WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
COMMUNITY
Baker City has
a new Little
Free Library
Several members of a family were involved in adding a
Little Free Library to Baker City’s network of these small,
front-yard book exchanges.
The city’s newest Little Free Library is at 2530 Sixth St.
Gretchen Stadler and Barbara O’Neal are the library’s
stewards.
Gretchen’s brother-in-law, Paul Heron, built the library,
her sister, Leslie Stadler Heron, decorated it, and her brother,
Randy Stadler, secured the post.
Gretchen Stadler said she and O’Neal welcome residents to
stop by to pick up a book that looks interesting, or to drop off a
book you think others might enjoy.
That’s the basic idea of Little Free Libraries.
“Now that it is fi lled with books and ready for visitors,
this Little Free Library doesn’t just belong to us anymore, it
belongs to everyone in Baker City,” Gretchen Stadler wrote to
the Herald. “We hope you will stop by soon to take or share a
book.”
Submitted photo
Baker City’s other Little Free Library addresses: 2413
Baker City’s newest Little Free Library, where people can
Third St.; 1641 Washington Ave.; 2339 Auburn Ave.; 2810
pick up or drop off books, is at 2530 Sixth St.
Main St.; 1617 Valley Ave.; 2150 Church St.
CHARGING
said OTEC employees use
the vehicle to travel between
Continued from Page 1A
the cooperative’s offi ces.
There’s also an Electrify
Tracy said the charger
America station in Hunting- OTEC will install in Baker
ton, about 50 miles southeast City can handle all types
of Baker City.
of EVs, including ones that
The situation is different
use the North American
in Baker City.
charging port design or the
Although Tesla, probably
Japanese version. The sta-
the best-known maker of
tion would also accommodate
electric vehicles, installed
Teslas, which come with
one of its Supercharger
adapters.
charging stations in 2015
Tracy said OTEC offi cials
in the parking lot of the
want to install charging sta-
Sunridge Inn in Baker City, tions in places where drivers
those stations can charge
who use them can easily
Tesla vehicles only.
access restaurants and shops
Other EVs, such as the
while their car’s batteries are
Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan
being replenished.
Leaf, can’t recharge at a
He said OTEC doesn’t
Tesla Supercharger station. want electric vehicle drivers
Tracy said OTEC has add- to bypass Baker City and
ed a Chevrolet Bolt, which
other communities in the co-
has a range of about 240
operative’s service area due
miles when its batteries are to a lack of charging stations.
fully charged, to its fl eet. He
Tracy said the OTEC sta-
tion would be able to give a
typical EV up to 250 miles of
driving range in one hour.
As for cost, he said OTEC
plans to charge a $1 connec-
tion fee per vehicle, and then
a per-minute fee as electric-
ity is being transferred to the
vehicle’s batteries.
Tracy said OTEC hasn’t
calculated the kilowatt-
hour rate for the electricity
dispensed from the charging
station. But he said it’s likely
that a driver who pulls in
with batteries nearly empty,
and then uses the charger
to fully recharge the vehicle,
would pay about $15.
The amount of time need-
ed to recharge a car would be
based not only on the charge
level of the batteries but also
on the age of the vehicle.
Tracy said older EVs,
such as the fi rst generation
Nissan Leaf, can’t recharge
as rapidly as newer vehicles
such as the Bolt.
The cooperative’s goal is
for the stations to be self-
suffi cient, bringing in enough
revenue to cover their oper-
ating and maintenance costs.
A feature on OTEC’s web-
site — otecc.com — allows
users to compare the driving
range, per dollar spent on
fuel, between gasoline and
electric vehicles.
According to the calculator,
if gasoline costs about $3.05
per gallon, for the cost of one
gallon of gas an EV driver
could buy enough electric-
ity to give about 110 miles
of range — effectively, 110
miles per gallon.
To access the compari-
son calculator on OTEC’s
website, click on “Electric
Vehicles” under the “Energy
Solutions” pulldown menu.
QUIET
horns or they can install
supplemental safety measures,
Fargo and Dougherty told the
Board.
The neighborhood group
promoting the quiet zone
designation for Baker City
points out that experts will
determine the risk at each of
the fi ve crossings in the com-
munity. And, train crews still
may sound the horn in case of
danger on the tracks.
Train horns reach 96 to
110 decibels, which is about
the level of a rock concert or
a jackhammer, Fargo told the
Board.
He also reported that the
World Health Organization
recommends keeping railroad
noise at less than 54 decibels.
Information from the organi-
zation states that louder noises
could have negative health
effects. And at night, for proper
sleep, noise should be kept at
less than 44 decibels.
Railroad Administration has
allowed a process that ensures
Continued from Page 1A
that quiet zones provide as
Her point was made more
much safety as the sounding of
clear as a train sounded its
train horns.
horn while traveling through
Pendleton has a quiet zone
town just a few blocks from
and La Grande just this year
City Hall as she spoke.
established one in its com-
Fargo and Dougherty main- munity.
tain that creating a quiet zone
Quiet zones can be estab-
over a section of rail line would lished either by showing the
make Baker City a safer, qui- Federal Railroad Administra-
eter and healthier community. tion that the crossings are just
Since 2005, the Federal
as safe as crossings without
WARNER
Warner said today.
