Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2015)
FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local County sends protest letter over Sage-Grouse issue, designates several service providers BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Board of Commissioners held its bi-monthly, regular ses- sion on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, at 9 a.m., in the Commission Chambers of the Baker County Court- house. Present from the Board were Chair Bill Harvey, Commissioners Mark Ben- nett and Tim Kerns, and Executive Assistant Heidi Martin. Attendees included Baker County Planning Direc- tor Holly Kerns, County Planner Eva Ceder, County Planner Kelly Howsley- Glover, County Road Master Jeff Smith, County Clerk Cindy Carpenter, Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service staff Bob Parker, Carole Smith, Robin Maille, Re- becca Colton, and Leticia Rojas, Art Sappington, Ken Anderson, Ed Hardt, Chuck Chase, Lorrie Har- vey, Wanda Ballard, and Yvonne Wood. Harvey noted a couple of changes to the agenda, and it was then adopted, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. During Citizen Participa- tion, Ballard voiced some concerns about HR 2647, The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015, in- troduced by Congressman Walden, including her opinion that there were many redundancies ad- dressed in the bill. Chase and Hardt also expressed concerns about the bill, including some language. Sappington read into the record a letter he had written as a Show Cause demand and a follow-up to a letter he had sent to Regional Forester Jim Pena in December of last year, which had referenced a conference sponsored by Walden in October. One of Sappington’s chief con- cerns is that he has not re- ceived a timely response to his original letter, among other issues. The minutes from the June 10, 2015, and June 17, 2015 sessions were approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Harvey. Carpenter gave the Board a Clerk’s Office departmental update, in- cluding information about the collection of election expenses, the preservation of documents digitally, office staff cross-training, high school programs for elections, and 2016 Haggen CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 McGiverin replied, “Yes there will be a process on that, for like a certified kitchen, but we do not re- quest those forms, the form I was telling you about that you are agreeing that if you are selling us some- thing that is baked and requires that it be made in a certified kitchen, you have made it in a certified kitchen. We are not asking you to see that certification but your promising that you’ve got it.” Peppers said, “That’s kinda scary. And what about meats, do you sell Primary and General elec- tions. She said that the 2016 ballots are going to be large, possibly the larg- est ones to date. The Extension Service staff gave the Board an up- date, including discussion about different area pro- grams in association with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with Education (SNAP ED): Nutrition in the Schools, a weekly series with a focus on food groups, nutrients, physical activity, creating healthy menus, and is very hands-on; the Summer Lunch program, a weekly program with organized physical activities at Geiser-Pollman Park, and nutrition-based cooking lessons at North Baker; Af- terschool Cooking Classes, a weekly series, with 1-2 hours of hands-on cooking; and Healthy Pantry Initia- tive, working with local food pantries to improve healthy food choices, and encouraging clients to choose staple foods, such as beans, rice, whole grain oats, and potatoes, through food demonstrations and nutritional displays. Addendum #5 to a lease agreement between Baker County and Sackos Land Company Ltd. was approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This agree- ment is for real property, known as the Pocahontas Medical Office Building at 3330 Pocahontas Road, originally from July 1, 2009 through July 1, 2015, extended from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Agreement #13187, Juvenile Crime Prevention Basic Services Intergov- ernmental Agreement, was approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This agree- ment is between the State of Oregon through its Or- egon Youth Authority and Baker County, with a focus on improving collaborative efforts, and the Oregon Benchmark—Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Crime. Order No. 2015-124, A Petition For The Vacation Of A Portion Of Robinette Road, Baker County, Or- egon, was approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. The location, according to the staff report, is described as “A strip of land in the right of way for Robinette Road, located in the SW ¼ of NE ¼ of Section 30, Township 9 South, Range 46 East, W.M. The strip of land is approximately 10 feet in width and is approximately 400 feet in length.” Order No. 2015-03, An Ordinance Changing The Zone Of Tax Lot 100 In Township 10 South Range 39 East, Section 29, Tax Lot 100 From Primary Forest To Timber Graz- ing, read by title only, was adopted, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This change was requested because the parcel is privately owned, and the error correction was necessary. Prior to adoption of this zoning change, Holly Kerns and Ceder explained the nature of the change, and Wood testified at this session, in support of the application. Howsley-Glover discussed with the Board Plan Amendment (PA)-15- 002, a request from Tom and Fawn Kerns to amend the zoning designation of an 81-acre parcel from Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) to Timber Grazing (TG). Tim Kerns recused himself from the discussion prior to this because of his rela- tionship to the applicants. The applicants were not present, and there was no opposition noted to the application. Harvey noted that this hearing would be continued to July 15, 10 a.m., and this continuation was approved, with a mo- tion from Bennett, and a second from Harvey. Order No. 2015-129, An Order Designating A Sole Source Provider For Hot Mix Asphalt For Baker County Road Department, was approved, with a mo- tion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. Kerr Contractors Oregon, Inc. was designated as a sole provider. Order No. 2015-130, An Order Designating A Sole Source Provider For Chip Seal Oil For Baker County Road Department, was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. Albina Fuel was designated as a sole source provider of HFE-90 chip seal oil. Order No. 2015-131, An Order Designating A Sole Source Provider For Baker County Counsel Services (Attorney Dan Van Thiel), was not approved at this time, and the discussion was tabled for now, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. A Professional