A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
They did it then,
we can do it now
To the Editor:
John Day residents came together
to fund construction of Gleason Pool
more than 64 years ago — doing so
under extraordinary circumstances:
The city’s population was small
(approximately 1,573) and the U.S.
was in a recession (a.k.a. the Eisen-
hower Recession), the most signiﬁ -
cant recession during the post-WWII
era, triggered largely by the Asian
ﬂ u epidemic that killed about 80,000
Americans and resulted in severely
diminished labor supply and decel-
erated production. Inﬂ ation-curb-
ing measures in eﬀ ect weakened
demand for commodities and raw
materials, causing a sharp dive in
U.S. exports thereby widening the
country’s trade deﬁ cit and intensi-
fying the recession. Further, unem-
ployment was substantial, especially
in commodity industries such as
mining and timber.
Given the extraordinary eco-
nomic conditions to which no one
was impervious, were these people
selﬁ sh? Motivated by feelings rather
than thoughtful analysis? Indiﬀ erent
to the challenges facing friends and
neighbors? Blinded by want versus
need? Irresponsible spenders?
I don’t believe so; neither do
I give credence to parallel words
spouted today by some attempting to
diminish fellow citizens holding dif-
ferent views.
Despite undeniably uncertain
times, community forebears rallied
to support the promise of their com-
munity and its people by invest-
ing in a new facility that promoted
safety, healthy recreation, economic
beneﬁ t, and community cohesion.
Evidenced by countless testimoni-
als reﬂ ecting positive ways residents
were impacted by their Gleason Pool
experiences, one can reasonably dis-
cern that the foresight and convic-
tion demonstrated by previous resi-
dents have paid oﬀ handsomely for
more than six decades.
History oﬀ ers valuable lessons,
not the least of which being to spot-
light clarity on current events. In
solidarity with the stalwart citi-
zens of the past, today’s voters have
opportunity to carry on the torch lit
long ago by voting in favor of an
updated version of Gleason Pool:
• Six swim lanes.
• Legally required adaptations
rendering the facility accessible to
patrons of all physical abilities.
• Changing rooms to accommo-
date reasonable modesty needs.
• Administrative space.
• A rentable multipurpose room.
• Design adaptation that would
cost-eﬀ ectively permit future enclo-
sure should local conditions favor
building an indoor swimming
facility.
Please join me in voting “yes” on
the swim bond.
Liz Aleman
John Day
Enclosed pool
would be better
To the Editor:
As much as I would like for
everyone to have a pool, I do not
support the city’s current uncov-
ered design. I believe the commu-
nity would be better served by an
enclosed pool oﬀ ering year-round
access.
The old pool was only opera-
tional for about 12 weeks out of 52
and averaging somewhere around
60 people a day. Imagine 40 more
weeks of 60 people +/- using the
pool for a variety of things ... exer-
cise classes, lap swims, swim meets,
pool parties, swimming lessons,
open swims, fundraisers, etc.
Let’s not forget about the reve-
nue that being open those “extra”
40 weeks would generate, not just
the pool itself, the meeting rooms
could be booked for holiday parties,
receptions, meetings, bazaars among
other things.
And, as anyone who’s owned a
hot tub will tell you, there are prob-
lems that come up almost every time
they’re started up after sitting sev-
eral months, so they keep them full
and running all the time.
I’ve looked at the numbers and
I don’t understand how $6 million
wouldn’t/isn’t enough to build an
enclosed pool. The tax bond is a per-
centage of value, so the real cost will
climb as the value climbs.
In my opinion, an enclosed pool
facility makes the most sense. Not
only will it cost more to enclose it at
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
a later date because it would require
planning dollars, permitting dol-
lars, inspection dollars, redesign-
ing dollars, labor dollars, materials
dollars and who knows what else.
Not to mention the downtime during
construction resulting in a loss of
revenue.
Al Stein
John Day
We really do
need a pool
To the Editor:
We need a public swimming pool
because we have Magone Lake. Last
summer my parents would take me
and my sister up to Magone Lake to
play. It gets really hot in the summer.
