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Friday, July 7, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 27
Labyrinth!
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Thursday, the Baker
City Lion’s Club, working
in conjunction with the
City of Baker City, and
master brick mason Dave
Gagnon and crew, broke
ground on Baker City’s
fi rst labyrinth.
Located just off Valley
Street on the edge of Cen-
tral Park by the Powder
River, the section of land
from the small park was
donated by the City for the
project. The circular stone
maze will measure about
30 feet across.
According to Lion’s
Club Board member Jeff
Nelson, “It’s a wonderful
project. People keep com-
ing to us with their great
ideas and so we can keep
making our parks better.”
He gives credit to
Kathleen Kiefer and Aletha
Bonebrake for putting the
bulk of the work into the
fundraising efforts.
The Lion’s, a 501(c)
(3) nonprofi t, managed
through those efforts to
collect approximately
$40,000, which will go
toward things such as pur-
chasing the large number
of pavers—manufactured
in Connecticut—that
will be used to make the
Submitted Photo.
The approximate design of the labyrinth.
design. The materials will
arrive by train next week.
Bonebrake said, “The de-
sign being installed in the
Central City Park along the
pathway is a replica in size
and design of the world’s
most famous labyrinth,
which was laid in the early
13th century as the fl oor
of Chartres Cathedral in
France. This same design
can be seen on the hospital
grounds in The Dalles and
in a courtyard at Grace
Episcopal Cathedral in San
Francisco.”
Gagnon donated all of
his own personal time and
labor ; his equipment and
employees are paid for
with private funds.
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
L-R: Dave Gagnon, Kathleen Kiefer and Jeff Nelson
on site at the future labyrinth.
SEE LABYRINTH PAGE 5
When football and art
come together
Pondosa
celebrates
Wendee Morrissey / The Baker County Press
Submitted Photo.
Pondosa had a park dedication in memory of Betty
Jean Bennett who co-owned Pondosa with her hus-
band Robert Bennett (pictured above) since 1980.
Jean passed away two years ago and Robert just
turned 94. He still runs the Pondosa Store and even
constructed a display for his 1800s wagon. Several
neighbors and family joined Robert in the celebra-
tion on Sunday, July 2. He and his family held a
BBQ for all who attended. Gerry Meyer gave the
invocation. There were RV spaces available for all
who wished to linger.
Craig Millman (left) meets National Football League draft Malik McDowell, now of the Seattle Seahawks, to
present one of his custom-painted helmets.
Sheriff to
supervise
call center
• BHS GRADUATE COMBINES SPORTS
INTEREST WITH ARTISTIC TALENT
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Craig Millman’s classmates from the Baker High
School Class of 1990 remember Millman as a quiet but
mischievous sort—and a student with all kinds of inter-
ests ranging from sports to drawing.
“I’ve somehow always had the ability to draw, sketch,
use charcoal and paint—watercolor, acrylic, and oil—
from either photos or images in my mind since a young
age,” he said.
During school, Millman’s art was all over canvases,
folders and just about everything else around him. After
graduation, he even wound up trying his hand at assisting
in painting details on a couple of race cars, as life carried
him up to the Seattle area.
Now, still in Seattle, Millman is venturing into his own
small but growing business.
“I got the idea of using helmets as a different type of
canvas in the summer of 2014,” he recalled.
SEE FOOTBALL AND ART PAGE 3
Friday
Sunny and mild, highs in the low 80s.
Friday Night: Clear and cool, lows near 50.
Saturday
Sunny and mild, highs in the low 80s.
Saturday Night: Clear and cool, lows near 50.
Sunday
Sunny and warmer. Highs in the upper 80s.
Sunday Night: Clear and not as cool, lows in the
mid 50s.
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Submitted Photo.
In New York, White Plains Police Commissioner
David Chong’s NYPD helmet sits on display in his
offi ce.
The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast:
Our forecast made possible by
this generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
Last Wednesday Baker County Commission Chair Bill
Harvey and Commissioners Bruce Nichols and Mark
Bennett came together with Baker City Mayor Mike
Downing and Councilors Loran Joseph, Jim Thomas
and Rosemary Abell to discuss the jointly funded 911
Dispatch Center.
City Councilors Arvid Andersen, Adam Nilsson and
Dan McQuisten were not present.
Sheriff Travis Ash, who has been proposing to take con-
trol of the 911 Center, was also on hand at the meeting.
SEE CALL CENTER PAGE 5
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Eclipse spurs disaster declaration
Halfway: Clear Creek Music Festival
Tips for surviving hot weather
Page
Page
Page
Reporter’s suit against police continues Page
Sumpter bookkeeper retires
Page
Senior menu, crossword puzzle, etc. Page
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