The Deschutes County Commission heard arguments on Monday regarding how much of the old Cline Falls Power Plant its predecessors in 1992 meant to be designated as a historic site.

The County Commission 21 years ago declared the old power plant, a hydroelectric site built between 1907 and 1912, a historic landmark. But did it mean the entire tax lot or just the structures inventoried there at the time?

PacifiCorp earlier this year appealed a ruling by the county Historic Landmarks Commission that the historic designation includes the entire site, not just the dam, penstock and powerhouse.

The issue arose after February, when PacifiCorp terminated its 100-year lease at the site. The company removed several pieces of power-generating equipment — generators, a turbine, governor, control board and relays — from inside the powerhouse.

“There was a code enforcement complaint submitted to the county that alteration of a historic site had occurred on the property,” said Cynthia Smidt, of the Community Development Department. “As a resolution, because there was a lack of clarity on what the code was telling staff on what the protected site is, we took a very open mind and said, we’re going to initiate a declaratory ruling and bring it to the Historic Landmarks Commission. Both sides had legitimate arguments.”

Steve Johnson, manager at the Central Oregon Irrigation District, argued to the commission that regardless of the inventory, listing the three structures and protecting the integrity of the entire site is important. The old power plant buildings are downstream of Cline Falls on a state park.

“There’s quite a story here, to a certain degree, (for) folks who are interested in history and development of Central Oregon; I think it’s a key component, particularly in the Redmond area,” Johnson said. “The site has been active for 100 years … In that entire context I ask the commissioners that you find the entire site is historic.”

Jeffrey Lovinger of Lovinger Kaufmann LLC, a Portland-based attorney representing PacifiCorp, asked the commission to closely examine the wording. Lovinger claims the historic elements of the site are only those mentioned in the inventory.

“The question before you today is not what would you do if you were designating the site today. It may well be that if the county decides to look at the site again and open up a new designation process, that for many of the reasons that COID has cited, you will decide the entire site needs to be expressly designated as a historic resource,” he said. “What the 1992 commission said is what gives PacifiCorp and the public notice as to what the protected resources are.”

Following testimony, Commission Chairman Alan Unger outlined next steps in the process. The commissioners have a site visit planned for Oct. 29. The written record will be left open until Nov. 5. Rebuttals to any new evidence may be filed until the close of business on Nov. 12. The commission will accept final written comments until Nov. 19.

County Counsel Laurie Craghead told the commission it faces no deadline for a decision.