THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017
Business / Agriculture
Geiser Grand to expand
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
It’s anticipated that the
entire project will total
more than two million dol-
lars. Sidway said, “We will
look forward to sharing the
details on the project with
the community when plans
develop.”
But even now you can
see that work is proceed-
ing. If you look over at
the building when driv-
ing down Resort Street,
you’ll see a dozen highly
skilled masons working
on rebuilding the damaged
brick common walls. “We
hope that is just the begin-
ning of the jobs, direct and
indirect, that this project
will generate for the com-
munity,” said Sidway.
Oregon Heritage, a divi-
sion of Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department,
awarded 28 matching
grants worth $2,455,700
to Oregon Main Street
Network organizations
across the state for build-
ing projects that encourage
economic revitalization.
Projects range from
façade improvement to
elevator access and seismic
upgrades and awards range
from $17,500-$100,000.
The department funded
projects that best conveyed
the ability to stimulate
private investment and lo-
cal economic development,
and best fit within the com-
munity’s long range plan
for downtown vitality.
The grant program was
created during the 2015
legislative session, and
placed with the Oregon
State Historic Preservation
Office.
The legislation estab-
lished a permanent fund
for the Oregon Main Street
Revitalization Grant, and
provided an initial infusion
of funds from the sale of
lottery bonds.
The funds must be used
to award grants to partici-
pating Oregon Main Street
Network organizations to
acquire, rehabilitate or con-
struct buildings to facilitate
community revitalization.
The program also
requires that at least 50
percent of the funds go
to rural communities as
defined in the bill.
911 Board holds ‘emergency’
meeting over budget
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
— Weekly Hay Report —
Friday, May 5, 2017 — Eastern Oregon
Prices trended generally steady in a limited test
compared to week ago prices. Most demand lays
with the retail/stable hay. According to some pro-
ducers, horse owners prefer lower sugar, higher pro-
tein hay. Many producers are sold out for the year.
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa — Large Square Premium / Supreme
50 180.00-180.00 180.00
Two weeks ago:
Alfalfa / Orchard Mix — Small Square Premium
6 165.00-165.00 165.00
Timothy Grass — Small Square Premium
10 275.00-275.00 275.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 674
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 172.00-191.00 Top 200.00
400-500# Bulk 166.00-182.00 Top 184.00
500-600# Bulk 151.00-171.00 Top 178.00
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Friday, May 5 at
2:00 p.m. members of the
911 Board were asked to
attend what County Com-
mission Chair Bill Harvey
coined an “emergency”
meeting at City Hall.
In attendance with
Harvey were City Man-
ager Fred Warner, Mayor
Mike Downing, 911 Board
member Debi Dugan, 911
Board member Rob Gen-
tilli and 911 Director Hope
Lindsey.
Lindsey, who has been
at the helm of the 911 cen-
ter since February 2016,
recently submitted her
resignation.
Harvey made clear that
Lindsey had requested this
meeting.
Lindsey claimed to have
received the proposed 911
Center budget on Wednes-
day May 3, 2017 following
the County Commissions
meeting and upon review
she says it will leave the
center “inoperable next
year. They will not be able
to function with the rec-
ommended funding.”
Lindsey expressed with
her resignation effec-
tive Friday, May 12, she
wanted to try and resolve
some of the issues before
her departure. “As a
board, we have had two
meetings scheduled to
discuss the budget and we
haven’t done that at either
of them,” she said.
Harvey told the Board
that he and Lindsey had
met the day before to
discuss the matter. He told
the Board and Lindsey that
he “tried several times to
work with your schedule
to find time to meet and
go over everything—”
but until this week had
been unsuccessful. He
also added that Christena
Cook, Baker County Ad-
ministrative Director had
helped Lindsey quite a bit
and posed the question to
Lindsey, “Is that not true?”
Lindsey acknowledged
that indeed was the case
but she had had questions
about some of the things
she was expected to do
and had emailed Harvey
and Cook telling Harvey,
“I did not get a response
from you right away and
Christena said, ‘Just bal-
ance it.’”
Lindsey advised that
she had copies of all those
emails if needed.
Harvey responded by
saying he had not an-
swered her right away due
to other meetings he had
been in at the time. He also
said that he knew Lindsey
was unfamiliar with the
County’s budget process
and that the County had
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 162.00-183.00 Top 184.00
400-500# Bulk 153.00-169.00 Top 170.00
500-600# Bulk 147.00-158.00 Top 165.00
Yearling Steers
600-700# Bulk 142.00-164.00 Top 168.00
700-800# Bulk 124.00-141.00 Top 143.00
800-900# Bulk 121.00-129.00 Top 132.00
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
L-R: Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner, Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash,
Dispatcher Mandy Wirth.
reached a point where they
had asked her to “finish it
up, you did the best you
could with it.”
He then stated that the
commissioners and budget
board did what they could
with it but did have to
adjust things to make it
balance.
He advised the County
had their first half day
budget meeting with the
board and commissioners
that Wednesday, May 3
and the next was set for
May 31st.
Harvey asked Warner
when the City’s budget
meetings were set as the
City funds the 911 center
as well and would need
that final number when
deciding on the allocated
funds in their budget.
Lindsey spoke up saying
she felt it was the Board’s
job was to come up with
the budget, “to give the
director and the Center
guidelines for what expec-
tations are.”
