FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
Serving aboard the Tamaroa
about every
other senior
I can think
of, if they’re
being honest.
Because we
were teenag-
ers and easily
persuaded
to do risky
things
without too
much effort,
Shane’s
cousin,
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
Chuck, a
Coastie,
con-
By Todd Arriola
vinced us both
As I thumbed through the
to sign up to
Rolodex of my mind for
serve our country, a move
potential article outdoor
that we may have regretted
topics this week, I realized
upon fi rst arriving at boot
that I already had one star-
camp in Cape May, New
ing me in the face, which
Jersey. Boot camp and
could use even further
Cape May in August—it
comment: the odd connec-
was hell.
tion between former Baker
Post-boot camp, we both
County landlubber-turned-
arrived on the Tamaroa—
Coastie Shane Greenbank,
the “Tam,” in the fall of
and the U.S. Navy Zuni-
1990. We were billeted—
turned-U.S. Coast Guard
appointed, ordered, threat-
cutter Tamaroa.
ened with death, what have
Shane, an avid outdoors- you—to serve on that ship,
man and former Ironside
because I noticed that there
resident, who had lived to-
were two open slots during
gether on a ranch with his
boot camp, and I happily
late grandparents, Elmer
fi lled them in with both
and Pearl, and (still living)
of our names. What are
uncle, Lance, is someone
buddies for? Asking Shane
I’d met fi rst while in the
fi rst might have been a
7th Grade. Somehow, we
good idea.
both had worn the same
Arriving to the Tam
exact jacket—a Pittsburgh
(whose home port was
Steelers one—on the fi rst
Portsmouth, New Hamp-
day. An instant friendship. shire) via small boat from
Fast forward several
shore, we immediately
years, and many buddy
received a lesson in the
experiences later, and we
realities of the chain
both, as seniors, had little
of command, as a new
idea of what our futures
Quartermaster (QM) was
might truly hold, not unlike allowed to board fi rst, with
us directly behind. Upon
boarding the Tam, we were
immediately put to work,
helping to stow the stores
(put away the groceries).
I don’t remember how
Shane fared, but I was
mostly okay topside (on
deck, outside). The seas
weren’t rough, and I was in
the initial stage of gain-
ing my “sea legs,” which
entailed basically getting
used to the constant motion
of the ship and bending
and moving my legs, while
remaining upright. This
takes a while, but the really
weird feeling is returning
to and walking on land,
which is not moving, and
trying to look normal.
Once I ventured down
below the main deck for
the fi rst time, I experienced
another foreign concept—
sea sickness.
We lived below deck, in
the luxurious birthing area
(an odd name, in my opin-
ion), which provided very
little room for each sailor
to call his home, though,
we did have around 80
aboard, so space was at a
premium. I imagined it to
be an advantage to have a
bottom rack (bunk) until
about the time the diesel
tank “burped” one day, as
it was checked for level (or
whatever was going on),
permanently saturating the
training books I had.
Prior to the fall of 1991,
I left the Tam, in order to
attend Electronics Tech-
nician (ET) school, and
Shane stayed aboard, later
to become involved in the
dangerous rescues in The
Perfect Storm, heroic acts
which deserve even more
recognition.
Keep in mind, around 80
sailors risked their lives,
especially those on deck,
knowing that the Tam, as
tough and seaworthy as she
was, and about the only
ship up to the task, could
still have gone down with
more than one sailor think-
ing she might. Who would
have saved them?
Shane said, “It was ter-
rifying for me at the time,
and also very fulfi lling in
the end, and at the same
time, a feeling that this is
why I offered my life up
to do the job. I would still
do it again ... I’d still go
back in, if they’d have me,
but they won’t.” He’s had
to wade through a sea of
red tape in his unsuccess-
ful attempts to serve again,
and he cites his service-
connected disability rating
(he broke his back) as the
roadblock. As an experi-
enced attorney, he feels he
has much to offer.
The Perfect Storm book
and fi lm increased the
public’s awareness of both
the heroism and the trag-
edies, and while accuracy
can be debated, in the end
I believe the message gets
across. I’m proud to know
and to write about people
like my buddy and former
shipmate, Shane. Strict
subscribers of the old ad-
age, “You have to go out,
but you don’t have to come
back,” many of them didn’t
think they would return,
but they still did the job.
Semper Paratus ...
Huntington’s
Halloween
BY EILEEN DRIVER
Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The annual Huntington Community Halloween Party
was full of fun and games for all the costumed kids of
all ages who live in this town. The party was held at the
VFW Hall / Community Center on Friday, October 28th
from 6 to 8 p.m. and was sponsored by the Huntington
Senior & Youth Organization who served free ham-
burgers, hot gogs and french fries to the hungry crowd.
