FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
City Council addresses graffi ti Sex offender
ordinance, City Manager search
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
• DEQ
INFORMATION
HEARD FOR
WASTE WATER
PROJECT AHEAD
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
At this week’s City Coun-
cil meeting, Councilor
Langrell lead the room in
the pledge of allegiance
followed by an invocation.
City Recorder Luke Yea-
ton conducted roll call and
all councilors answered
present. Also present were
City Manager Mike Kee
and Public Works Director
Michelle Owen.
The Council approved
the agenda and minutes
from the special City
Council meeting of Octo-
ber 19 in which Councilor
Sandy Lewis was offi cially
appointed to Council by a
unanimous revote, after it
was brought to attention
the original vote was not
done according to City
Charter.
The matter of an
administration vehicle
purchase was readdressed
at that special meeting as
well. Councilor Down-
ing motioned to approve
the minutes and consent
agenda with a second by
Councilor Thomas.
All Councilors voted to
approve. Mayor Mosier
then called for any citizen
participation. Seeing none,
Council moved ahead with
the agenda.
Appoint Volunteers to
Sam-O and Tree Board
Commissions
The Council recently
voted to add two positions
to the Tree Board per the
adoption of Ordinance
#3344. The current mem-
bers expressed concerns
about their ability to keep
up with the demands of
the board without addi-
tional members to help.
One application from
Lyle Kuchenbecker was
received for the two open
positions.
Council unanimously
voted to appoint Mr.
Kuchenbecker. He will
serve a three-year term set
to expire in July 2018.
Rustin Smith recently
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Don Butcher from the DEQ addresses the Council.
resigned from his position
from the Sam-O Swim
Committee creating a
vacancy.
One application to fi ll
that vacancy was received
from Chuck Everson, who
was present at the meeting.
Mayor Mosier asked
Everson if he wished to
say anything to Council
before their decision.
He declined.
Council unanimously
agreed that Everson, a
former City employee with
knowledge of the facil-
ity, would be a benefi cial
addition to the committee.
The term for this position
is also set to expire in July
2018.
Council Appointment
to Sam-O Committee
With the resignation
of Ben Merrill from
City Council, a Council
Liaison position to the
Sam-O-Swim committee
opened. Council must have
representation for the com-
mittee. Councilor Lewis
volunteered to serve on
that committee. “I would
be honored to serve if se-
lected,” she told her fellow
Councilors. The Council-
ors were all in agreement
of that appointment.
“It is much appreciated,”
said Mayor Moiser to
Councilor Lewis. “We all
get to take turns on various
COMPUTER
AIDED DESIGN AND
DRAFTING (CADD)/
SCADA
TECHNICIAN
Oregon Trail Electric Co-
operative (OTEC) with headquarters in Baker City, Oregon,
has an immediate opening for a CADD/SCADA Technician
in the Baker City offi ce. Th is position reports to the System
Engineer. Successful candidates will be responsible for data
entry in computer aided mapping and data base soft ware
to produce maps, data and drawings, including substation
and station equipment drawings, system one-line drawings
and system base maps. Responsibilities include coordinating
map, drawing and document production within the engi-
neering department, and creating and maintaining OTEC
one-line drawings. SCADA duties include continual sup-
port and maintenance of the SCADA system, and database
management, including set-up, reporting and revisions on a
continual basis. Th is position assists system engineers in the
development and reliability of the SCADA system includ-
ing modeling and performance. Applicants must be able to
take appropriate action on their own initiative, have strong
interpersonal skills, and be a team player with a willingness
to work with other departments and the public. An associate’s
degree is preferred in computer-aided draft ing (CAD) or the
equivalent. A minimum of three years’ experience in electri-
cal utility industry is preferred. Th is position requires that
the employee possess and maintain a valid Oregon driver’s
license. Salary DOE. Excellent benefi t package includes
retirement and 401(k) plan. OTEC has 83 employees and
four district offi ces serving over 30,000 customers located in
Eastern Oregon, known for its excellent hunting, fi shing, and
outdoor recreation. Resumes may be sent to the attention of
Human Resources, 4005 23rd Street, Baker City, OR 97814
or email to humanresources@otecc.com. We encourage all
interested individuals to apply. Applications will be accepted
until position is fi lled.
committees. Thanks for
doing your part.”
Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality
The City had a permit to
operate an approved waste-
water plan that expired in
2008.
DEQ granted an adminis-
trative extension for seven
years, which is ready to
expire. DEQ is backlogged
due to lack of resources
but needs to work with the
city to develop a new plan
in order to issue a current
permit.
Currently the city is al-
lowed to disperse wastewa-
ter into the Powder River,
but other options need to
be considered due to the
fl ow of the river. Drought
conditions over the last
couple of years have made
the river fl ow much lower
than usual, thus making it
unsafe to disperse all of the
wastewater and requiring
storage, yet another con-
cern to address.
The City needs to ad-
dress constantly changing
issues concerning phos-
phate, arsenic and even
temperature levels, and
according to Don Butcher,
Eastern Region Water
Quality Manager out of
Pendleton, new carcino-
gens are uncovered almost
daily that are added to the
list of things that have
to be contended with, so
“rules” are ever-changing.
Langrell expressed con-
cern with hiring another
outside consulting fi rm,
at the cost to the city to
develop a plan that may
or may not be relevant in
fi ve years and explained
frustration over having just
done this a few years ago
with no result in a permit
issuance from DEQ.
Langrell said, “The last
time the DEQ was here
they put the skids on all
the work that the City had
done. They said, ‘Well, we
really don’t know what we
want you to do, so just put
everything on hold while
we decide what we want.’
So has the DEQ decided
what they want us to do?”
Butcher responded say-
ing, “That’s painful to hear
but I get it and acknowl-
edge what you’re saying
and I apologize for what’s
happened. With things like
new standards, we didn’t
know there was going to
be a phosphorus issue and
with this new arsenic issue
it’s all a moving target so
you may design something
that just won’t be feasible.
But the best recommenda-
tion is to talk with us, talk
with your engineers have a
lot of early up front com-
munication before writing
the proposal and then talk
about variances. It is al-
most inevitable things are
going to be changing.”
Langrell was dissatisfi ed
with that response and felt
the City was not respon-
sible to spend more money
to come up with a plan that
the DEQ likes one week
and not the next.
Butcher agreed with
Langrell that it was
problematic to continue
working on a plan that had
to be changed so often, and
committed to working with
the City on resolving that
issue.
“If the City jumps
through all your hoops
we really need, deserve a
guarantee,” Langrell said.
According to Butcher,
“Once a permit is issued
that is kind of a guaran-
tee.”
“And permits are good
for how long?” asked
Langrell.
Butcher replied, “Five
years.”
Langrell, not satisfi ed
with that answer in light
of potential millions of
dollars on system changes
asked, “A fi ve-year guaran-
tee? Can we up the ante a
little?”
Butcher responded
by drawing attention to
extended permit uses, like
what is happening now.
Owen, who had been
at a waste water confer-
ence hosted by the Pacifi c
Northwest Clean Water As-
sociation in Boise, stated
that there were some new
and innovative ideas she
had heard at the conference
that she thought needed
further research and pos-
sibly could be of benefi t to
the community.
She said that she heard,
“ways to view wastewa-
ter a little bit differently.
Instead of in a negative
fashion, as we often do,
look at this as a potential
asset and how can we get
the most out of our treat-
ment facility and the assets
that are there. There might
there be opportunities for
the community and our
agriculture. Just as a whole
how can we look at the
watershed and develop a
wastewater option that best
suits our community as a
whole.”
SEE CITY COUNCIL /
PAGE 9
Shirtcliff continued, “The overall plea agreement is for
this charge to run concurrent to his sentence, which will
still be 35 years.”
Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner said that in May
of 2013, his department made contact twice with Nelson
due to traffi c-related incidents. Then that same month
they “received a report that Nelson had sexually abused a
Baker City youth, known to him, in Baker City.”
Local police learned that Nelson was already sitting in a
Multnomah County jail at the time the Baker City report
came in. Nelson was subsequently charged with the sex
abuse in Baker City referred to by Shirtcliff.
