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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2015)
FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 Classifieds / Local Locals take D-Day ride HELP WANTED JOB OPENING NOTICE OREGON TRAIL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE: Safety and Loss Control Assistant Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) with headquarters in Baker City, Oregon, has an immediate opening for a Safety and Loss Control Assistant in its Baker City office. This position provides efficient and effective administrative functions and support to the Safety and Loss control department that promotes positive public relations and service to our members as well as OTEC employees. High school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of four years of general of- fice experience is required. Applicants must demon- strate proficiency with all Microsoft Office Products to include; Word, Publisher, Excel and PowerPoint and skills in operating general office equipment as well as file management. Mini- mum keyboarding speed of 60 wpm is preferred; however, quality of work is given priority. Strong skills include; both verbal and written communication, organization, planning and scheduling. Utility experi- ence a plus. All interested parties are required to apply through WorkSource Oregon Employment Department, Baker City Office, 1575 Dewey Avenue, Baker City, Or, 541-523-6331. The closing date is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2015. 6.19 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 The Baker City Public Works Department is seeking qualified appli- cants for the position of Management Assistant/ Information Analyst. Closes June 19, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. To apply go to WorkSource Oregon located at 1575 Dewey Ave. The City of Baker City is an EEO employer. • FAFA REMEMBERS THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED—IN THEIR OWN WAY 6.12 BAKER SCHOOL DISTRICT 5J is currently accepting applications for a Baker High School Special Education and English Language Arts Teacher and a South Baker Intermediate Special Education Teacher. For a complete description of the position go to www.baker. k12.or.us or contact the employment division. You may also call 541-524-2261 or email nnemec@baker. k12.or.us 6.19 The Baker City Public Works Department is seek- ing qualified applicants for the position of Utility Worker II. Closes June 19, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. For more information and how to apply go to www.bakercity. com. The City of Baker City is an EEO employer. 6.12 YARD SALE COMMUNITY YARD SALE in Richland, OR in conjunc- tion with Eagle Valley Days on the same day: Satur- day, June 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Look for signs. Maps available at any yard sale. Antiques, generator, furniture and much more. Parade in Richland at 10 a.m., with a sale in the park and food. Also, community yard sale in Halfway, same date. 6.19 REAL ESTATE HOUSE for SALE! 2 bdrm, 1 bath - Baker City - $96,500. Indulge yourself (or your mother-in-law). Pare down but boost the style. All new inside & out. Bold design. Vibrant features. Super efficient. All electric. Easy maintenance. Minimal utility costs. Family-owned since 1987. Beautiful Kitchen. Pantry. New Appliances. Laundry. Dbl pane wdws. Fabulous electric fireplace console. Custom drap- ery. New furnishings are optional. Covered Redwood Deck for morning coffee in the sun. Attached garage with auto- door. Separate Storage Bldg on concrete pad. Fenced Lot 100’ x 50’/Lawn/Trees/Roses/Garden space. Near stores, restaurants, pharmacies. Built in 1968. 940 sq ft plus 364 sq ft garage. Owner is moving. See Craigslist for Photos. Phone 541-523-5617. 6.12 BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com Members of Forest Ac- cess for All (FAFA) partici- pated June 6th on a D-Day ride to remember those who served and those who fell on that historic day. The ride was supported in spirit by the off-road group Locked and Loaded, though many of their members were unable to attend due to graduation obligations. “A few new faces joined us for this event and we were more than happy to share our love of the open forest and how it sustains our lifestyle,” said FAFA member, Wanda Ballard. The group took their ATVs to an area around the Catherine Creek Summit, between Union and Medi- cal Springs. Ballard said, “Our ride up the 77rd happened on D-Day anniversary. The connection may seem tenuous, but many of us feel freedom, is still being challenged. Slow strangu- lation, one road at a time, then guess what? None left.” The most well-known D-Day was June 6, 1944— the day of the Normandy landings, initiating the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation dur- ing World War II. Since and before, other “D-Days” have signaled the start of other military initiatives. The group stopped at a pond around the area called Taylor Green, then traveled near Flagstaff Butte. This