FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 11
Local & Entertainment
Bebe’s word search
City Council
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
Boards and Commis-
sion Appointments
Three positions were
open on the Historic
District Design Review
Commission (HDDRC).
A December 27, 2017
press release notified of
three vacancies on the HD-
DRC.
Carol Phillips and Mary
Apple both submitted
applications for those
vacancies.
Recent updates to
requirements for HDDRC
service state that prefer-
ence will be given to ap-
plicants that are downtown
property owners.
Apple and Phillips both
meet that requirement. Ann
Mehaffy and Gail Duman
who both served on the
HDDRC with terms that
expired Jan. 1, 2018 also
reapplied.
Julie Smith advised
Council that of the three
positions open two are
three-year terms and one
was a partial term of only
two years.
Councilor Joseph moved
to appoint Carol Phillips to
one of the three-year terms.
Councilor Abell seconded
that motion.
Council voted unani-
mously in favor. Councilor
McQuisten then moved to
appoint Gail Duman to the
remaining three-year term
and Ann Mehaffy to the
two-tear term.
Councilor Abell second-
ed that motion and again a
unanimous vote was cast.
Public Works Ductile
Iron Pipe Bid Award
Michelle Owen, Public
works director addressed
council.
She informed Council
that three bids for the pipe,
which was included in the
current budget years capi-
tal plan, were received.
The pipe is for improve-
ments to the mountain line
construction project.
City rules require that
Council approve any
spending of monies over
$50.000 even though the
money has already been
budgeted and allocated for
this project.
Work is tentatively
scheduled to begin around
April 2018.
Owen advised Council
that the lowest bid was
from Core and Main for
$604,494.89 and included
both the pipe and fittings.
This bid is below what
was budgeted for. Council-
or Abell asked if the City
had worked with Core and
Main before.
Owen stated that the City
had and said that Core
and Main was only the
distributor of the product,
that the manufacturer of
the product was U.S. Pipe
whom the City had also
worked with before.
Councilor McQuisten
moved to approve the
award of the bid to Core
and Main in the amount of
$604,494.89.
Councilor Joseph made
a second. Council voted
unanimously in favor.
2018 Non-Represented
Employees Salaries
Schedule
In 2014 Council adopted
resolution #3726. That
resolution stated that in
January of each year Coun-
cil would make appropriate
changes the salary sched-
ule of City employees.
City Manager Fred War-
ner advised Council that
he had done research and
found that Cities compa-
rable in population and
economic status such as La
Grande and Ontario had
significantly higher base
pay scales.
Warner told Council
that he was recommend-
ing a base pay increase
for the position of Human
Resources Manager/City
Recorder.
His basis for this increase
was, “This is an extremely
important position which
deals with a myriad of em-
ployee issues, labor union
issues, laws and regula-
tions dealing with employ-
ee rights and benefits.”
He went on to say,
“Having a highly knowl-
edgeable Human Re-
sources Manager helps us
control our legal costs.”
Warner also was propos-
ing 1% merit increases
for employees that had
completed all of their step
increases and noted that
some of the increases were
union negotiated obliga-
tions that had to be met.
Councilor McQuisten
voiced his concerns about
any pay increases due to
the budget struggles the
City was currently experi-
encing and warned that any
pay increases now would
not be of any help as the
City prepared to head into
new budget negotiations in
the next few months.
Regardless of Mc-
Quisten’s opposition,
Councilor Joseph moved to
approve, with a second by
Councilor Nilsson.
All Councilors voted in
favor, except Councilor
McQuisten who opposed,
passing the motion.
City Manager/Director
Comments
City Manager Warner ad-
vised Council that a heater
at the Police Department
had to be replaced.
He also stated that he
had completed a letter to
the Forest Service about
work that he felt critically
important to begin cleaning
up in the watershed.
He had forwarded a
draft to Councilor Anders-
en for review and comment
before sending on to the
Forest Service.
Warner also advised
Council that recent chang-
es to the sign code are
again becoming a concern
as Grocery Outlet will be
attending the January 17,
2018 Planning Commis-
sion meeting and asking
for a variance for a larger
sign.
Further scouting of the
location uncovered new
concerns about the sight-
line of the sign for the new
business.
Warner advised that if
the planning commission
chose, then City Council
could very well see the
issue before them again for
review.
Warner said that he was
very concerned as he didn’t
want the sign issue to be a
reason that Grocery Outlet
does not end up opening a
store here.
Council Comments
With no Council com-
ments, Mayor Downing
adjourned the meeting.
The Littles’ crossword puzzle
Across
1- Doesn’t keep;
5- Happy;
9- Gag reflex?;
13- Baseball’s Moises;
14- Flowery verse;
15- First-rate;
16- Aromatic plant;
17- Arrested;
18- Six-sided state;
19- Rum cocktail;
21- Harem room;
22- London gallery;
23- Shade trees;
25- They, in Trieste;
27- City in N Henan
province China;
31- Reliable;
35- Knee-slapper;
36- Monetary unit of
Western Samoa;
38- Clarinetist Shaw;
39- Slugger Mel;
40- Construct;
42- S.A.T. company;
43- Fires;
46- Like the White Rab-
bit; 47- Will-___-wisp;
48- On the beach;
50- Treacle;
52- Man, in Milan;
54- Harangue;
55- Over-50 org.;
58- Blunder;
60- Innumerable;
64- Tale teller;
65- Connect with;
67- Romeo’s last words;
68- Nose out;
69- Norwegian drama-
tist;
70- Relinquish;
71- Not difficult;
72- Make reference to;
73- Briefcase closer;
Down
1- Chicago mayor
Emanuel;
2- Olive genus;
3- Singer Amos;
4- Implicit meaning;
5- ___ few rounds;
6- Carson’s successor;
7- Line in a play directed
to the audience;
8- Potentate;
9- Arrogance;
10- Proceedings;
11- Qualifying race;
12- Queens stadium;
14- Archbishop;
20- Clay, now;
24- Growl angrily;
26- Madrid Mrs.;
27- Language with click
consonants;
28- Tiny amounts;
29- Angular indentation;
30- Beam of light;
32- Cancels a dele;
33- One tenth, usually;
34- Approvals;
37- Participant;
41- Column in the form
of a man;
44- Dark-brown wild ox;
45- B’way hit sign;
47- Flightless bird;
49- Ipecac, e.g.;
51- Unspecified quantity;
53- Small antelope;
55- “Hard ___!” (sailor’s
yell);
56- Verdi heroine;
57- Torn clothing;
59- Take a breather;
61- Bean sprout?;
62- Helps;
63- Low in pitch;
66- Pigskin’s perch;