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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2019)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, August 28, 2019 A7 Financing options for sewer plant top $13 million By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle The city of John Day hopes to line up about $13.4 million in total financing by next fall for construction of a new sewage treatment plant, City Manager Nick Green told the city council Aug. 13. That’s more than the anticipated cost of the proj- ect, Green said, but the additional funds will ensure flexibility in program allo- cation and meet any con- tingencies. Actual construc- tion may not begin until spring 2021, he said. Green identified five funding sources that include a combination of grants and loans from state and federal sources, including: • Business Oregon water and wastewater pro- gram, $750,000 grant and $750,000 loan at 1% for 30 years. • Department of Envi- ronmental Quality state revolving fund, $500,000 grant and $500,000 loan at 2.2% for 30 years. • Oregon Water Resources Department, $1.6 million grant, primar- ily for purple pipe system to distribute reclaimed water. • Federal Community Development Block Grant through Business Ore- gon, $2.5 million grant, the city has already been awarded about $200,000 for engineering. • U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Devel- opment, $6.9 million, grant The Eagle/Richard Hanners Only one of the percolation ponds is still in use at the John Day wastewater treatment plant. or loan amount to be deter- mined, interest rate to be determined for 40 years. The city also will apply for two state Brownfield Redevelopment Fund grants that will help get junk and debris removed from the former Oregon Pine mill site and other property along the north side of the John Day River that was impacted by industrial use. The $60,000 techni- cal assistance grant and $25,000 integrated plan- ning grant require a 10% city match. The funds can be used for a Phase 1 envi- ronmental site assessment, which is needed to deter- mine if impacts to a prop- erty necessitate a Phase 2 ESA, Green said. The Phase 1 ESA will be needed to apply for any federal Environmental Pro- tection Agency multi-pur- pose grants, Green said, and planning assistance would help make the city’s appli- cation competitive. Green noted that DEQ recom- mended the city later apply for another larger grant to pay for removing junk and debris. This would not include soil remediation, which would be done later, including cleaning up any unneeded sewage ponds. In other city council news: • The council approved five transfers of city land, including 7,745 square feet of former Oregon Pine mill property to Robert and Bonnie Watt for $7,745. The four other trans- fers involved properties on Boulder Lane adjacent to the city’s Davis Creek park area, where a new trail will pass by. The sale price for the properties was based on the actual cost of surveying and legal expenses, estimated at about $500 apiece, Green said. The four transfers were 2,020 square feet to Sheila Bruce; 2,010 square feet to Robert McNeil and Mary Welby; 1,360 square feet to Douglas and Tonya Cates; and 1,170 square feet to Christopher and Larissa Giffin. Details emerge for Innovation Gateway transportation plan By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle A technical memo from a transportation consultant pro- vides design details for new trails, bike lanes and roads that are part of John Day’s Innova- tion Gateway area plan. The Aug. 5 transporta- tion solutions analysis memo from DKS Associates of Port- land incorporates most of the project elements submitted in the city’s 2019 BUILD grant application, city manager Nick Green said. The city applied for as much as $15 million to finance a list of new and old road projects. The deadline for the Better Uti- lizing Investments to Leverage Development grant was July 15. The transportation discre- tionary grants were previously known as TIGER grants. “Not all recommended improvements need to be in place prior to developing land within the John Day Innova- tion Gateway Area Plan study area,” DKS said. Pedestrians Plans call for a system of sidewalks, multi-use paths and trails to provide a safe and effi- cient walking system between downtown John Day, Innova- tion Gateway, the Hill Family and Davis Creek city parks, a proposed city campground, a proposed aquatic facility, the Seventh Street sports complex, the county fairgrounds and the Kam Wah Chung State Heri- tage Site. A continuous sidewalk on the north side of High- way 26 would connect down- town to Patterson Bridge Road. Because of topography, the sidewalk on the south side would only extend to John- son Drive, the new access road to the city’s commercial greenhouses. The new Seventh Street extension from Bridge Street to Patterson Bridge Road would have a sidewalk on the north side and a multi-use path on the south side. A new footbridge at the Hill Family City Park and improve- ments to the former Oregon Pine bridge near the sawmill building would connect trails on the north side of the John Day River to the city park, Drive. Bike racks and storage areas are also recommended. Buses The Eagle/Richard Hanners Piles of limbs remain after Raymond Field’s Tree Service thinned cottonwood trees at John Day’s Hill Family City Park. Kam Wah Chung, downtown and Innovation Gateway. A sidewalk would be located on the east side of Pat- terson Bridge Road from High- way 26 to Government Entry Road, where the Forest Service offices are located. Bikes Bike lanes or sharrows — where bikes share vehicle lanes — would be incorporated in the Innovation Gateway area plan. Given the slow vehicular speeds on the Seventh Street extension, bikes would share 12-foot travel lanes with motor vehicles. Bikers would also be able to use the multi-use path along the river. Six-foot wide bike lanes in both direction are rec- ommended for Highway 26 between downtown and Patter- son Bridge Road. This would enhance the portion of the 174- mile long Old West Scenic Bikeway that passes through John Day, DKS said. Sharrows are recommended for Patterson Bridge Road between Highway 26 and Gov- ernment Entry Road and for the new road from Patterson Bridge Road to Valley View The goal of the Innovation Gateway area plan is to pro- vide a safe and efficient path and trail network that would tie in with the transit circulation system. Pullouts for the county’s People Mover buses are rec- ommended for strategic loca- tions on the Seventh Street extension. Future bus stops should include necessary infra- structure, including shelters, benches and signs, DKS said. Vehicles Turn lanes are recom- mended for existing streets like Highway 26 where new streets would intersect, such as Johnson Drive and a site about 1,100 feet east of Patter- son Bridge Road proposed for a future hotel. The Seventh Street exten- sion would provide an alterna- tive route to Highway 26 for homes, businesses and parks north of the John Day River. The Government Entry Road extension and the new Gate- way Drive would connect Seventh Street and Patterson Bridge Road to new residen- tial areas on the hillside north of the river. DKS recommends 12-foot rather than the city standard 14-foot travel lanes for Sev- enth Street to encourage slower vehicle speeds. Bikes would share travel lanes with vehicles. Wider travel lanes are rec- ommended for Gateway Drive because it would slope uphill, but with no bike travel provi- sions. Even wider travel lanes are recommended for Gov- ernment Entry Road as it also slopes uphill, but sharrows for bikes would be provided. In John Day’s citywide transportation plan, High- way 26 would continue as a main arterial; Patterson Bridge Road, Bridge Street and Government Entry Road would continue as collec- tor streets; Seventh Street would be a minor arte- rial street; Gateway Drive would be a collector street; and Johnson Drive would be a local street. Mix, match and save with Unlimited. Get More Unlimited Do More Unlimited Get 5G access for $10/mo (free for a limited time with a 5G phone) Get 5G access for $10/mo (free for a limited time with a 5G phone) Just Kids 5 GB of 4G LTE Data Safety Mode to Avoid Data Overages *Video streams up to 480p. We may prioritize your data behind other customers during times/places of network congestion. **Taxes and fee apply. ©2017 Verizon Wireless PREPPOD0617EN
