8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
Local
5J: Two teachers honored
• NEW QUARTERLY
NEWSLETTER IN THE
WORKS, NEW LOCK
SYSTEM IN PLACE
AT BROOKLYN
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The District board
members met Thursday,
September 15. At their
meeting, teachers Sharon
Defrees and Annetta Evans
received recognition for
the Oregon EdTech Profes-
sional Development Cadre.
Assistant Superintendent
Betty Palmer presented
Defrees and Evans with
frame certificates.
“They are being rec-
ognized at a state level
for their involvement,”
explained Palmer. “And
I want to add this piece:
Both Sharon and Annetta
and more on the Cadre,
who have not been recog-
nized at this time but will
be later, but these people
have been leaders in our
district for many years, and
in just one area is technolo-
gy and many others across
the board. They have
helped put on workshops,
they have in their build-
ings helped other teachers
bring on technology, they
have over and over again
demonstrated technologi-
cal applications for staff,
the have encouraged and
prodded us forward in our
movement in integrating
technology into educa-
tion.”
Attending the meet-
ing was Kara Bennett,
the Baker High School
ASB President. Bennett
explained that the high
school media requested
that a student of the week
be submitted to be featured
for the half time show
during the Friday football
game.
Bennett also reported in
the high school attendance,
all 9-12 are in the high
90s, but after discussing
possible withdrawals and
absences with Mr. Mitch-
ell, Bennett explained the
numbers should be higher
next month.
For parental opportuni-
ties, Bennett explained
they will have an open
house Wednesday, October
5 at 5:30.
“We hope during we’ll
have local support service
organizations with booths
up for our families to look
at,” Bennett said. For
student activities they had
a year book study party
and it was successful with
students.
“Our leadership article
this year is to focus on
school spirit, student
recognition, and service
to others. And a message
from FFA; they’re going
to a National Conference
October 16 to the 23 and
several of our students are
participating,” explained
Bennett. “For our sports
we are doing really good.
Our Volleyball team is
5to 1 as of September 9.
Football is 1 to 0, Girls
Soccer is 1 to 0, and Boys
Soccer is 0 to 4 but they
are playing a lot better
than last year, and Cross
Country has had two meets
this far and is competing
well. Also a message from
Cross Country; we have
18 students, which is more
than double from last year,
and 13 are new.”
During the meeting,
Jessica Dalton reported on
the Food/Non Food bids.
Dalton received bids from
Food Services of America,
FSA, and others for Milk
Bids and Produce Bids.
She is planning to go back
to FSA’s services for the
Food/Non Food bids.
Superintendent Mark
Witty presented the
Superintendents Report,
beginning with an Oregon
School Board Association
(OSBA) Regional Meeting
in La Grande, October 3.
There will be a dinner at 6
p.m. and the meeting will
be at 6:30 p.m.
Witty explained they
received the applications
for the ODE Technical As-
sistance Program and they
will learn at the end of this
month if they receive them.
Witty also reported that
Brooklyn has a new lock-
ing system. The system
was suggested by Baker
City Police Chief Wyn
Lohner. During the day,
those wishing to enter the
building can push a white
button by the front door to
be buzzed in by office staff
inside.
Witty reported that they
are working on developing
a newsletter that will go
out quarterly. He is work-
ing with a local person
to get the newsletter up
and going. It will have
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Annetta Evans (left) and Sharon Defrees after
receiving recognition from Assistant Superintendent
Betty Palmer.
things such as shout outs
for people who have done
something great. There
will be areas to spotlight
students, interest stories,
and highlights for staff.
The distribution of the
newsletter will be 6,450,
and it will go to every box
in the district including
businesses.
Witty explained they
recognize that businesses
support the community and
school district and to com-
municate with them. Witty
wants to get the newsletter
out at the end of the month.
Witty explained when they
receive an update on the
lead in school water they
will send out an update,
wanting to keep people
informed.
“Doug and his crew
have just worked overtime
to get this thing done and
Dan and just a number of
all his maintenance crew
have been working really
hard to stay on top of this
piece,” said Witty.
Assistant Superintendent
Betty Palmer reported they
did training and met with
the bus transportation team
and discussed what they’re
commitment to the district
is and what they want to
see from the district.