My sister, still a learning swimmer,
would stay near the shore catch-
ing crawdads while wearing her life
jacket. I would swim without my
life jacket unless I decided to swim
out to the log, then I would put it on.
But for a lot of our friends who are
not swimmers their way of staying
safe was to not even go to Magone.
Their parents would just tell them,
“It’s not worth the drive to Magone
if you can’t swim.” But, if you are
prepared and practiced, swimming
in that lake is a lot of fun!
We get practice from swim-
ming teachers at public swimming
pools, but now we don’t have one. I
can’t imagine what it would be like
to need to save a drowning swim-
mer like I read about in last week’s
paper. It is not fair to say that a pool
is a want and not a need. Parents
“need” to prepare their kids for life
and part of that is learning to stay
safe in water. I hope that everybody
who swims knows they are ready.
American Red Cross says start-
ing swim lessons as early as pos-
sible will save lives, and that it is
never too late for someone to learn
to swim. Please vote for a pool to
return to John Day. Thanks.
Artemis McKnab, 10
Canyon City
Pool costs higher
than advertised
To the editor:
In these late days of the pool bond
we are seeing, in print, the actual
costs of the draft operating budget.
The ﬁ nal operating budget, which
comes through the city, for the P&R
is $103,100. The truth “ﬁ nally” came
out. Far more than the $50,000 that
the Parks and Rec has been stating
when they brought up this once-de-
feated plan.
The Friends of JDCC Parks and
Rec stated in a ﬂ yer that Measure
12-85 is “almost half” paid for. What
they fail to say is the actual debt on
the citizens, which continues to rise
by the very people who have pushed
this project forward. This is a city-
born project and now, in the latest
ﬁ gures, totals $7 million plus. Where
were all these people when we had a
community pool? Total hypocrisy by
these individuals.
In the operating budget, it includes
a John Day subsidy of $17,500. Not
only will the citizens in John Day
pay for the yearly debt service if this
bill passes, but they will also have to
come up with that subsidy. Creative
ﬁ nancing.
It surprises me that the medical
community has publicly supported
this pool and entered a hot political
battle, which half of our citizenry has
already voted and turned this circus
down. I believe our county hospital
was $1 million over budget last ﬁ s-
cal year. Most of the doctors practic-
ing here in the past usually leave in a
shorter time period before this bond
will be paid for.
If the parks and rec district can-
not stand on their own on this or any
other project, then we do not “need”
them. The $50,00 operating cost, as
advertised, that was used was just
another deceit tactic by both the city
and P&R.
Vote “no” on this measure if you
still have your ballot. Vote “yes” for
Heather Rookstool for mayor. Do not
vote for Shannon Adair for councilor.
(She currently is under investigation
by the state ethics commission.) Vote
for Sherri Rininger and Ron Phil-
lips for councilors. These ﬁ scally
runaway administrations need to be
retired on Nov. 8.
Bob Pereira
John Day
A fact needing
clariﬁ cation
To the Editor:
Government is only a governing
body, not a public land owner. “We
the People” are the owners of public
land. Elected government oﬃ cials
shrug oﬀ obligations of their oﬃ ce
to non-elected representatives who
hand it down, layer by layer, to local
representatives, who forget they are
simply gloriﬁ ed hired help justifying
their positions by composing nev-
er-ending rules and regulations in a
book that requires a forklift to move.
In the Associated Press on
Wednesday, the situation with a
local escaped prescribed burn that
destroyed private land was reported
by Andrew Selsky. The story
attacked the Hammonds and Bun-
dys (why did it avoid Finicum?)
in a rambling discourse attempting
blame-shifting from the Forest Ser-
vice to private parties despite very
similar circumstances.
Prescribed burns have fre-
quently escaped public lands man-
aged by the Forest Service and are
usually justiﬁ ed because it overlaps
on another planned burn or the “let
it burn” mentality comes into play.
