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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2016)
8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016 Local 911 calls not being recorded Bike chop shop parts go to prison work program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 She said she was in- formed that the recorder would no longer receive support from the manufac- turer, including replace- ment parts, or upgrades, and that, as of this writing, nothing was being record- ed at the Center. Lindsey had been scheduled to discuss the recorder issues with the Board at the regu- lar Commission session on Wednesday, May 18, how- ever, because of the emer- gency, she provided the Board with her staff report, and three bids, for replace- ment of the equipment, at this earlier session. According to Lindsey, all three bids listed equipment that meets next-generation compliance requirements, a capability she said may be needed to be utilized next year. The three quotes were from WesTek/Stancil, for $19,888; Commercial Electronics, for $15,750; and DSS/Equature, for $23,515. She said she’s most familiar with Commercial Electronics equipment, and that the company’s customer service, and overall service has been excellent. She said that DSS/Equature’s bid was the highest of the three, but the company has more options available for the future, including a Premiere Partnership Program (PPP), allowing payments of $4,250 a year for five years, after which, the Center would own the equipment, which would mean less cost upfront, in order to purchase and have the equipment installed. Another benefit is that Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press 911 Call Center Director Hope Lindsey presented three bids to replaced failed call center equipment. PPP includes the mainte- nance fee, which is $2,600 a year for the current equipment, that’s no longer supported to begin with, she said. The installation fee for the DSS/Equature equipment is $1,500. Lindsey said, considering that the maintenance fees are included in the yearly payments, the savings would be $13,000 in five years over the current maintenance cost, and the equipment would be owned for actually around $8,250, after subtracting the savings from the total of payments, $21,250. Harvey asked about the new equipment’s expected operational life span, and Lindsey said that DSS/ Equature has guaranteed, in writing, support for life, including replacement, something she noted the other companies could not offer. Harvey asked about the required funds to replace the equipment now, and Lindsey said that the first payment, $4,250, plus installation, $1,500, for a total of $5,750, would be the cost. Per the staff report, Lindsey noted that, though replacement of the equipment was not planned as part of the budget, she recommended using a transfer of funds from the equipment replacement fund. She said, typically, the process would possibly take longer, but upon approval from the Board, the company would have shipped the equipment overnight, in order to at- tempt to have it installed by the end of the week. Bennett emphasized the value of having this equip- ment in place immediately, and he made a motion to approve the purchase agreement with DSS/ Equature, and to have the system hopefully installed and operational by today. Kerns seconded the mo- tion, and the agreement was approved. Lindsey said Michigan- based DSS/Equature, under the PPP, has a tech support team in Boise, capable of responding to equipment issues on-site, within four hours, on any given day, in contrast to the other com- panies, unable to provide that same level of support. That response capability includes holidays, week- ends, and after hours, 24/7, she said. Auction raises funds for Huntington Chamber BY EILEEN DRIVER Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com Saturday, May 7th dawned sunny and warm making it the perfect day for the Annual Huntington Chamber Auction and Cinco de Mayo Lunch in Lyon’s Park. This event is the kickoff to the spring/summer season. The event is always eagerly anticipated. The Cook Shack was alive with the smells of the delicious Mexican cuisine being prepared for the awaiting hungry crowd. Lunch service began at 11:00 a.m. and this year’s menu included chicken enchilada, beef taco, Spanish rice, refried beans, green salad and your choice of coffee, lemonade or iced tea all for only six dollars a plate. After eating people got a preview of the items available for auction by wandering the through the tables set up in the park and loaded with goods both new and used. This year's auctioneers were Chamber of Com- merce members Conway Lewis, Steve Stacy and Allan Driver. Conway Lewis started the auction off at 1:00 p.m. with a movie gift basket donated by Safeway of Baker City. Three hours later it ended with the auc- tioning off of 10 free one- topping pizzas from Papa Murphy’s of Ontario. In between attendees bid fast and furious on the items of their choice and at the end of the day went home a little lighter in the pocket book but with the satisfaction of the items ac- quired and the knowledge that they have helped to make Pioneer Days pos- sible again this year. The Chamber of Com- merce would like to thank all the volunteers who gave of their time and effort and