FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9
Local
First Friday meeting
covers wide variety
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Baker County Commis-
sion Chairman Bill Harvey
hosted another installment
of First Friday with the
Commissioner, on Friday,
May 6, 2016, 9 a.m., in the
Commission Chambers of
the Baker County Court-
house, discussing a variety
of topics, including mining
technology, local grocer
options, and Baker Heri-
tage Museum exhibits.
Joining Harvey for this
monthly, informal conver-
sation were Chuck Chase,
Bobbie Danser, Tork and
Wanda Ballard, Dave Hun-
saker, and Ed Hardt.
The discussion began
with comment about sever-
al business grand openings
last weekend by Harvey,
followed by the mention
from Wanda, regarding ap-
proval for the sale of a 2.74
acre County-owned parcel
in the Elkhorn Indus-
trial Park, to growing and
expanding business Hop
Heaven, owned by Ted and
Jodie Hausotter, who also
own Natural Structures.
Harvey expressed excite-
ment about the expan-
sion the Hausotters have
planned, including new
structures, and employees.
Danser asked about
the demise of local pizza
dough processing busi-
ness Tasty Bake, which
saw an ownership change
in the fall of 2014, fol-
lowed by the eventual
cease in distribution of
is product, and employee
layoffs. Tasty Bake, and
Illinois-based Cereal
Holding Company are cur-
rently being sued in Baker
County Circuit Court, by
Tasty Bake former owners
Peter and Brenda Johnson,
and Lesaffre Yeast Cor-
poration (these and other
issues were reported in the
Friday, April 8, 2016, and
Friday, April 22, 2016 is-
sues of The Baker County
Press. Further problems
are not yet fully detailed).
Yasar Samarah is current
President of Tasty Bake,
and Vice President of Ce-
real Holding Company.
Harvey said companies
Hop Heaven, Natural
Structures, Marvin Wood
Products, Behlen Manu-
facturing, and Grumpy’s
Repair are doing very well,
with implemented and
planned expansions and
employee additions, result-
ing in a boost to the local
economy.
Harvey commented on
the huge hit to the lo-
cal economy from the
Tasty Bake layoffs, and
the layoffs caused by the
closure of the local Alb-
ertsons store (Haggen had
briefly—or less than six
months—taken Albert-
sons place, due to Federal
Trade Commission anti-
monopoly requirements,
however, Haggen had
failed and closed its doors,
leaving only Safeway as
the sole major local grocer.
Albertsons is merged with
Safeway, and the company
has both buildings leased,
one of which is vacant for
now).
The group speculated
about the future of Al-
bertsons, Safeway, and
other local grocer options.
Hunsaker asked whether
Harvey had heard if a mid-
sized grocer may replace
Safeway, in the event Safe-
way is moved into the for-
mer location of Albertsons,
a bigger building (owned
by Greg Sackos, through
his company, BTS II,
LLC). Harvey said that’s
the best-case scenario, but
there’s no indication from
the current owner of the
Safeway property (Florida-
based KIN Properties,
through Muffrey, LLC)
that is a given. He did say
that he expects to see at
least two local grocers to
be in operation in the near
future.
Harvey said The Coun-
try Cottage Cafe on 10th
Street is currently closed,
has seen a change in
ownership, and may be
transformed into a steak-
house restaurant. Wanda
said that Haines Mercantile
is an important grocer to
support, and that Baker
City’s 10th Street defi-
nitely needs some kind of
market, which prompted
the Ballards, Harvey, and
Hardt to reminisce about
their previous grocer work
experience, and former
Wilson’s Warehouse
Market, which was located
where Baker County Fam-
ily YMCA currently is, on
Pocahontas Road. Harvey
agreed about the need for
some kind of grocer in that
area of Baker City, and
Tork said current Safeway
employees need to be
informed of the company’s
intentions (the group
discussed the importance
of employer/employee
relations).
