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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2016)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2016 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local Preparing for Old Man Winter ing, as a welder had explained at one point. And for some, winter feels like Purgatory, with Hell soon to fol- low. For those of the population who enjoy THE OUTDOOR COLUMN the season, and who also By Todd Arriola have devel- The forthcoming deer oped a sense and elk rifl e hunting of love for the area, there seasons inspire visions of isn’t a diffi cult formula to freezers fi lled to capacity work through, in order to with big game meat, and come to the conclusion that of walls, sheds and barns they appear to be happy full of antlers, all of which Utopians, whether some of will, with any luck, help the fundamental issues— to brighten moods and to a working heater, for thwart the depressive ef- example—have been given forts of Old Man Winter, as serious consideration. he sits ready, once again, Everything takes time, to leap at the Valley’s neck, and recent returnees to the like an unbound cougar. Valley, electing to believe He’s ready, but, are we? that this or that issue will For some, winter means most likely be resolved in a magical time, fi lled with a matter of weeks, pre- days of never-ending fun, winter, have developed a out on the slopes, at the clear case of amnesia while lodge, or at home, retelling absent, as progress here the stories of conquering is sometimes measured in the slopes and the lodge. months—or even years. On a more practical The middle ground level, for some, it means includes those who may less diffi culty with breath- display some form of fondness for either the season or the locale, or maybe, neither one, and they may or may not be more prepared than die- hard locals in the afore- mentioned group. After possibly enduring many moons of northeast Oregon winters, the Quasi-Neutrals interestingly seem quite tolerant, neither complain- ing too much, nor praising too much. At the extreme other end of the spectrum are the Purgatoryans, who may have experienced and fully understand the seasonal change, but who nonethe- less dread the idea of it, like an impending plague. Receiving the majority of votes in the “Least Likely to be hired to Represent Baker County Tourism” category, they just might possibly be the most pre- pared, whether out of fear of cold wind and snow, or a dip in the temperature, below 70 degrees. Whatever the scenario, most of these people aren’t immune from the ef- fects of the unpredictable winter season, unless they happen to live in a toasty blanket for months. In a lot of cases, preparation for, and protection against, the colder weather comes down to one major thing: how much money can be allocated to address the problem. It’s diffi cult to think about the issues caused by winter, during the warm summer months, when less gas and electricity are consumed (generally speaking), winter clothing sales aren’t uncommon, and the weather causes less of a headache (again, generally speaking), be- cause we’ve evolved to the point to where we basically don’t want to think about problems, unless we’re forced to address them immediately. To err is human; to procrastinate is also human. In my own case, any procrastination caused by the disarming, tolerable weather of summer has been limited, and prepara- tion is progressing, includ- ing the installation of better wall insulation, and a less frustrating plumbing system. A return home from the Great Outdoors is much more enjoyable when water still fl ows, the house is fl ood-free, and there is something between the interior walls, and the un- forgiving wrath of Mother Nature ... Rail Fire timber salvage planned The Rail Fire started July 31 approximately fi ve miles west of Unity. As of September 26, 2016 it is an estimated 95% contained and has burned 41,708 acres primarily on lands managed by the Wallowa Whitman National Forest and Malheur National For- est, with a small amount on private lands. The fi re on the Whitman District of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest has been contained, approximately 27,115 acres. The Whitman Ranger District was in the process of preparing an environ- mental analysis to record and disclose the environ- mental effects of the Rail Project in this area. The area being evaluated was approximately 29,688 acres that are now mostly within the boundary of the Rail Fire. The Rail Project was designed in response to Forest Plan goals for maintaining historic plant communities and main- taining ecosystem func- tion, minimize insects and disease damage; minimize the risk of fi re damage, and timber management consistent with resource objectives, environmental requirements and effi cien- cy. The action would have resulted in the reduction of hazardous fuels and im- proved forest health while also improving public and fi re fi ghter safety and providing wood products to local economies. As a result of the Rail Fire, the Rail Project as it was being designed has been cancelled. Currently, the Whitman District is assessing options for this area, including opportu- nities for salvage of fi re killed trees. The fi res impacted the Forest Road system, resulting in numer- ous dead trees immediately adjacent to roads and areas of concentrated public use. These danger trees have the possibility of reach- ing the road right-of way and are a potential hazard to Forest users and Forest Service personnel. The Whitman District is pro- posing the following: 1) Danger trees would be removed along open Forest roads, considered primary routes for public and administrative access in the fi re area; 2) Danger trees would be removed along ATV trails on old roads for pub- lic safety; 3) 250 acres of burned timber would be salvaged, allowing economic recov- Why advertise with us? David Conn david@thebakercountypress.com or call 541.523.5524 Baker City, Haines • Low rates per column inch & promotional deals • Color at no additional charge as space permits • Friendly, professional sales staff Wendee Morrissey wendee@thebakercountypress. com or call 541.805.1688. Sumpter, Bates, Richland, Halfway, Medical Springs, Keating Family owned and operated. Packed with local news! • All display ads are also posted to our Facebook page, which means thousands of individuals see your ad from that source alone. We’re the only local paper that offers this service! ery of fi re killed timber. At this time it is antici- pated that these