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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2015)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local New School Resource Office Victorian-era photos sworn in on Tuesday • OFFICER LANCE WOODWARD FILLS MUCH- ANTICIPATED POSITION BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com On Tuesday morning at City Hall, Officer Thomas Lance Woodward—who goes by Lance—was sworn in by Luke Yeaton of the City, with Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner and a gathering of 5J administration and law enforcement looking on. “Taking this oath is important,” Lohner said. “This is what specifically gives the power to an of- fice . We swear to uphold the Constitution, the City Charter ... It’s not some- thing to be taken lightly.” Woodward will begin as the new School Resource Officer (SRO), a position that has awaited just the right person and the right funding combination for quite some time. Said Lohner, “The last year we had a full-time SRO was 2008. From 2010 through 2013 we had a part-time SRO, with diminishing hours each year.” Woodward, who has spent over a decade in law enforcement in Sun River, where his career has spanned everything from Reserve Officer to Patrol Officer to serving as the Public Safety Officer at Central Oregon Communi- ty College. He even served as a Bike Patrol Officer in 2014. “For all intents and pur- poses,” said Woodward, “I was serving as the SRO in Bend, so settling into that aspect here really appealed to me. The Baker City community also appealed. It has a similar elevation, climate, and so on.” That law enforcement experience in an educa- tional setting is something Woodward believes makes his background a good fit for the SRO position here. Woodward’s wife Shalyn, and two children, Noah and Naomi, remain in the Bend area due to school obligations while he moved first, securing a rental for the time being. “This is the first time I’ve lived in an apartment for 15, 16, 17 years,” he said. His family plans join him soon in Baker City. Woodward will need to complete a training pro- gram before starting in his position based out of the high school. A grant funds roughly 64% of the SRO’s sal- ary and the position’s associated fringe expenses such insurance, with the Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press L-R, Officer Lance Woodward, Baker City Fire Chief Mark John, 5J Board member Andrew Bryan, and 5J assistant supervisor Betty Palmer. Photos courtesy of the Baker City Police Department. Signed pages from inside some of the books. The lower photo bears the name “Ellen M. Wright” with the other handwriting illegible. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press L-R: City Recorder Luke Yeaton, Officer Lance Woodward, and Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner. remainder of the amount needed split 65% 5J, 35% Baker City. According to the July 1 Memorandum of Under- standing signed between the 5J School District and The City of Baker City: “The School Resource Office ’s role in the Dis- trict schools shall be as follows: “A. The officer will pr - vide a positive, preventa- tive visibility on the school campus by his or her presence and through com- munity policing principles. The officer will typically wear a regular uniform. “B. The officer will serve as a resource to the school staff and students for top- ics relating to safety and security issues, including facilitate workshops and instruction. “C. The officer will provide a communication link between the City Po- lice Department, Sheriff’s Office, State Police and the schools. “D. The officer will provide support to the District administration in dealing with criminal acts by students or others on the school campus. “E. The officer will a - sist school staff in tru- ancy issues, neighborhood relationships, building security, alcohol and drug prevention. “F. The officer will pr - vide availability for direct contact with students and staff to answer questions and to develop positive relationships with the pur- pose of providing a posi- tive image for the Police Department. “G. The officer will make appropriate referrals to the Police Department, Juvenile Department, and courts to ensure that school safety issues are dealt with expeditiously. “H. The officer shall, as requested, attend meet- ings with school staff for the purpose of exchang- ing information, receiving requests, and discussing improving overall school safety and security. “I. The officer shall comply with the District’s student non discriminat- ing policies except that he/ she shall not be required to follow formal or informal counseling or disciplin- ary policies when dealing with the commission of a crime or actions creating a danger to public health or safety.” “Our hope is (for Woodward to begin at the school) by the 1st of October, at the latest,” said Lohner. Wrote 5J Superinten- dent Mark Witty, who was unable to attend the swearing-in due to a prior obligation, “I am very ex- cited to get back to having an SRO! I strongly believe we will have positive long-term benefits for our students.” National Guard tapped to fight fires Governor Kate Brown has authorized the activa- tion of an additional 250 Oregon National Guard members to assist with ongoing firefighting forts throughout the state. The additional personnel reported to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), in Salem, Oregon to undergo firefighting training sta - ing Wednesday, Aug. 26. DPSST officials say the additional group should complete their training by Aug. 30. The additional 250 vol- unteers are comprised of Oregon Guard units from around the state. Half of the additional Guard mem- bers are Citizen-Airmen from the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland, Oregon, and the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, Or- egon. The other half of the additional Guard members are from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The first group of O - egon Soldiers activated are currently undergoing train- ing at DPSST, completed their training Aug. 25. This first group is scheduled to head to the Canyon Creek Complex Firebase Wednes- day, where they will assist first responders, initial attack contract crews and fire managers The Soldiers in the first group come from units across the state, including; 224 Engineering Company, 1-186 Infantry Battalion, 1-82 Cavalry, 141 Brigade Support Battalion and 1249 Engineer Company. They join Soldiers from Charlie 7-158 Aviation, and Army and Air National Guard Joint Staff who have been participating in the effort since Aug. 3. The books include four titles in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan series, while not first editions, still earlier mid century printings. Also inside were two photo albums, the contents of which must be invaluable to the descendants of the familly whos images are captured inside. Right now, police have only guesses as to why the books and photo albums were stuffed in the tree. Consid- ering that the plastic was not deteriorated and no bugs, etc. had yet found their way inside, Regan suspects the bag had been placed in its hiding spot fairly recently. Anyone with information leading to the rightful owner of these items can call Regan at 541.523.3644 or email sregan@bakercity.com. Reference case number P201500975. Emergency conservation program available A lack of moisture, over an extended period of time, has caused producers in Baker County to suffer from the effects of severe drought conditions. Farms and ranches experiencing severe drought conditions may be eli- gible for cost-share assistance under ECP. This disaster program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA), which provides cost-share assistance if the damage is so severe that water available for livestock or orchards and vineyards has been reduced below normal to the extent that neither can survive without additional water. A producer qualifying for ECP assistance may re- ceive cost shares not to exceed 75 percent of the cost of installing eligible temporary measures. Cost sharing for permanent measures is based on 50 percent of the total eligible cost. Cost-share assistance is limited to $200,000 per person or legal entity per natural disaster. Approved practices and measures may include: • installing pipelines or other facilities for livestock water or existing irrigation systems for orchards and vineyards • constructing and deepening wells for livestock water • developing springs or seeps for livestock water. Producers who have experienced severe drought condi- tions requiring outside assistance to provide supplemental emergency livestock water may contact the local FSA County Office. Requests for assistance will be accepted at FSA County Office from August 31 to October 2. To be eligible for cost shares, practices shall not be started until a request has first been filed at the F County Office and an onsite inspection of the problem area has been made by COC or its representative. COC will review the inspection findings when considering the request for cost shares. For more information contact: Trent Luschen Baker-Grant County Executive Director USDA Farm Service Agency Phone: (541)523-7121 x106
