THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016
Business & Ag
Safeway aims to move across
the street during August 2016
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Later this year, local
grocer Safeway plans
to alleviate, partially at
least, the concerns of local
customers by moving its
operation from the current
location at 1205 Camp-
bell Street, north to 1120
Campbell Street, a consid-
erably larger building.
The move, the grand
opening of which was
originally tentatively
planned for August 3rd,
would result in an increase
in store size from about
36,000 square feet to about
44,000 square feet.
Jill McGinnis, Portland
Division Communications
Manager for Albertsons/
Safeway, said, “While our
grand opening date has not
been determined yet, we
are certainly hoping it’s
before year’s end! We are
excited about the ability
to better serve our cus-
tomers in a significantly
larger building, which is
the biggest benefit. In the
meanwhile, we will begin
housing some back stock
there to allow our current
store much needed storage
(hence, improved in-stock
conditions).”
Safeway Store Manager
Amber Krantz, who has
held that position for about
a year, said the move will
be in late summer, and she
confirmed that the name of
the store will be Safeway
(Albertsons owns Safeway,
the two companies having
merged in January 2015).
About the grand opening
date, she said, “Originally,
they said that…That’s
a tentative date. I don’t
know if it will stay. In a
couple of weeks, we’re
going to go walk the
store, and kind of make
a construction plan. So,
construction hasn’t even
walked the store. They’re
going to do a (major)
remodel… I’m just saying
late summer to be safe.”
Krantz said, once this
gradual process is complet-
ed, there will be a seamless
transition for customers,
because, the new location
will be stocked while the
current location continues
its operation as usual, right
up until the grand open-
ing, when the new location
opens its doors, and the old
location is closed.
She said, “One day,
we’ll close the doors here,
and we’ll open up over
there, and it will be ready
to go over there.”
“Once the (current) store
is closed, another team will
come and box it all up, and
then we send it out to other
Safeway stores,” Krantz
said.
She said that each of a
number of other Safeway
stores may receive a pallet
of goods, for example,
and that’s the normal store
closure process.
Krantz was Assistant
Manager at the La Grande
Safeway for between five
and six years, prior to her
current position, she said.
Commenting about the
frequently crowded park-
ing lot and the influx of
customers to Safeway—
currently, the sole major
local grocer—in part, due
initially to higher Haggen
prices, she said, “It just
gradually got busier as
Haggen opened.”
Haggen, after acquir-
ing the former location of
Albertsons and opening in
May of last year, declared
bankruptcy in September,
and closed its doors last
fall. Albertsons reacquired
the building through
auction in November for
$300,000.
The property where
Safeway is located, 1205
Campbell Street, originally
built in 1977, is owned
by Muffrey, LLC, and
managed by KIN Prop-
erties, both located in
Boca Raton, Florida. The
property where Safeway
will be relocated to, 1120
Campbell Street, originally
built in 2001, is owned and
managed by Greg Sackos
of Intermountain Realty,
Inc., of Baker City, through
his company, BTS II, LLC.
Both buildings have been
remodeled since the date of
their original construction.
Nearby USA Gasoline and
Community Bank are also
BTS II, LLC properties,
both located just south of
the property at 1120 Camp-
bell Street.
At the most recent
Baker County Economic
Development Council
(EDC) meeting this month,
Economic Development
Director Greg Smith was
reluctant to provide much
detail about the current
major grocer situation,
Smith said, “Folks are
interested in what’s going
on with our grocery store
activity here. It’s difficult,
because entrepreneurs are
sharing this information,
and I just don‘t want to
breach their confidence…”
He spoke generally
about some major gro-
cer potentials, including
Albertsons, and said, “In
addition to that, we’ve
received contact from an-
other grocery entrepreneur
who’s expressed interest in
a smaller (chain) grocery
store…”
It’s unconfirmed
whether an Albertsons
store will be located in
the area, and if so, where.
However, Smith said the
smaller chain grocery store
would be west of I-84, in
a location other than the
aforementioned properties.
Sackos, who owns both
the land and the build-
ing where Haggen and
Albertsons were formerly
located, also has a common
area maintenance (CAM)
contract with lessees of the
property, which is in ad-
dition to rental payments,
and, includes services such
as landscaping, and snow
removal of the common
areas such as the parking
lot, provided by Sackos.
Regarding potential
grocer interest in the cur-
rent location of Safeway,
Matthew Makler, Senior
Leasing Manager for KIN
Properties, said, “It is the
owner’s policy not to com-
ment on active leases.”
