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MyEagleNews.com
John Day to resubmit
$2 million EDA grant request
City requesting funds for
broadband, emergency
equipment upgrades and
Grant County Cyber Mill
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city of John Day will resubmit a $2 mil-
lion grant request for the fourth time.
John Day’s 300-page application for the
Economic Development Administration’s
CARES Grant requests funding to develop
broadband, provide emergency equipment
upgrades and support the Grant County
Cyber Mill.
John Day City Manager Nick Green
said they tweaked the application three dif-
ferent times at the request of the Invest-
ment Review Committee, a committee that
decides whether or not to recommend the
application to the EDA.
“We made a lot of adjustments at the
request of the IRC, and we made a lot of
adjustments to the application,” Green said.
“The IRC reviewed it and asked us to make
more adjustments.”
Green said a significant change requested
by the IRC was taking out the private side of
the application.
Green said they originally proposed Ore-
gon Telephone Company as a partner that
would invest $270,000, about 10% of the
match, and Iron Triangle, which would have
created seven jobs from land development
and the work associated with the project.
“They didn’t want the housing develop-
ment in there because it was speculative,
and they pulled Ortelco because they have
to compete for the work,” Green said.
EDA sent back a carry forward letter
in response to John Day’s application that
requested the changes by March 22 so it can
be reconsidered by the IRC.
Another request by the IRC was to make
the connection between COVID-19 and the
Cyber Mill stronger and have either a title to
the future Cyber Mill building in John Day
or a 15-year lease agreement. The site cur-
rently being considered for the Cyber Mill
in John Day is a building on Main Street in
between The Outpost and a church, where a
gym used to be.
The project, previously known as Grant
County Coworks, would offer access to
computers, printers and broadband at loca-
tions in Seneca, John Day and Prairie City.
The cost of acquisition and remodel-
ing would be around $200,000 and would
be covered by the EDA grant, but the city’s
match on the project would be 10%.
Green said the city would own the build-
ing as an applicant, but the building would
be leased to the Cyber Mill. He said the
EDA wants the city to have site control to
avoid awarding a project where the owner
loses interest and the project falls through.
Business Owner Sherrie Rininger
expressed concerns regarding the city pur-
chasing a building for another city project.
Councilor Shannon Adair clarified that
the city does not have to buy the building
if they do not get the grant, but if they get
the grant, there are many benefits to Main
Street with the improvement funded by
grant money.
Green said they are bringing up this
opportunity on behalf of the Cyber Mill, and
this is not a city-initiated request.
“We are using our tools to lead so this
project is part of this grant,” Adair said.
“The purchase of the building and the
upgrades are what have been budgeted in
the grant, but everything else that needs to
happen will be through Cyber Mill funding.
The city isn’t taking on that risk of needing
to continue to budget future upgrades.”
The city council motioned to buy the
building contingent on the EDA grant.
According to the agenda for the city coun-
cil meeting on March 23, the EDA grant
response was uploaded, submitted and
accepted by EDA and they are currently
reviewing the documents.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
A5
City chooses design for future
bridge at Hill Family Park
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The future bridge at
Hill Family Park now has a
design.
The John Day City Coun-
cil decided to pursue a ver-
tical rail bridge from RFC
during a city council meeting
on March 9.
The design for the 80-foot
bridge over the John Day
River would be able to sup-
port up to 90,000 pounds.
The agenda says the bridge
will need to be set with a
crane, bolted on and then can
be used.
RFC will customize any
attachments needed for util-
ities, and the design will be
low maintenance but can still
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
be made to look unique.
City Manager Nick Green Hill Family Park will be right next to the John Day river for
said the price of delivering guests to view.
the bridge would be $77,800,
and Senior Project Manager
The city motioned to to the community. People inter-
Aaron Lieuallen said the approve the RFC design for ested in being on the team
can submit a letter to John
labor cost would be around the bridge.
$105,000.
