8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016
Local
5J recognizes Marvin Wood Man survives
products, student of the month being struck,
knocked off
bridge
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Thursday, November
17, the 5J School District
board members met for a
work session and board
meeting.
In the work session,
Josey Gaslin gave a pre-
sentation on the Facilities
Master Planning (FMP).
The FMP was estab-
lished in January 2016
and its objectives are to
develop an assessment
of the existing building
conditions and to perform
a review of instructional
and support spaces relative
to industry standards, they
will be on site with staff
for four days to do visual
inspections of all facilities
and they are able to evalu-
ate and identify conditions
of those facilities, and to
prepare building condition
evaluation forms and high
level estimates for repairs
and estimates.
In her presentation, she
showed the board members
the square footage of each
school in the district, the
capacity of students each
building can hold and how
many students are in the
school.
After the FMP completed
their assessments of the
school buildings, they will
be able to use the informa-
tion to have a long range
facilities plan for the build-
ings.
To begin the board meet-
ing, the district recognized
Marvin Wood Products
as Business of the Quar-
ter. Representing Marvin
Wood Products were Mike
Sundak, who prepared 150
work kits for students to
build bird houses this year,
Emery Owen, Chad Hurli-
man, and Dean Amundson.
The district also rec-
ognized Rusty Munn in
recognition of his Budget
Committee Service.
Munn worked as a
school board member and
then worked on the budget
committee.
They also recognized
eighth grader Sydney
Keller for the “Promise
of Baker Student of the
Month.”
FMP Committee mem-
bers Will Benson, Kevin
Cassidy, Ellen Dentinger,
Josey Gaslin, Autumn
Harrell, Mike Rudi, Kim
Mosier, Tony Rudolph,
and Dan Van Winkle were
recognized for their dedi-
cation and service on the
Facilities Master Planning
Committee.
Kim Mosier then gave a
presentation on the Baker
Valley Education Founda-
tion. The Baker Valley
Education Foundation is a
group of five people who
Photo courtesy of OSP.
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Sydney Keller displays her student of the month award.
are looking into a pos-
sibility of creating a VEF
to support the 5J District.
According to a pamphlet
Mosier passed out, their
mission is “To promote,
sponsor, facilitate and sup-
port innovative teaching
and education within the
Baker 5J School District.”
The VEF would be sepa-
rate from the district and
will be non-profit with its
purpose being to support
what is happening in the
district. Mosier presented
the idea to the board as the
VEF cannot be established
unless the district wants
their help.
According to Mosier,
each district’s VEF is
different and the focus of
the Baker VEF will be “To
promote sponsor, facilitate
and support innovative
teaching; to educate and
energize the community;
to mobilize community
recourses to support in-
novative teaching and
programming”.
According to Mosier’s
presentation, the BVEF
would need from the 5J
School Board; “Review
and approve by-laws once
developed and adopted by
the BVEF initial Board
of Directors; Review and
approve any additional
members of the Board of
Directors, as proposed
by the initial Board of
Directors; allow for com-
munication with school
administration and teachers
to raise awareness about
this project.”
The Objectives of
the BVEF, according to
Mosier, are; “To enhance
hands-on and experien-
tial learning; to promote
outdoor experiences; help
teachers met educational
needs of multiple intel-
ligences.” Their goals are;
“Raise community funds
for projects and programs
not mandated or funded
by the state; provide those
funds directly to teachers
or teams through grants;
create a direct pathway for
community involvement in
programs and projects that
support the foundation’s
purpose and objectives.”
For the BHS report,
the school’s blood drive
donations went to the Red
Cross November 2, and
they collected 46 pints of
donated blood.
The high school held
their annual Color Run,
where staff and students
walked/ran a mile and a
half around the sports com-
plex and teachers and staff
would throw dyed starch
at the walkers/runners.
Last year, about 30 people
attended and this year over
100 people attended and
they generated over $800.
On Friday, November
11 Vice Principal Chelsea
Hurliman escorted a small
group of students on a
college visitation trip to the
campuses of Eastern Or-
egon University and Blue
Mountain Community
College. The students were
able to tour the campuses
and speak with admis-
sion representatives about
programs they offer.
Mark Witty gave his
Superintendent Report,
discussing recruitment
and how people who are
trained to be teachers
chose a different career
path due to the recession.
He talks about the need
for teachers and how they
need to work harder to
recruit new staff members
and how to attract people
who will be a part of the
districts visions and goals.
There is an opening for
the Budget Committee and
they will advertise for at
least another week or two
and he asks the board to
be attentive to people they
think would be interested
in the position.
Witty is working with
staff to develop a program
to take students to China,
spend 12 days in China,
visit the sister school and
interact in Beijing. He
will be working with staff
through a step by step
process to go to China and
he will be working on the
notion that they would
love to have students come
from China to our school
for a year.
Assistant Superintendent
Betty Palmer discussed
that there are 15 new
teachers that joined the
district this year.
She discussed the semi-
nars they have with the
teachers, where they help
teachers with what they
need to know about art-
study and the next seminar
will be on organization
tips.
