8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016
Local
County Commissioners
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 3
Amendment No. 1 to
State of Oregon Grant
Agreement No. ODA-
3782-16-GR, between the
State of Oregon, through
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA), and
Baker County, to include
new language regarding
additional grant funds,
was approved, with a mo-
tion from Bennett, and a
second from Kerns. The
additional language in-
cludes the following: “The
Department shall disburse
to Grantee an additional
$1,518.00 to be used for
category #2, financial
assistance for implement-
ing methods that limit
wolf-livestock interaction.”
The funds are in addition
to the original total grant
payment of $22,288, the
original document dated
April 29, 2016.
After a short break, the
budget for the City of
Unity was discussed, cop-
ies of which were provided
to the Board. Bennett ex-
plained that the Board had
been designated as Unity’s
Budget Board, because in
2010, the complete Unity
City Council had resigned.
Since that time, he said,
numerous advertisements
for the Council positions
have been made, and no
interest yet has been shown
to fill those roles.
The total budget is
around $147,000 (local
firm Nichols & Mitchell
CPA PC handles the ac-
counting), and Bennett
explained that Unity has no
taxing authority, receiving
revenue from utilities, and
other funds.
Bennett said that when
the U.S. Forest Service
(USFS) expressed the
intention to expand the
Ranger District station
in Unity, the City of
Unity had applied for, and
received a loan from the
United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA), for
improvements to Unity’s
municipal water system,
based on that intention.
However, he said, when
the USFS halted its opera-
tion there, and closed the
station, Unity water users
were still saddled with
those loan repayments, to
this day, a loan Bennett
said should be forgiven.
He said that as long as a
City is indebted, such as
Unity is, it has to remain
incorporated. The bud-
get was approved (to be
adopted during the next,
regular session), with a
motion from Harvey, a
second from Kerns, and
Bennett abstaining.
Sumpter:
Church yard sale
to help house fire
victims
Wyden town hall
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 5
Wyden responded that
there have been cases of
lost letters (“snail mail”),
and he recommends email
or phone communication,
when contacting his of-
fice. He mentioned Field
Representative Kathleen
Cathey, located in La
Grande, who was present
at the Town Hall, and said
that she would be the local
contact, representing his
office (at 541-962-7691, or
Kathleen_Cathey@wyden.
senate.gov). She gave
Trindle one of her business
cards.
From newly hired
Baker City Manager, Fred
Warner, Jr.: “My question’s
about public infrastructure.
We have lots of regulations
coming down...What is the
status of the transportation
trust fund?” Wyden re-
sponded that the trust fund
had been replenished for
another five years, but it
had been funded by raiding
the “rainy day fund” in the
Federal Reserve, and the
Strategic Petroleum Re-
serve, which isn’t proper
policy, he said.
He said the most promis-
ing way to go is to make
it appealing to acquire
private capital, and to
utilize it. He cited an
example, Build America
Bonds, a component of the
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, taxable
municipal bonds, which
carried special tax credits,
and federal subsidies, for
either the bond issuer, or
the bondholder. He pre-
dicted the sale of $3 to $5
billion worth of the bonds
within a year and a half,
and the actual number was
$185 billion.
Mouse Trap coming to EOU
One of Agatha Chris-
tie’s most beloved murder
mysteries is set to unfold
as the finale of the Eastern
Oregon University theatre
season June 2-4.
“The Mousetrap,”
directed by senior theatre
major Tabitha J. Angier, of
Vacaville, Calif., centers
on a group of eight strang-
ers who find themselves
stranded during a snow-
storm in a boarding house
situated in the English
countryside. A murderer is
in their midst, and the po-
lice must reveal the secrets
of each boarder in order to
identify the suspect.
The play first opened
in 1952 in the West End
of London and has been
surprising audiences ever
since.
EOU’s production stars
Sydney Bell as Mollie
Ralston, Robert Wilson as
Giles Ralston, Marshall
Baybado as Christopher
Wren, McKayla Nitz as
Mr Paravacini, Victoria
Ingram as Mrs Boyle, Le
Bailey as Major Metcalf,
Cody Wyld Flower as Ser-
geant Trotter and Danielle
Devall as Miss Casewell.
Many more students,
alumni and staff are in-
volved in the show. Danny
Bailey, an alumnus and
financial aid counselor
at EOU, has conquered
the intricacy of the set in
his first actualized scenic
design.
The production staff is
comprised of Tyler Rollins
on lights, Heidi Gerlach on
props, Anna Maxwell on
sound, and Sonja Adams
on hair and makeup. Cast
members are also pulling
double duty, with Nitz han-
dling costuming and Wyld
Flower working on combat
choreography and dialect.