Nelson was involved in the North Powder Charter
School’s track and fi eld program from 2013 through
2014, and worked as a Youth and Sports coordinator as-
sistant at the local YMCA around that same time.
Several parents recall him transporting children in his
1974 green Volkswagen bug.
Jennifer Morwood’s son is one of the students who had
contact with Nelson, raising concern for their family and
the children of family friends whose children also had
contact with Nelson.
“Not only was Ben driving my son home, but he was
riding in the back of the school buses on events with the
students. He became the kids’ best friend. He groomed
the children. He was just like what you see on TV,” Mor-
wood said.
Morwood expressed anger that she and other parents of
North Powder students were not informed by the school
of the charges or the conviction against Nelson once
school offi cials became aware. She is also dismayed that
the Baker County YMCA, where Nelson had access to “a
huge number of children” during his time working that
organization’s Summer Camp, has also never issued a
statement to parents.
“In my mind,” Morwood said, “if an organization had
one of its employees or past employees prosecuted for
something like this, parents need to be told.”
North Powder Charter School is currently debating a
course of action. Superintendant Lance Dixon wrote in
an email on Tuesday night, “I am in consultation with our
attorney as to what if any action the school should take.”
Heidi Dalton, CEO for the Baker County YMCA wrote,
“We are aware of the prosecution and conviction of Ben-
jamin Nelson, a former Baker County YMCA employee.
The Baker County YMCA conducted a thorough criminal
background check, sex offender registry check and refer-
ence checks on Mr. Nelson before hiring him. Our youth
camps are structured so that no staff member is left alone
with a child, and that policy was strictly followed during
Mr. Nelson’s employment. Because the charges are un-
related to Mr. Nelson’s past association with the YMCA,
we have no comment on them.”
Morwood believes that Nelson went to college in Ha-
waii, where she fears he also had access to children, pos-
sibly those in the under-age-12 range he targeted as prey.
Another acquaintance of Nelson, who preferred to re-
main anonymous, spoke about Nelson’s expressed future
plans to become a teacher.
Morwood said she spoke with Offi cer Jay Lohner, who
originally handled the Baker City complaint, at length
on Tuesday, and encourages any parent with a child who
may have been victimized, to call the police department.
Nelson was also contacting his victims by various so-
cial media and online messaging, so the second thing she
encourages, is that parents review past communications.
“iMessages, possibly even Facebook messages,” she said.
Morwood went on to stress the importance of making
sure children have a safe person to confi de in.
Chief Lohner said, “These horrifi c types of cases will
hopefully also be a reminder to parents of the need to
educate their children on appropriate contact and ensure
their children have someone they can talk to. Kids need
to know the inappropriate areas to touch other people
and that if anyone touches them in those locations, it is
wrong. Kids then need someone they can trust, someone
they will feel comfortable sharing even the most embar-
rassing type of information with. That may not be mom
or dad. It may be a sibling, friend, counselor or teacher.
Allow them to choose and make sure they know you as a
parent are there to support them and protect them.”
Thus far, no additional potential victims have come for-
ward in other Oregon counties, including Union County.
Walgreens to
buy Rite Aid
In a press release Tuesday, Walgreens announced a
pending merger with Rite Aid / CVS Pharmacy—a nearly
$17.2 billion deal that would create one mega-chain of
over 13,000 stores.
The statement released by the company indicated that
all Rite Aid stores would “initially” keep their names, but
would eventually be converted to the Walgreens name to
keep the brand consistent across the country.
Rite Aid and Walgreens are the nation’s second and
third largest drug stores.
“Today’s announcement is another step in Walgreens
Boots Alliance’s global development and continues our
profi table growth strategy,” Walgreens Boots Alliance
CEO Stefano Pessina said in a statement. “In both mature
and newer markets across the world, our approach is to
advance and broaden the delivery of retail health, well-
being and beauty products and services.”
Rite Aid CEO John Standley said the deal “will en-
hance our store base and expand opportunities as part
of the fi rst global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing
enterprise.”