FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2017
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
County discusses foreclosures No Shave
November
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held a
work session on Wednes-
day, November 4, 2017,
9 a.m., which included a
review of the Community
Development Block Grant
(CDBG) program, and a
discussion and concerns re-
garding County foreclosure
properties.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioners Mark Ben-
nett and Bruce Nichols,
and Executive Assistant
Heidi Martin. Attendance
also included Baker Coun-
ty Administrative Services
Director Christena Cook,
Baker County Facilities
Maintenance Foreman
Dan McQuisten, Baker
County District Attorney
Matt Shirtcliff, Business
Oregon CDBG Regional
Project Manager Tawni
Bean, Business Oregon
Infrastructure Finance Au-
thority Program and Policy
Coordinator Becky Baxter,
Business Oregon Baker/
Union/Wallowa counties
Regional Development Of-
ficer Brian McDowell, and
Chuck Rouse.
Harvey opened the ses-
sion, and Bean, Baxter,
and McDowell introduced
themselves to those attend-
ing. McDowell said that
Business Oregon recently
underwent a restructur-
ing, including a change in
personnel, and the CDBG
program.
McDowell said that,
primarily, the trio met
with the Board during this
session, in order to answer
any questions, and to ad-
dress concerns, regarding
the CDBG process.
Among proposed proj-
ects, Bennett mentioned
the Richland-based Eagle
Valley Fire Department
public safety center, which
would involve modifica-
tions of existing structure.
Baxter said that the CDBG
program is very restrictive,
since it involves federal
funding and requirements,
and that any City or
County government offices
could not be located in a
CDBG-funded facility.
Baxter said that the CDBG
program focuses on
four main areas, with its
funding: microenterprise,
public works, community
public facilities, and hous-
ing rehabilitation.
The higher priorities,
the vulnerable populations
(low to moderate income-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The rules of No-Shave November are pretty basic—all
a person has to do is put down their scissors or razor for
the entire month of November and donate those saved
monthly hair-maintenance expenses to their cause.
By the end of the month, Lohner said some of his crew
may start to look a bit like Santa Claus or old time West-
ern gunslingers, but it’s all about community service.
Lohner also said if members of the community would
like to participate with them, albeit with a late start,
match their funds raised, or simply donate, to please con-
tact Phoebe Wachtel at the front desk of the BCPD, 1768
Auburn, or call 541.524.2010.
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
L-R: Holly Kerns, Mark Bennett, Bill Harvey and Bruce Nichols.
based), include homeless
shelters, food banks, and
the Head Start program.
In 2017, Baxter said, the
state received $11 million
in funding for projects, but
$26 million in project ap-
plications were submitted
for the CDBG program, a
major shortfall.
Baxter and Bean dis-
cussed details of a Pow-
erPoint handout, copies
of which were provided
to those attending, which
covers requirements of the
grant application process.
Among other details,
Baxter said that there are
incentive points awarded
to an entity, depending on
the stage in the application
process, and what’s already
been completed.
This is a new program,
and Bean said that this
year, there is clarification
as to how those points are
awarded (included in an-
other publication provided,
the CDBG 2017 Amended
Proposed Method of Distri-
bution).
The second part of the
session included a discus-
sion with McQuisten, of
County foreclosure proper-
ties, including the follow-
ing: 2160 Wabash Street,
Baker City; 301 2nd Street,
Baker City; 2230 Campbell
Street, Baker City; 2485
15th Street, Baker City;
a 5,950 square foot lot,
Sumpter; a bare lot with a
barn, Sumpter; and a .17
acre lot, Durkee.
The Sumpter lot with a
barn is Tax Lot No. 7500,
Map No. 09S3729DC;
the Sumpter lot is Tax
Lot No. 3702, Map No.
09S3729DB; and the Dur-
kee lot is Tax Lot No. 900,
Map No. 11S4328BB.
McQuisten discussed
property assessment and
sales with the Board, and
Bennett asked how quickly
auctions could be held, for
the two Sumpter lots, and
the Durkee lot. Martin
said any proposed sales
could be put before the
Board at the Wednesday,
December 6, 2017 regular
session, but it would prob-
ably be Thursday, February
1, 2018, before any auc-
tions could be held.
McQuisten said that (at
the time of this writing),
there were still tenants
at 2230 Campbell Street,
and 2150 Wabash Street,
so, any eviction process,
if applicable, will have
to be completed, before
the County can sell the
property.
The bulk of the discus-
sion centered the cleanup
involved for the property at
301 2nd Street, first identi-
fied by the Baker City
Police as a an illegal drug
lab site, in February 2015.
The City was unsuccess-
ful in contacting the owner
at the time, David Bag-
gerly, and in October 2016,
Portland-based A Best
Environmental, an Oregon
Health Authority licensed
drug lab decontamination
contractor, was contacted
to perform methamphet-
amine contamination sam-
pling on the property.
Larry Stone, of A Best
Environmental, wrote in
his report to City Police,
“Levels in this house rank
as one of the highest that
contractor has seen in our
15 years’ experience...” In
one of the bedrooms, the
level detected was over
500 times the State thresh-
old for cleanup require-
ments, and all samples
were at least five times
higher than the standard.
In October 2016, Stone
wrote to Baker City Police
Chief Wyn Lohner, “It’s
pretty much an economic
decision on whether or
not to demolish. Cleanup
would be in the $30,000
range, and I would recom-
mend removal of all dry-
wall. I see the estimated
value of the property is
$72,000. Demolition of
the house and outbuild-
ings could be done by a
local demolition contrac-
tor, provided that they
do no ground work (only
we could do that) and we
would need to be on-site at
all times that work was be-
ing performed, according
to procedures of Oregon
Health Authority. Estimat-
ed cost of that would be in
the $6,000 (range) includ-
ing State fees, depending
on how much debris would
be left.”