Hardt began a discus-
sion regarding miners
dealing with issues with
clay, to which he said his
suggestion is to acquire a
longer trommel (he said
his is 5 feet by 20 feet,
but he’d like a longer
one), an inclined, rotating
metal tube with screening,
used to separate mate-
rial. Danser and Chase
(Danser is Treasurer, and
Chase is Executive Direc-
tor, of the Eastern Mining
Association, or EOMA)
echoed Hardt’s sugges-
tion, Danser said maybe a
trommel that’s 30 feet long
or longer would be best,
and Chase said it’s difficult
to break down clay. Hardt
said he and another local
miner, Ken Anderson, are
currently experiencing that
difficulty.
Chase elaborated on the
issues, stating that clay,
with negative ion particles,
attracts the positive ions in
gold (he said clay contains
various rare Earth miner-
als), and the goal, ulti-
mately, is to break down
that electrical attraction,
which is problematic. He
said that aluminum, also
present in clay, actually is
a key factor in causing the
bonding issue, making the
clay stickier, but in order
to break down the clay,
the aluminum virtually
needs to be destroyed in
the process. Hardt said he
necessarily has to run the
material through the trom-
mel again, to break it down
further.
Harvey asked Chase how
he locates rare earth miner-
als, and Danser responded
that an assay, an analysis
used to determine the
components of a sample,
is sent to an organization
located in Canada. Chase
said he also uses a dows-
ing rod to locate minerals,
which is a method that has
been employed by some
of this reporter’s family
members, to locate water,
etc. He said as he ages, his
dowsing ability seems to
become more refined.
The discussion touched
on the subject of scandium,
a rare Earth element, which
Chase and Hardt pointed
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
First Friday: a small, informal crowd.
out is a key component in
the manufacture of body
armor. Harvey asked
Chase about the potential
for some small-scale scan-
dium and other mining,
and Chase said he’s look-
ing into that.
Hunsaker asked Harvey
how the winter ski season
fared at Anthony Lakes
Mountain Resort (ALMR),
and Harvey said that it was
very successful. Harvey
spoke about some upcom-
ing events to be held there,
including the popular, two-
day Elkhorn Archers-host-
ed Super Shoot, on July
23, 2016. Harvey said that
there are also planned proj-
ects, including improve-
ments to the water supply
system, and that ALMR
is applying to manage the
park and other services
year-round, whereas now,
the State currently handles
much of that.
Hunsaker, Vice Chair-
man of the Baker Heritage
Museum Board, said that
the Museum is working on
a new, two-year exhibit,
to celebrate the 50-year
anniversary of the movie
“Paint Your Wagon,”
filmed in Baker County,
and that this year will be
the last for the Museum’s
military exhibit. He said
he would like anyone who
has anything associated
with the filming, etc., of
“Paint Your Wagon,” and
who desires the items to
be a part of the exhibit, to
notify the Museum.
He said the Museum will
be contacting members of
the community, in order
to return the items from
the military exhibit, and
that efforts will be made,
including his suggestion of
a City/County committee,
the core of which would
be Baker County Chamber
of Commerce and Visitors
Bureau Executive Direc-
tor Shelly Cutler, and Blue
Mountain Small Business
Development Center Advi-
sor Jeff Nelson, to collect
items County-wide, for
the “Paint Your Wagon”
exhibit, and to maybe hold
a community dance, etc.,
possibly during Miner’s
Jubilee. Hunsaker said
that Clint Eastwood and
the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,
one of Hunsaker’s and
Harvey’s favorite bands,
will be contacted, to re-
quest their inclusion in the
celebration. Hunsaker said
the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
will be in the Prineville
area, in June.
Wanda commented about
the positive improve-
ments to the Richland area,
including the local park,
and Harvey said that proj-
ects are planned, and that
work is ongoing, in order
to continue with Baker
County Parks Department,
and other efforts. She also
voiced appreciation for
Harvey’s presence at all of
the different communities
throughout the County.
Harvey said that’s an im-
portant job, and it’s what
he’s supposed to do.
Danser asked about the
current timber salvage/
sales situation, and Har-
vey said that the Bureau
of Land Management
(BLM) is doing well, with
a planned 500-acre sale
(two, 250-acre Categori-
cal Exclusions, or CEs).
