10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015
Local
County Commissioners
Continued from Page 1
Arthur Sappington
showed the Board a copy
of a block diagram he
helped create, titled “The
Changing Economic Role
Of Natural Landscapes,”
with details about how our
different natural resources
benefit Baker Count , and
how legislation often tends
to target the wrong priori-
ties.
Ken Anderson said,
“In regard to this carbon-
reduction thing, one thing
people tend to forget is the
effect of volcanoes on this
carbon activity. Man’s ef-
fect on this carbon thing is
very, very minimal.”
Saw Mill.
Haines Mayor Jim
Brown was present, and
discussed with the Board
the possibility of a sawmill
in Haines, since he was
contacted by Rory Leonard
about it.
“I met with him, and he
was interested in putting in
a little sawmill in the City
of Haines. He had a poten-
tial contract with the Union
Pacific to supply between
5,000 and 15,000 railroad
ties a year.” (See separate
article, page 3.)
Brown said Haines does
have some property avail-
able to lease for the poten-
tial mill, and at least five to
six jobs would be created,
but a major issue is the
availability of timber.
Bennett said, “I have
the same problem in Unity.
There’s a man with a small
mill, and he can’t afford to
bid on big projects with the
Forest Service.”
Bennett said if the small
mills could be somehow
funded together with
Economic Development
assistance, for example,
there could be some
progress, and possibly a
contract negotiated as one
group. There is an exist-
ing sawmill in Haines,
operated by Rory Leonard,
but the issue again is the
availability of timber for a
larger proposed mill, Ben-
nett said.
Harvey said, “It would
be a great idea to do that,”
and told Brown that, as far
as promoting the idea, the
property the City of Haines
could lease for the poten-
tial mill operation looks
like a positive first step,
and he said he would be in
contact with the Economic
Development department
to discuss the matter, along
with getting together with
other individuals, such as
Forest Service representa-
tives, and other Mayors
and Commissioners.
Road Department.
Jeff Smith, Baker
County Road Master, was
present to give the Board a
departmental update. “The
gas tax, I know, is a heated
issue with everybody, but
on the federal level, it’s
been at least 20 years since
the tax has been raised,
and on the state level, not
that long.” He pointed out
the issue with the funding
formula for Road Depart-
ments, citing Multnomah
County as a prime exam-
ple. Smith said that County
has 200 miles of roads,
and receives $36 million in
funding, and Baker County
has 900 miles of roads, and
receives $1.3 million in
funding. “There’s quite a
difference there,” he said.
Smith discussed the
road and street projects
completed last year,
including Pocahontas,
Chico, Chandler, Resort
and Best Frontage, and the
removal of the Extension
Service building in the
fall. He explained that a
piece of the building will
be located elsewhere for
Road Department storage
use. Smith said this year’s
projects includes the ap-
plication of surface gravel
to roads in Baker Valley,
Richland, and Halfway, an
Anthony Lakes Highway
chip seal project in its last
phase, extensive road work
planned for the Richland
and Halfway areas, and a
Sag Creek project. Smith
explained the advantages
of using the asphalt plant
in Halfway as a source
for road work, and asked
the Board about available
funds from the County.
Harvey asked Smith to
provide a project list, in
order to have a complete,
detailed picture of what’s
needed.
Ed Hardt mentioned a
problem to Smith with
the gravel associated with
a cattle guard in the Elk
Creek area, and Smith
responded that he’d inves-
tigate the issue.
B2H.
Bennett emphasized
that March 17, 2015 is the
deadline for Boardman
To Hemingway (B2H)
Transmission Line Project
public comments, and said
it’s very important to get
those in by that date. He
handed out flyers about
a workshop which will
be presented on Monday,
March 9, 2015, from 5:30
to 7 p.m., in the Commis-
sioners Chambers, titled
“Constructing Effective
Comments For Environ-
mental Impact Statements
(EIS).” Mary Anne Nash,
Public Policy Counsel for
Oregon Farm Bureau, will
be the host, and the public
is invited and encouraged
to attend.
Law Enforcement
Agreement.
The Board discussed the
Cooperative Law Enforce-
ment Agreement Between
The Baker County Sher-
iff’s Department And The
USDA Forest Service,
Wallowa-Whitman Nation-
al Forest, Agreement No.
