FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9
Local
Promise student honored, Rock slide
mock trial team goes to State closes road by
Hells Canyon
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Thursday the Baker
5J School Board met for
their regular monthly meet-
ing.
After calling the meeting
to order, Jordan Remien
was recognized as the
Baker Middle School
“Promise of Baker” student
for the month.
Mr. Carmiencke, Baker
Middle School Principal,
awarded Remein and spoke
as to his character say-
ing, “He is a fun-loving
kid. He is always full of
energy, even at 7:30 in the
morning. He is an amazing
leader, a solid student and
an outstanding musician.
“We had a Veterans Day
assembly and Jordan sang
the National Anthem, just
beautiful, on his own.
“We also invited the band
and the choir to perform
for this but neither the
band or choir teacher were
there so Jordan directed
both of them. While Jordan
might not be the best
student at Baker Middle
School, there is no one at
Baker Middle School that
reflects a really important
and valuable trait, which
is excellence, like him. He
embodies excellence in his
leadership and his vocal
abilities, which are just
outstanding.”
Remien was chosen
by taped audition for an
all-state boys’ honor choir.
He performs many solos
for the choir, performed
in a solo contest as EOU
recently where he scored
95/100.
Middle school choir di-
rector, DeeAnn Sands said,
“He is more talented and
mature than my other kids.
Don’t tell them that.” She
laughed and added, “But if
you asked any one of them
about Jordan they would
say, ‘He’s my best friend.’
He does not set himself
above them. He can act
like a five-year-old with
the rest of them, but he
can also stand up and lead
them, get them to work.
His talent, he was born
with but his leadership and
work ethic are incredible.”
After the presentation
the board moved on with
their agenda first approving
the evenings agenda and
next approving the minutes
from the February 18, 2016
meeting.
Chairman Kevin Cas-
sidy addressed the next
item on the agenda letting
board members know there
was information in packets
they had received pertain-
ing to the school district’s
enrollment reports and
principals’ reports.
He noted that the princi-
pals were all in attendance
if there were any questions
for them. He the stated that
the Baker County Library
would be “stepping up and
sponsoring the Oregon
State Spelling Bee.”
Assistant Superintendent
Betty Palmer explained,
“The spelling bee is
something we have done,
in the spring for the last
couple of years. The kids
participate in it voluntarily.
Teachers give a list of
words to study. The top
kids participate in competi-
tions locally, then region-
ally, statewide and finally
nationally, should they get
that far.”
Chairman Cassidy then
called on Bryson Smith
to give a report on Baker
Submitted Photo.
Baker High School’s mock trial team prosecution.
Submitted Photo.
High School.
Smith’s address in-
formed the board that
“BHS wrestlers were GOL
champions with 13 of the
14 wrestlers on the team
qualifying for state. As
a team they placed 7th
overall and five of the 13
qualifiers placed individu-
ally. The Girls Basketball
Team placed 2nd at district
playoffs, with five making
the all-league team. The
Boys’ Basketball Team
were league champions
and district champions. All
five of the team starters
were named to an all-
league team. Coach Brent
Gyllenberg was named
Coach of the year.”
He added, “In swim-
ming Jared Miller is a
state champion in the 100
backstroke and eight others
placed at state.
“Cheerleading, first time
ever competing at state and
they placed 4th.”
He went on the inform
the board of the FFA
district leadership com-
petitions that produced
six qualifying for state
and noted that Kountney
Lehmen had been elected
as the northeast Oregon
district secretary.
He also noted that FBLA
placed in 24 separate
competitions and will be
competing in 37 different
competitions at the state
level.
He then told the Board,
“The Mock Trial team won
districts and will travel to
the state competition this
weekend.” (The team did
well, but did not advance
from Portland to Nation-
als.)
He said that the skills
USA team competed at the
annual high school indus-
trial skills competition at
Linn Benton Community
College where Dusty Gyl-
lenberg placed 1st in Weld-
ing Technology and Casey
Poe took 2nd in Computer
Aided Drafting.
He noted that in the
first semester BHS saw 33
students with a 4.0 GPA
and 133 students made
honor roll. Attendance is at
a three-year high of 91%.
There are 247 total enroll-
ments that are currently
receiving dual credits,
meaning they are also
receiving in addition to
high school credits college
credits.
Smith said “I will gradu-
ate with close to 40 college
credits. It’s awesome that
our high school gives the
students the opportunity
to take dual credit courses.
It saves a lot of money
down the road but it also
prepares you.”
Cassidy asked, “So,
Bryson, how does that look
going into college for you,
as an example for us to
understand.”
Flaggers will direct traffic for several days until this
rock slide is cleared.
A rock slide on the road between Oxbow and Hells
Canyon Dam has narrowed traffic to one lane and may
cause brief traffic delays until the area is cleared, sched-
uled Thursday (yesterday) afternoon.
Flaggers will direct traffic on both sides of the slide,
which is located 13 miles north of the Oxbow Bridge on
the Idaho side of the Snake River. Drivers should use
extra caution and be prepared to stop.
The slide occurred Saturday, March 12. Crews have
been working since then to safely remove the debris.
They expect the road to be completely cleared this week.
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Jordan Remien receives his Promise of Baker
award.
