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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2015)
FRIDAY, ARIL 10, 2015 Classifieds / Local THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 HELP WANTED HERBICIDE GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT MISC. MISC. RECREATION RESERVE POLICE OFFICERS WANTED! For 2015, Baker County Weed District will again be giving out herbicide on the following locations, dates, and times. This fully mixed, ready-to-go herbicide will be targeting whitetop and scotch thistle. Folks need to bring chemical- resistant containers, preferably gas or oil cans, and a pair of chemical-resistant gloves. Please, no food containers. There will be a five gallon limit imposed for each res - dence. Note!!! New location for Baker City Giveaways! Where Date / Time Huntington Service Station April 17, 8:00-11AM Richland/Halfway-Wildflower Corner May 8, 7-12 Noo Baker City - Old ODOT Building May 16, 7-12 Noon 1050 S. Bridge Baker City - Old ODOT Building May 23 7 - 12 Noon 1050 S. Bridge Street Hereford Hall June 5, 9 AM Hereford Unity Hall June 5, 10:30 AM Unity AIR COMPRESSOR. Worthington, bumper hitch towable air compressor. Comes with lots of hose, 50-100 feet, pneumatic drill and bits (3). Runs on gas. $1,500. It will need new tires. Call 541.519.5035. FINE CERAMICS. Two cups and two saucers, each set in its original box with paperwork included. Never used or displayed. From the legendary Genma kiln in Japan. Each two- piece set (one cup, one saucer) retails for approx. $500 U.S. dollars. Genma blue and orange butterfly design. Makes a great gift for someone who has everything! Letting both sets go for $500. Call and leave a message at 541.519.0572 if interested. BOAT! For Sale, 1972 Sea Ray 20' Boat with trailer, spare tire, licensed through 2015. Motor needs work, winterized. Includes fish finde , covers and bimini. $1,000 OBO. 541-523- 3604. Reserve Police Officer – City of Baker City, OR is accepting applications for Reserve Police Office . This is an unpaid, volunteer po- sition that will require the completion of reserve police academy and field training program; applicants must pass physical agility, written and oral exams, and back- ground check. Applications are available in person at the Baker City Police De- partment, 1768 Auburn Av- enue, EEO Employer. CEMETERY SPACE. Space at Mt. Hope Cem- etery with perpetual care. Current value $1200 for $900 OBO. Grave 2, Lot No 409 in Northwest Cleaver Endowed section. This area may only have flat headstones. Leaving area and must sell. 541- 523-3604. YARD SALES OUR GARAGE SALE ADS ARE FREE! VISIT OUR WEB SITE TO SUBMIT YOURS VIA THE CONTACT US FORM! SVRR land transfer proposed to County By Todd Arriola Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The main focus of the Baker County Board of Commissioners’ bi- monthly work session held Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at 9 a.m., at the Baker County Courthouse, was to consider a proposal for the transfer of ownership from the Baker County Parks and Recreation Depart- ment to the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration, Inc. (SVRR), of the Sumpter Valley Railroad Park, lo- cated five miles southeast of the City of Sumpter. Present from the Board were Chair Bill Harvey, Commissioner Mark Ben- nett, Commissioner Tim Kerns, and Executive As- sistant Heidi Martin. Karen Spencer, from the Baker County Parks and Recreation Department, was present to discuss the proposal with the Board. She said she received the proposal on March 29, 2015, and the document describes the property as: “Land in Baker County, Oregon in T.10S, R.37E., W.M. “Sec. 12: That portion of the SW ¼ SE ¼, held by Baker County, lying West of the Huckleberry Loop Road, formerly Dredge Lane Loop Road (approx. 39 acres). “Sec. 13: That portion of the NW ¼ NE ¼ lying West of the Huckleberry Loop Road, formerly Dredge Lane Loop Road (approx. 15 acres). “Exhibit 1: As well as a strip of land described as a 15.4 acre m/l parcel of land identified as Tax Lot 600 in Section 18, Township 10S, Range 38E. Willamette Meridian: more particu- larly described as: That portion of the abandoned Sumpter Valley Railway right of way lying in the NE ¼, NE ¼ SE, and E ½ NW ¼ Secton 18, T. 10S, R. 38E, W.M. Baker County, Oregon. “Exhibit 2: As well as the sewer lagoon and associ- ated property lying East of Huckleberry Loop Road, formerly Dredge Lane Loop Road (approx. 10 acres). “Exhibit 3: Upon trans- fer, the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration, Inc., will accept full financial responsibility for the main- tenance and upkeep of the Sumpter Valley Railroad Park, as well as all inspec- tion costs and associated liability. At this time the current twenty-five (25) year lease between Baker County and the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restora- tion, Inc. is set to expire on June 4, 2021.” Spencer described the proposal, and explained that the original lease agreement was signed in 1996, with an amendment signed in 2000, and an- other amendment signed in 2002. She said the current lease agreement is through 2027. She said this transfer would include the McEwen Depot, and infrastructure buildings associated with the property. Bennett