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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2016)
CLASSIFIEDS AND SERVICE DIRECTORY: Find a local business today. PAGE 6 The MINERS JUBILEE: Greetings from local businesses. PAGE 10 Baker County Press TheBakerCountyPress.com 75¢ All local. All relevant. Every Friday. Friday, July 15, 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 29 Best Western Sunridge sued, files for bankruptcy HCMR a success, say organizers—in spite of rain Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press Drug dog Capa with handler Sgt. Wayne Chastain as the rally winds down on Main Street in front of the historic Geiser Grand Hotel. BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press The Best Western / Sunridge Inn under Townridge, Inc., fi led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of June. • DEBT OWED TO CREDITORS REACHES THE MILLIONS. $4.7 MILLION LAWSUIT FILED BY BANK. BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Late last month, Town- ridge, Inc., dba (doing business as) Best Western Sunridge Inn, of Baker City, fi led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in the District of Oregon U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland, citing fi nancial issues, pending litigation, and the need to restructure debts. In mid-April, Wisconsin- based Bayview Loan Ser- vicing, LLC, in possession of the associated Promis- sory Note, and the Deed of Trust for an original loan of $4.9 million, for the collective property at One Sunridge Lane, fi led a law- suit against Carshetown, LLC, and Townridge, Inc., in Baker County Circuit Court, seeking more than $4.7 million in damages. The property, owned by Carshetown, LLC, and assessed at a value of $4,721,450, includes 9,706 square feet of restaurant space, and 9.12 acres of land, according to County records. Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC, the plaintiff, claims that the defendants failed to make monthly loan pay- ments of roughly $35,000, since February 1, 2015, totaling over $521,000 in default, including pay- ments, interest, fees, and costs, as of the date of the complaint, prompting the plaintiff to demand the remainder of the principal and interest, and to seek foreclosure, and sale of the property. The list of defendants in- cludes Carshetown, LLC; Townridge, Inc., dba Best Western Sunridge Inn, dba The Sunridge, dba Sonny’s Bar & Grill; Carl Allen Town; and Sheila Dawn Town, aka Sheila Town Westcott. On June 1, 2016, Carl Town—the Manag- ing Member of Town Properties, LLC (for- merly Carshetown, LLC, a combination of Carl’s and Sheila’s fi rst names and last name at the time, the couple having divorced in 2009), and President and Director of Townridge, Inc.—consented to a Reso- lution, adopted by the sev- eral named entities, to seek bankruptcy protection. The Resolution included the recruitment of attorney D. Blair Clark, of Idaho- based D.B. Clark Law, to represent the entities, with the possibility of seeking assistance from David Coughlin and David Aux- ier, of Baker City-based Coughlin & Leuenberger, because of their knowl- edge of the related assets and issues. In addition, Best Western/Sunridge Inn General Manager Lisa Wilson was appointed to continue in that role. Bay- view Loan Servicing, LLC is represented by attorney Benjamin D. Petiprin, of Portland-based Zieve, Brodnax & Steele, LLP. SEE SUNRIDGE PAGE 3 5J to stick to 4-day week BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com July 11, the Baker School 5J School District board members met to discuss calendar options for the 2016-17 school year. District Superintendant Mark Witty constructed, with help, a calendar for consideration that refl ects the language within the contract until negotiated and was adopted from last spring. A unanimous vote approved the proposed calendar as an interim calendar. Witty also constructed a presentation that illustrated the purpose, goals, and proposals for the 2016-17 academic year. There are two calendar options under the current contract. As explained by Witty, the fi rst is the fi ve-day student week the school had been under six years ago. Friday Sunny and mild, highs in the low 80s. Mostly clear and cool at night, lows in the mid 40s. Saturday Continued sunny skies will high in the upper 70s. Mostly clear and cool at night with lows in the mid 40s. Sunday Sunny with continued mild. Highs in the low 80s. Mostly clear and cool at night, lows in the upper 40s. Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County. Our forecast made possible by this generous sponsor: Offi cial weather provider for The Baker County Press. SEE HCMR PAGE 7 Sen. Ferrioli takes tour of Huntington BY EILEEN DRIVER Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com This option is a 191 day contract with students released early on Fridays at 1:15 p.m. for elementary and 1:30 p.m. for secondary. There are two and a half hours a week without students and three Fridays per months for staff development and collaboration per contract and teachers who choose not to attend will not be adversely affected, as per contract. The second, according to Witty, is the four-day stu- dent week. This option is a 174 day contract with longer student days from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for elementary and 7:50 a.m. to 3:32 p.m. for secondary. There are nine contract Fridays and non-contract Fridays may be used for voluntary professional development. After school and/ or Friday school tutoring is offered through a combina- tion of classifi ed and certifi ed staff. Student participation and extent of program varies school to school. SEE SCHOOL BOARD PAGE 5 Last weekend, downtown Baker City was host to the 17th annual Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally, which brought in around 5,000 people to the region from all across the U.S. and Canada. Spearheading the organization of the rally were Kurt Miller, owner of Baker Truck Corral in Baker City, and Steve Folkestad, owner of Electronic Management Cor- poration (EMCO), of Portland. Pivotal in the volunteer effort were members of the Christian Motorcyclists As- sociation (CMA), a group attending the rally yearly, and assisting with traffi c control and numerous other details, Miller said. Miller said, “You know, the rain was what it was, but other than that, it went very well. Everyone we talked to was very happy. It’s a riders rally; that’s what they always focus on. That’s what they really like. It’s not a party rally... There were no issues (save for four DUIIs, not associated with motorcyclists attending the rally), and there haven’t been for 17 years ...” Senator Ted Ferrioli, the Senate Republican Minority Leader from John Day who represents District 30, which includes Baker County, took an informal tour of Hunting- ton on Wednesday, July 6. Starting at 11:30 a.m. Ferrioli met with Huntington Mayor Chuck Guerri and several citizens who dropped by the VFW Hall to meet him and give their opinions on whatever current event that was on their mind. Topics ranged from the need for more jobs to how to draw in more tourists—to the effects of the new medical mari- juana businesses on the town. Ferrioli spoke with Ron and Sandra Vaughn, who run the Huntington Senior and Youth Association’s Senior meals program and talked with several senior residents who were there for lunch—after they fi nished eating. SEE FERRIOLI PAGE 5 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Public Arts: Master Plan Sumpter: Oakley quits One applicant for Baker City Council The Outdoor Column Unclaimed Personal Property list Word search / crossword puzzle Page Page Page Page Page Page 3 4 5 7 8 9