She discussed how they
want to bring in veteran
teachers to help them with
the sessions and processes.
CFO/Business Manager
Doug Dalton reported on
the financial report, dis-
cussing how they received
grants for facility assess-
ments and to help the
district pursue long term
plans and goals.
They were awarded the
BHS Seismic Grant, and
with that they will be hir-
ing architects and engi-
neers to design what they
are going to have construc-
tion managers and firms
bid to design.
Kevin Cassidy was
elected to be the Position
One Eastern Oregon Re-
gion Representative on the
OSBA board.
15-year-old killed in Harney
County car crash
On November 17,
2016 at about 7 p.m., OSP
Troopers and emergency
personnel responded to the
report of a single vehicle
crash on Highway 78 near
milepost 18 (10 miles west
of Crane, 18 miles east of
Burns).
Preliminary investigation
revealed a 1995 Nissan
pickup had been traveling
eastbound when it drifted
off the shoulder and the
driver over corrected caus-
ing the vehicle to roll sev-
eral times on the highway.
All occupants were ejected
from the vehicle (no safety
restraints used).
The operator, a 15 year
old male from Burns, was
pronounced deceased at
the scene.
The front right passen-
ger, a 14 year-old male
from Burns, was criti-
cally injured and taken by
air ambulance to Saint
Alphonsus Medical Center
in Boise.
The rear passenger, a
10 year-old male from
Burns was taken by ground
ambulance to Saint Charles
Bend for treatment of non-
life threatening injuries
(brother of driver).
Distracted driving is be-
ing investigated as a pos-
sible contributing factor.
Initial investigation
indicates the juveniles did
not have permission to be
operating the vehicle. OSP
was assisted on scene by
Harney County Sheriff’s
Office, Harney EMS, and
the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
This is an ongoing inves-
tigation.
More information will
be released when it be-
comes available.
The incident above happened in the dark with black
ice a factor.
On November 21, 2016 at about 6 a.m., OSP Troopers
and emergency personnel responded to the report of a
multiple vehicle crash on Interstate 84 near milepost 378
(on the Snake River Bridge between Oregon and Idaho).
Preliminary investigation revealed a 2008 Chevrolet
Colorado was traveling westbound on I-84 when it lost
control on the bridge after hitting black ice. The Chevro-
let impacted the bridge and came to rest on the shoulder
of the bridge. The driver of the Chevrolet, Steven S BAI-
LEY, age 41, of Middleton, Idaho was not injured.
A passing motorist, Steven Arrasmith, age 34, of Mesa,
Idaho, stopped his 2016 Jeep behind Bailey’s vehicle
to offer assistance. Another westbound vehicle a 2008
Hyundai lost control on the ice and struck the back of the
Jeep causing it to lurch forward. Arrasmith, who was now
standing on the bridge, was struck by his Jeep and thrown
over the bridge railing. He managed to hang on for a short
period, despite having a serious injury, before falling
about 50 feet into the Snake River below.
In the darkness, Arrasmith managed to shed heavier
clothing and swam to a nearby island. First responders
could hear him yelling for help soon after rescued him.
Arrasmith was taken to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center
in Ontario for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
The driver of the Hyundai, Jim D. Hudnall, age 68, of
Walla Walla, Washington, received minor injuries.
OSP was assisted by the Ontario Police Department,
Payette County Sheriff’s Office, Ontario Fire and Rescue,
Payette Fire and Rescue and the Oregon Department of
Transportation. More information will be released as it
becomes available.
BLM gives
release date
for B2H EIS
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released
a revised schedule for the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) process for the Boardman to Hemingway
Transmission Line (B2H) Project. BLM expects to pub-
lish the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for
the project on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, which will initiate
a 30-day notice of availability period for the Final EIS,
a 30-day land use planning protest period, and a 60-day
Governor’s Consistency Review period. There is no for-
mal public comment period associated with the Final EIS.
Once published, the Final EIS can be accessed in the
following ways: Online at boardmantohemingway.com/
documents.aspx; Via BLM’s ePlanning website; Request
a CD version by e-mailing info@boardmantohemingway.
com; At libraries and BLM offices in the project area.
A full list of reading rooms will be available online at
boardmantohemingway.com.
The Final EIS considers resource impacts across 24 al-
ternative routes organized in six geographic segments, as
well as a No Action Alternative. The document responds
to comments received on the Draft EIS and identifies the
Agency Preferred Alternative and the Environmentally
Preferable Action Alternative. Additional key changes in
the Final EIS include:
Updated routes and variations developed in response to
comments on the Draft EIS
Updated baseline environmental data and a robust ex-
planation of the methodologies used to analyze resource
impacts
Updated mitigation information including a Mitigation
Framework Plan
Additional information about routing considerations on
and near the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility
Boardman
Additional analysis of the project’s impacts on National
Historic Trails and high-value agricultural lands
New summaries comparing resource impacts for each
route alternative by segment
Additional information will be distributed to the project
mailing and email list when the document released. Call
307-775-6115 for more information.