Palmer reported they
launched their new staff
orientation and they have
15 certified staff members
that will be taking a series
of eight training sessions
and working with technol-
ogy.
Palmer explained work-
ing with kindergarten
students to help them have
a successful and positive
year, and they are working
on a program to help them.
CGO/Business Manager
Doug Dalton reported on
the construction projects.
“We are on schedule at
this point,” said Dalton. “If
you remember in the BTI
wing those are all separate
gas powered furnaces,
that’s all brand new. They
have been commissioned
and they’ll be tested today
and tomorrow and on the
weekend, so on Monday
we should have live heat
coming in from that wing
from those gas furnaces.”
Dalton explained that on
September 23, everything
will be substantially com-
pleted and installed, the
boiler will be completed.
They will be finalizing
controls for the boiler from
September 23 to the final
week in September.
On October 1 the com-
missioning team will come
in from Portland and com-
mission everything. Dalton
says they are hoping to
be live for regular heat
October 10.
He reported they just
signed the final agreement
the DHS has selected BTI
to partner with them on
workforce training crew
preparations.
Dalton explained they
will be offering a course
where students will learn
to weld and come out with
an American Welding
Society qualification and it
will begin in February.
They will be doing
another Women’s Welding
and they are working to
do one specifically for La
Grande as well.
Board Chair Kevin Cas-
sidy was nominated for the
OSBA Board of Directors.
Cassidy went through a
process to be a member
of the Board and he wants
to continue his work with
OSBA.
Baker City fined by DEQ
The Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality
has issued a $6,800 penalty
to the City of Baker City
for exceeding the biochem-
ical oxygen demand limits
it its wastewater discharge
permit.
The city has a National
Pollutant Discharge Elimi-
nation System Permit to
discharge from its waste-
water treatment plant. That
permit requires the city to
adequately treat waste-
water prior to discharging
it. That includes limiting
weekly average concen-
trations of biochemical
oxygen demand to 65 mil-
ligrams per liter.
Biochemical oxygen
demand is a measure of the
wastewater's capacity to
decrease dissolved oxygen
in the waterway.
The city discharged
wastewater to the Powder
River with weekly aver-
age biochemical oxygen
demands of 68 milligrams
per liter, 80 milligrams per
liter and 85 milligrams per
liter over three weeks in
October, 2015.
The city also exceeded
the allowable monthly
average for biochemical
oxygen demand during that
time frame.
DEQ issued the penalty
because limits on biochem-
ical oxygen demand are
necessary to protect fish
and other aquatic life.
The city has appealed the
penalty.
View the notice of
civil penalty: https://
www.oregon.gov/deq/
nr/091616bakerE.pdf
Juveniles arrested in vehicle theft case
On the morning of
Thursday, September 15,
2016, Baker City Police
Officers were contacted by
Meridian Idaho Police Of-
ficers who advised that two
run-a-way juveniles, driv-
ing a stolen taxi cab, may
be headed to Baker City.
The vehicle was de-
scribed as a red colored
2008 Ford Fusion taxi cab
and an Idaho license plate
number was provided to
our officers.
In addition, photographs
of the two fifteen year old
males were sent to Baker
City Police Officers.
Sergeant Mike Regan,
Officer Coleton Smith, and
School Resource Officer
Lance Woodward began
searching parking lots in
the business district along
Campbell St.
At about 12:17 p.m.
Baker County Consolidat-
ed 9-1-1 dispatch received
a telephone call from a
resident on B Street adja-
cent to Albertsons Market
reporting a suspicious red
taxi cab parked in front of
the location.
Officers responded and
recognized the vehicle as
the reported stolen from
Meridian.
They began a search of
the area and saw one of
the subjects, whom they
recognized from the pho-
tographs, walking in front
of Albertsons. That subject
was detained and arrested.
The second 15 year-old
was standing close by and
upon seeing the officers
fled on foot.
That subject was later
found in the area by Ser-
geant Regan and was also
taken into custody.
Both subjects were taken
to the Baker County Juve-
nile Department pending
their release to Meridian
Idaho authorities.
