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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2015)
12 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 Local County: reservoirs higher than last year, new technology server room in the works By Todd Arriola Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Board of Commissioners held its bi-monthly session on Wednesday, February 18, 2015, at 9 a.m. Present were Bill Harvey, Commission Chair, Mark Bennett, Commissioner, and Tim Kerns, Commis- sioner. Standing in for Executive Assistant Heidi Martin was Karlynn Dolby, Baker County Payroll Administration Benefits Coordinator. Also present were Jason Yencopal and Gary Timm, Baker County Emergency Management, Dan Mc- Quisten, Baker County Fa- cilities Maintenance Fore- man, Mitch Southwick, Baker County Sheriff, Jeff Nelson, Baker County Chamber of Commerce, Beverly Beach and Dennis Spence, Blue Mountain Translator District, Bob- bie Danser and Ed Hardt, Eastern Oregon Mining Association (EOMA), Steve Bogart representing Kathleen Martin, Baker County Museum Commis- sion, Arthur Sappington, Jefferson County Mining District Coordinating Of- fice , Suzette Sappington, and Cynthia Long, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), retired. The first order of bus - ness was Citizen Participa- tion, and Sappington was given the floo . He talked about coordination issues concerning Josephine County and the BLM, and mentioned some informa- tion he was sending the Board via email. He also mentioned that Jefferson Mining District discussed mining issues with Repre- sentative Bentz. Long discussed with the Board her thoughts about the Blue Mountain Forest Plan with the Board. She said that she attended a meeting last week with individuals representing Forest Access For All (FAFA), the United States Forest Service (USFS), County Commissioners, and others interested par- ties, and the consensus for future meetings concerning the plan and the associated Memorandum of Under- standing (MOU) is to have interested parties contact government agencies involved with a date, time and place for hosting the meetings. She suggested Anthony Lakes Ski Resort as a possible meeting loca- tion. Bennett emphasized the negative aspects of the MOU as written, and the efforts to communicate effectively, largely unheard by the involved govern- ment agencies. He said he’s not opposed to talking with the USFS, but the MOU would not be signed as written, and something different needs to happen in order to have progress. Nelson discussed mari- juana dispensary issues with the Board, specifi- cally, concerning business licenses, and mentioned the City Council meeting Tuesday night. Nelson asked the Board whether the licenses would be is- sued city-wide or county- wide, and Harvey respond- ed that he was opposed to issuing them county-wide. He listed some problems he sees with dispensaries to Nelson, including safety, law enforcement issues, issues with neighbors, and contradiction with federal law. Harvey said further discussion would be needed. Bennett also mentioned the contradic- tion with federal law. Nelson, who’s also a Board Member of Historic Baker City (HBC), said activities are getting under- way for the year. The minutes from the February 4, 2015 Com- mission session were approved. Yencopal and Timm gave the Board an Emer- gency Management update, with Yencopal speaking first. Yencopal discussed the Emergency Manage- ment Performance Grant (EMPG), and talked about the training and exercise requirements to retain that grant. He said the training requirement was met in December, and the exercise requirement has also been met, including the acti- vated alarms at Brooklyn Elementary as drills. He said the Emergency Operations Plan is being reviewed and updated, and two hazard mitigation plan meetings are required this year, both of which are currently planned. Yenco- pal mentioned the Pre- paredness Fair, scheduled Thrivent Financial holds open house Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press At left, Jason Yencopal and Gary Timm discuss wildfire strategies and a preparedness fai . for May 16, 2015, and he gave a drought update to the Board. He said that Phillips Res- ervoir is at 28 % capacity, and at this time last year, it was 16 % of capacity; Unity Reservoir is at 62 % of capacity, and it was at 29 % capacity last year at this time; Thief Valley Reservoir is at 100 %, and it was the same at this time last year. He said that east- ern Oregon ranges from a moderate drought in the north, to severe drought in the central region, to extreme drought conditions in the southern region. Timm discussed the Cohesive Wildfire Stra - egy, which is one of three national pilot projects, involving a collaborative effort between federal, state and local agencies, in northeast Oregon and southwest Washington, to address the issues of cata- strophic wildfires. He said that his focus is improving wildfire response, on both government and private lands, including reducing fuels (trees, brush, etc.). The plan locally includes the east face of the Elkhorn Mountains, and includes a variety of lands, including high-risk, government, and private. The project allows fire prevention agencies to interact more thoroughly with residents, which is one of many benefits, Timm said. McQuisten spoke to the Board about a bid pro- posal for new equipment in the Technology Server Room at the Baker County Courthouse. The bid total amount is $5,884, from Baker County Heating & Cooling, LLC, and in- cludes