8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Local
Interchange plan discussed at
community open house
By Gina K. Swartz
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Thursday, January 29,
the community was invited
to participate and comment
on the Interchange Area
Management Plan (IAMP)
of exits 302 and 306 in
Baker City.
The open house, held in
the City Council Chambers
of City Hall, had represen-
tatives from Baker City,
Baker County, ODOT and
Matt Hughart and Nick
Foster of the transporta-
tion engineering/ planning
firm Kittleson and Associ-
ates Inc., the firm hired to
consult on the project.
Hughart is out of the
firm s Portland, Oregon
office and Foster from the
Boise, Idaho office.
About a decade ago an
IAMP was adopted but
never formally completed.
An IAMP is a specialized
planning process typically
around interstate inter-
changes. The main goal of
an IAMP is to protect the
function and safety of the
interchange. An IAMP
identifies how to best a -
commodate future devel-
opment in areas surround-
ing those interchanges.
Reexamination of the plan,
that is required by the
state of Oregon, has been
pressed by the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion with a goal to get the
planning formally com-
pleted and a modified plan
adopted.
The IAMP will take into
consideration existing
plans and policies while
doing environmental re-
search and traffic analysis
which includes current
and future expectations.
More public meetings and
work sessions are being
planned before the final
draft is completed giving
community members and
area property owners the
opportunity to voice any
concerns as the plan is
developed.
“We have been working
on this project for a couple
months now trying to up-
date the analysis and pick
up the pieces on what the
original plan was, bring it
up to date and incorporate
some of the changes that
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
John Leonard, a property owner, said he is concerned that with a new proposal
his property might be taken for the right-of-way, regardless as to whether he
wishes to sell.
have occurred but do it in a
way that is reflective of the
comments we have heard.
I’m sure we have some
new property owners that
are not familiar with the
process. We want reengage
folks,” Matt Hughart said
as he addressed the crowd
that was in attendance.
Land use is often one of
the most controversial is-
sues planners encounter.
“Sometimes it’s things
such as ensuring that as
properties develop over
time that the accesses to
those properties within the
vicinity of the interchange
are spaced and located in a
position where they are not
going to affect the func-
tion of the interchange.
In other words, trucks
coming off the freeway
or onto the onramps, they
need space, so sometimes
it’s ideal to put driveways
to private properties in a
location that is not going to
interfere with the ability to
get traffic to and from the
freeway. Land owners that
have those properties, they
have vested interests and
rights. They don’t want to
see potential restrictions
looking into the future, ”
Hughart said.
He added, “What we
want to do here tonight is
get your thoughts and ideas
as property and business
owners and better under-
stand how you use that
interchange and how you
intent to use that inter-
change not only today but
10, 15, 20 years out into
the future so that we are
not developing something
that potentially restricts
how you might use that
property.”
Many of the project
demonstration boards
placed around the room
for review drew upon the
plans that were developed
previously in 2004. Kittle-
son and Associates Inc. are
working on expanding and
updating those plans as
much of the analysis data
is out of date and there
have been a number of
changes in the area.
Kittleson and Associates
Inc. provided new analysis
information conducted
recently by their company
that outlined the forecast
and operations for proj-
ects that are 20-plus-year
projects.
“If we look aggressively
out into the future and
assume that we are going
to get some new develop-
ment and things are going
to continue to change in
Baker City, then we can
expect some traffic related
issues that might need
to be mitigated at some
point in the future,” added
Hughart.
Baker County Com-
mission Chair Bill Harvey
asked Hughart, “What kind
of time frame do you have
for formulating your plan?
And how many opportuni-
ties for the public to com-
ment do you have penciled
in?”
The time line for the
plan expects a final draft
to be completed in June or
July with movement being
made toward adoption at
that time.
“We are planning one
more open house then
will conduct work ses-
sions moving toward the
adoption process. There
will be opportunity for the
public to comment at work
sessions as well,” Hughart
said.
Harvey expressed con-
cern that the public needed
more time to consider pro-
posals and with the narrow
time table it would be too
late for the public to make
comment.
Nick Foster noted that
comments could also be
taken online and that all
proposals and any upcom-
ing open houses or work
sessions would be posted
on the Baker City web site.
Pacific Northwest Region Deputy
Regional Forester named
The USDA Forest
Service announced today
Dianne Guidry has been
selected as the Deputy
Regional Forester for the
Pacific Northwest Region,
Portland, Oregon. Dianne
will have leadership and
oversight responsibilities
for over 25 million acres of
national forest lands in the
states of Oregon and Wash-
ington. Dianne begins her
new role March 30, 2015.
