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.