Public land is being burned by care-
lessly ignited or unchecked natu-
ral ignition ﬁ res and no one is held
responsible. Merchantable timber is
destroyed, wildlife dies, watersheds
fail, local economy suﬀ ers, and there
is no compensation. There was com-
pensation for COVID-related losses,
so why were “we the people” not
compensated for destruction to our
publicly owned land, not to men-
tion private homes and land from the
Canyon Creek complex?
Our duly-elected Sheriﬀ McKin-
ley and District Attorney Carpen-
ter have my full support by doing
their job dictated by law and in fac-
ing the criticism from governmen-
tal hired help at any of the myriad
of layers. If anyone attempts to pick
my missive apart in myopic parcels,
you have my support to ﬁ le them in
a personal receptacle.
Judy Kerr
Canyon City
Burn boss arrest
questionable
To the Editor:
Todd McKinley may be the only
Republican running for public oﬃ ce
that I have voted for in recent years.
I hope that wasn’t a mistake.
I’m struggling to understand why
he arrested the Forest Service burn
boss in the middle of a ﬁ re at the
apparent bidding of the Holliday
Ranches. It’s my understanding that
the ﬁ re crews were being harassed
and feeling they needed the sheriﬀ ’s
protection.
It leaves me wondering if the
wrong party was arrested or if any-
body should have been arrested.
Terry Steele
Ritter
Feeling positive
about pool bond
To the Editor:
As Election Day approaches,
I want to remark on how amaz-
ing it is to see many in this commu-
nity put our diﬀ erences aside and
come together to support the pool
bond, just like we have before on
other important issues and at times
of need. Though there are many
issues that still divide us here and
across the country, in the last few
weeks I’ve observed people from all
walks of life and across the political
spectrum come together to support
a pool. The conversation has been
overwhelmingly positive as I’ve
spoken with my neighbors, friends
and strangers. I hope you’ll join us
and be part of the positivity by vot-
ing yes on Measure 12-85 to build
the pool, and make sure to turn your
ballot in by Nov. 8.
Jessi Brunson
Canyon City
Kudos to Canyon
City candidates
To the Editor:
I appreciate the election coverage
and the proﬁ les for the candidates
running for the various positions.
I also appreciate the people will-
ing to run for these positions. They
are volunteers who are willing to
accept a huge responsibility and step
up for their respective communities.
I live in Canyon City, and I will
be voting for Jim Johnston and Les
Percy for City Council. I believe
both of them will do a great job.
Jim has been on the city coun-
cil for several years and has always
worked hard and done a great job for
the people of Canyon City.
Les worked for Canyon City for
years and understands how the city
works. He will be a great council
member.
I will be writing in Matt Turner
for city council as well. Matt has
been dedicated to Canyon City for
many years as our ﬁ re chief and has
decided to run as a write-in. I hope
you will join me in writing his name
in for Canyon City Council. He
cares about our city and he is will-
ing to step up and do his part to keep
Canyon City a place we love to live.
Tammy Bremner
Canyon City
Don’t forget you
are the electorate
To the Editor:
Are you tired of the current
regime? Tired of being canceled for
what you say, print or write? (Cancel:
the suppression or striking out of mat-
ter in type or print.) Are you tired of
being called a danger to our democ-
racy simply because you disagree with
the oligarchy of the moment?
Let us understand ﬁ rst that we
don’t live, and we as free Americans
don’t exist in or under a democ-
racy. Our nation is a republic and
has been since the inception and the
founding of the Constitution and our
government.
A republic is a state in which the
sovereign power resides in a cer-
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
(including online access)
Editor ........................................................Bennett Hall, bhall@bmeagle.com
One year ..................................................$51
Reporters .................................................... Tony Chiotti, tchiotti@bluemountaineagle.com Monthly autopay .............................. $4.25
Justin Davis, jdavis@bluemountaineagle.com Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60
Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com
Page Designer ...................................................... Randy Wrighthouse, rwrighthouse@eomediagroup.com
Subscriptions must be paid
prior to delivery
Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Online: MyEagleNews.com
Phone: 541-575-0710
Politics getting
out of hand
To the Editor:
The number of large profane
political signs displayed along the
two main roads through John Day is
really impressive. In fact, one won-
ders the impression taken away by
thousands of tourists who travel
through John Day.
