WALLOWA – At a special meeting of the Wallowa City Council Monday, Dec. 29, progress was made on a proposed lease agreement that could bring life to a long-abandoned Forest Service compound in Wallowa and additional hope to veteran U.S. servicemen and servicewomen scarred either physically and/or emotionally by war.

Divide Camp, the nonprofit entity formed in 2012 to provide quiet healing for victims of war at a natural setting located 20 miles east of Joseph, is more than 40 miles from the compound in Wallowa, yet its leadership already has contacted the City of Wallowa about how that 1.11 acres of land with five structures could enhance Divide Camp’s outreach and effectiveness.

With all but councilor Kevin Silveira in attendance Dec. 29, the Wallowa City Council discussed how to respond to a lease proposal prepared by Divide Camp personnel following the city’s proposed lease sent earlier to Divide Camp.

Mayor Vikki Knifong began the meeting by sharing communications she and later an unnamed third party have had with Divide Camp Director Julie Wheeler. The council’s lease proposal originally submitted for Divide Camp inspection had been sent with council instruction to work out differences within the confines of the council’s proposed lease agreement. However, Wheeler and Divide Camp returned a new lease agreement.

Knifong spent time outlining the differences between the two, at one point saying the lease agreement should meet various priorities, in the following order: (1) the act of Congress that granted the holdings, with use stipulations, to the City of Wallowa; (2) Forest Service requirements; (3) needs of the City of Wallowa; and (4) needs of Divide Camp.

However, Councilor Lisa Mahon, pointing out that she earlier had voted in the minority in opposition to the idea of the city’s proposed lease being used as the template for an agreement with Divide Camp, disagreed with Knifong on two points. Mahon said the Forest Service no longer has any claim on the property and that the lease proposal sent by Divide Camp, in her eyes, was very similar in overall content to the city’s initial lease proposal, only written in simpler terms.

After additional discussion, the council decided to make some specific amendments to the Divide Camp lease proposal, run their work through City Attorney Roland Johnson (who was out of town that day) and then send the city’s latest proposed lease agreement to Divide Camp.

One of a handful of proposed amendments to the Divide Camp lease offer was to insert wording to protect the city from paying any taxes on that property, even if Divide Camp were to segment some of the property off for nonprofit uses.