short jaunt took the travelers along a bare ridge top surrounded with a stunning view of the Eagle Caps. Said Ballard, “Always a few in a group are chal- lenged to make it up the last surge to the wilderness boundary.” She added, “I think all of us have made this last challenge, but as June means elder abuse awareness One view from FAFA’s D-Day Ride. time goes on, you seem to lose your edge but still enjoy being a spectator while others make the challenge.” Ballard said, “We put another 35 miles on the four-wheelers and it was unanimous, everyone enjoyed every mile.” In attendance was one of FAFA’s steadfast support- ers, Don George, at 87 years young. He maintained a position near the front all day long, and at times led the way through some “scrubby spots.” Meanwhile, another group of FAFA riders took time to attend the “62 Days” event in John Day. They joined in the parade with another group of ac- cess advocates, Citizens for Public Access (CPA). Ballard says FAFA has a strong bond with CPA. “We mutually support each other’s endeavors,” she said. “Our trademark, com- monly referred to as ‘the Jail Wagon,’ was trans- ported by Jerry and Sherry Johnson. The Johnsons have volunteered to trailer the wagon to our scheduled events. CPA, brought in Grand Champion Ribbon and First Place ribbon” FAFA—complete with the Jail Wagon— will also be participating in the Union Livestock Show parade on the 12th of June. Parade time is 2 p.m., and FAFA will line up early and have our June club meeting. Controlled hunt results available Many of our elderly neighbors suffer from physical and emotional abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. They are from all walks of life. Even those who were successful and influential in the past may feel powerless against their abusers, who may even be family members or care givers they depend on. June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Because the elderly are often isolated and dependent on others, they are especially vulnerable. You can help by visit- ing your friends, neighbors, and family members. You can also watch for warning signs of isolation, physical injuries, or unusual behavior. If you suspect elder abuse or neglect, please contact the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) at 541-523-6423. or more information, please call DHS or MayDay, Inc. at 541-523-9472. Hunters can now check to see if they drew a big game tag for the fall by visiting the My Hunter Information website or calling 1-866-947-6339. Hunters will need to provide their Hunter/Angler ID#, which is printed on all ODFW license documents and stays the same from year to year. They can call ODFW’s licensing division at 503-947-6101 if they are unable to locate their ID#. A total of 137,015 fall big game hunt tags were avail- able in the draw this year. ODFW received 407,402 fall controlled hunt applications, up from 389,172 last year. ODFW no longer mails postcards notifying applicants of controlled hunt draw results. ODFW limits the num- ber of tags for some hunts to control hunting pressure and fairly distribute tags for popular hunts. All eastern Oregon rifle deer hunting, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat hunts are limited entry, along with most eastern rifle elk hunts. Grammon said Bennett made some good points, and said there seems to be a lack of communica- tion between the CWMA and Grammon. He also stated issues with priori- tizing weed control areas effectively, and a lack of coordination. Bennett said the Baker County Weed Board should be setting the priorities for the County. All three Commission- ers requested more detail regarding expenditures through the program, followed by a disagree- ment between Grammon and Lincoln regarding grants and communication through the CWMA. Harvey, Bennett and Kerns were again present for the special Commission session following the work session, along with Martin. Attendees included Diel- man, Kerns, and Holly. Bennett said, “First of all, the County administers the City of Unity, because the City of Unity does not have a Council. We have advertised continuously since 2011 for a Council, and we have never had any applicants for that. We ran an election every election cycle, and no one has taken a position.” He explained the Commissioners act as a Council for the City of Unity, under Oregon Re- vised Statutes (ORS) 401. He said there were some expand the program re- sponsibilities of the Baker County Fire Division Manager (Gary Timm).” No action was taken. Harvey presented a letter from the Board addressed to State BLM Director Je- rome Perez, dated June 10, 2015, with the subject line of “Request for extension of protest period for BLM Oregon Greater Sage- Grouse (GRSG) Proposed Final Environmental Im- pact Statement (EIS).” The letter read, in its entirety: “Dear Director Perez, The Baker County Com- mission respectfully requests that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) extend the time period for submitting protest on the proposed plan for the Or- egon