15-LE-11061600-004. The
purpose of the agreement
is to provide additional
funding to the Sheriff’s
Department for services
provided on National For-
est System Lands.
Bennett moved to discuss
the agreement further, and
Kerns seconded, as there
were issues pointed out
with the arrangement and
funding.
New Sheriff Process.
The Board discussed
Baker County Sheriff
Mitchell Southwick’s
resignation, and Bennett
moved to accept it, with a
second from Kerns. The
motion carried. The Board
discussed the appointment
process for the next Sher-
iff, and decided that next
Wednesday, March 11, at
9:30 a.m., the public would
be invited to a special ses-
sion to submit questions to
the applicants for the posi-
tion (there are currently
two), along with ques-
tions from the Board. This
would be the only item on
the agenda, Harvey said.
Harvey moved that this
special interview session
take place, and that, during
the next regular session,
March 18, 2015, at 9 a.m.,
a decision concerning the
position would be made.
Bennett seconded the
motion, and the motion
carried.
Lime.
Harvey discussed the
status of the former Lime
cement plant, explaining
that he, Baker County
Emergency Manager Jason
Yencopal, Baker County
Facilities Manager Dan
McQuisten, and Smith
visited the site recently.
Both Harvey and Yenco-
pal are Northeast Oregon
Economic Development
District (NEODD) Board
members, along with Ben-
nett, and Yencopal is also
with Baker County Com-
munity Development.
“We looked at the pos-
sibilities of what we’re up
against, with the potential
of removing the liability
that Baker County has, and
owns,” Harvey said. “We
own that property, because
of foreclosure years ago,
and it is a dangerous situ-
ation there, and we have
had a DEQ (Department
of Environmental Qual-
ity) representative meet
with us, and some other
people, as well.” He talked
about seeking potential
funding, in order to assess
the situation. This type of
property is referred to as
a “brownfield,” a property
for which the expansion,
redevelopment, or reuse
may be complicated by the
potential or actual presence
of a hazardous substance,
pollutant, or contaminant.
Harvey said securing the
funding to complete an as-
sessment of the site is the
first step, before procee -
ing on to anything else.
“It’s a massive project,”
he said. He explained that
some of the buildings on
the site are six stories high,
constructed with concrete
and rebar. “We would love
to clean the site complete-
ly, and make it available
to someone else in an
industry, because it has a
natural gas main line on-
site, and it has power from
Idaho Power, through the
property, and you have two
exits and entrances from
the freeway, right there,
and you have a railroad
site, as well.”
He said it’s a good po-
tential industry site, and it
needs to be developed, and
that Huntington would also
benefit greatl , because of
the potential for employ-
ment. “It would be a great
opportunity for us to take
care of an eye sore, and a
dangerous situation,” Har-
vey said. He said there’s
some asbestos on the site,
but it’s minimal, and any
other potential for haz-
ardous material needs an
assessment, in response to
Wanda Ballard’s question
about the subject.
Bennett said that the
project ideas for the site
from potential developer
Steven Golieb were not
realized in recent years,
because of different issues.
There is no current poten-
tial developer.
Appointments.
The Board approved
Order No. 2015-106, Re-
Appointing A Member To
The Baker Valley Vector
Control Board, with a
motion from Bennett, and
a second from Kerns. The
Board re-appointed Gor-
don Colton, whose term is
set to expire on December
31, 2017.
The Board approved
Order No. 2015-107,
Appointing Members To
The Northeast Oregon
Economic Development
District (NEOEDD) Board,
with a motion from Kerns,
and a second from Ben-
nett. The Board appointed
Harvey, Bennett, Yencopal,
Elizabeth Burton, and
Richard Langrell.
The Board approved
Order No. 2015-108, Ap-
pointing A Member To The
Northeast Oregon Housing
Authority Board, with a
motion from Bennett, and
second from Kerns. The
Board appointed Harvey,
whose term is set to expire
on May 20, 2020.
The Board approved
Order No. 2015-109, Ap-
pointing A Member To The
Northeast Area Commis-
sion On Transportation
(NEACT), with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns. The Board
appointed Harvey, whose
term is set to expire on
July 31, 2016.
The next regular Com-
mission session is sched-
uled for Wednesday, March
18, 2015, at 9 a.m., with
the special session sched-
uled as mentioned previ-
ously.
