IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF GRANT

Access the County Court Agenda and approved Minutes on the Commissioner’s page at www.gcoregonlive2.com

March 2, 2016

Pursuant to notice made to the newspaper of general circulation throughout Grant County, the radio station, county website, and e-mail distribution list, a regular meeting of the County Court was held at the County Courthouse in the Circuit Courtroom in Canyon City, OR.

9:00 am — Call to Order. Present were Judge Scott W. Myers, Commissioners Chris B. Labhart and Boyd Britton, Secretary Laurie Wright, Doug Ferguson, Road Master Alan Hickerson, Road Department Mechanic Joe Bennett, Jim & Beth Spell, Jim Sproul, Dave Traylor, Logan Bagett from KJDY, Jim Hamsher, Judy Kerr, and Pastor Flora Cheadle. A Pledge of Allegiance was given to the United States flag. The invocation was given by Pastor Cheadle.

AGENDA. MSP: Britton/Myers — to accept the agenda as presented.

ANNOUNCEMENTS. Commissioner Britton will be traveling to La Grande tomorrow for another SEACT/NEACT meeting and it looks like the John Day Main Street Extension project will be happening. Britton also has continued to discuss the flood mitigation project with Doug Ferguson.

Judge Myers told those in attendance that yesterday was the first budget meeting and another one will be held from 1 to 4 pm today. March 14th he will attend an airport commission meeting at 6 pm and next Wednesday he will be going to the Cant Ranch and will be meeting with people from the Fossil Beds to discuss the potential influx of people in August of 2017. Next year is supposed to be a full solar eclipse and the Fossil Beds are expecting as many as 50,000 people to attend and are trying to plan ahead for this.

Commissioner Labhart reported he drove the VA van to Boise last Thursday and participated in a conference call with Greg Wolf of AOC and Scott Fairley concerning the Recreation/Wellness project. Last Saturday he attended a Veteran’s Administration Driver’s appreciation luncheon at the John Day Elks Lodge and attended the budget meeting yesterday. He met with Alan Hickerson yesterday regarding concerns about the Magone Lake road project. Today is another budget meeting he will be attending and afterwards will participate in a conference call. Labhart will travel to Baker tomorrow for a TEC board meeting. Friday he will attend story time at the corner cup and on Monday will drive the VA van to Boise. Labhart will also attend the Magone Project meeting on March 8th.

MINUTES. MSP: Britton/Myers — to approve the February 24th minutes as amended.

CANYON CREEK CHANNEL REHAB PROJECT. Doug Ferguson (Ferguson Surveying & Engineering) updated the court on the Canyon Creek Channel Rehabilitation Project. Ferguson said the actual pay estimate as of now is $127,860 based on the line items in the project and the initial estimate was over $173,000. He reported they were able to use almost double the amount of earthen berms than expected instead of so many sandbags. Ferguson said they received a letter from ODOT yesterday regarding portions of the jersey barriers and sand bags that were placed next to the highway. ODOT didn’t like the placement of the barriers and sandbags. Ferguson said new jersey barriers will need to be purchased that can be locked together to meet ODOT’s requirements and he estimates the cost at somewhere around $5000 for this, but they will still be under the original bid. Ferguson stated there isn’t much choice except to do what ODOT is requiring. Britton asked if ODOT could provide barriers and Ferguson said this was discussed and they were not willing to provide barriers. Ferguson said they are still working on additional clean-up and some more sandbags so the cost will go up some, but it is still less expensive than originally anticipated.

9:16 am King Williams and Zach Williams entered.