Services Agreement between Baker County and contractor Tim Bishop, Baker County Marketing Director, was any like that?” He answered “Meats are a different story; there is a lot more that goes into that I don’t have that info. “That is a question for Corporate, call them, ask the receptionist for our meat buyer. Meat is a dif- ferent process but we do try to source locally if we can, meetings like this one have produced one or two suppliers new to Haggen.” Another person in the au- dience asked, “Is it labeled so we know we are buying locally sourced meat?” McGiverin answered, “We try to do our best at that, yes” Peppers then questioned “What about Farm Inspec- tions, like from the market they choose a couple a year and they go out and inspect to make sure you are grow- ing what you say and you have the paperwork saying you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.” McGiverin replied, “Should we? Do they catch a lot of people that way? No, not as a part of doing business but it happens. We can send Mark out I guess,” he joked. Peppers just laughed and shook her head. Brian Vegter broke in to say, “My wife and I were on the Baker City Cycle Classic last weekend and I just want to say thanks for the support you gave us. The water and supplies you gave helped keep our Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press County Clerk Cindy Carpenter delivers her departmental update. approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. This agree- ment covers the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017. Bishop will earn $71,000 per year. A Professional Services Agreement between Baker County and Baker County Unlimited (a.k.a. Baker County Chamber of Com- merce) was approved, with a motion from Harvey, and a second from Bennett. This agreement covers the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017. Cooperative Agree- ment No. 15-73-41-6255, between Baker County and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS), was approved, with a motion from Harvey, and a second from Kerns. The plan sets forth the objec- tives, activities and budget for the cooperative wildlife services program in Baker County. The agreement covers the period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. A letter, addressed from Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya to the Commis- sioners, was approved to be accepted, signed and returned, with a motion Bennett, and a second from Kerns. There has been a verbal request, accord- ing to the letter, from the County to obtain a Public Road Easement to con- solidate the jurisdiction of Water Gulch Road (County Road 669), and Montoya stated his support for this proposal, and his willing- ness to grant the easement, upon receipt of the signed letter. Order No. 2015-126, Designating A Paper Of Record, was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. The Baker City Herald was designated as Paper of Record. Bennett explained that, through discussions with the Planning Depart- ment, it was indicated that capability of publication on multiple days during the week would benefit the Department. Order No. 2015-128, Re-Appointing Members To The Baker County Fair Board Advisory Commit- tee, was approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. Rob- ert Ellingson and Janice Cowan were re-appointed, their terms set to expire on July 1, 2016. Order No. 2015-132, Re-Appointing Members To The Baker County Transportation/Traffic Safety Commission, was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. Mike Kee and Mary Jo Carpenter were re-appointed, their terms set to expire on July 1, 2017. Order No. 2015-133, Re-Appointing A Mem- ber To The Baker County Cultural Coalition, was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Bennett. Aletha Bonebrake was re-appoint- ed, her term set to expire on July 1, 2018. Kerns was re-appointed to the Board of the Blue Mountain Translator Dis- trict, his term set to expire when applicable, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Harvey. Harvey said that the Bureau of Land Manage- ment (BLM) Greater Sage Grouse Final Environ- mental Impact Statement (FEIS) protest letter the County had approved last week, and sent to BLM headquarters in Washing- ton, D.C., did reach its destination, via email and regular mail, by the dead- line, which was Monday, June 29. This 22-page letter was drafted largely with the help of Baker County Natural Resource Advisory Committee (NRAC) Doni Bruland and others, and is based on Baker County’s comments submitted in response to the BLM regarding the Greater Sage Grouse Draft Environ- mental Impact Statement (DEIS), dated February 18, 2014. The letter includes four specific topics: 1. Re- quest for Revised RMPA (Resource Management Plan Amendment) and Supplemental EIS. 2. Tech- nical Protests Common to All Industries/Uses. 3. Technical Protests Regard- ing Mining. 4. Techni- cal Protests Regarding Livestock Grazing Request for Revised RMPA and Supplemental EIS (SEIS). At a minimum, the letter states, the County Com- mission Board requests an additional 60 days to pro- test the existing Proposed RMPA and FEIS. riders safe.” His wife then talked about how she came in again was given a discount on water, then came in another time after that and cleaned out the water on the shelves with no discount. Vegter then asked, “So, do you have a plan?” McGiverin said, “Um, yes, the first thing is to digest the giant bite we just bit off. Secondly, we are trying different things, one of the things that pains us is we’re spending an inor- dinate amount of money toward that paper flyer we send out every week. “It does have a purpose, people see deals and it gets them excited and in the store but we are trying to move away from it. We are going to go to an every other week flyer with ad prices good for two weeks. Our thought there is by saving those funds and re- investing them straight into community sponsorships and donations we feel that’s more aligned with Haggen and our brand. “I can tell you within the next 6-12 months we will introduce a loyalty card. I’m sure there will be mixed feelings about that. “The card won’t be required to get the lowest price, it’s not a discount card but it will have some perks associated with it. “Our basic strategy is not to invest in advertis- ing with media but to and direct those funds more toward community involvement, partnerships and sponsorships, where we feel we’re generating word of mouth advertis- ing, having a more positive impact on communities.” Anyone wanting to in- quire about nonprofit sup- port or becoming a vendor is urged to contact Store Manager Mark Ruberti at 541.524.0412. Haggen has a website from which they can be contacted: Haggen.com. They also have a Face- book page that they keep up to date with informa- tion.