Changes in the retirement
Continued from Page 1A
system will take place in
Warner said the sugges-
January, which will affect the
tion had been made that he savings realized by the City,
retire even earlier, on Oct. 31, Warner said.
to save the City $3,000 per
Warner will continue to
month in PERS payments to receive his current salary of
the end of the year.
$101,959 for an indefi nite pe-
He was not able to make
riod, serving at the pleasure
arrangements for that to
of the council as he has since
happen in such a short time he was hired for the job.
span, however, so the date
One change in the new
was moved back to Nov. 30,
agreement requires Warner
to provide the Council with
written notice six months
in advance of resigning
from the job rather than 30
days as his prior agreement
required.
Warner said he has no
imminent plans to retire. He
will be available to help the
City as it faces employee con-
tract negotiations, budgeting
and working toward hiring
a new person for his job, he
said.
“I am going to retire some
day,” he said, adding that he
believes the new agreement
“is good for the city and good
for me.”
He noted that three coun-
cilors will be leaving their
positions because of term
limits — Loran Joseph, Mike
Downing and Randy Schiewe
— and two — Doni Bruland
and Arvid Andersen — will
be eligible to run for re-elec-
tion in the coming year.
Baker City Fire Department photo
An arson fi re scorched a section of the building at
Broadway and Resort streets Tuesday night.
ARSON
Continued from Page 1A
The business temporarily stacks used mattresses and
box springs on the east side of the building, which faces
Resort Street, Clark said.
A video camera captured images of what appears
to be two females, probably teenagers, looking on as
fl ames begin to fl icker, Clark said. The two run away
and then return before fl eeing, he said.
There is a very clear image of one of the suspect’s
faces, he said.
“One looked right at the camera,” Clark said.
The Baker City Police Department is investigating
the fi re.
Ten fi refi ghters from the Baker City Fire Depart-
ment, and three from the Baker Rural Fire Protection
District, responded to the fi re. Crews arrived within
about fi ve minutes of the fi rst report, which came in
about three minutes after the fi re started, based on the
camera footage.
Firefi ghters were on scene for about 45 minutes,
Clark said.
Because the building’s exterior is brick, the fi re didn’t
cause major damage and fl ames did not get inside the
structure, Clark said.
Although the business was closed, the condominiums
upstairs were occupied at the time of the fi re, Clark
said.
L OCAL B RIEFING
Volunteers sought to help Rotary Club
repair veterans monuments at Mt. Hope
The Baker City Rotary Club is inviting the public
to join a work party to repair veterans monuments at
Mount Hope Cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 26, from noon
to 2:30 p.m.
Rotarians, along with Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Cha-
pel and Stone Tributes, have been working for the past
several years to repair sunken and leaning monuments
at veterans’ graves at the city-owned cemetery.
Anyone interested in helping Saturday is encouraged
to bring shovels and pry bars.
More information about this ongoing public service
project is available by calling Dennis Teskey at 541-523-
3904.
— To contribute information for the Local Briefi ng section,
email to news@bakercityherald.com or call the Herald at
541-523-3673.
N EWS OF R ECORD
DEATHS
Harold E. Dietzen: 66, of Baker City, died Oct. 15, 2019,
at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City. Arrange-
ments are being handled through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer
Chapel. To light a candle in memory of Harold, go to www.
grayswestco.com
Lydia M. Chancy: 96, of Baker City, died Oct. 21, 2019, at
Settler’s Park. Services are under the direction of Coles Tribute
Center. To light a candle in memory of Lydia, go to www.
colestributecenter.com
POLICE LOG
Party for
Judge Greg
Baxter set for
October 30
Judge Gregory L. Baxter
will be honored with a public
retirement party on Wednes-
day, Oct. 30.
The event will be from 3
p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Baker
County Circuit Courtroom at
the Courthouse, 1995 Third
Mobile Service
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House calls (let me come to you!)
Drop Offs & Remote Services are Available
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St.
Baxter announced this
summer that Oct. 31 would
be his last day on the bench
in his current position, ending
his nearly 19-year career as
Baker County Circuit Court
judge.
Baxter, a 1978 Baker High
School graduate, served as
Baker County district attor-
ney from March 1992 to 2000,
before being elected circuit
judge of the 8th Judicial Dis-
trict. He will serve as a senior
judge after retirement.
Baker City Police
FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM, RECKLESS
DRIVING, ATTEMPT TO ELUDE POLICE, DRIVING WHILE
SUSPENDED, RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING, UNLAWFUL
POSSESSION OF METH, INTERFERING WITH A POLICE OFFI-
CER, PROBATION VIOLATION (Union County warrant): Curtis
Dean Cox, 52, La Grande, 1:33 a.m. today in the 3000 block of
Broadway Street; jailed.
UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF METH (Union County war-
rant): Darren John Fulfer, 57, 3550 Carter St., 1:33 a.m. today
in the 3000 block of Broadway Street; jailed.
Best Friends of Baker
Saturday Market
Open EVERY Saturday 8 AM - 2 PM
COME IN COSTUME
AND RECEIVE 10% OFF!
2950 Church St, Baker City (fi rst left after Broadway turns into 10th)
The public is invited
to join us for a
Retirement Party
for Judge
Gregory L. Baxter
We accept debit, credit, cash & checks!
Donations accepted Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 9-1
(All proceeds benefi t the animals of Baker County)
October 30th, 2019 • 3 PM - 5 PM
Baker County Circuit Court
Baker County Courthouse
1995 3rd Street, Second Floor
Baker City