Ghosts, goblins and cowboys were joined by an emu, a
bear and Dorothy, with a dragon instead of toto, to play
games for candy and prizes.
If you wanted to fi ll your goodie bag you could go
bowling, cast the line on a fi shing pole, throw a dart and
pop a balloon, play the bean bag toss or get the ball in
the basket. For even more of a challenge you could toss
a ring around a two-liter bottle of pop and win the bottle
or if dessert is what you were craving a jaunt around the
cakewalk to creepy Halloween music was a big hit.
The Huntington Senior & Youth Organization, which
was in danger of closing it’s doors, due to several of its
board members planning to move away, has been given a
revival with an infl ux of new volunteers who showed up
at a meeting held on Halloween day with a determination
of keeping the organization going.
Senior meals, which are usually served at the VFW
Hall, and delivered to shut ins on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday will be serving only on Fridays for about a
month while the transition occurs. But they hope to be
back up to full capacity soon and are proud to say that the
Halloween Party is a sign of a new beginning instead of
it’s swan song, which is what was feared.
Hatch opens
in Baker City
Baker City is the home of a new community innovation
and entrepreneurship lab in Northeast Oregon. HatchLab
Baker is located on 2021 Main Street A. If you have any
questions, please contact the HatchLab Baker Manager,
Bryan Tweit at bryan@hatchthefuture.org. According to
a press release the center will, “help to elevate the work
that locals are doing in Baker to help small business.”
County gets weed, legislative updates, visit from Bentz
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 5
Citizen Participation
included Chase, who asked
about the negotiations
between the City and the
County, regarding 911
Consolidated Dispatch.
Harvey said that topic
would be discussed more
fully, and there would be
more detail available, at
the next Commission work
session, scheduled for
Wednesday, November 9,
2016, 9 a.m.
The minutes from the
Wednesday, October 19,
2016 regular session were
approved, with no noted
changes, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
form Kerns.
Grammon provided a
Weed Department update,
which included the topic
of the County Weed Levy,
passed by voters in May.
“One of the things that I’m
actually very proud of is,
the Weed Levy was passed
with the highest percentage
that it ever has been passed
with--73%--which is a
good deal...”
Grammon emphasized
that the Department uses
any and every approach
possible, in order to
minimize the impacts of
noxious weeds through-
out the County, and it’s
a multi-angle attack, not
just with herbicides. He
had forms of bio-control
planned, but due to issues
with regulations, this plan
was halted. He explained
the term bio-control: “Bio-
control, in the focused
sense, is using some sort of
agent, whether it’s a small
bug--generally, it’s a small
bug--or...some fungus...
that attacks the plant, and
then, either reduces the
plant, through seed reduc-
tion, or, maybe attacking
the roots...”
He said that Spotted
Knapweed, in primarily
three places in the County,
can get out of control
quickly, if it’s not ad-
dressed. Grammon said
that the best bio-control
methods have been ob-
served, and that Larinus
and Cyphocleonus (both
bug-based bio-control)
have been released recently
in Halfway, in order to
help address the Knapweed
issue, as an example. He
said that Leafy Spurge
is one of the more dif-
fi cult invasive species to
eradicate, and without
bio-control, the task would
be about impossible.
Whitetop will be targeted
with bio-control, too, but
regulations on approving
that stalled the progress
(he said that any perceived
threats to Threatened &
Endangered species affects
that decision).
Particularly challeng-
ing this year were Russian
Thistle and Kochia, be-
cause they tend to exploit
areas with prior weed
control efforts. The best
solution, Grammon said,
is robust perennial grasses,
but there are issues when
attempting to eradicate
Russian Thistle and Ko-
chia, in paved areas.
He said that proposed
future actions include:
expanding the boundary
of Mandatory Whitetop
Control, to include the
watershed below Burnt
River Canyon, by Spring
2017; adopting a timetable
for the rest of the County;
to bring the proposal
before the Commission
this winter; and to hold a
public comment meeting.
In defi ning Mandatory
Control, Grammon said
that it doesn’t require a
land owner to eradicate
every single noxious weed
on the property, but rather,
it encourages land owners
to minimize the spread of
seeds. He said the County
has a cost-share program
available (this doesn’t
include the hiring of
contractors), and there are
herbicide giveaways, and
he’d like to see land own-
ers to address weed issues
in a more proactive way.
