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ï Record-Courier
A/ mi M
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29,2015
Betty Palmer One of Three Candidates
to be Interviewed on Feb. 20
The 5-J School Board has
narrowed the superintendent
search down to three candi
dates.
They
will
be
interviewing Betty Palmer from
Baker City, Mark Witty from
John Day and Robert Vian from
Orofino, Idaho on Feb. 20. The
candidates will tour the district in
the morning and interview in the
afternoon. There will also be a
"Meet and Greet" open house at
the high school from 4-6 p.m.
the same day.
Bailey Hill was introduced at
last week's school board meet
ing by BHS Principal Ben Merrill
as Baker High’s Promise Stu
dent of the Month. Merrill shared
with the board members Hill’s
leadership as this year’s
Student Body President and,
most importantly, his strengths
as a person steadfast in his own
beliefs, supportive of his friends
and mentors, and respecting of
those around him.
Eagle Cap Update
Eagle Cap instructor Megan
Pearle-Alamada presented the
board with an update on the
Ostwald
Machine
Shop
property, which is an abandoned
piece of property located at
2430 Balm Street bequeathed
to the School District to sell for
district scholarship funds. In
2010, soil arid water testing
showed the property to have
contamination.
Sparking a
necessary cleanup with Brown
field Funds, and with extra
grants and support from the
Environmental
Protection
Agency, Northeast Oregon
Economic Development District,
Oregon Department of Environ
mental Quality and Business
Oregon, the Ostwald Brownfield
Site was created. Eagle Cap
Innovative
High
School’s
Environmental Science class,
Brownfield in Baker class
sprouted alongside it.
The site has had two sets of
students studying it since the
class was developed at the
beginning of the second semes
ter of last year, and Alamada
reported a large amount of work
has been accomplished during
that short amount oflime: Anew,
updated sign was recently
created and posted at the prop
erty giving information about it.
Currently, in the midst of
researching and editing drafts of
the request for quotations (RFQ)
in preparation for cleanup of the
site, students are volunteers of
the Powder Basin Watershed
Council and make monthly visits
to the Powder River to take
water samples to create a water
quality database. Alamada
plans to have a final draft of the
RFQ finished by the end of this
school year.
Wirth Reports on Argentina
Visit
Malena Wirth followed with a
report on her visit to Argentina.
In November she was called by
the American Federation of
Teachers, Classified Division, to
attend a founding meeting
called Public Service Interna
tional (PSI) as a delegate. The
first duty of the delegates of the
23 countries represented was to
come up with a charter that
everyone could agree on for PSI
so that it could not only be a
collaboration of international
unions just in education, but
could also involve public service
entities.
Wirth explained the schools in
Argentina were more like institu
tions for specific subjects, such
as art, music, engineering, etc.
and the students attend them for
half of their school day before
attending the classes for their
core subjects. Due to the
presence of the cartel in the
country, the international teach
ers were escorted and hosted
the entire visit by the university
teachers. Many of the pictures in
her slideshow did not show
detailed faces of students and
pictures were not allowed to be
taken during community events
due to the possibility that one or
more of the cartel family
members might be present in
them.
Another
difference
between school structures is
teachers focus on cooperation,
and not competition between
students, “unless you are talking
about soccer!” Wirth asserted.
The teachers instruct with few or
no books and very few supplies.
Wirth’s job while she was
there was to speak on outsourc
ing. The reason why she spoke
to privatization was because of
her experience with it here, and
the people she spoke to had no
idea where to start when it came
to organizing anything similar,
either internally or externally.
She also educated staff there on
another important topic: how to
communicate with administra
tors. This was a very new
concept for the people there due
to the rigid structure of the
country’s hierarchy system.
“The schools’ conditions are
horrific.. .and yet they have very
happy children, very smart
students and the teachers are
amazing,” Wirth commented.
The high school library is tiny
and classrooms are small and
cramped and they use a lottery
system to determine who gets to
attend in most cases. There is
no transportation except for a
school bus for preschool and
kindergarten students, and
every student Wirth spoke with
wanted to be an exchange
student to the United States.