projects can be categorically excluded from documenta- tion in an environmental assessment or environ- mental impact statement. A project fi le will be prepared to document the environmental effects of these projects. Submitting written comments during this scoping period would establish eligibility to ob- ject to these projects under 36 CFR 218.5, should an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement be prepared. You are invited to com- ment on the proposed ac- tions. Your comments will help identify issues to be considered in the environ- mental review. Please sub- mit your written comments by within 30 days of this publication. Comments will be placed in the proj- ect fi le and shall become a matter of the public record (36 CFR 215.6 (b) (2)). Please submit your comments to: Jeff Tomac, Whitman District Ranger, 1550 Dewey Ave, Suite A, Baker City, OR 97814, Ph: 541-523-1327, Fax:541- 523-6394. Those submit- ting hand-delivered com- ments may do so during the regular offi ce hours of 7:45 to 4:30 Monday through Friday except legal holidays. Please be sure to include Rail Fire Danger Tree Removal and Salvage as the subject for your written comments. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, rich text format (.rtf), Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) or Microsoft Word to comments-pacifi c- northwest-wallowa-whit- man- whitmanunit@fs.fed. us. Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be con- sidered part of the public record for this proposal and will be available for public inspection. HELP WANTED Baker School District is currently looking for CLASSIFIED SUBSTITUTES for the 2016-2017 school year. For a complete description of the position and the application process go to www.baker.k12.or.us, or please contact Cathy Martin at 541-524-2261 or email cathy. martin@bakersd.org for information and complete details to apply. 10.14 Do you have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree or higher, and love to work and teach students? Baker School District is currently looking for CERTIFIED SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS for the 2016-2017 school year. A teaching degree is not necessary to apply. For a complete description of the position and the application process go to www.baker.k12.or.us, or contact Cathy Mar- tin at 541-524-2261 or email cathy.martin@bakersd.org for information and complete details to apply. The current salary for a substitute teacher is $197.46 per day. 10.14 Ladies golf and bridge scores Following are the Quail Ridge Ladies golf and bridge scores for September 28: Golf Winners: Circle 9 1st Flight Linda Taylor; 2nd Flight Karen Wollard; 3rd Flight Carol Irvine; Birdies Jennifer Godwin. Bridge Winners: 1st Lavelle Raley; 2nd tie Glenda Cole, Sandy Grover; 3rd Margo Kenworthy. City Planning to hear tennis court issue The Baker City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016, in the Council Chambers at the Baker City Hall, 1655 1st Street, Baker City, Oregon, to discuss two mat- ters: A. An alleged violation of Conditional Use Permit CUP-04-002, which originally approved the use of four grass tennis courts for tournament play in the Medium- Density Residential (R-MD) Zone. The original CUP-04- 002 approval was contingent on four conditions of ap- proval. In 2012, one condition of approval was modifi ed by City Council to read: 1. Use of the tennis court lights shall be restricted to only tournament nights; shall be turned off by 10:00 p.m. on the ten (10) selected Friday and Saturday nights; and shall be turned off by 9:00 p.m. on all other tournament nights; a. All “fl ood” style lights shall be replaced with “shoe- box” style lights; b. Cut-off shields shall be added to the lights so that light shall not extend over the property line; On September 22nd, 2016, the Baker City-County Plan- ning Department received a complaint and photographs asserting a violation of the condition listed above. The Baker City Development Code (BCDC) requires a violation of a Conditional Use Permit to be heard before the Planning Commission, who makes a decision on the matter. B. The appeal of the Planning Director’s decision on a complaint regarding modifi cations made to a shop at 3060 College Street. The appellant, Larry W. Pearson, has appealed the Director’s decision to the Baker City Planning Commission. Diane M. Woffard owns property at 3060 College Street. Modifi cations to an existing shop were made during the fall and winter of 2015. A complaint was fi led with the Planning Department on December 31st, 2015, stating that the shop at 3060 College Street had been remodeled and did not meet the required setback from the rear property line. The Planning Department inves- tigated the complaint, and the Director issued a decision on September 8th, 2016, concluding that the shop was originally constructed at a time when the Development Code required lesser setbacks, qualifying the structure as a pre-existing, non-conforming development. As a pre-existing, non-conforming development, the Planning Director determined that the shop was allowed to remain on the property, but the modifi cations made during the fall and winter of 2015 had to be removed and the shop returned to the size it was prior to the modifi cations. An appeal was fi led on September 22nd, 2016/ The Baker City Development Code (BCDC) Section 1.5.400 (B) states that the Planning Director is respon- sible for recording, investigating and taking action on complaints. Normally, decisions on complaints are not eligible for appeal, but due to the circumstances associ- ated with the case, the Planning Director’s determination included an option for an appeal to the Planning Com- mission. The hearing will be “de novo,” meaning the appeal will be considered as a new application which allows additional evidence, testimony or argument concerning any relevant standard, criterion, condition, or issue to be considered. The public is invited to attend this hearing and to sub- mit comments. Testimony and relevant evidence, both in support of or in opposition to the proposal, must be based on the applicable review criteria and submitted to the Planning Department by 5:00 p.m., on the hearing date, Wednesday, October 19th, 2016, or in person during the hearing. Both staff reports will be available for inspection on or before October 12th, 2016 at the County Court- house. Please contact the Planning Department for more information at 541-523-8219. The meeting will be held in Council Chambers at Baker City Hall, 1655 First Street.