The Board discussed a
list of foreclosed property,
which included: 2130 9th
Street, Baker City, with
a total value of $21,420,
and a judgment amount
of $1,549.25; 1440 13th
Street, Baker City, with
a total value of $33,540,
and a judgment amount
of $2,369.37; 75x60 bare
lot, Sumpter, Oregon, with
a total value of $10,870,
and a judgment amount
of $605.74; 33801 Bald
Mountain Road, Baker
County (structure sits on
U.S. Forest Service prop-
erty), with a total value of
$26,580, and a judgment of
$430.66; 90 West Wash-
ington Street, Hunting-
ton, with a total value of
$10,150, and a judgment
of $905.18; 25.7x100 bare
lot, Huntington, with a
total value of $3,260, and
a judgment of $182.80;
and 1244 3rd Street, Baker
City, with a total value of
$56,680, and a judgment of
$4,836.05.
The Baker School Dis-
trict 5J had shown interest
in the last property, 1244
3rd Street, but that is no
longer the case, due to nec-
essary additional work, and
costs, Harvey said. Martin
said that the U.S. Forest
Service is evaluating the
Bald Mountain Road prop-
erty, and will contact the
County when that evalu-
ation is completed. The
Board expressed a desire to
sell the properties (an ac-
tual motion was not made
at the session), and this
process will move forward,
including adjustment of the
values, at a future session.
Bentz provided a
Legislative update, which
included a ballot measure
list and a discussion: No.
94, Senate Joint Resolution
(SJR) 4, he voted YES;
No. 96, House Joint Reso-
lution (HJR) 202, he voted
YES; No. 97, he voted NO;
No. 98, he voted NO; No.
99, he voted NO; and No.
100, he voted NO.
The majority of Bentz’s
presentation included an
analysis of the worsening
road conditions through-
out the State, and rising
costs associate with, and
the lack of funding needed
to address those issues.
“Our roads are failing,” he
said. Emphasis included
the following two quotes
(combined) from Mal-
heur County Roadmaster,
Richard Moulton: “When a
paved road reaches ‘poor’
or ‘very poor’ condition, it
must be either replaced or
reverted back to gravel...
When I started working for
the Malheur Road Depart-
ment 13 years ago, the cost
of emulsifi ed oil was $180/
ton, today it costs $570
ton,” a 270% increase.
Bentz presented road
condition ratings in the
District 60 counties,
including Baker: 38 roads
rated as GOOD, 34 as
FAIR, 96 as POOR, and
15 as VERY POOR. The
statewide costs to address
road issues is around $3
billion, Bentz said, and he
suggested support for a
fuel tax increase, because
of the dire situation, which
includes Eastern Oregon
roads.
He’s taken heat for the
suggestion and support, but
he explained that he’s try-
ing to address the worsen-
ing road issues in District
60, and a tax increase,
which he said would not
be “huge,” would be one
solution, which could help
to accomplish that. He
presented a hypothetical
scenario, and he asked,
“How much does an
Oregon who drives 10,000
miles a year pay (at 20
miles per gallon), in State
gas tax?” Harvey guessed
$2,500. Bentz answered
$153.51 per year, or about
$12.79 per month, using
his calculations, at the
current tax rate of 30 cents
per gallon. He said that’s
about a penny per mile
of road to use it, whereas
a mile of freeway costs
about $1 million.
Order No. 2016-158,
Re-appointing A Member
To The Baker County
Development Corporation
Subscribe today for as little as $29.95 per year! Turn to Page 9.
(BCDC), was approved,
with a motion from Ben-
nett, and a second from
Kerns. Brent Kerns was
re-appointed, his term set
to expire on October 1,
2019.
Order No. 2016-159,
Appointing Members To
The Local Public Safety
Coordinating Council
Committee (LPSCC), was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns.
The following were
appointed, their terms set
to expire on November 1,
2018, and noting their area
of expertise: Mark Bennett
(Baker County Commis-
sioner), Marilyn Jones
(DHS), Shari Selander
(Baker County Mental
Health Director), Sandy
Woods (Lay Citizen), Ed
Pierson (Lay Citizen),
Matt Shirtcliff (Baker
County District Attorney),
Travis Ash (Baker County
Sheriff), Staci Erickson
(Baker County Juvenile
Department), Will Benson
(Baker County Parole &
Probation), Nancy Staten
(Interim Public Health
Manager), and Wyn
Lohner (Baker City Police
Chief).
Amendment No. 1, to
Agreement No. 148056,
State of Oregon Intergov-
ernmental Agreement For
The Financing Of Com-
munity Developmental
Disability Services, was
ratifi ed, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns.
The amendment includes
some exhibit and language
changes.