In other city council Day, and applicants will be
reviewed during a council
The Hill Family Park has news:
$366,840 in funding commit-
• The Grant County Cham- meeting in April.
ted to the project. Green said ber of Commerce requested
• Oregon RAIN requested
in a Jan. 19 council meeting to be a part of the vision team John Day apply for USDA’s
that the priority is to finish to discuss the Recreation Rural Business Development
the bridge procurement and Economy for Rural Commu- Grant program.
RAIN will write the
construction and then use the nities goals now that the plan
grant, perform the ser-
money leftover for additional has been adopted.
“I want to be involved, vices and manage the grant,
developments at the park.
John Day City Coun- and we just want to collab- but John Day would be the
cilor Dave Holland said the orate,” said Grant County applicant that receives the
choice of the RFC bridge Chamber of Commerce Pres- funds and then passes them
to RAIN.
makes more sense for the site ident Sherrie Rininger.
The city agreed, and the
The vision team is cur-
because of the versatility of
the design and opportunities rently being organized as grant would help sustain
to decorate the bridge as time the city looks for a variety of Stephanie LeQuieu’s Oregon
people from different parts of RAIN catalyst position.
goes on.
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in the Blue
Mountain Eagle are taken from the
logs of law enforcement agencies.
Every effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit Court
Bucky A. Breck, 33, pleaded
guilty March 18 to a count of con-
spiracy to commit a class C felony–
delivery of methamphetamine on
Oct. 8. He was sentenced to five days
in jail, 18 months of supervised pro-
bation, 40 hours of community ser-
vice and ordered to pay a $100 fine.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office
reported the following for the week
of March 17:
Concealed handgun licenses: 12
Average inmates: 9
Bookings: 7
Releases: 7
Arrests: 0
Citations: 5
Fingerprints: 2
Civil papers: 9
Warrants processed: 3
Assistance/Welfare check: 0
Search and Rescue: 0
Jessica Hunt, 27, of John Day was
cited for violation of the basic rule,
77/55 zone.
Chris VanCleave, 48, of Bend was
cited for operating without a license.
Brinn Jones, 34, of Enterprise
was cited violating speed limit, 43/30
zone.
Daniel Hibbard, 38, of Eugene
was cited for driving while sus-
pended and violation of the basic
rule, 83/55 zone.
Thomas Currier, 29, of San Fran-
cisco, California, was cited for vio-
lation of the basic rule, 50/30 zone.
Grant County Justice Court
Violation of the basic rule: Tanner
W. Moodenbaugh, 23, Long Creek,
March 3, 71/55 zone, fined $140.
Exceeding speed limit: Kevin A.
Briels, 60, Burns, March 2, 84/65
zone, fined $265; Michael J. Cordon-
nier, 51, Klamath Falls, Feb. 5, 53/30
zone, fined $265.
Driving while suspended: Tra-
vis J. Freniere, 34, John Day, Feb.
6, fined $440; Bryon E. Freniere,
38, John Day, Feb. 12, fined $440;
Somer L. Robinson, 32, John Day,
Dec. 30, fined $440; Kaden S.
Moses, 19, John Day, Sept. 15, fined
$440; James M. Hancock, 46, John
Day, Feb. 5, fined $440.
Driving uninsured: Somer L.
Robinson, 32, John Day, Dec. 30,
fined $265; Nathaniel D. Giger, 27,
Mt. Vernon, Oct. 26, fined $265.
Failure to install interlock ignition
device: Bryon E. Freniere, 38, John
Day, Feb. 12, fined $440; Randall
E. Barnett, 47, Burns, Aug. 2, fined
$440.
Off-road vehicle on Highway:
James M. Hancock, 46, John Day,
Feb. 5, fined $265.
Careless driving: Bryon E. Fre-
niere, 38, John Day, Feb. 12, fined
$440.
Failure to inspect traps/snares:
Cody I. Taylor, 34, Baker City, Feb.
