THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015
Business & Ag
Barley’s customers Tip-a-Cop
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Waiter Joe Anderson was
available to all the officers
for help in what was his
final night as an employee
of Barley Brown’s.
Also available to pick
up slack and help out were
employees Robin Stone
and Tori Brown, daughter
of owners Tyler and Cor-
rina Brown.
Reserve officer
Phlaum’s family attended
the event. His wife Jen and
children Isabella, Khalia–
Ann, Isiah and Ezekiel all
ordered dinner, served by
Officer Lary.
Phlaum stopped by their
table to say hi and was
greeted by Isiah saying,
“We need the food!”
Phlaum replied, “It’s
coming!” — just as the
food was arriving to the
happy and satisfied faces
of his children
“They were trying to
ask me all these questions
about the menu and I was
like ‘I don’t really work
here,’” he said.
Tweit has been involved
with the Special Olympics
as a ski coach for 13 years.
Her husband Bryan is also
involved as a ski coach.
Bryan, who got Stephanie
involved has been coach-
ing Special Olympics kids
about 30 years.
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Public Works
Advisory Committee, a
seven-member commit-
tee, met recently to take a
look at the Facilities Asset
Management Plan and
Priority Needs Assessment
Provided by City Public
Works Director Michelle
Owen.
The committee consists
of Cass Vanderwiele,
Chairman, Gary Carter,
John Wickert, Allen Mc-
Daniel, Milo Pope, Myrna
Morgan and is represented
by City Councilman James
Thomas.
After approving minutes
from the March 12, 2015
meeting the first order
of business was to elect
a new Chairman. With
all committee members
present with the excep-
tion of Myrna Morgan,
the committee discussed
waiting until Morgan could
be present.
Chairman Cass Vander-
wiele said that this current
meeting “Will be my last
one so do what you want.”
Owen added, “It’s not
really about being tasked
with any specific chores, it
is really just about running
a meeting, so if there is
someone willing to accept
the chairmanship so we
can have a future meeting,
we can consider a vice
chair then and reassign if
need be.”
Owen’s statement
prompted a decision to be
made. The committee nom-
inated and elected Gary
Carter chairmen to replace
outgoing Vanderwiele.
The meeting was then
turned over to Michelle
Owen to talk about the
plan and gain insight from
committee members. Owen
indicated that at the budget
board meeting last year it
Friday, May 8, 2015 — Eastern Oregon
Prices trended generally steady compared to the
same quality last week. Trade activity and demand
were slow this week.
No new sales reported.
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Weekly Sheep Report —
Friday, May 8, 2015 — Eastern Oregon
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Justin Phlaum attended the event with his family this year.
“I ran the State games for
the State of Oregon at Mt.
Bachelor for downhill but
this year we didn’t get
to go,” said Bryan. “No
snow.”
Stephanie has taken
on the role of Treasurer
and orchestrates fund-
raiser events with the help
of Paula Moe, Special
Olympics local program
coordinator.
Tweit has been in her
current positions for a
couple of years reinstating
the “Tip-a-Cop” program
recently. She said it had
been done in the past but
had fallen by the wayside.
She intends to keep the
fundraiser going along
with the “Serve It Up Hot”
program involving local
firefighters.
A friendly competition
between the Fire Depart-
ment and Police Depart-
ment has transpired with
the Police Department in
the lead.
Other fundraisers
include a Bowl-A-Thon in
the fall.
The goal is to raise ap-
proximately $6,000 every
year through fundraisers to
provide for the athletes.
The Baker Chapter of the
Special Olympics support
four sports: skiing, track
and field, swimming and
bowling.
Tweit says, “We would
love to add golf and/or
basketball if we could
find a person or persons to
coach.”
Tweit is also “grateful to
Leo Adler for a grant every
other year.”
Anyone who wishes to
donate to the local Special
Olympics can send a check
marked #511 to Special
Olympics P.O. Box 508
Baker City, OR. 97814.
The program is run en-
tirely by volunteers so all
monetary support goes to
the athletes entirely in the
form of equipment, train-
ing, uniforms and transpor-
tation, food and lodging at
completions.
The Program supports
30-40 athletes per year and
athletes participate in two
state games per year.
With a motto like, “Let
me win, but if I can not
win, let me be brave in
the attempt,” everyone
involved indeed wins in
some way.
Public Works Advisory Committee
discusses cosmetic touches, etc.
• COMMITTEE HAS
NEW VACANCY
— Weekly Hay Report —
was suggested an inven-
tory and plan be done for
the facilities, similar to the
Capital Plan and Pavement
Plans, which the board has
been so impressed by.
“Last summer I started
this project with the help
of a temporary worker, just
to go out and take some
pictures of our facilities.
This has kind of become
a year-long project, and
it is not what I thought it
would be but it is a place
to start,” said Owen. “It
gives us something to look
at and lets us know what
we have.”
