2
i Record-Courier
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4,2016
Leonard and Norma Nemec Celebrate
50th Wedding Anniversary
Norma (Rohner) Nemec and her
husband, Leonard, first met as ninth
graders in junior high. They both
were students at Central School and
even share the same birthday, Dec.
26, the day after Christmas.
On Dec. 29, 2015 they celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary and
spent a week with their family at
McCall, Idaho.
The couple's daughter, Kathy
Colton said, "It's a great love story.
They began dating as ninth graders
at Baker Middle School. They've
gone through a lot -- ups and
downs, including the Vietnam War.
They are the most generous,
caring, supportive parents and
grandparents. We are all so
blessed."
Norma is the Executive Secretary
for the Baker 5 J School District and
Leonard is a retired logger. They
have two children, five grand chil­
dren, plus three more grand daugh­
ters and five great grandchildren as
a result of the marriage of their
daughter Kathy to Mike Colton.
Kathy is a teacher at Baker Middle
School and their son, Barry, is the
Special Education Director for 5J
School District and is married to his
wife, Anne.
Submitted photos
Nemec family from left: Mike
Colton, Kathy Colton, Isaac
Nemec, Chance Parry, Norma
Nemec, Lincoln Nemec, Leonard
Nemec, Ty Parry, Isabella Nemec,
Anne Nemec, and Barry Nemec
Owling
on Ladd
Marsh
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Advance tickets now available at our website
Prices: Adults $9 • Tightwad Tues. $6
Matinee/Youth/Senior $7
February 5-11
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The story of a woman who rose to
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Friends of Ladd Marsh pres­
ent an evening of listening
and looking for owls on Ladd
Marsh Wildlife Area, Friday,
Feb. 5. Meet leader Mike Ma­
honey at Ladd Marsh HQ
j59116, Pierce Rd) at 8:30
p.m. Participants will then
caravan to a few different lo­
cations to listen for owls. It
will be cold. For sure. Dress
as warmly as you think you
should and then add a layer
or two. Standing quietly to lis­
ten for owls is much colder
than you would expect. Warm
footwear is an absolute must.
We will be trying to find great
horned,
barn,
western
screech, short-eared and
long-eared owls. It is also fun
to hear the other sounds of
the night on the marsh in ad­
dition to owls. Canada geese
are surprisingly noisy at night.
See you on the marsh!
FRI & SAT
(4:00) 7:00 9:35
SUNDAY
(4:00) 7:00
MON-THURS
7:00
THE FINEST
HOURS pg 13
The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue
attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a
pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a
blizzard in 1952.
FRI & SAT
(4:10)7:10 9:40
SUNDAY
(4:10) 7:10
MON-THURS
7:10
KUNG FU
PANDA 3 pg
Continuing his "legendary adventures of
awesomeness", Po must face two hugely
epic threats.
FRI & SAT (4:20) 7:20 9:30
SUNDAY
(4:20) 7:20
MON-THURS
7:20
A
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Nominations being accepted for the 2016 Peggi
Timm Civic Leadership Award
If you are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization within Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative’s (OTEC)
four county service territory, it is time to bring your dedicated female volunteers into the Eastern
Oregon limelight and send in your nominations for the 2016 Peggi Timm Civic Leadership Award.
The Legacy
Long time eastern Oregon resident, Peggi Timm, was the driving force behind the creation of
OTEC, serving as the first President of its Board of Directors. Peggi served numerous roles on the
Board and in the greater electric cooperative community, receiving the Northwest Public Power As­
sociation Award for Outstanding Public Service in 2009, and won the White Rose Award from the
Oregon March of Dimes for women who have made a significant impact on their communities.
Peggi was named “Baker Woman of the Year” three times and served as Baker County Treasurer
and as a City Councilor. The former President of the Oregon Trail Regional Museum, she was ap­
pointed by the US Department of the Interior to the National Advisory Board for the National Historic
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Peggi Timm passed away in 2013.
The Award
The 2016 Peggi Timm Civic Leadership Award will be awarded to a woman residing in OTEC’s
service territory who most exemplifies Peggi’s ceaseless spirit of volunteerism. Emphasis will be
placed upon recognizing individuals who have led in the creation, revitalization, and success of
local organizations and institutions.
OTEC will contribute $25,000 to a qualified 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization chosen by the re­
cipient. The beneficiary must be based within the four counties of OTEC’s service territory (Baker,
Grant, Harney and Union). The award will be funded through OTEC’s unclaimed capital credit ac­
count.
The Process
Nomination forms are available online at www.otecc.com in the “Community” tab and should be
submitted to OTEC’s Manager of Public Relations and Government Affairs Lara Petitclerc-Stokes
by 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, 2016. Nominations may be made by an individual or group who
wishes to acknowledge the work of the nominee or by the nominee themselves. Selection of the
recipient will be made by the OTEC Board of Directors at the April Board Meeting.
This year’s award winner will be announced at the OTEC 2016 Annual Meeting, taking place on
Saturday, April 30 at the Baker County Events Center (2600 East Street, Baker City, OR).
Baker City Lions Club Collecting Used Glasses
and Hearing Aids for Re-use
Eye glasses and hearing aids can change people's lives. Used ones are too valuable to throw away,
but not of much use when your vision or hearing needs change.
The Baker City Lions Club collects used glasses and hearing aids so they can be distributed to people
who need them. Prescription glasses, reading glasses and sun glasses are all accepted.