Unfortunately, a charter was
not reached while she was there
because of some exclusive
language, but Wirth thanked the
board members and South
Baker Principal Betty Palmer for
the opportunity to have the
ten-day experience.
All Day Kindergarten
Walt Wegener asked the
Board for their consent to move
forward with preparations in light
of the possible move to an
all-day kindergarten set to begin
next Sept. The final decision has
not been mandated by the state
as of yet, but it is almost a
certainty. Wegener wants to get
prepared for it now in an effort to
be on or ahead of the schedule
should
the
mandate
be
implemented on March 2.
See 5-J on page 5
News of Record
Marriages
Dec. 25 - Ryan Sullivan to Nicole
Ruth Butler, both of Baker City.
Jan. 17 - Andrew Derek Charpil-
loz to Kelsie Lynn Anderson,
both of Baker City.
Jan. 20 - Vivian Lynn Rhodes to
Melanie Claire Brown, both of
Baker City.
Arrests
Jan. 23 - Alicia Marie Vowell of
Baker City for Theft I.
Jan. 26 - Jessica Faye Nordbye of
San Bumo, Calif, for Violation
of Release Agreement.
Jan. 26 - Kayla Marie Ruth John
son of La Grande for PCS
Methamphetamine, Theft by
Receiving, and Unlawful
Possession of Oxycodone.
Jan. 26 - Wiley Alexander Dean
Volz of Ashland for PCS
Methamphetamine, Theft by
Receiving, and Unlawful Pos
session of Oxycodone.
Baker County Circuit Court
Jan. 13 - State of Ore. v. Timothy
Patrick Keefe regarding Crimi
nal Impersonation, felony.
Jan. 14 - Portfolio Recovery Asso
ciates v. Robert L. Cutshall re
garding Civil Money Action.
Jan. 14 - State of Ore. v. Coty
Hanson regarding Burglary I,
felony.
Jan. 15 - State of Ore. v. Jacob Pe
terson regarding Domestic Rela
tions Fin. Resp.
Jan. 16 - Quick Collect, Inc. v.
Travis Weiner regarding Civil
Transcriptive Jgm.
Jan. 22 - State of Ore. v. Kyle D.
Arthur regarding Domestic Re
lations Filiation.
Jan. 22 - State of Ore. v. Kevin H.
Trego regarding Domestic Rela
tions Fin. Resp.
Jan. 22 - In matter of Kelly Lee
Lethlean regarding Domestic
Relations Dissolution.
Jan. 22 - State of Ore. v. Michael
Ray O'Donnell regarding Crimi
nal Mischief II, misdemeanor.
Jan. 22 - Midland Funding, LLC
v. Brenda Shebum regarding
Civil Money Action.
Jan. 23 - Cam Credits, Inc. v.
Cindy K. Baird regarding Civil
Transcriptive Jgm.
Baker County Museum
Manager Position Available
Baker County is accepting applications for a part-
time Museum Manager through Jan. 30, 2015. For
more information contact the State Employment
Department or visit our website at www.baker-
county.org. All applicants will be pre-screened. EEO
Commissioners Support Historic
‘Revitalize Main Street Act’ and
Dental Project
By Emily Braswell
The regular Commission session was held last Wednesday, minus
the presence of Commissioner Mark Bennett. After approval of the
previous meeting’s minutes, the board heard an update from Veteran
Services Officer Rick Gloria.
Electronic Claims Processing System for Veterans
Gloria reported on the new electronic claims processing system es
tablished by the Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) called
VetraSpec. This system allows veteran claims to be filed in an expe
dited manner, cutting the entire transaction time by up to one year
while giving the filer access to the actions being taken at every step
in the process. At this time, 107 Baker County Veterans have had their
claims entered into the VetraSpec system. Gloria’s goal is to get the
800 active files currently sitting in his office entered into the new elec
tronic system, and ultimately the approximately 2,000 veterans cur
rently residing in Baker County. He reports the system has been very
usefill and the compensation monies recovered for just the 107 files
switched over to VetraSpec totals $195,409. If all of the active files
in his office were filed electronically, Gloria estimates just over $1.5
million in compensation money would be recovered for those veter
ans. He is actively seeking to reach out to the veterans residing in
Baker County through radio and newspaper advertising.