A local person who runs for
political oﬃ ce returns home to dis-
cover someone threw acid on the
family dog, which suﬀ ered severe
burns.
It goes without saying that peo-
ple are entitled to personal political
beliefs. But this isn’t politics. This
is pathology.
John H. Van Gundy
John Day
We hope to see
you at the pool
To the Editor:
I am writing a letter in support of
community. When I moved to John
Day almost a decade ago, this place
immediately grabbed my heart. In
my ﬁ rst year here, I saw our com-
munity come together to rebuild in
the aftermath of devastating wild-
ﬁ re. Coming from Portland, it was
a new experience for me to see peo-
ple helping friends and neighbors
through hardship. Since then, I have
made friends, met my husband, and
started a family here. In 2019, our
little one, Henry, was born with sig-
niﬁ cant disabilities. We didn’t know
if we would be able to bring him
home and care for him in remote
Eastern Oregon, but the commu-
nity here made it possible. After a
long stay in the NICU, we got home
and were immediately embraced
by friends, neighbors and strangers.
We would go on walks around the
neighborhood. The skilled people
from Home Health and Early Inter-
vention came to our house. Some-
one we have never met started a
meal train for us. We got our feet
under us and knew we were going
to be OK.
Over the past four years, our
ties to the community have deep-
ened as Henry has grown and
started preschool. This past sum-
mer, Henry went to camp here for
the ﬁ rst time. The other kids eas-
ily ﬁ gured out how to communicate
with him and play on a playground
in his wheelchair. I am grateful to
have witnessed this eﬀ ortless inclu-
sion from the young people in our
community.
I have always been impressed by
Grant County’s spirit of inclusion
and generosity when it comes to
helping each other out, and I know
how much this community has to
oﬀ er to disabled people. A public
pool would be a valuable asset for
everyone who lives here, but espe-
cially members of our community
with disabilities, oﬀ ering access to
fun, play and friends.
This letter is also a thank-you to
a community that has been there for
us. Thank you, everyone. You have
helped make caring for Henry the
joyful experience it is. We hope we
can see you at the pool!
Hannah Grist
Canyon City
Periodicals Postage Paid
at John Day and additional
mailing oﬃ ces.
POSTMASTER
send address changes to:
Blue Mountain Eagle
195 N. Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845-1187
USPS 226-340
Oﬃ ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, oﬃ ce@bmeagle.com
tain body of the people (the elector-
ate) and is exercised by representa-
tives elected by and responsible to
them. An electorate is the body of
persons entitled to vote in an elec-
tion. We the people; and according
to the 26th Amendment, a citizen of
the United States 18 years of age or
older.
Be aware you are being manip-
ulated and sold out by some of
your current representatives, two of
which are Merkley and Wyden, who
both voted against three measures
to take action on our southern bor-
der to stem the ﬂ ow of illegal aliens
coming into our country. Every sin-
gle Democrat in the Senate voted
against these measures, votes 297,
322 and 294.
Now it’s our turn and our time
to vote. Are you tired enough of the
doublespeak? Stand up. Speak with
your pen. It can be mightier than the
sword, if we will wield it.
According to the First Amend-
ment of the Constitution of our
republic, we the people are the gov-
ernment, and free speech and the
press shall not be abridged. Don’t
forget you are the electorate.
Michael Christensen
John Day
Copyright © 2022
Blue Mountain Eagle
All rights reserved. No part of this
publication covered by the copyright
hereon may be reproduced or copied
in any form or by any means — graphic,
electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, taping or information
storage and retrieval systems — without
written permission of the publisher.
facebook.com/MyEagleNews
@MyEagleNews