The local club is asking anyone with unused glasses or hearing aids to place them in the bright yellow
containers marked with the purple Lions Club logo at the following locations:
Baker Vision Clinic, Ryder Brothers, TEC Copier Systems, St. Luke’s EOMA Clinic, Saint Alphonsus
Medical Center, Meadowbrook, Settler's Park, Eagle Optical, Elks Club, Baker City Hall, Community
Bank, Sunridge, OTEC, and the Dist. 5J Schools and District Office
Lions members will pick up donated items from these sites by Feb. 22. With increased public aware­
ness of the project, the Lions hope to collect over 1,000 pairs of glasses this year.
The club also accepts cash donations to help local residents with vision or hearing needs and con­
ducts vision screenings in local schools.
Baker County Events Nominated for Oregon
Festival Ovation Awards
Five Baker County events and local volunteers from the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center have been
nominated for this year’s Ovation awards at Oregon Festivals and Events Conference, March 6-8 in
Portland. The Ovation Awards are given by the Oregon Festival and Events Association and seek to
recognize the best festivals and events in Oregon in nine categories.
'
Baker County’s 2016 nominees include:
• Shriner's Kids Rodeo - Best Hidden Gem
• Sumpter Outhouse Races - Innovation Award
• Baker City Turkey Trot - Best Fundraiser
• Sumpter Valley Railroad Christmas Trains - Impact Award
• Miners Jubilee - Best Oregon Festival with a budget under $150,000
Baker County Tourism and Marketing Director Timothy Bishop, is optimistic about this year’s nomi­
nees.
‘We’re very excited to have a great group of nominees for this year’s awards and it’s especially ex­
citing to see such a variety of events in the running for this level of statewide recognition," Bishop said.
‘With so many great events happening in Baker County throughout the year it’s easy to sometimes
overlook all the great work that all of these groups are doing and we’re thrilled to see this many local
events nominated," he added.
Baker County's Tourism and Marketing Director Timothy Bishop will also be presenting at this year’s
conference.
Winners for this year’s Ovation Awards will be announced Monday March 7, at the awards banquet
during the Oregon Festivals and Events conference in Portland.
For more information about the Oregon Festivals and Events Association or the conference visit
www.oregonfestivals.org. For more information about these and other Baker County events visit Baker
County Tourism's website at www.basecampbaker.com
Voluntary Residential Alternate Pilot Rate Program
There is great energy in doing things differently,
having an approach that is distinctive and that
offers our residential members an opportunity to
voluntarily step forward and try something
innovative in the New Year.
In that spirit and along with the 2016 budget
being passed during the October board meeting,
so was a unique proposal to offer an Alternate
Pilot Rate program to our residential membership.
Now, I know that is a mouthful and that most of
you are more focused on the here and now and
the demands of your daily routines.
But, for us at OTEC, the future is now. We see
this program as a way to open the conversation
to the value of capacity, its larger role in the Pacific
Northwest moving forward into the future and to
begin the preparations for what is to come -
demand for electric capacity.
What is electric capacity? It is the amount of
power that potentially could be used at any given
time. An example would be paying a premium for
a souped-up, 8 cylinder, hot rod. Even though you
will primarily only drive it 65 miles an hour on an
average road trip, you may need to turbo up to 80
mph to pass someone. You pay the additional
cost to have the capacity of driving much faster,
on demand. There is a price for that option -
especially if, like electricity, it is on demand, 24-
hours a day.
Since the beginning, our residential membership
has never seen, or been educated on, what
capacity is and the costs of providing it - because
it has been embedded in their rates. Today,
OTEC’s electric meters register not only the elec­
tric energy in kilowatt hours of usage - but, thanks
to our smart meters, the kilowatt capacity required
to ensure every member has the power they need
when it is demanded.
Regionally, while there is an abundance of
energy in the marketplace in its various forms,
from fracking for natural gas, developing solar
panels, installing wind turbines, etc. - all of which
will all have an impact on the marketplace for an
extended period of time - what there isn’t, is an
abundance of capacity.
With this voluntary
pilot
program,
launched on Janu­
ary 1, 2016, there is
an opportunity -
other than saving
kilowatt hours - to
separate demand for
capacity into an op­
tional rate schedule,
give our member­
ship an opportunity
to identify and shift
their
usage
of
capacity and potentially save money on their
electric bill.
Obviously, there is a lot to this, much more thari
one would think - and this new pilot will not be a
perfect fit for every household. But, I personally
believe it will be the single largest thing I will be
involved with since my arrival at OTEC. The reai
son I say that is because I see the members that
volunteer for this pilot as starting to educate not
only themselves, but also our membership, on the
value of capacity, what it is, how it works and
where its value resides.
I can very well see the day when our members
will become more aware and begin to control their
level of usage and demand, seasonally and by
time of day, as the cost of capacity increases.
This is really the beginning, an information
gathering project on behalf of the cooperative
where we are looking for members to embrace
the opportunity and volunteer in this pilot rate pro-i
gram. We will hold the “sign-me-up” door open foe
1-year, with a minimum 12-month commitment. ;
We realize this is perhaps more complexity thari
the majority of our membership wants to knowi
But, it is important for those members that wish to
be more engaged, and incentivized to change
their usage patterns, to know there is another
option for saving money on their monthly bill.
;
Werner Buehler has been involved with the electric
utility business for over 44 years and has been general
manager of OTEC for the past eightyears.