Chase voiced concern
about access to the Baker
City watershed, in case
of a wildfire, and Harvey
responded that he’s been
relaying this very thought.
Further discussing the
topic of logging, this week,
Harvey said, the BLM stat-
ed the possibility of finish-
ing up paperwork, regard-
ing a potential 1,000-acre
timber sale (he had taken a
scouting tour with repre-
sentatives of the BLM, he
said). He said negotiations
with the United States
Forest Service (USFS),
regarding logging, salvage
and timber sales, has been
difficult.
Harvey spoke about the
discussion at several of
the County Commission
sessions, regarding guid-
ance to the County, from
the Americans Stewards of
Liberty, a subject he said
has caused some tension,
however, one of the points
he has made clear previ-
ously is that funds were
raised privately, in order
to secure this guidance, to
help remedy government-
to-government coordina-
tion issues.
In addition to a brief
discussion about County
Commissioner Position
No. 1 candidates (the
group predicted a win for
Kody Justus), Danser said
that Nelson would be a
huge asset, if he were able
to become a member of the
Baker City Council.
First Friday with the
Commissioner is held on
the first Friday of each
month, in the Commission
Chambers of the Baker
County Courthouse. The
next discussion is sched-
uled for Friday, June 3,
2016, 9 a.m.
County, Sunridge talk
more about MOU
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held a
work session, on Wednes-
day, May 11, 2016, 9
a.m., in the Commission
Chambers, of the Baker
County Courthouse, with
two topics on the agenda:
the majority of the discus-
sion about a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU)
between the County and
the Sunridge Inn, cover-
ing penalty charges on
Transient Lodging Tax
payments; and the possibil-
ity of inter-hospital, non-
emergent services provided
locally, by Med Transport,
Inc.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioners Mark Ben-
nett, and Tim Kerns, and
Executive Assistant Heidi
Martin.
Attendance also included
Lisa Wilson, and Alan
Mendenhall, of the Sun-
ridge Inn, Baker County
Transient Lodging Tax
Committee (TLTC) Chair
Carrie Folkman and other
TLTC members, Chris Ar-
vidson, of Med Transport,
Inc., Baker County Admin-
istrative Service Director
Christena Cook, Baker
City Manager Mike Kee,
Baker County 911 Con-
solidated Dispatch Center
Director Lindsey Hope,
John and Ramona Creigh-
ton, and Kody Justus.
Harvey called the meeting
to order, and he explained
the format of the work
session, during which no
decision concerning either
topic would be made, until
at least the next, regular
session, on Wednesday,
May 18, 2016, 9 a.m. He
asked Folkman to speak
about the MOU, and the
Transient Lodging Tax
(TLT) penalty charges, as
Bennett had asked previ-
ously how the TLTC had
arrived at its decision
regarding this issue.
Folkman said in 2006,
the county-wide TLT was
established, having been
a city-wide TLT prior to
that point. She said that
70% of the funds collected
is utilized for marketing,
25% for economic devel-
opment, and 5% for admin-
istrative fees, per state law.
She said use of the funds
includes administration of
the Visitors Bureau, em-
ployment of a Marketing
Director, and grants.
She said that if there are
any grievances by a lodger,
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Lisa Wilson of the Sunridge Inn addresses the issue of TLT penalties for the
second week in a row.
per county ordinance, a
lodger (such as Sunridge
Inn) can have its case
reviewed by the TLTC, for
possible penalty forgive-
ness. She said that in all
cases she has seen in her
tenure (about 13 years),
while some penalty charg-
es have been forgiven, and
some haven’t, the TLTC
has never allowed interest
payment forgiveness.
She provided the Board
with a TLT payment his-
tory for Sunridge Inn,
explaining that in the last
quarter of 2009, a penalty
was assessed for a late
payment, and again, in the
first quarter of 2010, both
penalties totaling $8,975,
and the combined penalties
had been forgiven.
SEE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
PAGE 10