Hunter ed classes offered
Baker County Hunter
Education Instructors have
set some dates for classes
to offer in 2015. Registra-
tion in advance is encour-
aged to ensure the students
place in the class. This
can be done via the local
license outlets or online via
the ODFW website.
A traditional class be-
gins on April 10th at 5:30
p.m. at the Baker County
Library Conference room.
This class will meet five
additional nights (April
14, 15, 21, 22, and 23)
with the final test April
23. The range activities
for the class are scheduled
for April 24 at the Powder
River Sportsman Club
Virtue Flat Range.
An independent study
field day is scheduled for
April 25th. This field day
is for students who have
completed the online Hunt-
er Education program or
the home study workbook
and meets the requirements
for independent study
students to be certified.
This field day begins at 8
a.m. at the Powder River
Sportsman Club Virtue Flat
Range.
Further information
on these classes can be
obtained from Dick Haines
at 541-523-3554 or Bill
Taylor at 541-403-0900.
The next scheduled class
will be held in August
beginning on the 17th and
ending on the 29th with
an independent field day
offered also. Additional
information will be avail-
able on the website for
ODFW Hunter Education
and when closer to the start
date of this class. Classes
will also be offered in
Huntington and in Halfway
during the summer and
possibly another class in
the Baker area if needed.
Students are encouraged to
check the website fre-
quently as class sizes are
limited.
The course fee is $10 for
the traditional Hunter Edu-
cation class. The online
course’s fee varies is avail-
able on the ODFW Hunter
Education web page.
Haines chili
feed raises
$8,000
Sunny Werner / The Baker County Press.
Haines residents raised $8,000 for their school at
this year’s chili feed.
By Sunny Werner
Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com
If the entire town of Haines didn't attend the School
Fundraiser, then the twenty-five who missed it must have
been sick or out of town. Total attendance was 375.
Haines’s population is approximately 400.
The school gym was packed, with all spaces filling
as soon as they emptied. Families, single folk, older
couples, everyone came to show their support, enjoy the
great food, and vie for the items offered in the silent auc-
tion and raffle
Jacque Cobb, volunteer organizer, explained that this is
the school's main fundraiser. "Usually, we see just about
everybody in town," she said. "We're just a small commu-
nity, but we really do pull together to support our kids."
The Chili Feed annually brings in enough funds to
provide for the 115 pre-K through 6th grade students
who attend to supply Christmas gifts for all the children,
special programs, and "Beach Party Day" in winter.
The monies also go towards special projects, such as
renewing the tennis courts (built in the 1950s) and adding
hopscotch and foursquare areas.
Cobb explained that twelve families had donated
their time and the contents of twelve roasters of chicken,
others had donated the chili in various degrees of “heat,”
and others the corn bread and other fixings. The Haines
Mutual Improvement Club donated the desserts.
Community members and businesses donated the
raffle and silent auction items with values ranging from
$10 to $100 each. With hundreds of items donated, the
auction, raffle and Chili Feed succeeded in raising over
$8,000 this year.
"This was a huge support for our school," said Cobb.
That support averaged $20 per Haines resident for a
total of $8,000.
Halfway man
found with
stolen firearms
On March 2 at about 1:20 p.m., Baker County Depu-
ties served a search warrant at 190 Main Street in Half-
way, Oregon. James Grove (06-08-1977) was contacted
at the residence and arrested for Assault IV/Domestic and
Interfering with a 911 call.
During the search of the residence and property, Depu-
ties recovered three firearms that had been stolen from a
residence in Halfway on 02-11-15.
Grove was also charged with Felon in Possession of
Weapons and Possession of Stolen Property. Investigation
continues and additional charges are pending.
Local delegates
attend ORP
state meeting
Delegates Chris Dunn and Suzan Ellis Jones from
the Baker County Republican Party attended the ORP's
state meeting today in the Portland area. Bill Currier was
elected as the new ORP Chair, Tyler Smith as Vice Chair,
Chris Barreto of Cove as Secretary and Ken Taylor of
Prineville as Treasurer. Outgoing Chair Art Robinson
left the meeting early. Current Marion County Chair/past
ORP Chair Kevin Mannix helped conduct the meeting.