NEWS
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Coordinator announces establishment
of new Firewise community
County appoints
board members,
recognizes long-term
employees
Grant County Court
received an update on its
Community Wildfire Protec-
tion Plan earlier this month.
Irene Jerome, the county’s
Firewise coordinator, said the
CWFP is updated annually.
The program helps orga-
nizations and property own-
ers reduce fire danger and has
been funded by the Secure
Rural Schools payments.
She said she had been the
“go-to” about anything that
has to do with fire prevention
in Grant County.
In February, she said, Ore-
gon Fire Prevention invited
her to give a presentation
about how Grant County
has successfully established
Firewise in various commu-
nities throughout the county.
She said the group was
impressed, given the chal-
lenges with being geographi-
cally spread out.
She said the Firewise pro-
gram, like everything else in
2020, has been affected by the
pandemic.
She said she worked with
the National Resource Conser-
vation Service and Grant Soil
and Water Conservation Dis-
trict to apply for a fuel reduc-
tion grant program. Jerome
said the grant would open sig-
nificant funding for cleanup
and other projects, but, she
said, due to the pandemic, they
have delayed putting in for the
grant until next year.
“It’s a lot of work, and
as everyone knows with
COVID, it’s difficult,” she
said, “because you can’t
gather in person.”
Jerome said the Grant-Har-
ney Fire Prevention Coopera-
tive was “really robust” until
this year “disassembled.” She
said she attributed the rea-
sons to both COVID-19 and
the departure of Mark How-
ell, a fire prevention officer
with Forest Service. Jerome
said Howell could not get a
promotion in the area, so he
moved on.
“The loss of his assistance
has been pretty devastating to
the program,” Jerome told the
court.
Nonetheless, she said the
community worked with the
county’s Search and Res-
cue coordinator Dave Dobler,
conducting mock evacuations
on Laycock Creek Road.
Jerome said evacuation
plans are critical, especially
in areas like Ritter and Mid-
dle Fork, where there is one
Three cities sign over
$55,000 to the county in
COVID-19 relief money
Funds to be spent by
the end of the year
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
From left, Grant County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Mike Alley and Civil Deputy Anna Marie Kuhn
during a Dec. 9 session of Grant County Court. Both Alley and Kuhn were presented with certifi-
cates of appreciation for years of county employment.
road in and
one route to
get out.
“There are
some alterna-
tive ways,”
Jerome said.
Irene Jerome
“But
you
have
peo-
ple there that don’t know
the country, and they get in
there, get trapped. Have they
thought about evacuation? Do
they know how to get out?”
She said helping commu-
nities establish those plans
is what Firewise is there for,
but community engagement is
crucial.
She said Middle Fork and
Ritter are starting to lose inter-
est because of the lockdown
orders. Jerome said virtual
meetings are not an option
because of sparse broadband.
Despite the difficulties this
year, Jerome told the court she
helped establish a Firewise
community, Canyon Creek
Lanes.
“I am very proud of that,”
she said. “They have their
official designation.”
She said there is “power
of the group” with a Firewise
community regarding fuel
reductions.
Jerome said funding
under the federal Title III
Secure Rural Schools to pro-
tect homes and properties
is only available Firewise
communities.
Jerome said she also has
ideas, such as seeing about an
incentive-based fuel reduction
program. She said she plans on
attending a Natural Resource
Advisory Committee meeting
to talk about them.
Jerome stressed how com-
munity-driven Firewise is.
“The beauty of it
(Firewise) is the communi-
ties do it together,” she said.
“The CWPP is the overarch-
ing document.”
In other county news:
The court made the
appointments to the following
boards and committees:
Airport
Commission
Board
Robert Watt, reappoint-
ment, to expire Dec. 31, 2022.
Doug Baggett, reappoint-
ment, to expire Dec. 31, 2022.
Scott Myers, reappoint-
ment, to expire Dec. 31, 2022.
Doug Ferguson, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2022.
College Advisory Board
Didgette
McCracken,
reappointment, to expire Dec.
31, 2023.
Christie Moore, appoint-
ment, expires Dec. 31, 2023.
Sam Palmer seconded the
appointment of Moore to the
board, but with discussion. He
said he did not see Moore’s
qualifications and did not
know her personally. Myers
said he did not know her per-
sonally, but nonetheless, she
applied. Palmer said he would
like to have a summary of an
applicant’s qualifications in
the future.
4-H Extension Office
Board
Beth Spell, reappointment,
Dec. 31, 2023.
Fair Board
Doug Cox, reappointment,
Dec. 31, 2023.
Courtney Montague, reap-
pointment, Dec. 31, 2023.
Mental Health Advisory
Board
Colleen Lindley, appoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2023.
Kathleen
Hoffman,
appointment, Dec. 31, 2023.
Planning Commission
Margie Walton, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2024.
Senior Citizens Advisory
Board
Karen Stubblefield, Dec.
31 2023.
Susan Cavender, Dec. 31,
2021.