Grant for Veteran Transportation Signed
Another service being offered to assist veterans is the the Veteran’s
Transportation Grant and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be
tween Baker County and Community Connections of Northeast Ore
gon. This grant comes from ODVA and is channeled through Baker
County to Community Connections to provide veterans with trans
portation services throughout eastern Oregon and over into the Boise
area. Community Connections has a full time staff and handicapped
accessible vans to accommodate all veterans. This is a one-time grant,
however, there is a possibility to get it again if they are able to show
significant success the first time around. Signing of the MoU was
tabled at the last session; at this meeting, the Commissioners received
the MoU signed by Community Connection’s County Manager Mary
Jo Carpenter. Harvey and Kerns approved and signed it, so the
$45,000 grant is ready to be utilized. For more information on rural
transportation routes, veterans may contact Rick Gloria at 541-523-
8223 or Community Connections at 541-523-6591.
Miners Address Commissioners
Arthur Sappington was present for citizen participation. He repre
sents the Jefferson Mining District regarding a court case that tran
spired in California which made the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
permitting process for placer mining illegal. Sappington's concern is
that Oregon’s mining regulations have a habit of coinciding with Cal
ifornia’s, and he and his allies are working hard to make sure permit
ting for placer mining stays legal and water rights are maintained so
water necessary to mining operations continues to be available for
use.
Kenneth Anderson, semi-retired Mining Geologist Engineer, also
spoke to the Commissioners regarding the necessary utilization of the
materials of the Earth. He stated, “No life on earth can survive unless
we harvest the food and resources of the earth.” He urges all govern
ments and all citizens to reassess the access and use of the land poli
cies before, ja}full 'e£ohoniicaI,bre^dSfiyn »Qcc Ws We’yfeSSSfl
the people who support our country, more or less, out of business,”
Anderson commented.
Dental Agreements Reviewed
The Commissioners revisited the agreements with Advantage Dental
as recommended by Robin Nudd. In her staff report, she described
the agreements as a joint venture that will provide a dental screening
project within the county’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) pro
gram. Advantage Dental will provide free dental exams and fluoride
varnish to any residents enrolled in the WIC program and the Baker
County Health Department will provide the exam rooms. The exams
will be offered in the morning on the first Wednesday of each month
beginning Feb. 4 and ending Oct. 31,2015. The Commissioners voted
to approve this program.
Bishop Asks for Support
Timothy Bishop presented information and requested support for
the proposed ‘Revitalize Main Street Act’ which would give a 25 per
cent rebate for certified rehabilitation of historic commercial build
ings, with a minimum $10,000 investment. This new state rebate can
be paired with the 20 percent Federal Historic tax credit, filling in a
huge cost gap that could mean the difference between whether or not
a building gets the necessary repairs or restoration upgrades to meet
building codes. The Commissioners agreed to send a letter to the
Oregon legislators requesting support of this Act.
90 Day Extension Requested
Other items on the agenda were letters to be approved and signed,
the first of those being a letter to Don Gonzales, Vale District Manager
of the Bureau of Land Management, requesting a 90 day extension of
time to review and comment on the Idaho Power Boardman to
Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H). Reasons cited for the
extension include confusion of route designations, the delay in
document presentation and the overall complexity of the project. The
letter was approved and will be sent to Gonzales.
Foreclosure
A residence located at 1244 Third Street was foreclosed on by Baker
County due to back taxes in the amount of $4,836 owed. The property
is now abandoned and the board can make a decision on its fhture
status. An order was written up to set a minimum bid and list the prop
erty for sale, however, Commissioner Kerns asked to table the order
until the 5-J School District could be contacted to see if they may have
interest in the property, as it is located across the street from South
Baker School.
Lime Property Inquiry
Ed Trindle came to the board at the end of the session inquiring
about the county’s property in Lime. Trindle is interested in the
acreage outside of the industrial area that could be utilized as grazing
land. The area would need to be fenced off first, but he asked the
Commissioners to consider creating a lease for the area.
The next Commission meetings are scheduled for Feb. 4 and 18, and
there will be a work session on Feb. 11.
