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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2015)
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local Sgt. Chastain sworn in, school resource officer one step closer • CITY/COUNTY FIRE MOU, SPRAY ZONE BUFFER, BUDGET ADOPTION ON AGENDA BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com Tuesday’s Baker City Council meeting ran the agenda gamut, starting early on with a swear- ing in, moving through budgetary housekeeping items and committee ap- pointments, and review of two key memorandums of understanding—MOUs— one between the City and 5J for a School Resource Officer, and the other regarding City/County Fire protection. No citizen participation on off-agenda items was presented. Presentation of Plaque, Swearing In. Officer Wayne Chas- tain took the podium in a surprise presentation to Chief Wyn Lohner just prior to his own scheduled swearing-in as the Baker City Police Department’s (BCPD) newest sergeant. Chastain said in all his time with the National Guard, the BCPD has always been accommodat- ing of his military schedule and he’d never heard one officer there complain about working around it. “For this I’m grateful,” Chastain said. Chastain presented Lohner with a framed flag and certificate signed by himself and his command- ing officer, which reads, “Shindand Air Force Base, Afghanistan. This is to certify that this flag of the United States of America was proudly flow over the 1st Squadron, 82nd Cal- vary regiment headquarters on Shindand Air Base during Operation Endur- ing Freedom on September 11, 2014, in honor of the Baker City Police Depart- ment.” The date marked the thirteen-year anniver- sary of the 9/11 attack. Luke Yeaton of the City’s Human Resources Department then offi- cially swore in Chastain as sergeant, who vowed to uphold the Constitutions of the United States of America, the Constitution of the State of Oregon, the Baker City charter and to protect the safety of the public. Lohner then pinned the new badge on the new sergeant and thanked Chastain’s family for their sacrifices. Chastain’s wife, Farrah, and their children, watched from the audi- ence. Chastain has served for several years—since 2001 in fact— as a BCPD patrol officer in between four military deployments including Iraq and Afghan- istan. In that time, he said he has worked with three police chiefs. Lohner explained that during the last two op- portunities for promotion, Chastain had been de- ployed, but this time, the timing had been right. Just recently, Yeaton per- formed a similar swearing- in for Dustin Newman, who transitioned from ser- geant to lieutenant follow- ing former lieutenant Kirk McCormick’s out-of-state move into a chief of police position. Budget and Finance. “It seems anticlimactic to now turn to budget,” joked Mayor Kim Mosier follow- ing the swearing in. Resolution 3753 Chang- ing Fund Structure, though technically not a budget item, was up first—it eliminates the existing Resort Street Underground Fund Resolution 3684 that was utilized in tracking capital improvement costs for that project. Since the funds were depleted and the project completed, Council voted to adopt the new resolution, dissolving 3684. Resolution 3754 regard- ing an Interfund Loan was discussed. A $6,245 loan from the Equipment and Vehicle Fund would be necessary to purchase additional equipment from Tiedemann Consulting, LLC. Council voted to shift these monies into the Golf Course Capital Proj- ects Fund under specified loan terms. This interfund loan must be repaid in un- der ten years. The City will collect concessions fees from the Golf Course over six years in order to make those annual payments. Mayor Mosier ex- pressed concerns that the golf course continues to absorb funds, such as those needed for irrigation sys- tem repairs, and said while she does not want to come across as an enemy of the golf course, she would like to see hard numbers on how much tourism and tax revenue benefit the golf course provides for future reference. Merlin Gath spoke to the benefits of the golf course, acknowledging the money-spending trend Mosier mentioned, but feels this last infusion of money will allow repairs to be made that solve the constant need for monetary infusions. He mentioned a tourism group of 80 recently came to town to play at Quail Ridge, and said they’ll work on cap- turing harder numbers. He also mentioned that Quail Ridge competes with the course in La Grande, which is subsidized to the tune of over $100K per year by Union County. He did not believe such sub- sidization was appropriate here. Other budget items were touched upon, which included the consideration of various new resolutions electing to receive State dollars and to make minor amendments to the budget. Larry Abell spoke to the Council about Historic Baker City’s efforts to re- build its membership base and involvement in com- munity events, reiterating a request for $5,000 from the City toward those goals. When all was said and done, the budget was adopted. Water Facilities Master Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press Officer Wayne Chastain (right) presents Chief Wyn Lohner with a framed flag and certificate just prior to being sworn in as the BCPD’s newest sergeant. Plan. Jennifer of Ray Smith and Associates gave a brief update on the progress of the Water Facilities Master plan, stating the company analyzed projected popula- tion growth, water sources, etc., and is working toward a Capital Improvement Plan. At the end of the meeting Council Mack Augenfeld said the brief presentation only served to whet his appetite for information on the matter. Michelle Owen, Public Works Director, said she would gather information on the full water facilities master plan meeting held earlier that day, and make it available to Council. Committees. After the third reading of Ordinance 3339 forming the new Sam-O-Swim Committee was formal- ized. Andrew Bryan, Jason Bybee, Rustin Smith, Noel Scott, and Jerri Wickert were appointed to the com- mittee after two rounds of balloting among Council members. This volunteer commit- tee is tasked with advocat- ing for the swim center, making recommendations for improvements and maintenance, etc. Clair Button was appoint- ed to another three-year term on the Tree Board. Gail Duman and Rick Taylor were both appointed to another two-year term on the Parks and Recre- ation Committee. School Resource Officer MOU. The City and 5J School District, after working to- gether on the idea for sev- eral months, are moving closer toward reinstating a school resource officer at the high school. Over the course of four years, the position will cost an estimated $402,537. $125,000 of that expense will be covered by a COPS hiring recovery act grant. $180,399 would come from 5J’s budget with the remaining $97,138 coming from the City. These figures include salary and fringe including insurance, retirement and