, both from Prineville, took first and second place in the second heat. Law roared around the arena at high speed in the heat, but his targets often managed to avoid a hit. Chase Jeys’ engine died at the end of the heat, but his car coasted into his father’s car for a gentle final tap. Crews repaired the driveshaft of a blue Ford Edsel in time for the main event, but Law knocked it up on top of a 3-foot diameter log. When the Steve Patterson, Prairie City, winner of the 2019 Whiskey Gulch Gang Demolition Derby’s main event, sits atop car No. 66 during the derby’s introduction July 27. smoke cleared and the mud settled, Steve Pat- terson’s black car was the only one rolling, and he roared out of the arena a winner. The organizers thanked U.S. Bank for a $500 dona- tion, John Day True Value for $250 in door prizes for drivers, the Grant Union High School wres- tling team for its con- cession stand and Gard- ner Enterprises and Heidi Law for assistance and help. Winners of the main event in the 2019 Whiskey Gulch Gang Demolition Derby were, from left, Chad Law, Mt. Vernon, second; Steve Patterson, Prairie City, first; and Mike Patterson, Pendleton, third. Bridge Continued from Page A1 “It’s like a shell game,” he said. Reasonable price spurs action Past rough estimates to raise either the Nugget or Inland street bridges have typically topped $1 million, but Fischer presented the court with an engineer’s estimate to do so for just $76,500. This included engineering, bid assistance, over- sight, construction contingency as well as legal and administrative costs. Raising the bridge 2 feet will allow another 550 cubic feet of stream flow per second, said Fischer. According to Grant County Emergency Management Coordina- tor Ted Williams, the Canyon Creek channel is expected to safely han- dle 850 cubic feet per second, but the flow at Adam Road this April reached 1,150 cubic feet per second. A key factor in the low engi- neer’s estimate was the $10,000 cost for a 30-ton crane to lift the bridge and then reset it after repairs were made. Bringing that large a crane to Grant County is typically expensive, but such a crane is currently at Mal- heur Lumber Co. for the torrefaction plant project and is idle some of the time, Fischer said. Commissioner Jim Hamsher said he showed the estimate to an Ore- gon Department of Transportation Eagle photos/Richard Hanners Canyon City Mayor Steve Fischer listens to Grant County Court discussion about the Inland Street bridge on July 24. official who suggested the county “jump on it.” Grant County Roadmaster Alan Hickerson said the county could assist Canyon City by loaning a dump truck and an excavator and providing gravel and some labor. Fischer said he appreciated the offer, but he also wanted the county to split the out-of-pocket expenses. He emphasized that the bridge project was not just a Canyon City interest — it was important to the On July 24, the Grant County Court agreed to split out-of-pocket expenses to repair and upgrade the Inland Street Bridge with Canyon City. school district. Canyon City resident Garth Leighton asked why the court was just “kicking the can down the road.” The solution to Canyon Creek flooding problem is digging out the channel, he said. The court was familiar with that proposal from past discussions, but they decided to act now to get the Inland Street bridge upgraded. Fischer agreed, saying the stream channel could be dug out later. Commissioner Sam Palmer addressed a concern that if the court assisted Canyon City, other commu- nities would want the same kind of help. He noted that this was a spe- cial circumstance, with flooding affecting schools. Hamsher emphasized that resi- dents were getting a lot of “bang for the bucks,” and Myers noted that the county was still protecting its road fund. The vote to split the costs with Canyon City was unanimous. No Matter how big or small your trophy was or if you just want to share a hunting adventure, send or drop off your best hunting photos or stories to 195 N Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 • kim@bmeagle.com Your photos could be published in this year’s EAGLE HUNTING JOURNAL Please have them to the Eagle by August 8.