NE Area Commission on Transportation
meets Feb. 5 in La Grande
The North East Area Commission on Transportation will hold
its next meeting on Feb. 5 from 9- noon at the Oregon Depart
ment of Transportation Region 5 Headquarters, located at 3012
Island Avenue, La Grande. The general public is invited to attend.
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities,
per the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The NEACT is comprised of transportation stakeholders from
Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Baker counties, and the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Time has been set aside for public comments regarding project
proposals and other transportation related topics. To schedule
time on the agenda at NEACT meetings, please contact Lisa Hill
at (541) 963-3179.
An Area Commission on Transportation is an advisory body
chartered by the Oregon Transportation Commission to help ad
dress all aspects of transportation. More information about ACTs
is available at the ODOT Web Site at www.oregon.gov/
ODOT/COMM/act_main.shtml.
Public Comments
Sought on East:
Face Vegetation
Management I
Project
Public comments on the East
Face Vegetation Management
Project Proposed Action are
being sought through Feb. 1!3,
2015. The Proposed Action fo
cuses on Forest Service (FS)
and Bureau of Land Manage
ment (BLM) lands located 20
miles south of La Grande,
along the east face of the
Elkhorns,
between
Ladd
Canyon and Anthony Lakes,
encompassing
portions of
Union and Baker counties. The
full scoping letter and maps can
be accessed at: www.fs.usda.
gov/goto/EastFace .
Fuel reduction activities pro
posed in the 47,621 acre treat
ment area represents tlpe
federal component of the col
laborative East Face of the
Elkhorn Mountains Partnership.
Activities focus on fuel reduc
tion treatments to accomplish
the goals of the Cohesive Wild
fire Strategy (CWS) on USFS
and BLM lands and comple
ment the fuel reduction activi
ties which have occurred or are
planned on adjacent State arid
private lands.
“The proposed action was de
veloped to embody the ‘All
Hands, All Lands’ goals estab
lished under the Joint Chiefs
Restoration Initiative,” says Dis
trict Ranger Bill Gamble. Doing
so will reduce the threat of wild
fire and its impact to the water
sheds that contribute to the
irrigation needs of local farm
ers, and create areas of re
duced fuel loadings near the
municipal water supply for La
Grande. It will also protect key
habitat for federally-threatened
bull trout that occupy streams in
this area.
Potential treatments include
commercial and non-commer-
cial harvest to meet fuel reduc-
; ti'ori objectives, precommercial
thinning with machines and by
hand, prescribed fire, hand pil
ing and burning to manage and
improve vegetation and treat
fuels within wildland urban in
terface areas and along p'ri-
vate/public land interfaces.
Post project road manage
ment is also an important part
of this proposal. The area en
compasses two green dot clo
sure areas (Indian-Gorham and
Clear Creek) and due to the
presence of unroaded and
backcountry recreation areas
has a low current open road
density. Nearly 65 percent of
the 366 miles of roads witbin
the project area are already
closed with many of thejn
grown in over the years due.to
non-use. These roads were put
into storage many years ago
after past harvest and historic
fire suppression activities. Ap
proximately 105 miles of cur
rently closed road would be
re-opened to facilitate logging
systems to remove fuels within
the project area.
One dead end, draw bottom
road has been identified as a
water quality issue and will be
closed for that reason. All other
presently open roads are pro
posed to remain open at the
conclusion of the project. In ad
dition to those open roads, sev
eral currently closed roads
which are not creating any re
source problems in an area
with very low current opdn
roads densities are also beiflg
recommend to remain open. *A
number of currently closed
roads averaging less than ¿a
half mile in length were alsjo
identified as either no longer
needed for resource manage
ment or duplicate access to
areas which are being recorp-
mended for removal from tpe
landscape and returned to
growing trees.
Comments will be considered
and used to identify issues as
sociated with the proposal and
develop alternatives that are re
sponsive to the identified Is
sues. It is anticipated that the
decision document will be
signed in the spring of 2016. |
Written comments should be
addressed to Bill Gamble, Dis
trict Ranger, La Grande Ranger
District, 3502 Highway 30, Qa
Grande, OR 97850 or by email
to bgamble@fs.fed.us.
For
more
information,
contabt
Gamble at (541) 962-8582. 2