Britton would still like to see ODOT contribute to this project since it is their highway. Ferguson reported he had discussions with ODOT about debris removal up the Canyon and they stated they are working on it. Ferguson is hopeful we can get through the spring and possibly get the necessary permits to clean the channel up this summer. He added that so far the weather is cooperating. Ferguson took the Army Corp of Engineers flying last week over the canyon so they could see what is actually up there. He said the creek flows have stabilized, but he would like to see the flow increase. Ferguson reported the gauging station is finally in and the county didn’t have to pay anything for it. The station is producing reliable data at this time and Watermaster Eric Julsrud has been taking flow measurements as well. Ferguson is still working with Marilyn Lohmann of NOAA out of Pendleton regarding weather, water levels and stream flows. Dave Traylor said it would be interesting to have a gauge on the bridge outside the courthouse so that anyone could stop and see what the creek level was. Ferguson stated a staff gauge could be easily installed on the bridge for people to look at. Traylor added it might be a good idea to have daily updates on KJDY for people to hear and possibly something in the newspaper as well. Ferguson said this would also be easy to do and he would talk to Logan from KJDY about this.

9:25 am Jim Berry entered.

NOTICE TO PROCEED. The court reviewed the Notice to Proceed to Iron Triangle for bridge and panel construction on the Widow’s Creek Bridge presented by the road department. Hickerson said the bridge is paved to one side and the other side has pot holes and chuck holes and is difficult to blade. The impact panels save the bridges and make them last longer. Impact panels are the concrete barriers before and after the bridge. Hickerson plans to implement this on two other bridges and future bridge work as well. MSP: Myers/Britton — to approve the notice to proceed and circulate for signatures.

FAIRGROUNDS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT. The court reviewed the Professional Services Contract presented by Fair Manager Mary Weaver for the Fair Carnival with Cascade Amusements. MSP: Britton/Myers — to approve the Professional Services Contract with Cascade Amusements and circulate for signatures.

RECREATION/WELLNESS CENTER. Commissioner Labhart advised those in attendance that the AOC would be willing to conduct a feasibility study for the possibility of a Recreation/Wellness Center in John Day at no cost to the county (the study won’t cost because the county is a member of AOC). Greg Wolf of AOC is willing to perform the study. Labhart would like the court to support the feasibility study and Wolf requested the court support this prior to him doing it. Labhart stated our current swimming pool is not worth putting more money into and the wellness center would have an indoor pool and the physical therapy department of the hospital indicated if a facility like this was built they may be willing to move their department to the new facility. There are currently around 40 stakeholders interested in the potential project. Labhart advised they can’t say anyone is “on board” yet, it is still being discussed. A meeting will be held on March 18th at the Outpost from 11 am to 1 pm. The court by consensus agreed to draft a letter supporting the feasibility study.

LCAC INCENTIVE FUNDS. The court reviewed and approved the release of the LCAC incentive funds to Blue Mountain Hospital to support the incentive project when the funds are received. This project application was submitted by Strawberry Wilderness Community Clinic (SWCC) & Community Counseling Solutions (CCS). Greg Armstrong drafted this grant and it will be utilized for smoking cessation in the county. The original grant funds were supposed to come to the county for distribution to the hospital, this would cut the county out of it and the funds would be directly distributed to BMH. MPS: Labhart/Myers – to approve a change in the grant application to allow the funds to be sent directly to Blue Mountain Hospital.

ROAD DEPARTMENT. Road Master Alan Hickerson presented two equipment requests to the court. The first was for the purchase of a Refrigerant Recovery, Recycling & Recovery Machine for the shop. Hickerson obtained three quotes: (1) Amazon – Robinair = $3565.89; (2) Napa Autoparts = $3799; and (3) Interstate Auto Parts = $3970. Hickerson reported the current machine the shop is using is over 20 years old and needs to be updated. The machine is used to recharge all of the a/c in the trucks and equipment along with checking for leaks in the a/c systems. Joe Bennett said they recycle the refrigerant material is put it back into vehicles. Hickerson would like to purchase the Robinair from Amazon in the amount of $3565.89 and the machine would be paid for out of the Capital Outlay Road & Shop Equipment fund. MSP: Britton/Labhart – to authorize the purchase of the Robinair from Amazon in the amount of $3565.89.