the following companies and individuals who make this fundraiser possible by their generous donation of items for the auction. From the following Huntington businesses: The Garden Gate—a garden cart with plants and gardening supplies High Mountain Smoke Shop—gift basket includ- ing oil warmer, purse and air plant Grady’s Tavern—Chick- en and Jojo’s lunch for two Howell’s Cafe & Streamliner Lounge— lunch for two J & M Country Store— tackle box 420Ville—$75 cash. Huntington individuals: Shellie Nash—five cherry pies Rhonda Denton—hand crocheted purse & wall hanging JoAnn Buchanan—radio control plane engine Kathy Hughes—black- berry cheesecake and chocolate chip cheesecake. From Baker City: Safeway—movie gift Eileen Driver / The Baker County Press Cinco de Mayo lunch in Huntington. basket Baker Sanitary—Earth machine composter Les Schwab—60-piece severe weather kit Windfall Antiques—two antique bowls & framed picture Alvarado Jewelers— heart necklace with dia- mond accent O'Reilly Auto Parts—oil change kit and car wash bucket kit, Betty’s Books—$25 gift certificate Oregon Trail Landscape & Nursery—decorator but- terflies and bird feeder Sears—Craftsman screw- driver set and two chil- dren’s camp chairs Forty Winks & a Splash—King sheet set From Ontario: Les Schwab—camper leveler Maurice’s—$10 gift card Grocery Outlet—Pinata Tire Factory —vehicle inspection, tire rotation & balance and 4-wheel align- ment gift certificate, Eldridge Furniture—tem- perature control bed pillow Western Stockman—40 lbs. dog food O’Reilly’s—car wash bucket kit B&W Car Wash—50 car washes Rocking R Camp- er—$100 cash Salon Salon—men’s haircut and women’s haircut Techniques Cosmetology $$35 gift card Autozone—two-ton floor Jack Andrews Seed Garden— decorator stakes Napa Auto Parts—five $10 gift certificates, Winger’s—two $10 gift certificates Kenney & Keele—two solar lights Steve’s Hometown Toy- ota—gift bag & certificate for oil & filter change Happy Hippy—sports T-Shirts Papa Murphy’s—10 large one=-topping Pizza certificates Sunset Lanes—10 free bowling game gift cards. Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press Officer Shannon Regan carried a firearm from the Kirkway residence in February while Reserve Officer Ruthie Boyd tackled some of the bicycle parts located there. BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com “The volume of bike parts donated will create more work assignments for inmates to learn how to fix them. Our community will benefit from it in so many ways ... We are all very excited about the opportunity,” writes Valeria Hysong, Inmate Work Program Coordinator at the Powder River Correctional Facility (PRCF). Justin Bruce was living at 3450 Kirkway Drive, Baker City, when a search warrant was executed on that prop- erty back on February 7. Approximately 200 pieces of evidence, mostly items believed to have been stolen within the local community, were taken from the residence to a large storage facility for processing. Most of those items included bicycles, bi- cycle parts and electronics, said Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner. Lohner described the scene as a “bicycle chop shop” that brisk morning. After comprehensive efforts to reunite the bicycles and other stolen items with their rightful owners, said Lohner on Wednesday, the parts were eventually donated to the work program at the PRCF where inmates honed their repair skills. From there, said Lohner, the salvaged parts will be used by the inmates to fix other bicycles, which will then be will be donated to Baker Loves Bikes, a local nonprofit, which will in turn donate the bikes to the community. Said Lohner, “It is nice that our community will see some benefit from Bruce’s crimes against our citizens. That does not happen very often.” On April 14, 2016, Bruce pleaded guilty to Unlaw- ful Delivery of Methamphetamine as a commercial drug offense, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Theft in the Second Degree. In addition to the firearm and methamphetamine, a number of drug paraphernalia items were found at the residence including: packaging materials, drug transac- tion records and smoking devices. Bruce was sentenced to sixteen months prison with three years of post-prison supervision when he completes the prison sentence. A hearing to determine restitution amounts is pending. The State was represented by Baker County Deputy District Attorney Michael Spaulding, and Bruce was represented by Jonathan Bartov. Spamalot opens at EOU Eastern Oregon University theatre is on a quest to bring one of the great Broadway musicals of the modern age to the campus stage. “Spamalot,” a musical comedy lov- ingly ripped-off from the motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” opens Wednesday through Sunday, May 18-22 in McKenzie Theatre in Loso Hall. This irreverent retelling of the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table features a bevy of beautiful showgirls, cows, killer rabbits and French people. See “Spamalot” at 7 p.m. May 18-21 and 2 p.m. May 22. Tickets are free for EOU students, $12 for general admission and $6 for senior citizens, high school students and retired or active members of the military. For more information call the box office at 541-962- 3757. To purchase tickets online go to www.ticketpeak. com/res/eou.
