Photo by BRANDON MCMULLEN

From L-R: Harney County Commissioner Patty Dorroh, Harney County Judge Bill Hart, and Harney County Commissioner Kristen Shelman.

The following are the unapproved minutes from the Harney County Court meeting held Dec. 6. These minutes were edited for clarity and length.

Planning Director Brandon McMullen shared a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), stating that the scope of Harney County’s FEMA floodplain review was vast and needed to be broken up into two phases.

Phase 1 was completed in 2022, and Phase 2 will be completed on Feb. 8, 2024.

McMullen said this is a major milestone! The final step will be for the Harney County Planning Commission to approve the local ordinance. The commission planned to approve the ordinance the evening of Dec. 6.

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In other business:

• Harney County Parks and Recreation District Manager Brandy Branstetter said Parks and Recreation was approved for a grant to build a new office and redo the bathrooms. They are working on being Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and still need to get an asbestos test done. They found a company out of Vale that can test for asbestos for $2,000.

Branstetter asked whether the court can help provide funding through the Brownfields Assessment.

Harney County Judge Bill Hart said the court will investigate funding options to cover the cost of testing.

Branstetter also noted that the tennis courts need to be repaired. According to a rough estimate, it will cost about $50,000 to make them ADA compliant. However, Branstetter noted that this area was designated as a State Park. Since Harney County has not received funding in the past 20 years, she feels they should have a good chance of receiving financial assistance;

• Adam Kemper, local Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provider, along with Shane Koyle, USDA Wildlife Services supervisor, shared that they can remove beavers from ranches. They noted that some rancher want beavers on their property, while others do not. Kemper also works with local ranchers to help with coyote removal.

A discussion ensued regarding available services. That discussion eventually focused on wolves and different ways to deal with them. Koyle said drones and aircraft have been used to scare away wolves in the Klamath Basin.

Merle Reid, a Natural Resource Advisory Committee (NRAC) member, shared words of support. He also noted that Koyle and Kemper help Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) and Harney Electric by removing ravens from power lines.

Commissioner Kristen Shelman said this all supports the county’s economic growth, and we need to take care of the things that are already in place;

• Harney County Economic Development Director Greg Smith discussed losing Thriftway and Rite Aid. Smith said he’s trying to convince Bi-Mart to have a conversation about the possibility of opening a store. The main issue is the lack of population, as they look for a community with at least 15,000 residents. Smith said he’s not giving up and will continue to pursue this option.

Smith also reported that he is setting up a Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Job Fair for remote employee positions in Harney County in March 2024;

• Hart recognized employees who have reached milestones in their years of service to Harney County. These employees include Eric Drushella, Road Department, for 15 years; Barbara Rothgeb, Rural Health Clinic, for 15 years; Jason Weideman, Road Department, for 10 years; and Chris Schweizer, Road Department, for 5 years.

The next meeting of the Harney County Court will be held Dec. 20 at 9:30 a.m. at the Harney County Courthouse.