The second request was for the purchase of a Spool Gun and WC-24 Adapter/Controller/Conversion Box for the shop. Three quotes were obtained: (1) Amazon – Miller Electric/Air Weld = $1447.59; (2) Triangle – Norco = $1636; and (3) Boyd Britton Welding = $1460. Hickerson said the spool gun is used to weld aluminum and automatically feeds into a gun and attached tip making welding faster and more efficient enabling the shop to weld on road department equipment and machinery. Bennett said they currently have a TIG machine and they can weld aluminum with it, but it’s not very productive. The adapter/controller conversion box would be used to connect to the current welder in the shop and allow it to be utilized with the spool gun instead of purchasing a new welder. Hickerson recommended purchasing the equipment from Amazon in the amount of $1447.59 and this would be paid for out of the Capital Outlay Road & Shop Equipment fund. MSP: Britton/Myers – to authorize the purchase of the Spool Gun and WC-24 Adapter/Controller/Conversion Box from Amazon – Miller Electric/Air Weld in the amount of $1447.59.

VANCE CREEK CULVERT. Hickerson advised those in attendance that the culvert was in and the project went extremely smoothly. All the agencies cooperated very well together and it was a successful project. The road department placed fish friendly rock and other items required by ODFW. It worked out very well.

SOUTH FORK WATERSHED COUNCIL. Amy Stiner, Coordinator of the South Fork John Day Watershed Council, presented an annual informational update to the court. Stiner introduced Joanne Keerins and Elise Delgado. In 2015 they became a watershed council and received full funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). The council currently has 11 open projects and they have 1 full time and 1 part time employee. They have 15 projects scheduled over the next five year. Stiner said they represent watershed councils on the Steering Committee for the John Day basin project. Stiner reported there are 541 members in the watershed and explained the boundaries of the watershed. Britton asked how geographic boundaries are decided. Stiner stated they looked at the population and focused on encompassing the 500 members necessary to become a watershed. Keerins explained lottery dollars fund the watershed councils. OWEB wanted the watershed council to extend to the main stem of the John Day River all the way to Dayville, but in speaking with Grant Soil & Water Conservation District (GSWCD) and local landowners on the main stem they discovered the people were happy working with GSWCD. Stiner presented a letter to the court regarding how they felt about expansion and explaining the watershed council. People don’t need to be a member of a watershed to request assistance. The South Fork Watershed Council provides services that were not offered before in the area they cover. Keerins advised the court that Amy Stiner was recognized for outstanding stewardship of their watershed and received an award last November at the state convention.

10:15 am Sean Hart and Jonna Bishop entered. 10:18 am Jason Kehrberg entered.

PUBLIC COMMENT. David Driscoll is here as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and asked the court if they were aware of the solar eclipse happening on August 21, 2017. Driscoll would like to see coordination between the court and the chamber to deal with the potential number of people who may come here for this event. Myers advised he has had conversations with Shelly Hall from the Parks Service and will be attending a meeting to discuss crowd control, potable water, toilets, etc. Driscoll would like the court to keep him and the chamber in the loop of what is happening. PC Mayor Jim Hamsher told Driscoll he should contact the City of Prairie City as well. Driscoll believes most of the lodging in the community has been booked already. He is going to be checking on this.

