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