FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Public Arts Commission
discusses graffiti
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Tuesday evening the
Public Arts Commission
held their regular monthly
meeting.
The main topic of the
evening was graffiti.
Baker City Police Officer
Shannon Regan, off duty,
was present to address the
matter.
Regan began her address
to the committee by advis-
ing them of the different
roles she has had in her 17
years with the department.
“I have been the Commu-
nity Service Officer, Police
Officer and the School
Resource Officer.”
It was her time as the
School Resource Officer
that put her in front of the
Public Arts Committee
Tuesday evening.
She shared her story.
She said, “When I was
the School Resource Of-
ficer I met a gentleman, he
was about 17 years-old. He
was an Oregon Youth Au-
thority kid. He was from
outside of our community.
He started tagging property
and he went all over town.
It was his way of letting
his friends from where he
came from know where he
was.”
Mary Miller, Public
Arts Chair asked Regan,
“Would he post pictures
of these? Is that what he
would do? How would he
let them know?”
Regan explained, “Tag-
ging is just a signature
mark that people use to
identify themselves with.”
Regan explained that
as she was working with
this individual as a law
enforcement officer she felt
frustrated with the young
man because he had caused
property damage at around
$1300.
She also stated that in the
course of investigating the
case she also got to know
him.
Because she was the
School Resource Officer at
the time a lot of their inter-
action was at the school.
She said, “I started to pay
attention to his notebooks
that had beautiful artistic
pictures, it wasn’t just his
tagging.”
In speaking with this
individual, she learned that
he had grown up in a gang
and had no father figure
around. “He didn’t have
an outlet, a way to express
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Shannon Regan, who works as a Baker City Patrol Officer (far left corner) talks
about her experiences with graffiti.
himself about things,” she
said.
Regan added, “Clear
back then I wondered if
his life could have been
changed or different had he
been given an opportunity
to have something like a
graffiti wall or someplace
to freely express himself
that was lawful.”
She told the committee
that as a police officer she
was able to see both sides
of this problem.
Graffiti has been touch-
ing the community more
and more.
Regan said she often sees
unlawful graffiti through-
out the City both while on
duty and off. As an officer
of the law she understands
that it is a crime, Criminal
Mischief, and it’s her job
to enforce it.
She said that the Depart-
ment does take graffiti
crimes seriously but went
on to say, “I didn’t want to
miss the opportunity for us
to see a bigger picture.”
That was her reason
for bringing an idea to the
Public Arts Commission.
Regan is proposing the
creation of a space where
individuals can lawfully
express themselves: a graf-
fiti wall of sorts.
Regan also cited the City
Police Department motto,
which she feels strongly
about, that the City Of-
ficers continually look for
ways to improve the qual-
ity of life here.
This was a way, she felt,
that could help enhance
our community in a posi-
tive way.
Regan admitted she had
not put much thought into
the logistics of such an
endeavor aside from it be-
ing someplace well-lit and
highly visible to the public,
but hadn’t thought about
things like where the paint
would come from or what
some rules might be.
She just thought of the
opportunity that such a
space could create.
She said, “Whether it be
a youth outlet, someone
learning art for the first
time or somebody who
just has a story to tell that
maybe can’t use their voice
to tell it. I don’t want to
miss the opportunity to see
somebody’s artistic abili-
ties or to learn something
about somebody.”
Regan clearly stated
that she did not come to
the meeting with the inten-
tion of arguing if “graffiti
was right or wrong.”
She stated she just
wanted to be transparent
and open about her ideas.
The Commission were all
in agreement that they saw
potential in the idea.
They had talked about
such a space perhaps along
the Leo Adler Memorial
Parkway. Specifically, the
back of Thatcher’s Ace
Hardware, where illegal
graffiti seems to surface
often.
So far nothing had
materialized from the
Commission’s ideas but
they all were in support of
Regan and committed to
exploring the idea more
thoroughly.