MAGONE LAKE PROJECT PROPOSAL. Dave Halemeier of the Malheur National Forest presented the USFS Magone Lake Project proposal to the court. Halemeier gave the court members a briefing update on the proposal and added this is not finalized and a meeting will be held on March 8th at the federal building for public comment. He said they have received a lot of positive comments on the plan so far and they have worked to incorporate those comments into different versions of the plan. There are different proposals for roads around Magone Lake. Halemeier requested any court comments be made in writing so the USFS would have them for the record. Sasha Fertig said comments must be substantive and in writing in order to be subject to possible objections to the project. This is all per Forest Service regulations. Myers stated he has reviewed part of the proposal and it appears to him that project proposal #2 seems to be the most favorable at this point. Halemeier said that is correct based on comments they have received so far. Halemeier explained how the different alternatives are developed, how they utilize public comments and what the objection phase entails. Halemeier stated they try to take public comments into consideration. Fertig further explained the different processes that are implemented to decide on the best alternative. Labhart told those in attendance that he will be presenting a letter at the March 8th meeting discussing the possibility of the county taking over some of the roads around Magone. He added if the county controlled those roads ATV’s could be driven on them where they can’t now. Halemeier said the March 8th meeting will be an open house type of setting and they will assist people with writing comments so that they meet the substantive requirements. Ken Brooks doesn’t see the necessity of the county taking over the roads and spending money it can’t afford. Judy Kerr stated the economic impact of having more people here to ride ATV’s and utilize the roads would be good for the county. King Williams asked if the county would have to take over the campground as well since ATV’s aren’t allowed in the campground. Brooks said he grazes his cattle on an allotment near Magone and there are ATV tracks all over around the lake. Jim Sproul suggested if the county took over the roads they could receive haul route fees to offset the costs. Britton added the county would not take over roads for free and these are just early discussions. Britton asked how much timber would come off this project. Halemeier stated depending on the alternative selected it would be between 14 and 16 million board feet of mainly Ponderosa Pine. They are working with grazing permit holders regarding the potential effect on grazing allotments. Myers appreciates the Forest Service involving the grazing permit holders initially instead of waiting for objections. King Williams asked if it was possible to include elements from each proposal into one and Halemeier stated it was and none of these proposals are necessarily the final.

GRANT CO. REGIONAL AIRPORT. Airport Manager Patrick Bentz presented three separate requests to the court for items at the airport.

Keypad Gate Lock – Bentz would like to purchase a keypad gate lock for the Airport walk through gates as he feels this is the weak spot in airport security. He provided four quotes: (1) Codelock Keyless Lock – $195.06 + $21.25 shipping; (2) GTO Gate Lock – $190.00 + free shipping; (3) Kaba Push Button Lock – $277.23 + free shipping; and (4) Lockey Keyless Lock – $154.86 + $19.69 shipping. Bentz recommended the purchase of the GTO Gate lock because it can be activated from inside the fence and has the capability of being solar powered. This gate lock would also require less installation costs than the other three options. The total cost of the project would be $492.98 (Two Gate Locks @ $190 ea. = $380 + One Solar Panel @ $62.98 + Wire & Doorbell Activator @ $50). The USFS has agreed to pay for half of the cost; therefore the GC Regional Airport’s portion would be $246.69. MSP: Myers/Britton – to approve the purchase of the GTO Gate lock for $246.69 pending the recommendation of the airport commission. Myers voted yes, Labhart voted yes, Britton voted no and doesn’t feel this is necessary.

Rekeying Airport Door Locks – Bentz expressed the concerns of the Airport Commission regarding security issues in the fact that anyone who has a key to the airport terminal has a master key that can access any part of the building. He would like to see this changed so that only the Airport Manager, Fire Chief and USFS Helibase Manager would have master keys and all others would be granted keys with limited access to portions of the building. Bentz estimates this will cost somewhere between $600 to $900 and would like permission to send out a request for proposals to qualified locksmiths for bids. Bentz has a fairly good idea of who has keys, but isn’t completely sure of everyone. MSP: Labhart/Myers – to allow the Airport Manager to send out request for proposals for rekeying of the airport locks.

Power Meter – Bentz has been asked by USFS Helibase Manager Eric Bush to track electrical usage of the airport and USFS separately as required by the Terminal Management Agreement. There is currently no way to calculate the power usage between the Airport and USFS. Bentz believes the best way to track the electrical use is to install a power meter in the power vault and read it monthly, then to subtract the electricity used outside from the monthly OTEC bill. He received quotes last summer, but feels they are probably not valid at this time. Bentz said the original quotes were around $1400. Bentz would like to send out a request for proposals to qualified service providers for bids to install the power meter. MSP: Myers/Labhart – to allow the Airport Manager to send out request for proposals for installing a separate power meter as discussed.

11:30 am — Adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted,

Laurie Wright

County Court Secretary