The following are the unapproved minutes from the Harney County Court meeting held Aug. 17. These minutes were edited for clarity and length.

Harney County Judge Pete Runnels reported that the Harney County School District No. 3 Board accepted the purchase offer for the Lincoln Building.

Runnels consulted with the county’s attorney regarding how to proceed without a realtor. He was informed that the county must take the purchase agreement to the closing and agree to pay closing costs.

Once Runnels gets all the necessary signatures, he’ll take the purchase agreement to Amerititle for closing.

The building is currently being inspected. Once the inspection is complete, the county will move forward with applying for grant funding for any hazardous materials cleanup.
Harney County Commissioner Patty Dorroh asked what needs to be done in order to prepare the building for winter.

Runnels said this would be a good project for the county’s Maintenance Department.

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Harney County Commissioner Kristen Shelman provided a brief update regarding the Harney County Fairgrounds.

Work on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding management of fair business was tabled until after this year’s fair.

However, there have been noticeable changes at the fairgrounds. The mobile home was removed. Additionally, most of the racehorse paddock area was removed, providing more room for the Eight Second Saloon and the bands that will be performing.

Shelman and Fair Manager Lindsey Robertson met with a representative of BizOregon regarding $277,000 in grant money, which the Fair Committee is scheduled to receive in 2023. This funding is separate from the money that the fair has already received or will be receiving.

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In other business:

• Dorroh asked whether the county wrote a letter to the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) regarding the maintenance of creek beds. This issue was discussed during the previous county court meeting. Nothing has been done yet, but Runnels and Road Master Eric Drushella plan to get together to address the matter;

• Dorroh thanked Shelman for her report on wolves during the previous meeting and asked whether any meetings were planned. Shelman said they are reaching out to the Drewsey community to set a date for a meeting, hopefully in September. She added that Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will be here Sept. 15-16 to discuss wolves in our area;

• Wildlife Services has additional funds to disburse, and Shelman will get more information to determine what Harney County might be able to apply for;

• Patty McNeil of the Burns Elks Lodge informed the court that the Elks are raising funds for a new heating system. The lodge’s current boiler is 60 years old and requires constant upkeep and maintenance. Inflated fuel prices have prompted the urgent need for a new system.

Burns Elks Lodge is doing some Facebook and newspaper outreach, but still has a ways to go toward reaching its goal. The Elks are planning an online auction and a Monte Carlo Casino night, along with a number of other functions to raise funds.

McNeil asked whether the county would be willing to donate toward the boiler system. Acknowledging that the Elks host many events that benefit the county, Runnels said he would be willing to donate.

Shelman asked what their goal is and how much they have raised so far. The court was informed that the Elks have raised more than $20,000.

The Elks have tried to get bids for the new system for a couple of months, but they haven’t been able to meet with any contractors. McNeil estimated that the cost will be around $50,000-$60,000, accounting for inflation and any additional requirements that may come along. The court agreed to donate $1,000 out of the Economic Development Fund, which is lottery money (not taxpayer money);

• Shelman said she’s waiting to hear back about the Wildfire Risk Management Wildland-Urban Interface, adding that they’re still planning to conduct a local review.
County citizens have expressed a number of concerns regarding this matter, but Runnels has been assuring them that the program was pulled back for review and changes that need to be considered. He also assured them that the county is staying on top of this issue.

They’re not entertaining any appeals right now, and there will be no appeals until after the local review process occurs;

• a second reading of Ordinance 2022-05 was held. If approved, the ordinance will allow the county to include a measure regarding psilocybin on the November ballot. Constituents would then have the opportunity to vote either for or against a permanent ban of psilocybin manufacturing and patient-treatment centers within unincorporated Harney;

• Jeff Rose of the Bureau of Land Management provided an update on the Griffith Fire, which burned around 1,900 acres in the Drewsey area before it was contained. To date, this is the largest fire in this zone. There have been a number of other smaller fires as well.

Rose reminded the court that we are still in extreme fire danger and asked everyone to continue exercising caution.