Greater Sage-Grouse published in the Federal Register on May 29, 2015, to 90 days, rather than the 30 days as published. “The Commission is rep- resenting many in the com- munity that do not have access to the plan. At no time has the local BLM ad- vertised that stakeholders can pick up paper copies at the local office. Due to the number of pages involved in the plan (Harvey inter- jected that there are about 1,000), downloading such an extensive document is almost impossible with our limited bandwidth. Too, a large number of County: City of Unity budget, weeds BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Board of Commissioners held a work session, and a special session on Wednesday, to discuss the Tri-County Co- operative Weed Manage- ment Area (CWMA), and the City of Unity proposed 2015-2016 budget. Attendees in addition to Commissioners included Director of Tri-County CWMA Mark Lincoln, Baker County Weed Supervisor Arnie Gram- mon, Wallowa County Weed Supervisor Allen Schnetzky, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Weed Specialist Erin McConnell, Gary Dielman, Brenda Holly and Jan Kerns. Lincoln used the Coun- ty’s interactive SmartBoard screen for a presentation. He said, “We operate off grants alone,” speak- ing about the Tri-County CWMA organization, the mission of which is to, “…facilitate cooperation among all land managers and landowners to address the impacts of invasive plants,” in the Tri-County CWMA Area (Baker, Union, and Wallowa Coun- ties). Lincoln discussed goals and objectives of the organization: “Improve effectiveness of the current noxious weed programs in Baker, Union and Wallowa Coun- ties; Identify and obtain traditional and non-tradi- tional funding sources for weed programs; Provide public awareness/education as to the serious nature of the problem and educate/ inform the public on the legal obligations, iden- tification and control of noxious weeds; Encourage cooperation and coordina- tion between jurisdictions, agencies, land managers, and private landowners.” A map of the three counties Lincoln dis- played regarding CWMA projects in 2014 showed funds paid via the CWMA to contractors that year: $146,200 in Baker County, $64,000 in Union County, and $10,000 in Wallowa County. Lincoln showed a table with project rev- enue detail for 2015, with $262,097.43 total listed for Baker County, the bulk of which is expected to be spent on the Rush Skel- etonweed treatment sites in the Hells Canyon area. Bennett voiced concerns about funding through the organization, and coordina- tion with each County’s weed programs, and staffing locations. Lincoln responded with details about raising of funds through CWMA, and coor- dination and setting weed control priorities with each County. Submitted Photo. decreases in resources for Unity, the total currently budgeted at $25,140 for 2015-2016. The firm of Nichols & Mitchell, CPA, PC, handles the account- ing for Unity, Bennett said, and was paid $7,000 for this service. The firm suggested rate increases at about 2% each year for sewer and water services. Dielman voiced his concern about the size of the payment to the firm of Nichols & Mitchell, stating it seemed too large, and Bennett responded with de- tails about the considerable services the firm provides. Kerns moved to recom- mend approval of the City of Unity’s 2015-2016 budget, with a second from Bennett. The motion car- ried. The actual approval of the budget is expected to occur at the Wednesday, June 24 session. The Board discussed a Memorandum of Under- standing (MOU), in its draft stage, between the City of Baker City/Baker City Fire Department and the County of Baker. This MOU, according to the document, “…sets forth the terms and understand- ing between the Baker City Fire Department and the County of Baker to share resources to improve response capabilities for the Baker City Fire Depart- ment and to improve and the population in Baker County have limited access to technology and minimal technological abilities and experience. This has led to disenfranchisement of our population with the federal agency’s processes. Furthermore, this presents an unfair advantage to the urban, tech savvy popula- tion, and has resulted in those that are the most impacted being unable to fully respond. “The proposed plan is of sufficient complexity to warrant extending the protest period to 90 days so that affected stake- holders can thoroughly review and comment on the proposal in its entirety. The extension to 90 days is reasonable considering the plan has the potential to significantly impact the county’s culture and cus- toms, as well as decimate the local economy. Thank you for your time in this matter and please feel free to contact us.” Dielman and Holly ex- pressed concerns about the language used in the letter, concerning download speed, access to technolo- gy, and technological abili- ties. Bennett explained there should be hard copies to view at the local library, the BLM office, and the Courthouse. All three Commissioners signed the letter.