a Mitsubishi 24,000 BTU Commercial Grade P series air conditioner. The proposal was approved. Bogart discussed the Professional Services Agreement between Baker County and Kathleen Martin, in the capacity of Baker Heritage Museum Store and Volunteer Coor- dination Contractor. This is the third year for Martin, and the agreement’s term is March 2015 through October 2015. The agree- ment was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. Beach and Spence dis- cussed with the Board the issues and costs associated with providing service from the three Transla- tor District sites: Mount Fanny, located above Cove, the most important site, said Beach, which serves both Union and Baker Counties; Beaver Mountain, located south of Baker City, which serves Baker County; and Mount Harris, located east of Im- bler, which serves Union County. Beach said that members (3,100) within the dis- trict boundaries receiving signals from the translators are sent a notice each year, because they’re actually li- able for a $100 fee per fi - cal year (June 1-May 31), if they use an antenna to receive them, as opposed to using satellite or cable, for example. There is an opt-out option if an anten- na isn’t used to receive the signals, but she said that a major issue is that people within city limits also use the signals at an increas- ing rate, but the Translator District isn’t compensated for this usage. The Translator Dis- trict depends heavily on financial support from members, and without it, within two years, the operations would be shut down completely, Beach said. She handed the Board and attendees copies of historical data for revenue and expenses, stressing that cuts are being made where possible to keep the translators operational. The Board discussed with Beach and Spence the idea of a flat fee of $5 or $8 a year from area residents, including those within city limits, in order to pay for translator opera- tions, but that would be a process that would take some time, though it is a possibility, with voter ap- proval, they said. Resolution No. 2015- 1001, Authorizing An Interfund Loan From The General Fund To The Fair Board Improvement Fund, was approved, with a mo- tion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This resolution involves a loan in an amount not to exceed $50,000, authorized from the Baker County General Fund to the Fair Board Improvement Fund. The next Commission session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4. Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press Paul Turk stands outside his office doo . By Meghan Andersch Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Paul Turk of Thrivent Financial hosted a First Friday Open House event this month. The event featured the photo artwork of Slade Elbert and included a silent auc- tion to benefit CAS (Court Appointed Special Advo- cates who advocate for children in foster care). The event raised about $500 for CASA. Thriven Financial is a member-owned Fortune 500 financial services nonprofit ganization and offers such services as life insurance, investments, and retirement ac- counts. As a fraternal organization, membership is open to Christians seeking to live out their faith. Turk opened his office the beginning of last September and is the only Thrivent Financial representative in east- ern Oregon. As such, Turk said he covers the area from Joseph to Jordan Valley. Turk said the service most clients take advantage of is retirement planning, including planning for what the future will look like, investment products, and distribu- tion of legacies. He said though he is happy to answer product-specific questions, this is not the type of o gani- zation where you would come in a buy a product off the shelf. Instead, representatives work with members on developing a holistic view of how to reach their goals and dreams. Turk explained the mission of Thrivent Financial as helping take members from a place of striving to a place of surplus so that they can live generously in their com- munities. The company itself, as a nonprofit, directs a la ge amount of funds back into the community, including supporting organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or providing support for member charitable endeavors. Formerly employed in customer service positions at Bi-Mart, Ace Hardware, and as a pastor, Turk said the best part of his job is serving people in the community. He enjoys the opportunity to meet needs in the lives of members by helping find solutions beneficial to them. Turk said he is blessed to be working with people in a beautiful area he loves. Turk’s office is located at 2101 Main Street on the second floor of the Basche-Sage Mall, Suite 204. His regular office hours are 9-5, Monday to Frida , though he is flexible to accommodate the needs of members. He can be reached at 541-519-2178. Masquerade ball set for Halloween The Baker County Press and the Geiser Grand hotel are teaming up in an exclusive partnership to bring Baker County the event to beat all events on Halloween night 2015. With this gorgeous historic hotel as the venue, the two businesses are throwing a masquerade ball inspired by the Anne Rice ball thrown annually in New Orleans. The event will be an alternative to the typical party scene. Only 200 tickets will be sold. Expect music, carriage rides, portrait photography, a book signing, celebrity appearances and some other surprises. More information will be available in a few weeks when tickets go on sale. 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!
