NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
A3
Louis Dix set to replace outgoing superintendent
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY — Louis Dix,
the principal of Roosevelt Elementary
School in Klamath Falls, is set to replace
retiring Grant School District Superin-
tendent Bret Uptmor. Dix becomes the
head administrator to the 496-student in
district in taking the position.
The hire was announced at the
March 16 Grant School Board meet-
ing in Canyon City. Dix will assume his
new duties on July 1, the day after Upt-
mor offi cially retires.
Compensation
for the position is
$142,000 annually.
Dix comes to
Grant County from
Klamath Falls but
has had a connection
Dix
to the community for
many years.
“From my earliest memories as a
child, I’ve been in the John Day area.
Our hunting camp is just outside Prairie
City, and I’m an avid fl y fi sherman and
I love to fi sh the Logan Valley area just
outside Seneca,” Dix said.
Grant School District set
to hire resource offi cer
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The
Grant
County
Sher-
iff ’s Offi ce and Grant
School District have ten-
tatively agreed on a con-
tract to bring a new student
resource offi cer, or SRO, to
the district.
The hire will give
the district its fi rst SRO
since the John Day Police
Department was abolished
in October. The new offi -
cer would start working at
Grant Union Junior/Senior
High School, Humbolt
Elementary and Seneca
School at the beginning of
the 2022-2023 academic
year.
Speaking at a school
board meeting on March
16, 2022, Grant County
Sheriff Todd McKinley
said the program involves
more than just placing an
offi cer in schools and polic-
ing students. Citing his own
experience as a resource
offi cer at Grant Union,
McKinley said the new
SRO would also serve as a
teacher and mentor to stu-
dents. The SRO is a police
offi cer fi rst, so the safety of
students and staff both at
schools and school-sanc-
tioned events is the priority.
According to an inter-
governmental agreement
between the Sheriff ’s Offi ce
and Grant School District,
the fi rst year of the con-
tract would be a trial run
that would automatically
be extended into the 2023-
2024 fi scal year if the pro-
gram proves to be mutually
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
benefi cial, fi nancially sus-
tainable and neither party
wishes to alter the initial
agreement.
The new school resource
offi cer would come from the
ranks of the Grant County
sheriff ’s deputies. The dis-
trict has agreed to pay the
Sheriff ’s Offi ce the sum of
$80,000 per year for the
services of the new SRO.
Sheriff McKinley said he
hopes that the money can
be used to hire another
patrol deputy and allevi-
ate some of the strain on
his already overstretched
county police force.
The SRO’s duties would
include being physically
present on school grounds
during morning drop-off ,
at open campus lunch peri-
ods, and when students are
leaving campus for the day.
The resource offi cer would
also attend home athletic
events and other large stu-
dent gatherings such as
homecoming and prom.
The resource offi cer
would also need to leave
campus to respond to
emergency calls through-
out the county if neces-
sary. School offi cials and
the Sheriff ’s Offi ce are still
working out details regard-
ing pay and compensation
should county law enforce-
ment duties take the SRO
away from schools for
extended periods of time.
A fi nal, complete agree-
ment between the county
sheriff and school district
is expected to be presented
and voted on during the
next school board meeting
on April 20.
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“I love the area and the whole county
is just beautiful. I’m really excited for
this opportunity and to get a chance to
move there and become a part of the
community,” he added.
Dix has been in education for 30
years, starting his career in 1992 in
Sweet Home at Hawthorne Elemen-
tary. Dix later moved on to Sweet Home
Middle School and began teaching lead-
ership and English before becoming the
assistant principal.
Dix was a coach for the wrestling
team at Sweet Home High School, help-
ing lead the team to state championships
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY — The $4
million bond measure to raise
funds for a new community
pool in John Day has withstood
a legal challenge from two local
residents.
A request for a ballot title
was fi led on Feb. 23 by Lisa
Weigum of the John Day/Can-
yon City Parks and Recreation
District and was approved by
County Clerk Brenda Percy to
appear on the May 17 election
ballot.
On March 4, Charlene Mor-
ris and Shaun Robertson fi led a
petition in Grant County Circuit
Court raising several objections
to the ballot title and asking the
court to change the language of
the measure as it would appear
on the ballot.
Both Morris and Robertson
are Grant County residents and
both own property in the parks
and rec district, according to
their court fi ling.
In their petition, Morris and
Robertson objected to all three
parts of the bond measure’s bal-
lot title: the 10-word caption,
the 20-word question and the
175-word summary.
