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