Owen’s perception from
what she has heard from
the budget board is that
maybe things are not being
taken care of and she rec-
ognizes that not everything
can be gotten to right away
however, with this plan
there is a better under-
standing and prioritizing of
assets.
Through insurance infor-
mation everything has been
identified, which Owen felt
was extremely important.
She told the committee
a huge volume of assets
exists.
The cosmetic things that
people see, were first and
foremost on Owen’s list.
Roofs, windows, doors,
the security of the struc-
tures themselves Owen’s
identified as top priorities
then painting and basic
upgrades or other cosmetic
touches will be addressed.
“There are things that
the average person, budget
committee member or
citizen doesn’t see, that
cause me great concern,”
she said.
Owen explained citing
issues of the City Hall
building with the masonry
grout that is just wearing
away.
“We had participation
from Ginger Savage for
the crossroads building,
The fire chief for the fire
department building, the
police chief for the police
Trade activity was very slow this week. Harvest
numbers are remaining lower this week as demand
continues to be low and storage space is starting to
become more of an issue. Consumer demand is still
the largest struggle point at this time and packers
are continuing to decrease bids.
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 603
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 263.00 - 299.00 Top 307.00
400-500# Bulk 276.00 - 301.00 Top 303.00
500-600# Bulk 252.00 - 277.00 Top 282.00
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 254.00 - 278.00 Top 290.00
400-500# Bulk 249.00 - 271.00 Top 273.00
500-600# Bulk 227.00 - 243.00 Top 245.00
Yearling Steers
600-700# Bulk 218.00 - 247.00 Top 263.00
700-800# Bulk 196.00 - 218.00 Top 222.00
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 208.00 - 228.00 Top 231.00
700-800# Bulk 196.00 - 218.00 Top 222.00
800-900# Bulk 188.00 - 193.00 Top 194.00
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 90.00 - 95.00
Butcher Cows 97.00 - 105.00
Butcher Bulls 102.00 - 126.00
Stock Cows 1375.00 - 2100.00
Younger Hfrts. 119.00 - 152.00
Pairs B.M. - N/A
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
L-R: Gary Carter, Michelle Owen and Milo Pope.
department building the
water and wastewater su-
pervisor,” Owen said.
Some of the projects in
the plan are in the budget
that was finalized the day
of the meeting, things that
will be funded such as the
replacement of the roof on
Sam-O-Swim center, over
the locker rooms due to
a leak and the roof at the
Mausoleum.
Owen explained that
although in the budget the
dollars for these projects
come out of the General
Fund as do many other
items asked for from all
City departments so it is a
possibility some may not
be funded.
The budget board may
have to determine whether
to fund a new police officer
versus repairing something
else asked for making it a
possibility that not every-
thing asked for would be
given.
Owen did stress that
some things are written
into the budget for specific
departments and not up for
competition in the general
fund. “If there are specific
projects this group would
like to work on I can cer-
tainly work those into the
plan,” Owen said.
Vanderwiele expressed
concern that because there
were several different areas
with in facilities that were
needing attention.
“I don’t know if the
budget board would go
along with it but I’d like
to see them make some
kind of a fund that’d put
so much money aside for
maintenance every year,
if they use it they use it if
they don’t maybe some
of it could carry over to
the following year in case
there is a bigger project. It
could be some sort of an
internal insurance fund so
to speak,” Owen said.
Owen explained the
budget lines are in place
already for things such as
water and equipment but
spoke of creating a fund
for reserve funds not used
saying she would speak
to Jeanie Dexter the city
finance manager about that
possibility.
The committee also
addressed windows and
asked what the protocol for
that entailed including pos-
ing the question of whether
Marvin Windows, a local
company, could make a
deal on their windows.
Tree debris in streets
and on sidewalks and what
expectations were regard-
ing end fund balances were
also talked about.
With the departure of
Cass Vanderwiele, the
committee will have an im-
mediate opening for a new
member.
Anyone interested in
serving on the city’s Public
Works Advisory Commit-
tee please contact Luke
Yeaton in Human Re-
sources at City Hall for an
application.
— Log Price Report —
Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon
Doug Fir is $415.00/mbf
White fir is $365.00/mbf
Ponderosa Pine is brought sold
on diameter splits
6 to 11 inch dib $300 to $310/MBF
12 to 17 inch dib $350 to $375/MBF
18 to 23 inch dib $400 to $430/MBF
24 inch plus dib $450 to $500/MBF
DIB is diameter inside bark at
small end of log.
MBF is thousand board feet lumber, net scale.
People interested in selling logs
should call and get specific
quotes from saw mills.
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1191.80
Silver: $16.52
Platinum: $1,132.95
Palladium: $785.70
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $361.00/bu/USD
Wheat: $480.50/bu/USD
Soybeans: $955.50/bu/USD
Oats: $242.75 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.45/cwt/USD
Canola: $452.70 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $151.48/lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $216.45/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $85.05/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com