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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2019)
PC football: Panthers beat Locomotives 55-24 in six-man action The PAGE B1 Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 Wednesday, October 2, 2019 151st Year • No. 40 • 20 Pages • $1.50 MyEagleNews.com Environmentalists seek reversal of Hammonds’ grazing permits Groups argue reinstatement decision violated federal laws By Mateusz Perkowski EO Media Group After winning a court order limiting grazing, environmentalists are now seek- ing to overturn the federal government’s grazing authorization for two Oregon ranchers convicted but later pardoned for arson. Dwight and Steven Hammond, a father and son who own a ranch near Diamond in Harney County, recovered their grazing permits in early 2019 after receiving a full pardon last year from President Donald Trump for setting fire to public rangelands. Both were released from prison in July 2018 Dwight before completing their Hammond full five-year mandatory minimum sentences, but they were still prohibited from running cattle on four U.S. Bureau of Land Man- agement allotments near their ranch. Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who oversaw the BLM, decided to rein- state their grazing permits in January because the pardons “con- stitute unique and import- ant changed circum- stances” that warranted a reversal of the agency’s 2014 denial of their per- mit renewal request. Steven Several environmen- Hammond tal groups — Western Watersheds Project, Cen- ter for Biological Diversity and Wildearth Guardian — filed a lawsuit earlier this year arguing that Zinke’s decision vio- lated federal environmental laws. See Hammonds, Page A12 Capital Press U.S. District Judge Michael Simon is considering a bid by environmental groups to overturn Dwight and Stephen Hammond’s grazing permits. Feasibility study to clarify questions regarding A POOL IN GRANT COUNTY Study will recommend how to request funding from voters next year By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle A new feasibility study will provide recommenda- tions on future pool options in Grant County and how to put a funding mechanism before voters next year. Representatives from Grant County Court, John Day-Canyon City Parks and Recreation District, the city of John Day and Grant School District 3 dis- cussed pool options at a county court work session Sept. 24 at the Grant County Regional Airport. A majority of stakeholders present were support- ive of having a pool, but discussions continued on how a pool would be financially supported and what fund- ing plan should be placed before voters for approval in 2020. Aaron Lieuallen, John Day’s senior project manager, said a six-month feasibility study will begin in October that can answer questions such as recommended options on location, timing, organizational structure, how it impacts a taxpayer and how to prepare the information from the study to request funding from voters. The feasibility study will cost $50,000, which will be covered by a $40,000 planning grant the city received from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and $10,000 from the city of John Day. The study will include recommendations on what voters will see on their ballot. “I was told that they’re prepared to put a package together that’s gonna tell us how big the district should be, who should pay for it, who should be included, who shouldn’t, what type of owning we can afford and pre- pare a package to put to the voters in May or November and let the voters say yes or no,” said John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom. Keeping Gleason Pool in its current location will be an option in the feasibility study, he said, but it will prevent the planned expansion of the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage site by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “I think we’re prepared to move forward with the sale (of the current pool property to the state) if we can See Pool, Page A12 The Eagle/Rudy Diaz With Gleason Pool in John Day closed for the year, officials have commissioned a feasibility study to determine future options for a pool in Grant County. Large federal grant will repair north apron at airport Discretionary funding will improve safety during fire operations By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle In more good news for the airport, a large federal grant will improve safety during fire operations. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $950,000 discretionary grant to reconstruct the north apron at the Grant County Regional Airport in John Day. “The apron reconstruction project is greatly needed to increase safety for our airport users, and this federal government grant funding with additional funding from the Oregon Department of Aviation, and the Grant County government will provide a safe area for at least the next twenty years,” Grant County Regional Airport Manager Haley Walker said in a press release. Contributed image/Haley Walker The north apron at the Grant County Regional Airport will be reconstructed after a large federal grant was awarded. “As a result, the Grant County Regional Air- port can safely serve our local customers and attract new business while meeting and exceed- ing expectations.” U.S. Rep. Greg Walden said the large discre- tionary grant was great news. “Improving the airport’s infrastructure will help provide economic opportunity by improv- ing the flow of goods to the region while also aiding federal and state agencies with wildfire suppression efforts,” he said. Oregon’s Democratic senators also lauded the appropriation. “Regional airports play a critical role in con- necting our communities with economic oppor- tunities and critical resources,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Walker discussed with the Grant County Court on Sept. 25 the north apron project and several proposals available to address the cur- rent pavement issue. “When I started over three years ago, this was the one project from the users of the air- port, in particular the hangar users, that I needed to make sure was improved for safety reasons,” Walker said regarding the north apron project. See Airport, Page A12