social security expenses. The MOU was created based on a previous docu- ment to outline the duties of the officer, who will work full-time, usually in standard uniform at the high school during the school year. The officer will serve as a communica- tions link between police and the schools, and pro- vide confidential student conferences or interviews as needed, assist in truancy drug, and alcohol issues, etc. Council reviewed the MOU and generally ex- pressed it “looks good.” City/County Fire MOU. With the Baker City Fire Department’s call volume on the increase, this MOU essentially allows the County and City to share firefighting resources, particularly Gary Timm. The agreement is unusual, according to City Manager Mike Kee. As the County’s Fire Division Manager, Timm, a County employee to supplement the City’s ef- forts, sharing his assign- ment hours. Timm’s job duties will increase, but also now fall under the direct supervision of Baker City Fire Chief Mark John. Kee expressed that this arrangement will save the City overtime dollars. Baker City Fire Chief Mark John said nearly every other day, simulta- neous calls draw on their resources. In addition, last year’s 1,700 calls will likely increase to more like 1,800 this year. Pilot Program for No- Spray Zone. After several meetings filled with Citizen Partici- pation focused on banning herbicides such as Round- Up, Council asked the Parks and Rec Advisory Board to come up with a pilot program. The Board met at South Baker Park on June 15, and created a proposal for a two-year pilot program. With a buffer zone 25 feet south and east of the playground, volunteers will control weeds using non-chemical methods only, such as trimming and pulling, in that area. No fertilizers or synthetic materials will be permitted there. A draft vegetation man- agement plan has also been created and is in review. Upcoming Events. Lohner concluded the meeting with advice for everyone to use caution with the arrival of the busy summer event season. The next few weeks include several traffic changes due to the bicy- cling classic, motorcycle rally and Miners Jubilee. Huntingon Chamber present at Boise meeting BY EILEEN DRIVER Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com Northwest Community Development Institute (NWCDI) was held June 1519, at the Riverside Hotel located in Boise, Idaho and was attended by a representative from the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. NWCDI is a week long intensive course designed to teach both professional and volunteer commu- nity developers the skills needed for leadership and management of community development efforts and is sponsored by Idaho Com- merce, the Community Development Block Grant Program, Business Oregon and Infrastructure Finance Authority (IFA). NWCDI has a com- prehensive program that teaches individuals how to identify community prob- lems, set goals, network with other agencies and groups, stimulate com- munity interaction and support economic devel- opment, human resource development and quality of life issues. According to Gloria Zacharias of Business Or- egon and Third Year Class Facilitator, “The classes are of great importance with the knowledge you get, but the people you meet and the contacts you make are invaluable.” This training is impor- tant for organizations, community officials and volunteers of city, county and state governments, chambers of commerce, public and private econom- ic development organiza- tions, utility companies, financial institutions and anyone interested in community and economic development. NWCDI has 1st, 2nd and 3rd year classes as well as advanced studies for graduates to keep up with current economic development issues. This years classes were attended by community leaders from Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Wyoming and Oregon. The Eastern Oregon re- gion was represented by a City Councillor / Chamber of Commerce President from Huntington, a Com- munity & Economic De- velopment Manager from Pendleton and a Chamber of Commerce Director / Snake River Economic Development Association Member from Vale. This year’s classes and teachers included : • Economic Impact Analysis and Ethical Chal- lenges both classes taught by Ray Laughter who has been involved with Community development for over 20 years and is currently Vice Chancellor of External Affairs for the Lone Star College System since 2002. His areas of responsibility include the Lone Star College Foun- dation, the Community Leadership Institute, the Small Business Develop- ment Center and regional economic development. • Workforce Develop- ment taught by John Luthy, Founder, and Mike Mc- Mullan, Senior Partner of The Futures Corporation which since 1979 has become a widely respected firm specializing in public sector leadership and organization development with particular interest in strategic thinking and planning that promotes economic growth, program performance, productivity and broadbased commu- nity development. • Building Commu- nity Leadership Networks taught by Marcia Smart PH D who has over 20 years of corporate experience and is an internationally known author, speaker and leadership strategist in areas such as Leadership Development, Informal Leadership, Women’s Leadership and Personal Development. • Creating a Diverse Community taught by Sam Byrd, President of Diver- sity Works, who has more than 30 years experience working with crosscul- tural and organizational development issues. He speaks both English and Spanish fluently, is a very humorous and dynamic speaker and has extensive experience in dealing with diversity and human rights. • Building Facilitation Skills taught by Dennie Houie who is a regionally based Business Develop- ment Officer for Business Oregon, an organiza- tion that is the primary economic development contact for businesses, agencies and organizations within Oregon. Dennie is well-versed in Community and Economic Techniques in both the public and private sector. • Managing Change, as well as Regionalism and Economic Development both taught by Kelly Sills who has worked for cities and counties in California, Oregon and Washington since 1987. He is currently the Parking Control Manager for the City of Portland and has a masters degree in Public Administration / Orga- nizational Change from California State University. • Finding a Vision taught by Nichoel Baird Spencer, MCRP, AICP, who has nearly 20 years of plan- ning experience in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She currently serves as a Plan- ner for the City of Eagle, Idaho and also runs a small planning consulting firm where she specializes in community visioning and planning for small com- munities. Anyone interested in attending NWCDI to learn about community and eco- nomic development for use in your own com- munity can reach them by contacting Jerry Miller at jerry.miller@commerce. idaho.gov or Jill at jill@ meetingsystems.com