As the ideas flowed
around the room there was
talk of having a monthly
theme to the area.
Before “wiping it clean”
each month, take a photo,
then use each monthly
photo to make a calendar
that could be sold with
profits being reinvested
into the space or going
to the Public Arts Com-
mission for use on other
projects.
Corrine Vegter offered
the idea of constructing
a hollow boulder out of
metal that could be coated
with chalkboard material
and used to draw on with
chalk.
In other business, the
Commission talked about
various projects currently
in the works.
The first Art on Loan
piece, created by Don Her-
man and placed in Central
Park had been sold and
Chairwoman Mary Miller
explained that a press re-
lease would be issued soon
with details of the sale.
They discussed an excit-
ing new piece that would
soon be added to the Art on
Loan project and possible
locations for that piece. It
is an exciting time for Pub-
lic Art in our community
with several new projects
underway.
School Board hears about
Friday Academy and more
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samanth@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Thursday, the Baker
School District 5J held
board meeting at the City
Council Chambers. The
board voted unanimously
to cancel the December
board meeting due to
schedule constraints.
They recognized Out-
door School Coordinator
Dorothy Mason, presenting
her a certificate of recogni-
tion. Mason has been the
coordinator for 25 years.
Kaeli Flanagan was
presented the Baker High
School “Promise Student
of the Month for October;”
Wade Hawkins was pre-
sented the Haines “Promise
of the Baker Student of the
Month, and Santiago Vare-
la was presented the Baker
Middle School “Promise
Student of the Month.”
Angela Lattin, the Dean
of Students at Brooklyn
Primary and the facilita-
tor for Friday Academy,
gave a presentation on the
Friday Academy.
Lattin explained that, for
session two of the acad-
emy, they will be moving
everyone to Brooklyn
Primary and do their grade
levels there.
The second session be-
gan Friday, November 17th
and the theme includes
looking at food and science
around the world.
“We love the teamwork
atmosphere and we love
the opportunity for our
sixth graders to pair up
with our kindergartners,
because sometimes when
you get to teach those
activities or those concepts
to someone else, it makes
it a lot deeper for you, so
that’s our plan right now,”
explained Lattin.
Four students gave a
presentation to the school
board about Friday acad-
emy and their favorite
parts of it.
The first presenter, 5th
grader Joslyn Collins, dis-
cussed the different writing
prompts, poems such as
haikus, and art. Her favor-
ite part of Friday Academy
is the math.
The second presenter,
5th grader Mackenzie Led-
with-Bassman, discussed
their field trip to Sumpter
and the different activities
they did such as water-
color arts, scavenger hunts,
building a mouse house,
coloring leaves, and what
floats and what doesn’t.
“My favorite part of the
field trip was the different
age groups of the kinder-
garteners and partners
because I love to watch
them learn and find new
things,” explained Led-
with-Bassman.
3rd grader Teagan Ash-
ton presented on 3rd Grade
Classroom STEM Chal-
lenges. Aston discussed
the Cup Challenge, where
the students had a rubber
band with others tied to it
and cups, and they needed
to make a pyramid with
the cup but they couldn’t
touch the rubber bands or
the cups.
SEE SCHOOL BOARD
PAGE 7
BLM approves
B2H route
In a move that will improve the nation’s energy infra-
structure, create nearly 500 jobs and boost local econo-
mies, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced
today that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Boardman to
Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H Project).
The B2H Project will provide additional electrical capac-
ity between the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain
West regions.
The B2H Project, which will have a three-year develop-
ment phase, will alleviate existing transmission con-
straints by providing sufficient electrical capacity to meet
present and forecasted customer needs.
The total capital expenditure for the B2H Project is ap-
proximately $1 billion to $1.2 billion.
“The Boardman to Hemingway Project is a Trump
Administration priority focusing on infrastructure needs
that support America’s energy independence,” said U.S.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Today’s decision
is the result of extensive public involvement and will
support the environmentally responsible development
of resources to meet the needs of communities in Idaho,
Oregon, and the surrounding region.”