He answered, “My
credits will transfer straight
across so I’ll go into col-
lege with my freshman
year done.”
Cassidy nodded and
said, “Thanks, that’s
great.” Cassidy moved
forward asking for board
updates.
Board member Andrew
Bryan spoke up stating that
he felt a discussion revolv-
ing around Baker Techni-
cal Institute (BTI) and all
the things happening and
future prospects needed,
but it should be scheduled
ahead of time and as the
only item for discussion as
he felt there was much to
talk about.
Chairman Cassidy ad-
vised the Board that he had
met recently with a small
group at Governor Kate
Brown’s home.
He felt encouraged
by the conversations he
heard there about getting
our youth career ready as
well as college ready, an
important piece BTI plays
a role in.
He indicated Governor
Brown had asked him
questions about the fund-
ing behind BTI and he
indicated that he may be
part of one of her CTE
Committee members
in the near future as well.
Doug Dalton recognized
Behlen Manufacturing as
an outstanding business
partner with Baker School
District.
Kathy Gover-Shaw ac-
cepted the award on behalf
of the company.
Dalton stated that more
than once Behlen has gone
above and beyond to help
the school’s out whether
it be providing a trough
to catch water, and then
telling them to just keep
it rather than picking it up
later, when an unexpected
leak was discovered to
donating metal to the
welding program to hiring
students that participated in
that program he noted that
they are just an outstanding
community partner.
Dalton quickly went
through updates needing
to be made to some of the
district buildings includ-
ing serious issues with
the boiler system at the
High School that is being
replaced. He specifically
mentioned when portions
of the school were rebuilt
after fire destroyed the
majority of the building in
1988 some of the systems
were pieced together to
make the system whole
potentially creating a very
large problem.
Dalton suggested having
a company inspect all of
the existing duct work and
having a recommenda-
tion made before any final
decisions are made in the
project.
He said those decisions
would need to be made
quickly and most likely be-
fore the next School Board
meeting. A concerned
citizen also addressed the
board saying he did not
feel the majority of parents
understood what the
change in the calendar they
were considering meant.
That most parents did
not realize the board was
considering extending the
school week by adding
Fridays back onto the
calendar.
He felt a more straight-
forward and frank con-
versation rather than just
calling it by the general
topic “calendaring” was in
order so parents were not
surprised.
The Board quickly
moved through the adop-
tion by unanimous vote
of items that included
certifying the new hire of
Dan Van Winkle to head
the summer academy, final
readings of policies such
as use of tobacco products,
drugs and alcohol, harass-
ment and cyberbullying.
The topic of a math
curriculum adoption was
mentioned as a future
agenda item and it was
mentioned that there was
still time for parents to get
into classrooms to observe
instruction of math cur-
riculums and voice their
opinions before the meet-
ing adjourned.
Granite Creek
Watershed
Mining Analysis
Final EIS and
draft Decision
released by
USFS / WWNF
The Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla National Forests
will release the Granite Creek Watershed Mining Analy-
sis Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and
draft Record of Decision (ROD) on March 16, 2016. The
release of the FEIS and draft ROD will be followed by a
45-day pre-decisional objection period.
“The release of the FEIS and draft ROD is a significant
step towards approving 28 mining Plans of Operations in
the Granite Creek Watershed,” said Jeff Tomac, Whit-
man District Ranger for the Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest.
The 94,480 acre Granite Creek Watershed is located
in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and is primar-
ily within the administrative boundaries of the Whitman
Ranger District, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
(40,624 acres), and the North Fork John Day Ranger
District, Umatilla National Forest (49,539 acres) in Baker
and Grant Counties. Project activities will affect about
105 acres of this 94,480-acre watershed.
“The FEIS and draft ROD were developed through
an iterative process with the miners, an interdisciplin-
ary team of natural resource specialists, treaty Tribes,
and state and federal regulatory agencies with whom the
Forest Service is required to consult. Ranger Tomac and
I selected Alternative 3 in our decision which best al-
lows the miners legal access to their mineral estate while
minimizing impacts to surface resources, including water
quality and threatened fish species”, said Ian Reid, North
Fork John Day District Ranger for the Umatilla National
Forest.
After the final ROD is signed and issued, reclamation
bonds and any 401 certifications and valid water rights
determined necessary as a result of this analysis will be
required before the Plans of Operations are approved and
mining activities commence.
The FEIS and draft ROD are subject to a 45-day pre-
decisional administrative review process, commonly
referred to as an objection process. The objection process
allows those individuals or organizations that provided
specific written comments during the scoping or com-
ment period to object to specific aspects of the proposal
in the FEIS and the draft ROD. Minimum requirements
of an objection are described at 36 CFR 218.8(d).
An electronic copy of the Granite Creek Watershed
Mining Analysis FEIS and draft ROD is available online
at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=2209. Hard
copies or CDs of the document can be obtained by
contacting Chris Helberg at (541) 427-5351, chelberg@
fs.fed.us.
For more information about the Granite Creek Water-
shed Mining Analysis FEIS and draft ROD, please con-
tact Sophia Millar, Environmental Coordinator, Wallowa
Mountains Office, 201 East Second Street / PO Box 905,
Joseph, OR 97846, (541) 263-1735, or smillar@fs.fed.
us.