NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
A3
City off ers library land swap Pulliam stumps
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The John Day City
Council deferred voting on a land swap
deal with the Grant Count Library Foun-
dation for a month and heard a challenge
to City Manager Nick Green’s spending
practices at its April 12 session.
Resolution No. 22-884-05 proposed
land swap between the city of John Day
and the library foundation for the pur-
pose of providing more city parking and
a new site for a county library. The pro-
posed deal involves the city purchasing
land owned by the library foundation and
the city then donating a separate lot to the
foundation to be use as a site for a future
library.
The lot desired by the city is a single
acre and is located near Kam Wah Chung
State Heritage Site on North Canton
Street. The city would purchase the prop-
erty for $125,000. The lot to be donated to
the library foundation is a 2.1 acre parcel
along the planned Seventh Street exten-
sion at the base of Davis Creek.
City Council member Dave Holland
voiced concerns about the deal in the
April 12 session, stressing that three sep-
arate entities would need to be on board
with the swap in order for the deal to
work. The Grant County Court funds the
library, and the Grant County Library has
a board of its own that would have to weigh
in on the deal in addition to the library foun-
dation, which owns the land.
Currently the city has only been in talks
with the Grant County Library Founda-
tion regarding the purchase of the land and
subsequent donation of a lot as the loca-
tion of a new library. The library founda-
tion has spent 10 years fundraising and
attempting to secure funds for a new library
building. The foundation will have enough
money to fund that project if the deal goes
through, according to Green. It is unknown
if the Grant County Court or Grant County
Library board have been in contact with the
Library Foundation regarding this proposal,
according to Holland.
The Grant County Library board is
meeting next week to hold its own discus-
sions about the proposal. The City Council
voted to defer voting on the proposed land
swap for a month to give the various enti-
ties that may be aff ected by the deal time to
deliberate and discuss the proposal.
Green spending challenged
Later in the meeting, John Day Bud-
get Commission member Sherrie Rininger
raised questions regarding Green’s spend-
ing practices. Specifi cally, she questioned a
group of landscaping contracts awarded to
Field’s Tree Service.
Green is authorized to spend up to
$25,000 without having to consult the City
Council for approval. The contracts in ques-
tion were dated from Dec. 20, 2021. to Feb.
John Day hosting
April 26 open house
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The city of John Day is host-
ing an open house on Tuesday, April 26, in the
Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fair-
grounds, 411 NW Bridge St.
The open house will showcase ongoing and
upcoming city projects and answer questions the
public may have about those projects.
The open house will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
and is an informal event in lieu of the City Coun-
cil meeting normally held on the fourth Tuesday of
the month. Residents and visitors can come and see
project boards, speak with council members and
pick up snapshot descriptions of each project.
28, 2022, and totaled $95,276.07. The issue
is with the way the information was pre-
sented on the invoice and the fact that the
work had already been done before the con-
tract was approved, according to Rininger.
The spending is combined into a sin-
gle line item on the invoice as opposed to
separate, $25,000 line items that Green
would’ve had the authority to approve.
Rininger said the way the contract was
paid for and approved was “underhanded.”
Also a source of concern for Rininger was
a single line item of $67,400 for labor that
she says was done before the contract was
approved.
Green explained the budgetary issue by
saying the $95,000 price was four separate
contracts combined into one line item. “In
six years, I’ve never exceeded my contract
authority, and I never would,” Green said.
When asked if those contracts came
up for bid, Green said fi nding willing bid-
ders for a project of this type is a chal-
lenge. “That’s the problem with living in
a small county.” Green says the city asked
for quotes from The Tree Service in Har-
ney County and Ray Field. The Tree Ser-
vice declined to provide a quote, so the job
went to Field.
“If we had a lot of people that did that
type of work in the county, we could put a
formal solicitation out,” Green added. The
city’s formal solicitations for landscaping
have been ignored in the past and “people
have a tough time competing with someone
who lives here and does that type of work,”
Green said.