As proposed by the parks
and rec district, the caption
reads “General Obligation
Bonds for Pool Facility.” The
petition argued that the phrase
“pool facility” was misleading
because offi cials of the parks
and rec district and the city of
John Day have consistently
referred to the project as an
“aquatic center.”
Morris and Robertson also
claimed that the caption might
fool voters into believing that
the bond measure would cover
operations costs as well as con-
struction expenses.
The petitioners also chal-
lenged the ballot measure’s
question, which reads: “Shall
John Day/Canyon City Parks
and Recreation District issue
$4,000,000 in bonds to fi nance
a pool facility?”
As with the caption, Mor-
ris and Robertson argued that
this part of the ballot title was
misleading because it uses the
phrase “pool facility” and fails
to clarify that proceeds from the
bond sales will be used for con-
struction and not for operations.
The longer summary sec-
tion, the petitioners claimed,
contains additional state-
ments that serve to “prejudi-
cially and unfairly mislead vot-
ers,” including using the phrase
“offi ce space” to refer to mul-
tiple offi ces; using the phrase
“multipurpose room” instead
of “party room”; and using the
word “improvements” to refer
to new construction. Finally,
they argued, the summary vio-
lated the “single-subject rule”
for Oregon ballot measures by
saying there would be a citizens
oversight committee to monitor
how the bond funds are spent.
The parks and rec district
and the city of John Day, rep-
resented by Weigum and City
Manager Nick Green, defended
the ballot title by arguing that it
met all legal requirements and
was not misleading.
Umatilla County Circuit
Judge Wes Williams presided
over a 90-minute hearing on
the matter Wednesday, March
16. (Williams was fi lling in for
Grant County Circuit Judge
Rob Raschio, who recused him-
self because of a potential con-
fl ict in the case.)
After hearing arguments
from both sides, Williams
declined to make any changes to
the ballot title’s language, say-
ing he did not fi nd it mislead-
ing. Citing an Oregon Supreme
Court ruling in another case, he
added that his role was limited
to determining whether the title
met the letter of the law.
“It’s not my job to rewrite
the ballot (title) or fi nd a bet-
ter way to say it,” Williams
concluded.
“I am going to hold that
the ballot title for the measure
meets the requirements of ORS
250.037, and I am going to cer-
tify it.”
The measure will appear
on the May 17 ballot for voters
who live within the John Day/
Canyon City Parks and Recre-
ation District. If the measure is
approved, the district will issue
$4 million in general obliga-
tion bonds to be repaid over 20
years through taxes on property
within the district.
The estimated tax rate is 70
cents per $1,000 of assessed
valuation. For the owner of a
property valued at $150,000,
that would mean an additional
$105 a year in property tax
payments.
The money would go
toward the construction of a six-
lane, 25-yard pool and adjoin-
ing structure with locker rooms,
offi ce space and a multipur-
pose room at the Seventh Street
Sports Complex in John Day.
The overall price tag for the
project is estimated at $6 mil-
lion; a $2 million state grant
would cover the diff erence
between the bond proceeds
and the total construction
costs.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
23
W HAT’S
Lenten luncheon
• 11:30 a.m., First Christian
Church, 311 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
Part of a series of lunchtime
services during Lent spon-
sored by the John Day Min-
isterial Association. Lunch
includes choice of soup, bread
and beverage, followed by a
worship service at 12:15 p.m.
For more information, call
541-575-5840.
Regular weekly meeting of
the Whiskey Gulch Gang to
plan this year’s ‘62 Days fes-
tivities. Anyone who wants
to help is welcome. For more
information, call Colby Farrel
at 541-620-0874.
FRIDAY, MARCH 25
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
’62
Days
planning
meeting
• 7 p.m., Sel’s Brewery, 113
Washington St., Canyon City
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MARK WEBB
FOR
Grant County Commissioner
WRITE IN MARK WEBB
for Grant County Commissioner
HAPPENING
Lenten luncheon
• 11:30 a.m., St. Elizabeth
of Hungary Catholic Church,
111 SW Second Ave., John
Day
Part of a series of lunchtime
services during Lent spon-
sored by the John Day Min-
isterial Association. Lunch
includes choice of soup, bread
and beverage, followed by a
worship service at 12:15 p.m.
For more information, call
541-575-5840.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
Fundraising dinner and
bingo
• 5 p.m., Mt. Vernon Com-
munity Hall, 640 Ingle St., Mt.