Cook and Bennett voiced
some concerns about local
personnel performing the
cleanup, and Shirtcliff was
asked whether there would
be any associated criminal
charges filed, to which he
answered that he would
look into the issue, and get
back to the Board.
Harvey said that more
research would need to be
completed, regarding the
former drug lab site.
Sage-grouse study focuses
on raven predation
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 3
He said, “ODFW, and
USFWS are making the
request for lethally remov-
ing ravens, starting as a
study, so, we’re not just
indiscriminately going to
go in there.”
The questions will be, “Is
this working? How can we
make it work? Can they
even drop the number of
ravens? How is sagebrush
influencing sage grouse?
And then, if they lower the
abundance of ravens, does
that translate to a higher
demographic rate of nest
success, and maybe, chick
survival, as well?” he said.
The data for the Baker
pack will be compared to
the data for Bully Creek,
and Crowley.
Dinkins said, “Basically,
you try and remove things
that are drawing ravens
into the sagebrush, to see
if you can get a similar
response.
“That’s more of like a
long-term solution, so,
if you lethally remove
ravens, you have to keep
doing it, because their
abundance is high, because
they have subsidies.
“So, if you lower their
number, they’re just going
to rise back up again, be-
cause you haven’t removed
what’s allowing them to
increase.”
He said that entities such
as the Audubon Society
and Oregon Wild have
voiced their concerns with
ODFW and USFWS, over
the lethal removal of ra-
vens, stating that that’s the
only solution the agencies
have looked at implement-
ing.
Dinkins said that isn’t
true, and that the study
involves collecting data on
sage grouse demographic
rates, and collaring sage
grouse--the first “on-air”
signal received in August.
At least 45 sage grouse
have been radio-collared
so far (with Very High Fre-
quency, or VHF transmit-
ters), with half of them in
Baker, and the other half in
Bully Creek.
No ravens have been
collared at this point, said
Dinkins, because it’s dif-
ficult to do that outside of
the January to February
window, when ravens are
more restricted in what
their food resources are,
from a spacial standpoint.
He said they’ll be easier to
find, where large groups
are together.
Typical food resources
for a raven includes
landfills, where more
were caught in the past, in
Wyoming.
Where sage grouse have
radio collars (these could
also include Global Posi-
tioning System, or GPS
units), which are lighter,
and won’t have negative
consequences for the birds,
ravens will have backpack
VHF and GPS units.
SEE SAGE GROUSE
PAGE 7
One injured in
Dooley crash
Last Wednesday, November 1, the Baker County Sher-
iff’s Office responded to a motor vehicle crash on Dooley
Mountain near milepost 27, which closed the highway.
Sgt. Craig Rilee and Deputy Rich Kirby were on the
scene. According to Sheriff Travis Ash, who was also
on the scene, a request was made for Search and Rescue
(SAR) to assist with Rope Rescue to move the patient up
the hill back to the road.
Ash responded with five SAR membervolunteers. The
responders on scene were able to get the patient to the
road without SAR assistance. OSP was the primary inves-
tigating agency. Bowen Valley and Baker City Fire were
on-scene as well.
The passenger, James Morehouse, of Vale, was driving
a 2007 Ford two-door passenger car. Information was
unavailable regarding injuries in time for print.
Surveillance
leads to high
risk stop
On November 2, 2017 at about 7:30 a.m. the Baker
City Police Department (BCPD) began surveillance on a
room at the Oregon Trail Motel, where a subject wanted
on a Parole Board Warrant for a Parole Violation was
believed to be staying.
This subject, Zachary Charles Persicke (06/15/1985),
was considered a high risk threat as BCPD had reason to
believe he was in possession of a firearm, had reportedly
threatened to shoot it out with law enforcement, and had
previously spent time in prison for the 2009 shooting of a
Baker City man.
The information about Persicke’s possible location was
obtained by Sergeant Craig Riley and Deputy Rich Kirby
of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.
At about 9:15 a.m. BCPD personnel observed Persicke
walk out of Room #155 and get into the passenger side of
a 2001 Ford Expedition. That vehicle left the parking lot
and turned north onto Bridge Street and continued north
on Resort Street.
BCPD Officer Chris Sells attempted to initiate a high
risk traffic stop on the vehicle in the 1900 block of Resort
Street, but the vehicle continued and turned east on
Washington Avenue. With the knowledge that the vehicle
was now travelling directly toward Brooklyn School, a
BCPD undercover unit passed the Expedition, activated
its emergency lighting and conducted a U-Turn to block
the vehicle’s progress.
The driver was called out of the vehicle and later
identified as 31 year old Melissa Carey. When Carey got
out of the vehicle she told Officer Sells that her young
son was inside, whom she retrieved and brought back to
Officer Sells patrol car. BCPD personnel were then able
to extricate Persicke from the vehicle, who stated after
he was contained that he should have had the officers kill
him.
Persicke was found to be in possession of a 9mm hand-
gun, a small quantity of Methamphetamine, a number of
Morphine pills and other drug paraphernalia.
Persicke has been charged with:
• Parole Violation Detainer (Parole Board Warrant)
• Felon in Possession of a Firearm
• Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (Concealed)
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphet-
amine)
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Morphine)
Director’s Nightmare
to open this month
Director’s Nightmare is slated to open at Eastern Or-
egon Regional Theater on November 16 through the 19th.
7 p.m. shows are Thursday through Saturday. Sunday
shows are at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and $25 for a
family. Tickets are available at the door, at Betty’s Books
and at Random Resales.
This one-act hysterical youth production is sponsored by
St. Luke’s Eastern Oregon Medical Associates.