Coffee Corral,
Little Pig
robbed
At 10:55 p.m. on September 20, 2016 a guard at the
Powder River Correctional Facility called Baker County
911 Dispatch to report suspicious activity involving two
males (no further description) alongside The Little Pig
restaurant, 3685 10th Street.
The subjects were observed near the rear door of the
closed business. Officers responded and determined
that no one was at the location but that it appeared the
business had been broken into. The owner was contacted
and it was determined that approximately $150 worth of
merchandise had been stolen.
At about 2:00 a.m. Officer Rand Weaver conducted a
routine business check at the Coffee Corral, 1705 Camp-
bell. He noted that business appeared to have been broken
into. The owner responded and it appears that nine bags
containing an unknown amount of employee tips had
been stolen.
If citizens observe persons loitering on the property of
closed businesses, particularly during hours of darkness,
they are encouraged to call Baker County 911 Dispatch at
523-6415 to report suspicious activity.
County Commissioners
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
A County Road Department purchase request, for two
snow plows, was approved, with a motion from Bennett,
and a second from Kerns. Smith discussed the request
with the Board, prior to approval. According to the
request, the Road Department’s snow plow fleet needs
updating, three 1970 Marmon Herrington snow plows
will be scrapped this year, and two surplus Autocar snow
plows were available from the General Services Adminis-
tration (GSA), for $8,500 each.
An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) For Law En-
forcement Services, between the City of Huntington, and
Baker County, was approved, with a motion from Ben-
nett, and a second from Kerns. According to the agree-
ment, the period covered is from July 1, 2016, through
June 30, 2017, and Baker County will provide law
enforcement services within the city limits of Huntington,
for which the City of Huntington will pay $54,000 in
December 2016, the full payment.
Jodi Tool and Frank Thomas, from Community Con-
nection of Northeast Oregon, Inc. provided the Board
with a van pool update. Tool and Thomas said that
the pilot program, which would assist employers and
employees in Union and Baker counties with transporta-
tion issues, by providing a van pool system, has ceased
to operate for now, because of problems with funding
and resources. Tool said she doesn’t consider it to be a
failure, but rather, a learning experience, and the program
could once again be implemented, given more time, and
resolution of the issues. She said that one of the ben-
efits of the venture is the national exposure the project
received, through the Community Transportation Asso-
ciation of America (CTAA).
A letter, addressed from the Board, to the Eastern
Oregon Counties Association (EOCA), and detailing the
County’s rejection of the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Re-
vision (BMFPR) as presented, was approved to be sent,
with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Kerns.
An Eagle Valley Rural Fire Protection District (EVR-
FPD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
application was approved to be submitted to the In-
frastructure Finance Authority (IFA), with a motion
from Bennett, and a second from Kerns. Funding for
the project, a new fire department facility, is totaled at
$1,443,548, which includes IFA funding of $1,342,748,
and non-IFA (EVRFPD) funding of $100,800.
The Board discussed the Sumpter Dredge tails mining
topic (discussed during previous meetings and sessions),
which included a proposal letter from interested party,
Yellow Eagle Mining, LLC, of Elko, Nevada. During a
discussion about potential royalties paid to the County,
local miner Ed Hardt said that the County must come
up with a plan to receive those, if the project is pur-
sued, without asking for too much of a percentage. The
discussion, to be continued, also included concerns about
up-front costs, legal fees, and a demonstration of commit-
ment from interested parties.
The Board discussed its concerns regarding an invoice,
billed from Union County, to Baker County, in the
amount of $15,800, for EOCA dues for fiscal year 2016-
2017, and $4,645, for EOCA debt retirement. The con-
cerns included Bennett’s, about the lack of County funds
available to pay for outside lobbying, which he expressed
previously. Harvey said he would discuss the issue with
the EOCA during its meeting, this Friday.
Police investigate
possible sex abuse
On the evening of September 19, 2016 Baker City
Officers responded to a report of a possible sexual abuse
occurring at a residence in the city.
The extremely young age of the alleged victim (pre-
school aged according to other sources) will require, if
possible, a forensic interview involving DHS and other
specialists.
Because of the nature of the allegations no further
information will be released at this time. Any further
information will, if appropriate, be released by the Office
of the District Attorney.