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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2015)
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015 Business & Ag Langrells sell: Always Welcome Inn has new owners — Weekly Hay Report — Friday, December 18, 2015 — Eastern Oregon Prices trended generally steady compared to week ago prices. The upcoming holidays have slowed sales. Many producers have decided to hold on to their hay for now, in hopes for higher prices. Snow has hit some of the hay producing areas. Tons Price Range Wtd Avg Alfalfa —Large Square Premium 320 190.00-190.00 190.00 Alfalfa —Large Square Good 245 125.00-125.00 125.00 Two weeks ago: Timothy Grass — Large Square, Good 65 200.00-200.00 200.00 Timothy Grass— Small Square, Good 5 200.00-200.00 200.00 USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press — Cattle Market Report — The Always Welcome Inn with its snow-covered parking lot this week, recently changed ownership. BY GINA K. SWARTZ Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com For the last 17 years, the Always Welcome Inn, owned and operated by Richard and Lynne Lan- grell, has been a beacon lighting up the hillside east of I-84. On December 7, the torch was passed to Dee Prashar. According to Langrell, Prashar owns and operates several other properties, including the Baker City Super 8. So, after 17 years the Langrells decided it was time to close the chapter and begin a new one. With their first grand- child born several months ago, the timing was right to be able to have the freedom to pick up and go whenever, whereever they wanted. Richard Langrell said, “We recently were plan- ning a trip to pick up our son and bring him home for Christmas. As we were making plans and deciding what was going to happen I looked at my wife and I said, ‘You know we can both go, together.’ She replied ‘Oh, yeah. We can both go.’” Langrell says his wife approached him about selling the motel several months ago. He said, “She decided the price and the terms and I laughed and told her it just didn’t work that way. I’ll be darned if we weren’t approached relatively quickly and everything that was in her terms was met exactly.” In four short weeks the deal on the property closed and Prashar took posses- sion. “We spent three weeks quickly moving all kinds of stuff out of there into a 40x85 foot warehouse. It’s crazy what you stockpile in 17 years,” Langrell said. Langrell indicated that he intends to run a small manufacturing company after he and his wife enjoy some quiet down time that is likely to include some traveling. He had no specifics to of- fer regarding the manufac- turing business at this time. Langrell currently serves as a Baker City Councilor. He was elected November 2012 and voted by his fellow councilors as Mayor in January 2013. Langrell was ousted as Mayor, yet remained on Council after he filed a lawsuit against the City regarding double water and sewer rates charged to him at the Always Welcome Inn. In an agreement made between property owners and the City back in 2005, double water and sewer rates were charged in lieu of the City’s portion of property taxes for a spe- cific period of time. Langrell says although the agreement was to have ended he continued to be double billed. His lawsuit was settled earlier this year for roughly $55,000. Langrell indi- cated that the timing of the settlement and the decision to sell were not related. Langrell says he has no intentions of resigning his City Council seat due to the motel sale and desire to travel. “Sorry, folks,” he said with a laugh. His Council term ends December 2016. Charley’s changes hands for second time since 2014 BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com At the northwest corner of Main and Broadway streets sits the historic cre- ation of well-known com- munity member Robert Charles “Charley” Carlson, Charley’s Ice Cream Par- lor, in the early stages of its interior transformation by new owners Dan Batch- elor and Jodi Furtney, evi- denced by the brown paper covering nearly every bit of glass, with the words “Closed For Remodeling.” The name, which will be displayed on the exterior, upon reopening next year: Charley’s. Having formed DanJo, LLC in October, busi- ness partners Batchelor and Furtney took over ownership of Charley’s on November 1st, keeping the parlor open, as-is, for cus- tomers until December 1st when remodeling began, Batchelor said. Answering questions— the first questions—many community members have had on their minds, Batch- elor said, “We will keep it Charley’s, and, we’ll have ice cream. But, we’re drop- ping the Ice Cream Parlor from the name of it… We’re still going to have the ice cream in there,” he said, noting there will still be around 16 variety of flavors offered, including milkshakes, but, there will be more of a focus on serv- ing deli-style lunch food. Furtney, who also works as an Advance Director for The Pampered Chef, concurred with Batchelor, and said, “We’re definitely going to keep the ice cream (the cooler‘s in storage at the moment), and, that fills a need in Baker, especially during the summertime. While that is a summer thing, there’s a bit part of the year where it’s not about tourists around here, so, we definitely