Students Cassie Johnson
and Alan Stogin round out
stage management.
“This show would not be
what it is with out the dedi-
cation and hard work of all
the individuals who have
taken the time to help,”
Angier said. “Theatre is so
much more than the actors
you see on stage. It has
been a wonderful experi-
ence to work with this
group of people and I hope
they enjoy it as much as
I am! I will miss this cast
and crew once we close the
production and tear down
the set.”
Angier has worked
behind the scenes as stage
manager for five previous
EOU productions. She also
directed “The Boor” and
was the scenic designer for
“Proof” and “King Lear.”
Her plans after gradua-
tion include relocating to
Seattle to pursue techni-
cal work and eventually
becoming a director.
See “The Mousetrap” at
7 p.m. Thursday through
Saturday in Schwarz The-
atre in Loso Hall.
Tickets are $6 for gen-
eral admission and EOU
students are admitted free
with ID. For more infor-
mation call the box office
at 541-962-3757.
YARD SALE!
at
1220 B Street
in Baker City.
This is a
fundraiser for
a student who
is going to
Africa.
This weekend!
All
day
Saturday
Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press
Above: The St. Brigid in the Pines church.
BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH
Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Sumpter hosted its annual Memorial Day weekend Flea
Market, with rousing success. Saturday, boasting blue
skies and balmy temperatures, saw parking at a premium
with cars up and down most of the upper city streets.
Vendors included local artists and authors, lots of food
choices, and many novelty and used items. Sumpter Val-
ley Community Volunteers hosted its usual hotdog/ham-
burger booth to raise funds to back community projects.
Another group took advantage of the weekend to sup-
port two community residents. Barbara Phillips, owner
of the Sumpter Bed and Breakfast, explained that for the
past several years, Tom and Barb Taylor, members of
St. Brigid in the Pines Community Church (an outreach
ministry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Baker
City) have hosted a rummage sale at the church over
Memorial Day weekend. Funds raised have gone into the
discretionary fund for the church. This year, the Taylors
are moving to be closer to their children. Phillips said,
“(Husband) Jay and I said we’d make sure the sale got
done.”
Proceeds from the sale this year were designated for
Mick and Karna Allen, whose home burned several
weeks ago.
The fire started due to an electrical issue. Phillips said,
if not for the smoke alarms, the Allens would have died
from smoke inhalation. The Fire Department responded,
saving the home from burning down, but between smoke
and water damage, it is no longer livable.
The Allens stayed at the Sumpter Depot Inn until they
were able to move a fifth wheel onto their property. Un-
fortunately, Karna Allen, who has limited mobility due to
MS, sustained a broken tibia getting into the fifth wheel.
Phillips said one of the frustrating factors in this situa-
tion is that, though this is at least the second generation
to live in this Sumpter home, the double-wide was never
removed from its axles and wheels. Therefore, for insur-
ance purposes, it’s regarded as personal property rather
than a home and consequently garners a lower insurance
payment. Phillips also mentioned that although “Mick is
a real go-getter,” bureaucratic red tape restricts him from
getting a part time job aside from being a caregiver for
his wife.
Phillips said the community really pulled together for
the sale. The Taylors donated many items from their
home that they did not want to move with them. Report-
edly, they donated a lot of nice stuff that sold quickly.
Other community members donated items and volun-
teered during the sale. Phillips said there was a cancella-
tion at the bed and breakfast, so she invited her sister and
brother-in-law to stay free and help with the sale.
Jay Phillips said people were bringing things in and
hauling them out before a cash box was even set up. He
is collecting on a few last IOUs and hopes to have all
processed by this weekend.
Nothing was priced. People were asked to donate what
they felt was a fair amount. Barbara Phillips said people
who would browse through and not find something they
wanted would still come up and donate a $20 bill. The
sale was “wildly successful”, raising 4 times the amount
of past years.
The Elkhorn Saloon in Sumpter also hosted a fund-
raiser two weeks ago. They held a spaghetti feed for
$12 a plate and donated the money to the Allens. Sharon
Epler, owner with husband Dick of the Elkhorn Saloon,
said the spaghetti feed went over really well and “we
were packed,” Jay Phillips said between the spaghetti
feed and rummage sale, “Just about everybody in town
participated”.
The Phillips had earlier hosted another successful
fundraiser—a prime rib dinner. Proceeds from that
went to the church discretionary fund and the Ascension
School Camp and Conference Center in Cove. Said Bar-
bara Phillips, “It’s not hard to raise money, if you just let
people know and they want to do the right thing.”