Frosty 5K race draws 40 runners
Blue Mountain Eagle
DAYVILLE — Despite chilly temps and unseason-
able snow showers, 40 runners turned out to compete
in Dayville’s annual Bunny Hop 5K on Saturday, April
16, according to City Recorder Ruthie Moore.
Organized by Emma Winkelman, this was the sev-
enth year for the benefi t race. This year the proceeds went
to help with landscaping for the Dayville Community
Hall, which is in the fi nal stages of a major renovation.
This year’s winners, by age group, were:
• 13 and under: Preston Fretwell of Dayville, in a
time of 31:13
• 14-26: Cheyanne Clark of Dayville, 27:40
• 27-49: Nick Swagger of Redmond, 24:55
• 50 and over: Cheri Cook of Kimberly, 35:28
As always, the event was followed by the annual
Easter egg hunt at Dayville City Park.
Contributed Photo
Jessie Swagger crosses
the fi nish line of the Bun-
ny Hop 5K in Dayville on
Saturday, April 16, 2022.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 20
THURSDAY, MAY 5
W HAT’S
County
commissioner
candidate forum
• 6 p.m., main conference
room, Grant County Regional
Airport, 72000 Airport Road,
John Day
The Blue Mountain Eagle
will host a free public forum
with the three candidates run-
ning for a seat on the Grant
County Court. The candidates
will talk about their campaigns
and answer questions about
issues facing the county. Cof-
fee and cookies will be served.
113 Washington St., Canyon
City
Regular weekly meet-
ing of the Whiskey Gulch
Gang to plan this year’s ‘62
Days festivities. Anyone who
wants to help is welcome. For
more information, call Colby
Farrel at 541-620-0874.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21
MONDAY, APRIL 25
Pool facility open house
• 6-7:30 p.m., Parks and Rec
offi ce, 845 NW Bridge St., John
Day
The John Day/Canyon City
Parks and Recreation Dis-
trict will host an open house to
answer questions about plans
for a new community pool
at the Seventh Street Sports
Complex in John Day.
County
commissioner
candidate night
• 7 p.m., Prairie City Pub-
lic Works Department, Front
Street, Prairie City
The Greater Prairie City
Community Association will
host a “meet and greet” recep-
tion for the three candidates
running for a seat on the Grant
County Court. Cookies, coff ee
and tea will be served.
HAPPENING
FRIDAY, APRIL 22
Bingo night
• 6 p.m., John Day Elks
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
A fundraiser for the Grant
Union High School Class of
2026. Dinner provided by the
Elks Club at 6 p.m., with bingo
starting at 6:30. The cost to
play is $5 per card.
’62 Days planning meeting
• 7 p.m., Sel’s Brewery,
FRIDAY, APRIL 29
’62
Days
planning
meeting
• 7 p.m., Sel’s Brewery, 113
Washington St., Canyon City
Regular weekly meet-
ing of the Whiskey Gulch
Gang to plan this year’s ’62
Days festivities. Anyone who
wants to help is welcome. For
more information, call Colby
Farrel at 541-620-0874.
Attend a Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation Dinner
and Benefit Auction
Where fun and fund-raising combine for a
memorable evening.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
4:00—Doors open
5:30—Dinner
7:30—Auction
Place: Pavilion—
Grant County Fairgrounds
Ticket Information:
Gale Wall (541) 620-0455
Date:
Time:
Prairie City School Kin-
dergarten Roundup
• 3 p.m., Mrs. Sharp’s
room, Prairie City School,
740 Overholt St.
Parents can sign their
child up for kindergarten.
Children must turn 5 before
Sept. 1 to be eligible. Bring
a copy of your child’s birth
certifi cate and immunization
record.
FRIDAY, MAY 6
’62
Days
planning
meeting
• 7 p.m., Sel’s Brewery,
113 Washington St., Canyon
City
Regular weekly meet-
ing of the Whiskey Gulch
Gang to plan this year’s
’62 Days festivities. Any-
one who wants to help is
welcome. For more infor-
mation, call Colby Farrel at
541-620-0874.
auction, live dessert auction
and raffl e. Proceeds go toward
medical expenses for Jaclyn
Clarry of John Day, a mother
of four awaiting a donor for
a kidney transplant. To help
with the event or donate auc-
tion items, call Bonnie Cearns
at 541-571-3284 or Patty Ross
at 541-620-4841.