Regional Forester Jim
Peña says, “Dianne brings
a wealth of experience
and public service to the
Pacific Northwest. We are
really excited she’s joining
our leadership team and
look forward to working
together.
Dianne Guidry has
served as Chief Acquisi-
tion Officer and director of
the Acquisitions Division
at the Natural Resources
Conservation Service
National Headquarters in
Washington, D.C., since
2009, leading federal
contracts, grants and agree-
ments, real and personal
property, including fleet.
Over her 21 years with
NRCS, she has served in
a variety of positions, in-
cluding Director of Public
Affairs, State and Field
Communications Branch
Chief (both in Washing-
ton, DC), Acting State
Conservationist (Maine),
Congressional and Partner-
ship Liaison (Oregon and
Washington), and Hu-
man Resources Specialist
(Washington). Prior to
joining NRCS, she worked
for eight years with the
Department of Defense,
serving as a Contracting
Officer in Oklahoma and a
Budget Analyst in Oki-
nawa, Japan. She recently
completed the USDA
Senior Executive Service
Candidate Development
Program and a six-month
detail with the Depart-
ment of Justice as Deputy
Director of the Office for
Victims of Crime.
Submitted Photo.
Dianne Guidry.
Dianne was born and
raised in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania. She gradu-
ated from the University of
Maryland with a degree in
Business and Management,
and received a Masters’
degree in Business Admin-
istration from Oklahoma
City University. She com-
pleted courses in Natural
Resources Management
through Oregon State
University, and is currently
enrolled in her second year
at Taft University Law
School.
Local Lions Club
collecting glasses,
hearing aids
Eye glasses and hearing aids are too valuable to throw
away, but not of much use when your vision or hearing
needs change.
The Baker City Lions Club, along with other chapters
throughout the world, collects used glasses and hearing
aids so they can be distributed to people who need them
but can’t afford to buy them. Prescription glasses, reading
glasses and sun glasses are all accepted.
The local club is asking anyone with unused glasses or
hearing aids to place them in the collection boxes at the
following locations: Baker Vision Clinic, Clothes Outlet,
Ryder Brothers, Tec Copier Systems, St. Luke’s (EOMA)
Clinic, St. Alphonsus Medical Center, Meadowbrook,
Settlers Park, Eagle Optical or the Elks Club. The bright
yellow containers are clearly marked with the purple
Lions Club logo.
With increased public awareness of the project, the
Lions hope to collect over 1,000 pairs of glasses this year.
The Lions will pick up the donations on February 24.
Then they will work in groups to sort and count them.
The glasses and hearing aids will then be sent off for
cleaning and restoration so they can be provided to low
income people in the United States and other countries.
Baker City Lions Club is a nonprofit o ganization devoted
to community service projects as well as sight and hear-
ing at the state, national and international levels.
Board nominations
in at OTEC
The nominating committee for Union County (Donna
Beverage, Dale DeLong, and Russell Lester) met and
nominated the following individual for OTEC Board of
Director position no. 4, Union County: Austin Bingaman
The nominating committee for Baker County (DeeDee
Clarke, Fred Warner, Jr., and John Wilson) met and
nominated the following individuals for OTEC Board of
Director position no. 5, Baker County: Aletha Bonebrake
and Wayne Overton.
The nominating committee for Grant County (Alva
Conlee, Gail Enright, and Mitch Saul) met and nominated
the following individual for OTEC Board of Director
position no. 6, Grant County: Gary Miller
All candidates are running to serve a 3-year term.
Nominating committees appointed for each district se-
lected candidates for the ballot.
Additional candidates’ names may be placed on the
ballot by petition, collecting 50 valid signatures of regis-
tered OTEC voting members and submitting the petition
to the OTEC headquarters in Baker City by March 2nd,
2015. Please contact Joan Macy at 541-524-2831 for ad-
ditional information.
OTEC’s annual meeting will be held in John Day at
Grant County Fairgrounds, on May 2nd, 2015. Winners
will be announced at that time. OTEC voting members
will be able to cast their ballots by mail in April or at the
annual meeting. To register to vote in OTEC elections or
to find out if you are an OTEC registered vote , contact
your local OTEC office
BEEF MONTH DRAWING!
We're busy celebrating Beef Month here at
The Baker County Press. Did you know that
between our editorial board, sales staff and
reporters, we have three generations of cattle
ranchers involved in putting out this paper
every week? If you renewed or took out a new
subscription this month, you've already been
entered into a drawing for a free package of
our own tender, juicy, home-grown-in-Baker-
County steak!
Subscribe
between now
and the end of
the month to
be entered!