Vernon
The evening begins at
5 p.m. with a taco dinner to
help cover medical expenses
for Jaclyn Clarry, who is
awaiting a kidney trans-
plant. Tacos are $6 apiece
or two for $10, with all the
fixings. A bingo fundraiser
for the Grant Union High
School Class of 2026 starts
at 6. The cost to play is $5
per card.
Do you have a community
event in Grant County you’d
like to publicize? Email infor-
mation to editor@bmeagle.
com. The deadline is noon
Friday for publication the fol-
lowing Wednesday.
Committee Volunteers Needed
Grant County is now Recruiting Volunteers
to Serve on Active Boards and Committees
Applications are Due by WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022
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Dix has been in his current position for
three years.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,”
Dix said when speaking of the superin-
tendent post in Grant County. “I wasn’t
searching for superintendent jobs across
the state, but when this one popped up,
my wife and I talked about it and we
decided if I was gong to move for a job,
this would be it.”
Dix says throughout the past fi ve
years he’s been called for multiple
superintendent jobs but none of them fi t
him and his family in the way the Grant
School District one did.
Pool bond survives court challenge
Karen Shelton, Jamie Wright and
all Grant Union Staff. We have fought some
Battles the last two years but here we are
Breathing, and Kicking!
GO Pros!
To Ryan Gerry a BIG shout out, You the Man!
GU Custodial Crew.
Paid for by Mark Webb for County Commissioner.
in 1997, 1998 and again in 2007. Dix
was also the head boys soccer coach for
Sweet Home High.
Following his time in Sweet Home,
Dix was recruited to Medford and took
over as the assistant principal at North
Medford High School for three years.
Dix later transitioned to the role of
head principal at the elementary level in
Medford and held that position for nine
years.
Dix’s fi nal stop before taking the
job as superintendent of Grant County
Schools is his current role as principal of
Roosevelt Elementary in Klamath Falls.
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Obtain an application to volunteer in person at 201 S. Humbolt, Canyon City;
on the website at grantcountyoregon.net, search volunteer application;
or contact (541-575-0059) GCCourtAdmin@grantcounty-or.gov
Committees are formal public bodies required to comply with Oregon Public
Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
College Advisory Board
Seven members plus three ex-officio members serve a three year term and meet month-
ly to promote local educational opportunities and identify educational needs within the
community.
Extension & 4-H Service District Advisory Council
Eleven members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to provide guidance
and assistance to local OSU Extension staff in planning, developing, and evaluating bal-
anced educational programs directed to high priority needs of county residents. Member-
ship is limited to one re-appointment.
Extension & 4H Service District Budget Committee
Members include two advisory members and a member-at-large serving three year
terms. Annual meetings include the County Court and are held to receive, deliberate,
revise and approve the annual budget as provided by the District Budget Officer. Any
proposed programs are discussed and considered.
Planning Commission
Nine members serve a four year term and two alternates serve a two year term, meeting
as needed to review land use and zoning applications and discuss city and county growth
issues and siting new facilities. Members must be residents of various geographic areas
within the county and no more than two voting members shall be engaged in the same
kind of business, occupation, trade or profession with agriculture designations of live-
stock / forage crop production and horticulture / specialty crop production. Commission-
ers serving in this capacity must file an Annual Verified Statement of Economic Interest
with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Members must re-apply to the County
Court before their term ends if they wish to be re-appointed. The commission is a formal
public body required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
Southeast Area Commission on Transportation
The alliance provides a forum for local government agencies and the private sector to
discuss, understand and coordinate long range transportation issues affecting the south
east Oregon region including Grant, Harney and Malheur counties. The alliance acts as
the Area Commission on Transportation. It reviews the process for determining trans-
portation infrastructure and capital investments in the south east region, recommends
priorities, and advises Oregon Transportation Commission on state and regional policies
affecting the region’s transportation system. Five members, plus one alternate, serve
three year terms as Grant County representatives. Daytime meetings are held monthly,
or as needed, at locations rotating among the three counties.
Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee
OAR 603-019-0015. Members include one County Commissioner, two members who
own or manage livestock and two members who support wolf conservation or coexis-
tence with wolves. These members agree upon two business representatives to serve as
additional members. The committee oversees the procedure established by Grant County
for its Wolf Depredation Compensation Program. The current vacancy is for a business
S285460-1
representative.
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