Southeast Area Commis-
sion of Transportation
Doug Ferguson, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2023.
Wildlife Advisory Board
John Morris, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2023.
Kenneth Moore, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31 2023.
Bob Pugh, appointment,
Dec. 31 2023.
Natural Resource Advi-
sory Committee
Jim Bahrenburg, reap-
pointment, Dec. 31, 2022.
Dan Becker, reappoint-
ment, Dec. 31, 2022.
Billie Jo George, reap-
pointment, Dec. 31, 2022.
County Judge Scott Myers
said the court would not fill
the other vacancies on the
NRAC or budget commit-
tee until there was further
discussion.
The budget committee has
two vacancies.
At Thursday’s NRAC
meeting, the members dis-
cussed the four applicants for
the committee’s two vacan-
cies. The members voted on
recommending Brett Morris, a
logging contractor, and How-
ard Geiger, who, according
to NRAC member Billie Jo
George, is active in Firewise.
Dan Becker, who was reap-
pointed, said it is the county’s
role to appoint members.
Myers said the county
extends the ability of boards
and committees to recom-
mend applicants. He said, for
example, that he has asked
Community Counseling Solu-
tions Clinic Manager Thad
Labhart to put the word out
for new members for the Men-
tal Health Board. He said he
has done the same with the
Planning Commission.
County Commissioner Jim
Hamsher, NRAC’s liaison,
said the county’s boards and
committees have always rec-
ommended new members.
Employee appreciation
certificates
The county carried on a
year-old tradition of present-
ing employees with more than
five years of service certifi-
cates of appreciation.
20 years of service
Grant County Sheriff
Glenn Palmer
Corrections Deputy Mike
Alley
15 years of service
Planning Director Shannon
Springer
County Assessor David
Thunnel
10 years of service
Legal Assistant to the Dis-
trict Attorney Jamie McKay
Civil Deputy Anna Marie
Kuhn
Five years of service
Road Department Lead
Mechanic Joe Bennett
Fairgrounds
Manager
Mindy Winegar
Human Resources Man-
ager Laurie Cates
Road Foreman John
Harper
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
from the Blue Mountain Eagle
A7
said the city sent $5,000
back to the county after
the city purchased per-
sonal protective equip-
ment and cleaning sup-
plies for the city’s
businesses and laptops for
each city council member
and their city employee to
meet remotely.
Three Grant County
cities obligated $55,000 in
COVID-19 relief
funds to go to the
Seneca
county.
Amanda Born,
County Judge
Seneca city man-
Scott
Myers
ager, said the city
said
Canyon
decided to send
City signed over
the $25,000 to
$25,000 — the
the county due to
city’s entire award Don Porter
a “lack” of what
amount — which
they could spend
the county put
the money on by
toward finishing
Dec. 31.
the floors at the
Born said they
Grant County Fair-
grounds pavilion.
had
discussed
Myers said Sen-
sending the money
eca also signed Jim Hamsher to the county if
over
its
full
they could not
amount, while Mt.
spend the money
Vernon
handed
by the end of the
year.
over $5,000.
“We tried,” she
Once the state
said. “And we dis-
sends an executed
cussed it (sending
agreement, he said,
the money to the
the county would
have an additional Tory Stinnett county) from the
get-go.”
$30,000 for coro-
navirus expenses.
He said the
Long Creek
Long
Creek
court had not
Mayor Don Porter
decided how to
said the city had
use the remain-
ing funds from
not made a final
Mt. Vernon and
decision. He said
Kenny Delano they are leaning
Seneca.
Myers said the
toward purchasing
COVID-19 relief money personal protective equip-
is subject to the U.S. Trea- ment for first responders.
sury’s spending rules and
Still, he said the city
are not specific to small is being careful on what
they obligate the fund-
business.
Along with John Day, ing toward because they
Canyon City and the have to submit paper-
county have nearly com- work for reimbursement,
pleted improving broad- and he wants to be sure
band support at Humbolt the city will get their
Elementary School.
money back.
“We have to turn things
Canyon City Recorder
Corry Rider said the city in,” he said. “We don’t
planned to improve broad- know if we’ll get reim-
band at Humbolt and did bursed, and if we put out
not see a reason to request $9,000 and it doesn’t get
reimbursement for their approved, then that’s no
good.”
part of the project.
He said it is not like
County Commissioner
Jim Hamsher said the the timber money where
money spent at the fair- cities and municipali-
grounds benefits other cit- ties received a lump sum
ies beyond once a year for and had more autonomy
the county fair.
on how they spent those
He said the fairgrounds funds.
renovation, once com-
plete, will be ADA com-
Granite
pliant and available as
Hamsher
said
the
an Emergency Opera- county could receive
tions Center or a vac- additional relief funds
cination
center
for from Granite. He said
COVID-19.
the county’s Economic
Development
Director
Mt. Vernon
Tory Stinnett is work-
Mt.
Vernon
City ing on reaching out to
Recorder Tami Kowing the city.
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