7, fined $340.
Donald L. Brown Jr. pleaded
guilty Feb. 8 to a count of hunting on
enclosed lands. Brown was ordered
to pay $1,440 in fines.
Devan J. Haynes pleaded guilty
Dec. 14 to a count of driving while
suspended, driving uninsured and
failure to install interlock ignition
device. He was sentenced to 18
months of probation, 30 hours of
community service and ordered to
pay $965 in fines and fees.
Oregon State Police
March 15: A vehicle was north-
bound on Highway 395 when it
encountered slick icy road condi-
tions. The vehicle went into a side-
to-side slide, traveling into the
shoulder of the northbound lane
where it impacted with a snow
beam. The vehicle then spun in a
rotation and flipped over onto its
top, coming to an uncontrolled
rest, partially blocking the north-
bound lane. The driver was unin-
jured. The driver, Demar G. Miller,
43, of Cheney, Washington, was
issued a citation for no operator’s
license and driving uninsured.
Frontier Towing removed the
vehicle from the scene. OSP was
assisted by the Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office and Oregon Department
of Transportation.
March 17: A state trooper
responded to assist GCSO and Blue
Mountain Hospital paramedics with
a 77-year-old male patient who may
have been having chest pains. The
man was reported to be non-verbal
with dementia and could be com-
bative with paramedics. The trooper
entered the home with paramedics
who spoke briefly with the man’s
wife. One of the paramedics and
the trooper tried speaking with the
man. Without indication or warn-
ing, the man struck the paramedic in
the upper chest, knocking her to the
ground. OSP stepped between the
man and the paramedic and pushed
him back to create distance and
safety for the paramedic. The man
and state trooper both lost their foot-
ing and fell to the ground. The dep-
uty and state trooper held the man
on the ground for a few minutes
until he calmed down, then seated
him on a couch. At the request of
the man’s wife, who had power of
attorney, the man was sedated by
paramedics and transported to Blue
Mountain Hospital for evaluation.
Neither the man nor the paramedic
were injured. There was no criminal
investigation due to not being able
to establish a culpable mental state
of the man.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked 150
calls during the week of March
15-21, including:
• John Day Police Department
March 16: Received a report of
theft near Patterson Bridge Road.
March 17: Received a report of a
hit and run on East Main Street.
March 17: Dispatched to a report
of criminal mischief to a vehicle on
Northwest Bridge Street.
March 19: David J. Darling, 46,
of John Day was cited for driving
while suspended and uninsured on
West Main Street.
March 19: Tyler Dehiya, 27, of
John Day was cited for driving while
suspended and uninsured on High-
way 26 near milepost 163.
March 20: Leann Musgrove, 40,
of John Day was arrested for driving
under the influence on Highway 26
near milepost 160.
• Oregon State Police
March 19: Received a driving
complaint on Highway 26 near mile-
post 166.5.
• Grant County Sheriff’s Office
March 15: Received a report of
a possible domestic dispute on Izee
Lane.
March 15: Along with OSP,
responded to a single-vehicle roll-
over crash on Highway 395 near
milepost 105.
March 16: Received a report of
fraud on South McHaley Avenue.
March 18: Received a report of
fraud on Sunset Road.
• John Day ambulance
March 15: Responded to a report
of a 78-year-old woman with chest
pain on Northwest Second Avenue.
March 15: Responded to a woman
who was unable to stand on North
Johnson Avenue.
March 16: Dispatched for an
elderly woman with low blood pres-
sure, low pulse and elevated glucose
on Valley View Drive.
March 17: Responded for a
68-year-old woman who fell on
North Johnson Avenue.
March 18: Dispatched for a man
with a possible heart attack on Gard-
ner Ranch Lane.
• Seneca ambulance
March 17: Along with John Day
ambulance and GCSO, responded
for a patient having episodes on Izee
Paulina Lane.
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