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
following Wednesday.
in John Day
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — Touting his
small-town roots and conserva-
tive values, Stan Pulliam made
his case for becoming Ore-
gon’s next governor to a small
group of voters over lunch at
the Squeeze-In Restaurant and
Deck in John Day on Friday,
April 15.
Pulliam, a 40-year-old
insurance executive in his sec-
ond term as mayor of Sandy, is
one of 19 Republicans seeking
the GOP nomination for gov-
ernor in the May 17 primary.
He came through John Day on
Friday as part of a campaign
swing through a number of
Eastern Oregon communities.
In a short stump speech,
he reminded his audience that,
with no incumbent in the race,
the GOP has a better-than-
usual chance of reclaiming the
state’s highest offi ce.
“We’re trying to do some-
thing that hasn’t been done
in 40 years, and that’s get a
Republican elected governor,”
he said.
Pulliam said he decided to
jump into the race after hear-
ing from small-business own-
ers in Sandy who were harmed
economically by Gov. Kate
Brown’s business restrictions
during the COVID-19 pan-
demic. He cited his role in
launching the “Open Oregon”
movement, which encour-
aged businesses to buck those
restrictions and reopen in Jan-
uary 2021.
“We decided to stand up
and fi ght back,” he said.
Pulliam promoted the idea
of school choice and said he
favored revamping and decen-
tralizing the Oregon Board of
Education.
“Our kids go to some of the
worst schools in the country
despite the fact that we’re in the
top tier of school spending,”
he said. “It’s time for school
choice. … Decisions need to
made at the local level.”
He railed against crime and
homelessness in Portland and
Eugene, which he called “rot-
ten to the core,” and said as
governor he would back law
enforcement to the hilt.
“I want to triple the size
of the state police,” he said.
“I want to lift up our county
sheriff s and our local police
departments.”
Pulliam also answered
questions from the audience,
off ering his views on topics
including:
• The Greater Idaho move-
ment: He’d rather work to
SATURDAY, MAY 7
Jaclyn Clarry Transplant
Fundraiser
• 5-8 p.m., John Day Elks
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.
A benefi t dinner of pulled
pork or chicken with beans
and coleslaw, plus a silent
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam,
who’s running in the Re-
publican primary for gover-
nor, visits with voters at the
Squeeze-In Restaurant and
Deck in John Day on Friday,
April 15, 2022.
make Oregon better. “If you’re
going to leave the state, where
are you going to go?” he asked.
“Have you been to Boise
lately? Have you been to Mis-
soula lately? Cancer spreads,
and we’ve got to fi ght back.”
• New taxes, such as the cor-
porate activity tax: “We would
look to overturn those,” he said.
Pulliam added he would also
work to eliminate emergency
clauses, which allow new taxes
to go into eff ect without time
for a ballot initiative in oppo-
sition, and rein in government
fees. “They can’t pass any new
taxes, so they do it to you with
fees.”
• Reliance on grants to fund
local government services: He
thinks it’s a problem but didn’t
have a ready-made answer.
“We’ve got to fi nd a way to
build up our local tax base,”
he said. “I don’t have a magic
solution.”
• Handing control of U.S.
Forest Service land to coun-
ties: “It needs to be local con-
trol,” he said. “Nobody else
is going to care more … than
local folks.”
• Social services: They
should be provided by family
members, faith organizations
and community members as
much as possible. “We need
to get away from government
being the solution to these
problems.”
• The Second Amendment:
Pulliam cited the Russian inva-
sion of Ukraine as an exam-
ple of why Americans should
have the right to bear arms.
“It’s for us to arm ourselves
against tyrannical govern-
ments and defend ourselves,”
he said. “That’s why I’m a
big supporter of the Second
Amendment.”
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Green’s spending practices
challenged at council meeting
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VOTE
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Proceeds benefit elk and other wildlife.
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