Sackos has voiced strong
opinions about litigation
involving Albertsons and
Haggen (the companies
had sued each other), the
Haggen bankruptcy, and,
the Federal Trade Commis-
sion’s (FTC) involvement
to begin with, and he’s
spent a significant amount
for legal services, protect-
ing his interest in his prop-
erty during this process.
The FTC, in its attempt to
break up a potential local
monopoly of two stores,
Safeway and Albert-
sons, owned by the same
company since the merger,
caused Haggen to be
brought in as a competitor,
however, since the Haggen
bankruptcy, the result is
that Safeway remains the
sole local major grocer,
possibly until this fall.
Sackos expressed frus-
tration obtaining details
from representatives at
Albertsons, regarding the
lease, and, the move to the
property. He said, “Until
I hear something from
the horse’s mouth, it’s all
speculation to me, and I
own the property. I can‘t
confirm anything because I
don’t know.”
Speaking about the
relocation of Safeway
slated for late summer, he
said, “I‘m going to try to
accelerate this timetable.”
He said that improvements
are planned, for example,
changing the parking lot
lights to LED (light emit-
ting diode) models, but the
details need to be worked
out.
Referencing the dif-
ficulties with shopping at
an abnormally crowded
Safeway, he said he’s been
patronizing nearby Bi-
Mart, since that store also
sells grocery items, such as
milk, eggs, and bread.
NRAC goes over water rights
section, mining, etc.
Friday, January 22, 2016 — Eastern Oregon
Prices trended generally steady compared to week
ago prices. The recent cold snap has increased
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. Many hay
producers are sold out for the year.
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa —Large Square Good
250 135.00-135.00 135.00
Alfalfa / Orchard Mix —Small Square Premium
35 190.00-190.00 190.00
Prairie Grass—Small Square Good
25 150.00-150.00 150.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 2560
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 182.00 - 206.00 Top 210.00
400-500# Bulk 172.00 - 206.00 Top 211.00
500-600# Bulk 163.00 - 193.00 Top 199.75
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 169.00 - 183.00 Top 195.00
400-500# Bulk 141.00 - 181.00 Top 189.00
500-600# Bulk 139.00 - 166.00 Top 167.50
600-700#
700-800#
800-900#
900-1,000#
Yearling Steers
Bulk 146.00 - 165.00 Top 167.00
Bulk 141.00 - 152.00 Top 153.25
Bulk 127.00 - 145.50 Top 146.00
Bulk 123.00 - 137.00 Top 141.00
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 134.00 - 155.00 Top 161.00
700-800# Bulk 127.00 - 139.00 Top 141.50
800-900# Bulk 117.00 - 126.00 Top 129.50
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 41.00 - 52.00
Butcher Cows 53.00 - 61.00
Butcher Bulls N/A
Stock Cows Yng. N/A
Younger Hfrts. 86.00 - 112.00
Stock Cows Older. - N/A
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.
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County
Natural Resource Advi-
sory Committee (NRAC)
held its monthly meet-
ing on Tuesday, January
26, 2016, at 3 p.m. in the
Baker County Courthouse
Commission Chambers,
in order to discuss a Water
and Water Rights section
approval, a Mining section
amendment, and, a 2015
Baker County Wildfire
Analysis.
Present from the NRAC
were County Commission
Chair Bill Harvey, NRAC
Chair Doni Bruland,
NRAC Coordinator Eric
Wuntz, Ken Anderson,
Arvid Andersen, Cynthia
Long, Alice Knapp, Lyle
Defrees, Chuck Chase, Jan
Alexander, Kody Justus,
Jan Kerns, Emily Braswell,
Dick Fleming, Eileen Gyl-
lenberg, Maurene Chap-
man, and Lane Perry.
Attendance from the pub-
lic included Gary Dielman,
Dave McQuisten, and Ken
Alexander.
Bruland called the meet-
— Weekly Hay Report —
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: 1,108.10
Silver: $14.26
Platinum: $858.05
Palladium: $491.25
Bloomberg.com
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
The large NRAC met Tuesday to go over a complicated water rights section.
ing to order, and, as there
were no attendees pres-
ent for the initial Public
Participation segment (they
showed up later during
the meeting), the minutes
from the October, and
November meetings were
reviewed for approval.
The minutes for the
October meeting were
approved, with a motion
from Anderson, and a
second from Defrees.
The minutes for the
November meeting were
approved, with a motion
from Long, and a second
from Alexander.
SEE NRAC
PAGE 7
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $369.75/bu/USD
Wheat: $481.50/bu/USD
Soybeans: $880.50/bu/USD
Oats: $205.25 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $11.01/cwt/USD
Canola: $482.00 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $132.33/lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $157.50/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $66.78/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com