want to cater to the local people. We feel we‘re giving the best of both worlds.” Furtney said, like Batchelor, that there will be more of a focus on deli foods, and a lunch menu. She said the plan is to have, among other things, specialty salads, and, spe- cialty meats and cheeses and high-quality bread for sandwiches. There will be a “variety pack,” as she put it. Furtney said that the number of staff, undeter- mined at this time, will be adjusted to ensure that people are served quickly, especially during the lunch hour. Furtney’s grown up around the food service industry, having assisted her father, Jerry Spencer, who ran a catering and other related business, but, this is her first time taking on a restaurant project in this capacity, she said. Batchelor, who owns Powder River Preci- sion, Inc. on 23rd Street with his wife, Michelle, acknowledged the benefits of showing consideration toward nostalgia, keeping the name Charley’s, and offering some of the same services this institution has offered the community throughout its history. Furtney said, about the inspiration for taking on the project, “A challenge, and, an opportunity. Char- ley’s is an icon in Baker, you know, it’s been around a long time…We want to honor the local tradition of it… The idea came up, and, the more we talked about it, you know, we said, this could be a really good thing.” Batchelor said he’s been in the community long enough—over eight years—to know that keep- ing the business name, or part of the business name, and, offering the same, or some of the same services, doesn’t translate to the best business practice, and, about every bit of advice written on the subject of opening a restaurant includes revamping the name and services, but, “The people who wrote those books don’t live in this town.” The interior layout will see a change, Batchelor said, but, it may not be too drastic, partly because of the structure of the space. There aren’t any plans to change the exterior of the building, the large glass windows and awnings of which command a memo- rable presence on Main and Broadway. Furtney said that she and Batchelor are handling the design work, and much of the remodeling work themselves, but some is necessarily contracted out. Furtney said, “It’s going to have a completely fresh look and fresh feel. When you walk in, it’s not go- ing to seem like the same place.” She explained that the interior, which has an odd shape to it, will have a layout with a more stream- lined look, and, there will be a more efficient use of the space. There will most likely be different flooring installed, replacing the green and white checkered flooring, Batchelor said. Furtney said that while assessing some minor wa- ter damage in a small area, several layers of flooring were discovered, includ- ing the original hardwood floors, covered with tar pa- per, covered by sub floor, by commercial-grade li- noleum, another sub floor, more commercial-grade linoleum, and, finally, the current flooring. She said the origi- nal flooring would look beautiful redone, but, that would require an enormous amount of work. The graphics on the exterior glass will see a change, Furtney said. This will possibly include a sub-name, to maybe include Delicatessen or other words (undetermined at this time), but the name Charley’s will certainly be displayed, she said. SEE CHARLEY’S PAGE 13 Wednesday, December 16, 2015 Vale, Oregon Cattle sold through the auction: 1,528 Steer Calves 300-400# Bulk 171.00 - 196.00 Top 228.00 400-500# Bulk 162.00 - 203.00 Top 216.00 500-600# Bulk 151.00 - 180.00 Top 180.75 Heifer Calves 300-400# Bulk 151.00 - 176.00 Top 178.00 400-500# Bulk 137.00 - 172.00 Top 175.00 500-600# Bulk 136.00 - 160.00 Top 160.50 600-700# 700-800# 800-900# 900-1,000# Yearling Steers Bulk 134.00 - 162.00 Top 163.50 Bulk 128.00 - 139.00 Top 152.75 Bulk 123.00 - 136.00 Top 137.00 Bulk 120.00 - 129.00 Top 135.00 Yearling Heifers 600-700# Bulk 122.00 - 144.00 Top 146.50 700-800# Bulk 118.00 - 131.00 Top 132.00 800-900# Bulk 112.00 - 123.00 Top 124.50 900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A Thin Shelly Cows 37.00 - 47.00 Butcher Cows 48.00 - 55.00 Butcher Bulls 52.00 - 62.00 Stock Cows Yng. 1175.00 - 1475.00 Younger Hfrts. 74.00 - 111.00 Stock Cows Older. - 935.00 - 1125.00 ProducersLivestock.com 541-473-3136 — Log Price Report — Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon Doug Fir is $415.00/mbf White fir is $365.00/mbf Ponderosa Pine is brought sold on diameter splits 6 to 11 inch dib $300 to $310/MBF 12 to 17 inch dib $350 to $375/MBF 18 to 23 inch dib $400 to $430/MBF 24 inch plus dib $450 to $500/MBF DIB is diameter inside bark at small end of log. MBF is thousand board feet lumber, net scale. People interested in selling logs should call and get specific quotes from saw mills. Courtesy of Arvid Andersen, Andersen Forestry Consulting — Precious Metals Report — Price per ounce, USD Gold: 1,077.70 Silver: $14.25 Platinum: $872.40 Palladium: $552.35 Bloomberg.com — Ag Commodities — Corn: $372.00/bu/USD Wheat: $479.00/bu/USD Soybeans: $891.50/bu/USD Oats: $225.00 bu/USD Rough Rice: $10.95/cwt/USD Canola: $491.30 CAD/mwt Live Cattle: $129.15/lb./USD Feeder Cattle: $154.50/lb./USD Lean Hogs: $56.63/lb./USD Bloomberg.com