COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020
COUNCIL
Continued from Page 1A
Councilors also voted 5-0 to
rescind their July 28 deci-
sion to award $50,000 of the
federal aid to Community
Connection of Baker County.
That organization will still
be eligible, however, to apply
for some of the money the city
received through the CARES
Act, which Congress passed
in late March, early in the
pandemic.
Councilors Arvid Andersen
and Randy Schiewe were
absent Tuesday.
City Manager
Fred Warner Jr.
proposed that
the Council, dur-
ing its twice-per-
month meetings,
Warner
allocate some of
the CARES Act
money to the committee for
disbursal.
The city needs to distribute
the money by Dec. 31, 2020.
“We believe there is quite
a need out there but we don’t
know,” Warner said.
Councilors voted 5-0 on
Tuesday to make an initial
transfer of $75,000 to the
committee. They also voted
to spend no more than 5% of
the money on administrative
costs, which will go to a con-
tractor who will handle the
paperwork associated with
distributing the money.
“What they would need, the
contractors that they are look-
ing for, they need to be able to
get the dollars out the door in
an effi cient manner and have
a proven method to document
COVID-related expenses,”
Warner said. “And then, es-
pecially with businesses if we
were going to help businesses,
they have a plan for long-term
viability so that we weren’t
just putting money out to
some business that couldn’t
actually make it.”
The city will create con-
tracts and send them to the
CRF Committee and the
council will need to sign the
contracts.
Among the potential recipi-
ents, in addition to business-
es, are the county’s Economic
Recovery Committee, food
banks, faith-based groups and
any other organization that
has the capacity to track how
it would use the money.
The committee could also
specify fi nancial aid for spe-
cifi c purposes, including help-
ing residents pay for housing,
utilities, transportation, food,
medical supplies and other
needs.
Warner also discussed the
possibility of helping parents
pay for child care.
Bryan Tweit, Baker Coun-
ty’s economic development
director, said the county’s
Economic Recovery Team has
been working to distribute
about $280,000 from multiple
grants.
“We have a lot of business-
es that are hurting,” Tweit
said.
He said the city’s new com-
mittee can potentially help
“all those people who fell in
the cracks” and didn’t qualify
for other pandemic aid.
“This committee will have
the ability to look at anybody
coming and presenting,”
Tweit said.
Jeff Nelson, Baker County
business adviser with Blue
Mountain Community
College’s Small Business
Development Center and also
a member of the county’s Eco-
nomic Recovery Team, said
the city dollars are needed.
“Our businesses are still
suffering,” he said.
BAKER CITY HERALD — 7A
“Our businesses are still suffering.”
west of the Early Learning
Center, the former site of a
— Jeff Nelson, business adviser, Blue
playground, should accom-
Mountain Community College and member
of the Baker County Economic Recovery Team
modate teachers and parents
and that Eighth Street could
be left to allow parking for
Parking changes
The resolution also pro-
the general public and adja-
Councilors approved a
hibits parking at all times
cent residents.
resolution modifying parking on the east side of Eighth
Angela Lattin, director of
near the new Baker Early
Street from B Street north to the Early Learning Center,
Learning Center in the North the cul-de-sac, and restricts
said the parking ban on
Baker School building at
parking on the north side of B Eighth Street is of no benefi t
2725 Seventh St.
Street between Seventh and to the district, but was sug-
The Baker School District Eighth streets on school days gested by Sid Johnson & Co.,
asked that the city restrict
from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
the district’s contractor for
parking on the west side of
In a staff report to council- renovating the building, to
Seventh Street between B
ors, Michelle Owen, the city’s avoid possible traffi c conges-
and C streets to allow for
public works director, recom- tion on the street.
parents to pick up and drop
mended against banning
In other business Tuesday,
off students. The parking re- all parking on the east side
councilors:
striction would be in effect on of Eighth Street north of B
• approved the purchase
school days from 7:30 a.m. to Street. Owen wrote that the
of a used road grader from
8:30 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. school district’s construction Western States CAT in Me-
to 3:30 p.m.
of a new parking lot north-
ridian, Idaho, for $180,000.
Try the SHIP TO STORE feature at millershomecenter.com
3815 Pocahontas Road, Baker City 541-523-6404
3109 May Lane, La Grande 541-963-3113
• voted to accept a $138,933
federal grant that will pay
for an exhaust system at the
Baker City Fire Department,
and three CPR machines.
Former Fire Chief John
Clark applied for the grant,
which requires a city match
of $6,946.
Fire Chief Sean Lee wrote
in a report to councilors
that the exhaust system
will prevent fumes from fi re
trucks and ambulances from
accumulating in the station.
It will cost about $95,000.
The CPR machines will
cost about $51,000.
The machines “will give
Baker City the ability to
perform lifesaving, high qual-
ity CPR for longer periods of
time with fewer people,” Lee
wrote in his report.
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