8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016
Local
Celebrating Leo on his lawn Drug dog
Capa aids in
UUMV arrest
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
July 30, Kate Adams
returned to Baker City to
read poetry from her book
“Paperboy” on the lawn of
the Adler House Museum.
The poems within are
based off the life and story
of Leo Adler.
The book is a combina-
tion of three volumes and
has a picture tribute to
Leo Adler when he was
a paperboy with his dog
Prince beside him on the
cover. From her book, she
read several poems such as
“Nova Sue 2011,” “Zella
1922,” “Leo 1934,” and
many others with similar
titles.
In her poetry, Adams
writes from the viewpoints
of Adler and the people
in his life. She also wrote
poems through the view
of the woman who gave
Adams her first tour of the
Leo Adler House Museum,
Nova Sue.
Adams came through
Baker in 2011. She
explained that she was
supposed to experience
“post-partum” blues,
after she finished writing
a book. When she went on
a tour through the Adler
House Museum, she was
fascinated by Adler not
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Kate Adams reads her poetry in front of the Leo Adler House in Baker City.
going upstairs in his home.
After his family had all
passed away, becoming the
sole occupant, Adler lived
in the back of his house,
and did not go into other
rooms or the second floor.
This fascination led to her
researching Alders history
and writing about him.
“I fell in love with Leo’s
house,” said Adams. Ad-
ams found the history of
the house itself as interest-
ing as the history of its
owner. She explained how
it is ripe with questions,
and when one works in fic-
tion, one can answer those
questions.
“He had a fascinating
life,” Adams stated. “He
was rich, yet so poor.”
Adams based some
poems on Adler working
with a woman for 60 years,
even after he proposed to
her and she said no.
Adams was born in San
Francisco, Calif., in a
Victorian Mansion similar
to the Adler house. She
still lives in California and
has been writing for thirty
years, beginning when she
was twelve.
On August 2, 2016 at about 1:30 p.m. Officers Ben
Wray and Daniel Pelayo and Sgt.Wayne Chastain re-
sponded to 3rd and Wabash on a report of a male subject
acting in a bizarre fashion beating on a bicycle with a
baseball bat. Officers determined that the male, who had
left the area, was Michael Myers Gabiola 25 years of age
of Baker City. Officers also determined that the bicycle,
which was still at the scene, did not belong to Gabiola
and had been reported stolen.
Officers conducted a search of the area and located Mr.
Gabiola driving a 2013 Cadillac a short distance from the
location of the original call. Officers Wray and Pelayo
contacted Gabiola and based upon several factors request-
ed that Sgt. Chastain respond with the Department’s drug
detection dog, Capa. Capa was deployed on an exterior
search of the vehicle and alerted to the possible presence
of a controlled substance. Officers prepared to have the
vehicle towed while a search warrant was obtained for the
vehicle based upon the K-9 alert.
When officers checked for registered owner informa-
tion on the Cadillac the owner was determined to not be
Gabiola. In fact the owner was determined to be someone
known to the officers and known by the officers to be at
work at the time. The registered owner was contacted
and asked if she had given anyone permission to use her
vehicle. The owner stated that no one was authorized to
use her vehicle and, that to her knowledge, the vehicle
was parked outside her work location. Officers asked her
to check and she told them her vehicle was gone and must
have been stolen.
Sgt. Chastain placed Gabiola under arrest for Unauthor-
ized Use of a Motor Vehicle and transported him to Baker
County Jail for booking. A small quantity of marijuana
was found on his person. With the consent of the vehicle’s
owner the Cadillac was searched and no additional con-
trolled substances were found. The vehicle was released
to its owner.
County Commissioners hears Dispatch
changes, economic development update
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held
its first, regular session of
the month on Wednesday,
August 3, 2016, 9 a.m., in
the Commission Cham-
bers of the Baker County
Courthouse.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioner Tim Kerns,
and Executive Assistant
Heidi Martin. Commis-
sioner Mark Bennett was
absent.
