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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2017)
FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 Classifieds / Local LAWN / GARDEN PUBLIC EVENTS LAWNMOWER. Craftsman lawnmower. Works great but owner has upgraded to an easier to start mower for herself. Retailed for around $350. Asking $100 OBO. 541.519.0572. Leave a voicemail. LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS. 4 to 6 pm at Geiser Pollman Park Baker City Events presents Powder River Music Review. Public invited, attendance by suggested $5 per person donation. Weekly raffle winner! For complete list of events: www.facebook/powderrivermusicreview or www. bakercityevents.net. THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 County approves $108K contract for Greg Smith BY TODD ARRIOLA Car Bash helps fund school event BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com For Miners Jubilee, parents of senior high school students organized the first “Car Bash” where people were able to bash a selected car. People could hit the car for $1 per hit or six hits for $5. This fundraiser idea was thought of by parents who volunteer to help with the raffle events. All proceeds go to the senior all night drug/alcohol free gradua- tion party in June. The bash was held on July 14th and 15th on Campbell and Grove. Organizers provided sledgehammers, baseball bats, pry bars, and regular hammers. They also pro- vided paint-filled balloons for children who wanted to participate. “We come up with dif- ferent fundraising ideas throughout the year to try to get money for prizes and to put it on for them and all of the events they do while they’re there,” said Pam Zemmer, a volunteer for Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press This bashed car has seen better days. the event. According to Zemmer, the car for the event was donated by a towing com- pany in town. The windows were removed from the car to help with cleanup and for safety. Two people were able to bash the car at a time as they only had two sets of safety gear. At the car bash, the group sold T-shirts the seniors had designed in a contest. They will also be selling these shirts for the eclipse in August. The volunteers will also be holding a Tri-Tip Drive Thru Barbecue for the eclipse on Saturday, Au- gust 19th at the Baker High School, offering slow- roasted tri-tip beef, baked potatoes, savory green beans, fresh rolls, dessert, and bottled water. Tickets are available and cost $20. The group also holds different raffles throughout the year along with a bare-necessity raffle in the spring. Kiwanis Club resurrects bed races BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com On Saturday, July 15th, the Baker City Kiwanis Club, in partnership with the Chamber of Com- merce, held their first annual Bed and Costume Contest Races. A different version of the bed races had once been a staple of Jubilee in the past years. According to their Face- book page, “Baker City Ki- wanis Club is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the growth and healthy development of the children and families within the community of Baker City.” Two teams competed this year—Sarah’s Re- venge and Old Trans- America Guys, also known as “Trans-Am Guys.” The winner was Sarah’s Revenge, winning $25 Baker Bucks and second place winners Old Trans- Am Guys won $10 Baker Bucks. Current President Veronica Johnson, who has been with Kiwanis for three years, explained the goal behind the bed races was to do something fun and to try to get their name out there for people to know who they are and that they are involved with the community. Johnson explained that she hopes more people will become involved with Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press The winning team: Sarah’s Revenge. the bed races next year and that everything they fundraiser goes back to the community. She explained that they have assisted families who had a house get back on their feet. Johnson also explained that they have helped student’s get glasses when their family had dif- ficulties affording them. “It all goes back to our community,” said Johnson. “To our children. We just want to let people know that we’re here and hope- fully—the main thing is it’s a small group and it would be nice to encourage people to want to volunteer and give back to their com- munity. So we’re involved in as many things as we can. It’s about our kids, it’s taking care of one child at a time and expanding from that.” “What Kiwanis is, is they’re dedicated to chil- dren,” said Treasurer Mary Lynn Evans. “And so, what we do as a club is we help children of Baker County when things come up. We do the Parent Recourse Fair, we get all the differ- ent recourses together that are in the community to help families.” Evans explained that at the Miners Jubilee fair at the park, they were selling tickets for the Mustang Raffle for the Doernbecher Children’s Cancer Unit. According to Evans, that was sponsored by Kiwanis state wide. “We sponsor some teams for YMCA and help out with the Middle School Carnival, and so all of those proceeds go towards the middle school kids,” explained Johnson. Baker City Kiwanis also does the High School Stu- dent of the Month, where they two pick students who are nominated by teach- ers and they invite the students and their families for lunch, as well as the teacher and the principal, and sometimes 5J superin- tendent. The students are honored for good citizenship. Rep. Bentz to speak in Ontario, Vale State Representative Cliff Bentz will speak at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Monday, July 24th at 12:00 p.m. at the Clarion Inn, Country Kitchen Wilder- ness Room, and the Vale Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday, July 27th at 12:00 p.m. at Chavelitas Restaurant. Rep. Bentz will present Chamber members with legislative highlights from the recently adjourned 2017 Legislative Ses- sion. There will be a short review of important bills on various topics such as the Transportation Package and the Treasure Valley Intermodal Facility (HB 2017), the Eastern Oregon border economic devel- opment region bill (HB 2012), 24-hour self-serve gasoline in rural Eastern Oregon (HB 2482), flex- ible/predictable schedul- ing (SB 828), pay equity (HB 2005), the bottle bill expansion (HB 2746) and forthcoming BottleDrop Redemption Center in On- tario (to be located at 1383 NE 3rd Ave) and other is- sues. The 2017-19 biennial budget and the hospital/ premium provider tax will also be discussed. Issues likely to come up in the 2018 and 2019 Sessions will also be dis- cussed, including: PERS, corporate taxes (gross receipt tax), rent control and no-cause evictions. Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Board of Commissioners held a reg- ular session on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 9 a.m., in the Commission Chambers of the Baker County Courthouse, which included, among other topics, approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City, County, and County Sheriff for management of the 911 Dispatch Center, and discussion of the contentious relationship between the County and Tri-County Weed Management Area. Present from the Board were Chair Bill Harvey, Com- missioners Mark Bennett and Bruce Nichols, and Execu- tive Assistant Heidi Martin. Attendance also included Baker County Road Sheriff Travis Ash, Baker County Parks and Recreation Director Karen Spencer, Baker County Road Master Jeff Smith, Baker County Administrative Services Director Christena Cook, and Ed Hardt. Harvey called the meeting to order, provided a special Invocation in honor of Dylan Thomas, and led in recita- tion of the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda was adopted with no noted changes, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Nichols. No comment was offered for Citizen Participation, and the minutes from the June 28 and July 5, 2017 sessions were approved, with some noted changes, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Nichols. Surface Transportation Program (STP) Agreement No. 32131, between the County and the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation (ODOT), for the purpose of chip seal and overlay of various County roads, was approved, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Nichols. Smith discussed the details with the Board. The total amount available to the County from the State for fiscal year 2017-2018 is $240,518.74, which represents a total of $255.871 originally allocated, at the exchange rate of 94%. A Parks Department purchase for a Hustler Fastrack SD model lawnmower, for $6,999, was approved, with a motion from Harvey, and a second from Bennett. Spen- cer discussed the details of the purchase with the Board, which included three bids. A Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Renewal Rider, be- tween the County and UPRR, was approved, with a mo- tion from Bennett, and a second from Nichols. Spencer discussed the details of the rider with the Board, which includes a renewed four-year lease (which would expire this year) from the County to UPRR of 624 square feet of office space and 6 parking stalls, at the historic Sumpter Valley Railroad Depot, 2960 Broadway, for $9.899.71 annually. A Professional Services Agreement (PSA) between the County and the Baker County Chamber of Commerce (doing business as Baker County Unlimited), for its Visi- tors Bureau, was approved, with a motion from Harvey, and a second from Bennett. The one-year contract, which expires this year, includes an increase of $4,000 for visi- tor services. A PSA between the County and County Tourism Marketing Director Tim Bishop was approved, with a motion from Harvey, and a second from Bennett. The $74,000 contract includes an increase of $3,000 per year for Bishop’s services. A PSA, between the County and Greg Smith & Com- pany, LLC, for Economic Development services, was approved, with a motion from Nichols, and a second from Bennett. The one-year contract, which expires this year, includes an increase of $12,000 for a total annual contract of $108,000. Harvey also voted yes. A 2017-2020 Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified, with a motion from Bennett, and a second from Nichols. The three-year contract, which expires this year, includes a cost of living (COLA) increase of 2% per year through- out the length of the contract. Hardt, while praising the Board for its efforts to control the County budget as much as possible, expressed concern over the increase in COLA, and he said that union voting tends to have a more liberal slant. Harvey said there were attempts to negotiate for a 1.5% increase, but that 2% ultimately worked, and that there are good local union people, less radical than in an area such as Portland. An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), between Baker City, the County, and the County Sheriff, for management of the 911 Consolidated Dispatch Center, was ratified, with a motion from Bennett, a second from Nichols, and Harvey voting in opposition. Ash spoke with the Board about the details of the agreement, which includes the following responsibilities, according to the agreement: “The Baker County Sheriff shall manage and oversee the operation of the BCDC (Baker County Dispatch Cen- ter). The Sheriff shall create a user group that will meet monthly to discuss matters that involve the operation of the BCDC. The meeting date will be set to accommodate the majority of users and will remain consistent month to month. The user group will be open to any current user of BCDC. The Sheriff or his designee will attend on a quarterly basis both City Council and County Commis- sion sessions to answer any questions about the BCDC. If requested, the Sheriff or his designee will attend work sessions or community meetings if needed. “The Sheriff will work with both Baker City Council and Baker County Commissioners to create an annual budget. The budget will be presented to the Baker County Budget Board and Commissioners for approval and adoption.” SEE COUNTY PAGE 9