Harvey noted that an-
other 911 meeting was set
for May 12 and that was
what that meeting would
be used for, the meeting
that day could not be used
to go through the budget
line by line.
Lindsey asked, “Why
not?”
Harvey explained that
all the information was not
before those present.
Lindsey said she had
brought information for
all and claimed that in
two prior meetings it had
been on the agenda to
have budget discussions,
but Harvey had said they
would not be discussing
the budget prior to both
meetings.
“At what point will we
discuss it?” she asked.
Harvey responded,
“Right now.”
City Manager Fred War-
ner, Jr. then added, “I just
think since we’re here and
it’s a 911 Board meeting,
I would like to make sure
what is in the budget is
what fits the City’s dollar
figure. We’ll have our
budget done before the
County.”
Lindsey added, “Well
this is just to make recom-
mendations so you can
make informed decisions.
I don’t understand why
you’re refusing to talk
about it.”
Harvey advised that the
May 12 meeting would
begin with an executive
session and would include
discussions that could not
be done in a public hearing
such as employees and
employee contracts.
Lindsey argued that the
meeting was for expendi-
tures.
Harvey disagreed
because he felt part of
expenditures could include
personnel.
The group did go
through the proposed
budget rather quickly line
by line where Lindsey did
note areas that the budget
could be cut such as office
supplies or where money
had been allotted in the
previous year’s budget to
replace some equipment
or computers and that
amount was again placed
in this proposed budget
unnecessarily and could be
removed.
The budget for training
caused some discussion.
In order for 911 dis-
patchers to remain
active, ongoing training
is required to keep their
certification.
Cuts to that budget
were of grave concern.
Simply put, in order to
operate, the 911 center
needs dispatchers. In order
to be a dispatcher certain
requirements must be met,
including mandatory train-
ing hours.
Lindsey did suggest that
one way to possibly trim
the required budget was to
take advantage of online
trainings rather than send
personnel to trainings usu-
ally held on the other side
of the state incurring gas,
food and lodging costs in
addition to the cost of the
training.
Baker Police Chief Wyn
Lohner was present at
the meeting and spoke up
saying, “Online training
sounds all well and good
but in reality the time to
do it is often a problem
and I’ve found it to be sort
of ineffectual.”
Dispatcher Jessica Lynch
was also present and told
the Board that she and
other dispatchers in the
911 Center have paid for
trainings out of their own
pockets before because
the budget isn’t there and
they have to maintain their
certification to remain
employed.
Making sure the bud-
get for training dollars is
sufficient is a priority for
those employed by the 911
Center.
Lynch also asked the
board what the plan was
to replace Lindsey as sev-
eral 911 Center employees
were at the meeting and
concerned about the future
there.
Harvey advised that
nothing had yet been done
to decide the direction of
the 911 Center.
Chief Lohner and Sheriff
Travis Ash informed the
group that in an effort to
“trim the budget” and save
money they felt that per-
haps the 911 center should
temporarily return to
being under the direction
of the Sheriff and promote
someone currently within
the 911 center to serve as
the head.
By doing so the Sheriff’s
Office could possibly share
in the costs.
There have been rum-
blings of creating a special
district to fund EMS/911
services that Ash and
Lohner confirmed they are
working toward getting
on a ballot in the not too
distant future.
Board member Debi
Duggan asked Sheriff Ash
if there was a way that he
could put together a pre-
sentation and come before
the 911 Board at the meet-
ing on May 12 to delve
into the matter further.
Ash agreed to put a
presentation /proposal
together for that meeting.
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 125.00-139.00 Top 141.00
700-800# Bulk 124.00-141.00 Top 142.75
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows N/A
Butcher Cows 66.00-74.00
Butcher Bulls N/A
Stock Cows Young N/A
Hfretts N/A
Pairs Young - 1285.00-1485.00
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
— Log Price Report —
Prices are based on the majority of saw mills in
Northeastern Oregon and Central Idaho. The prices
listed below are a composite prices of various saw-
mills willing to visit with me about this topic.
Ponderosa Pine—small diameter class 8-11 inches
diameter class $250 per mbf. Only one sawmill was
willing to buy small diameter pine at this time.
Ponderosa Pine—medium diameter class 12-17
inches diameter class $300 to $350 per mbf
Ponderosa Pine-large diameter class 18 plus inches
diameter class $380 to $410 per mbf
The Pine prices are still approximately $40 per mbf
below average lumber/log market due to 2017 fire
salvage
Doug Fir & Western Larch—$380 to $420 per
mbf. Normal prices typically ranged between $425
to $475 per mbf.
White Fir-$300 per mbf. Normal prices typically
ranged between $340 to $360 per mbf.
Engelmann Spruce—$350 at one Idaho sawmill,
other sawmills including with White fir prices.
In general, the log prices still impacted from 2015
fire season and fire salvage that resulted. Sawmills
are starting to get log yard inventory in line with
sawmill production needs. With a new Administra-
tion as of 1/20/2017, a more normal economic envi-
ronment should result and hopefully a more healthy
housing situation will result in a better climate for
Northeast Oregon Sawmill and private forest land-
owners.
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1,238.50
Silver: $16.48
Platinum: $897.39
Palladium: $799.79
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $374.75/bu/USD
Wheat: $454.00/bu/USD
Soybeans: $975.50/bu/USD
Oats: $238.05 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.91/cwt/USD
Canola: $522.60 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $130.05//lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $160.10/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $75.55/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com