The ROD allows the BLM to grant a right-of-way to
Idaho Power Company for the construction, operation,
and maintenance of the B2H Project on BLM-adminis-
tered land. Located in eastern Oregon and southwestern
Idaho, the approved route will measure approximately
300 miles long when constructed.
The overhead electrical line will be extra-high-voltage
(500 kilovolts) and will include an alternating-current
transmission system. Because the new line will have
increased transmission capacity, it will allow greater use
of intermittent sources of renewable energy, such as wind
and solar, to connect to the grid.
“This project will help stabilize the power grid in the
Northwest while creating jobs and carrying low-cost
energy to market,” said Katherine MacGregor, acting
Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.
“It is a great example of the Administration’s America
First Energy Plan, which addresses all forms of domestic
energy production.”
“It’s great to finally have an administration that recog-
nizes the importance of working with states like Idaho
to get important things done,” said Idaho Governor C.L.
“Butch” Otter. “I’m pleased that our federal partners
are moving toward making this important infrastructure
upgrade a reality. Meeting the electric transmission needs
of our growing economy and population will require con-
tinued collaboration, and I’m confident that the BLM and
Department of the Interior under President Trump will
keep providing that kind of constructive leadership.”
“BLM’s approval of this interstate transmission line is
a long overdue decision that will bolster our regional in-
frastructure and ensure that energy is delivered efficiently
and reliably to customers,” said Idaho Senator Mike
Crapo. “This type of project is the result of a collabora-
tion between multiple stakeholders to move to meet the
energy demands of the region.”
“The B2H Project will create jobs, provide for Idaho’s
energy needs and promote the region’s energy infra-
structure moving forward,” said Senator James Risch. “I
applaud the BLM for issuing their Record of Decision
which is a critical step forward for the B2H Project.”
“The Boardman to Hemingway project is critically
important to Idaho,” said Congressman Mike Simpson.
“Providing the infrastructure to deliver affordable and re-
liable energy will benefit Idahoans and others in the West.
I applaud BLM for prioritizing this important work.”
The B2H Project will add approximately 1,000 mega-
watts of much needed bi-directional power capacity
between the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West
regions.
The additional capacity will help improve the regions’
ability to transmit low-cost energy from a variety of gen-
eration sources to serve residences, farms, businesses, and
other customers throughout the region.
The 293.4-mile approved route will run across 100.3
miles of Federal land (managed by the BLM, the U.S.
Forest Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S.
Department of Defense), 190.2 miles of private land, and
2.9 miles of state lands.
The B2H Project is a national-level priority and an
important component of the President’s all-of the-above-
energy strategy that includes encouraging projects that
help to strengthen America’s energy infrastructure.
The transmission line connects the northern termi-
nus, the Longhorn Substation, a substation planned by
Bonneville Power Administration about four miles east of
the city of Boardman in Morrow County, Oregon, to the
existing Hemingway Substation, near the city of Melba in
Owyhee County, Idaho. Construction of the B2H Project
is targeted to start in 2021 and will take approximately
two to three years once all final permits are acquired.
The B2H Project includes construction of the new trans-
mission line, access roads and gates, and communication
regeneration sites. The project also includes the removal
or rerouting of about eight miles of older transmission
lines.
The selected route approved by the ROD is the Agency
Preferred Alternative identified in the Final Environ-
mental Impact Statement and Proposed Land-use Plan
Amendments, which published in the Federal Register on
November 28, 2016. The ROD represents the culmina-
tion of a comprehensive planning process, including a
Community Advisory Process conducted by the Idaho
Power Company that further refined the routing options.
Comments received after public scoping in 2010 further
refined routing and added variations.
The final documents and maps showing the Agency Pre-
ferred Alternative are available at: http://bit.ly/2hRuQfS.