Review and approval
of the minutes from the
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
regular session was post-
poned, with a motion from
Harvey, and a second from
Kerns.
Harvey said that he made
the motion, because only
he and Bennett were pres-
ent at that session.
The agenda was adopt-
ed, with the noted change
that the City of Unity
Volunteer Resolution No.
2016-01 would be removed
from the agenda, for this
session, with a motion
from Kerns, and a second
from Harvey.
Citizen Participation
included Art Sappington,
who said that the helicop-
ter dip tank firefighting
water facility for the Ke-
ating/Richland area is com-
pleted, and there is a large
reservoir available for that
purpose, which should
alleviate some concerns
about water supply.
Ramona Creighton com-
mented about the amount
of logging being complet-
ed, and the logging trucks
seen driving by in the area,
and she expressed appre-
ciation to the Board, for its
effort with timber sales.
Baker County Planning
Director Holly Kerns pro-
vided a Planning Depart-
ment update, that included
a recap of the last twelve
months.
She said that, while her
counterparts in other parts
of the State are working
on marijuana issues, she’s
pleased that here, that’s not
the focus.
She said that sage grouse
habitat is one focus, and,
though the bird was not
listed under the Endan-
gered Species Act (ESA),
the County is working
on implementing its own
protections.
She said the City of
Halfway and the County
is working on a response
plan, and a flood plain
plan, including improve-
ments to structures in
Halfway, as preventive
measures, that will help the
community respond better
to, and prevent, flooding
issues in the future.
Among other projects,
she mentioned the Plan-
ning Commission’s hear-
ings regarding applicants
Richard and Lori Daniels,
and their request to change
zoning from Timber/Graz-
ing, to Tourist Commercial
Limited Use Overlay, for
an approximate seven acres
of their property, in the
Anthony Lakes Highway
area, north of Haines.
She said that the Board
will be hearing details
about the matter at a future
session, to review and
make a final decision (the
request was approved at
the Planning Commission’s
second hearing on the
matter).
The Board approved
a Professional Services
Agreement, between the
County, and St. Luke’s
Regional Medical Center,
Ltd., for the services of
Dr. Eric Lamb as Health
Officer and Consultant
Pharmacist, with a motion
from Kerns, and a second
from Harvey.
The agreement states
the term as July 1, 2016
through June 30, 2017,
and the Health Officer is
to receive $825 per month,
not to exceed $9,900 per
year; and the Consultant
Pharmacist receives $75
per hour.
The Board approved
Amendment No. 1 to the
Professional Services
Agreement, between the
County, and Ms. Gina
Glaubke, PA, for County
Health Department ser-
vices, with a motion from
Kerns, and a second from
Harvey.
The agreement states
the term as July 1, 2016
through June 30, 2017, and
Glaubke’s compensation
will be increased to $60
per hour, resulting in an
increase in the compensa-
tion per the contract, from
approximately $4,800, to
$5,760.
The Board approved
a Lime Plant Asbestos
Removal Bid Award, to
Boise, Idaho-based Pacific
Technologies, Inc. (PTI),
with a motion from Kerns,
and a second from Harvey.
The agreement states
that PTI was the only
firm to respond out of six
receiving the Request for
Proposal (RFP) from the
County, and PTI responded
with a bid of $42,109, that
includes pre-construction
submissions, and DEQ
(Department of Environ-
mental Quality) notifica-
tion, as well as asbestos
abatement.
PTI also offered, as an
option, to clean up the silo
roofing on the ground, for
$1,875, resulting in a new
total of $43,984. Harvey
said the grant amount of
$60,000 from Business
Oregon would cover costs.
The Board approved
Amendment No. 1 to the
Intergoernmental Agree-
ment (IGA) between the
County, and Baker City, for
Dispatch Records Keeping
and Radio Maintenance
Services, increasing the
number of members to the
Baker County Consolidat-
ed Dispatch Board to five,
with a motion from Kerns,
and a second from Harvey.