said to Spen- cer that a more detailed, overall map would be helpful in order to make a decision (to be made at a regular session) concern- ing the proposal, and she responded that some issues need to also be addressed, including some landlocked County property, and that a better map could be made Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press County Commissioners heard a proposal from the SVRR that would transfer property in Sumpter from the County to the Sumpter Valley Railroad. available. Bennett voiced some concerns about potential zoning issues in the area, and mining extraction pos- sibilities, and whether the County would be able to reacquire the property if, for example, the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restora- tion, Inc. were to be dis- solved. Spencer responded with some positive details regarding the concerns, and what the benefits could be to the County, and said she would investigate the matter further. Kerns asked why the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration, Inc. drafted the proposal, and Spencer responded that the property would be an asset, and would be helpful in the area of writing grants. Lorri Harvey, one of the session attendees, com- mented about the high cost of maintaining the Sumpter Valley Railroad Park and Construction continues on Loop road Submitted Photo. Placing geogrid and backfill along FSR 39 BAKER CITY, OR – Work on the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road— also known as Forest Ser- vice Road (FSR) 39 —will resume April 13. Tidewater Contractors from Brookings, OR, will first plow the alternate route, Forest Service Road (FSR) 66, and gate off the seasonal snowmobile route that follows FSR 39 by April 15, weather permit- ting. The 18-mile construction area between the junction of Highway 86 and the 39 Road heading north to the junction of the 39 Road and the 66 Road will be gated closed until June 16. Contractors hope to have the 66 Road detour route cleared of snow by April 15, but there may be delays. Beginning June 16, FSR 39 will be closed to passenger vehicles from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Thursday to allow campers and others to use the route on the weekends. The 39 Road is not maintained for passenger travel until after June 15. Beginning July 1, through completion of construction, visitors can expect rough surfaces and delays of up to one hour on FSR 39, or use the alter- nate route (FSR 66). “We appreciate the con- tractor’s efforts to mini- mize the inconvenience to motorists and consider them a partner in our effort to improve the visitor ex- perience along this Scenic Byway,” Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya said. Slated for completion this fall, the $5.3 million project is funded by the Federal Highway Admin- istration and is the largest of its kind in the Forest Service system. Baker County Com- missioner Bill Harvey and Wallowa County Commis- sioner Mike Hayward said they look forward to the re-opening of the roadway, which is a popular visitor route. Crews began reconstruct- ing 13 miles of FSR 39 be- ginning at the junction of Highway 86 (10 miles east of Halfway) and northward to the junction of FSR 66 in 2013. An additional five miles were added to the project in the summer of 2014, for a total of 18 miles of reconstruction. The detour route, FSR 66, is 30 miles in length and is a well-maintained single-lane gravel road with pullouts, but it is not recommended for motor homes. First designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway in 1992, the Wal- lowa Mountain Loop Road was named a State Scenic Byway in 1996. In 2000, the Federal Highways Administra- tion established the Hells Canyon All-American Road for its qualities of ex- ceptional scenery, widely varied terrain, recreational opportunities, and histori- cal significance associated structures, that repairs are necessary. A decision concerning the proposal is expected to be made at a future regular Commission ses- sion. The regular sessions are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month, at 9 a.m., and the work sessions are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, also at 9 a.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend all sessions. I-84 delays ahead Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) contractor Oregon Main- line Paving is continuing work on the freeway im- provement project between the Kamela Interchange at Exit 246 and the Second Street undercrossing in La Grande, near mile post 260. Work on the project began in 2013 and will be completed by the end of this year. Improvements include: resurfacing the left (fast) lane with new asphalt and placement of concrete in the right (slow) lanes of the freeway; re- placement of functionally obsolete median barrier; bridge repairs; truck chain- up area improvements; rock fall upgrades; plus the construction of a west- bound truck climbing lane along the Spring Creek grade near mile post 247. During construction ac- tivities this year on the $43 million project, travelers can expect lane restric- tions, reduced speeds, traffic pattern changes and minor delays between Hil- gard State Park at Exit 252 and mile post 245, west of the Kamela interchange.