The agreement states
that the County and the
City entered into an IGA
for these services on May
13, 2008, and both parties
have expressed an interest
in increasing the number
of members to serve on
the Baker County Consoli-
dated Dispatch Board.
The County and the
City will each appoint one
additional member to the
Board, and the term of ser-
vice will be three years.
Baker County Economic
Development Director
Greg Smith provided an
Economic Development
update, and he stated that
the summer has been a
busy time for his depart-
ment, between the local
grocer situation, and other
projects.
There were over 230
jobs available in June,
according to WorkSource
Oregon, he said, and today,
the average is around 150
to 180.
He said jobs are avail-
able, but local employers
are having difficulties
with finding people to fill
them--to commit to full-
time, to be trainable, to be
able to pass drug tests, etc.
Harvey said there are local
classes being implemented,
in order to address those
and other issues.
He spoke about the
frustration from the com-
munity, regarding the
Albertsons/Safeway issue,
but he said that jobs will
be created, and that, while
the companies are merged,
and there are concerns
about a monopoly, there
will be two options for
major grocer shopping.
Smith said the company
voiced concerns about
whether Baker City could
support two stores, and
Harvey said that the City
has historically supported
the two stores, Albertsons
and Safeway, when they
were separate companies.
The company plans to
open Albertsons as a brand
new store, and the existing
Safeway will remain in its
current condition.
He said, noting the dead
and dying timber in the lo-
cal forests, that his depart-
ment and the County are
looking into the possibility
of providing material for
the production of biochar.
He said there may or may
not be opportunities to
partner with out-of-area, or
local entities, to produce
biochar.
Among other topics, he
also spoke about the posi-
tive progress of the BRI-
ARR program (Burnt River
Integrated Agriculture/
Science Research Ranch),
in Unity. He said that eight
students will be added to
the program for this year.
According to the pro-
gram’s website, BRIARR
is “...a highly enriched
atmosphere for motivated
students to participate in
a quality natural resource
and agriculture based cur-
riculum...”
The Board approved a
Baker County and City of
Baker City Economic De-
velopment Council (EDC)
Bylaws Amendment, with
a motion from Kerns, and a
second from Harvey.
Harvey said there was a
unanimous decision at the
previous EDC meeting,
to increase the number of
EDC members, from five,
up to nine, and the bylaws
were changed with this
motion, to reflect this.
The Board approved
a 911 Records/Dispatch
Specialist Classification,
with a motion from Kerns,
and a second from Harvey.
The staff report states that
the currently full-time
position, filled by a 911
Dispatcher, will be reclas-
sified from a Range 9, to
a Range 8, on the Baker
County Law Enforcement
Association (BCLEA)
wage table, and there will
be a reduction of hours,
allowing the County to fill
a vacant 911 Dispatcher
position at full-time, and
resulting in savings for the
Dispatch Center.
The Board approved the
submission of an Eagle
Valley Rural Fire Protec-
tion District (EVRFPD)
Project Notification &
Intake Form, with a motion
from Kerns, and a second
from Harvey.
The form, submitted
to the Business Oregon
Infrastructure Finance
Authority, states the grant
requested amount as
$2,000,000, with $20,000
provided by EVRFPD, for
a total of $2,020,000, as
the project estimate, for the
relocation of the EVRFPD,
to the Richland gymnasium
and associated property.
The project’s estimated
start date is Spring 2017,
and the estimated comple-
tion date is Spring 2018.
The Board approved
Order No. 2016-144, Re-
Appointing A Member To
The Baker County Fair
Board Advisory Commit-
tee, with a motion from
Kerns, and a second from
Harvey. Robert Ellingson
was re-appointed, his term
set to expire on July 1,
2017.
The Board approved
Order No. 2016-145, Re-
Appointing Members To
The Northeast Area Com-
mission On Transportation
(NEACT), with a motion
from Kerns, and a second
from Harvey. Harvey was
re-appointed, with Baker
County Roadmaster Jeff
Smith as an alternate, their
term set to expire on July
31, 2019.
SEE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
PAGE 9