SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
COMMUNITY
Invasive weed of the week Three file for
openings on
school board
By Jeffrey Pettingill
The Enemy
Buffalobur (Solanum ros-
tratum)
The Strategy
This is a short-growing an-
nual plant that has spines on
the stems and seed heads. The
yellow fl owers develop a round
seed pod that houses many
seeds. It grows to a height of
two feet. This plant is recent
to our region as it was brought
to us by contaminated “wild
bird” seed. The company that
produces it has been forbidden
to ship any more bird seed
into Idaho until it can prove
that the seed is free of noxious
weeds. The leaves from this
plant are extremely lobed (like
Rich Old/Contributed Photo
tomatoes, as they are in the
same family) and have promi- Buffalobur has spines on its stems and seed heads.
nent yellow veins.
food we primarily fi nd it near can use various herbicides
call your local weed authority
Attack
bird feeders, but have found it such as 2,4-D, Banvel, or
for proper identifi cation and
This plant has been known in pastures and alleys — any- similar broadleaf herbicide.
control.
to be a host for the Colorado
where the birds fl y or roost.
I do not recommend using
Jeffrey Pettingill is the weed
potato beetle that eats up our
Roundup as it is a nonselec-
control supervisor for Baker
commercially grown potatoes. Defense
tive herbicide and will also
As with all annuals,
County. He encourages people
It is also a very miserable
kill the surrounding grasses
mechanical control is very
with noxious weed questions
plant to have around as the
that are needed to keep other
to call him at 541-523-0618
spines are very unforgiving
useful. When digging it up just weeds from encroaching. If
or 541-519-0204. He also
and can keep wildlife, live-
make sure that you get 2 to 3 you suspect this plant is near
encourages people to like the
stock, and recreationists from inches of the root out of the
your bird feeder (although
Baker County Weed District’s
enjoying the environment. As ground and it will control the the seed has not been al-
Facebook page.
this seed showed up in bird
weed. Early in the spring you lowed in Idaho for six years)
LIBRARY
Continued from Page 1A
March is on track to be the library’s
busiest month since it reopened in June
2020, but visits are still just 25% or so of
the pre-pandemic average of 9,500 per
month, said Perry Stokes, the District’s
director.
But Adamson said that when the
library is again the bustling place it had
been, the building at 2400 Resort St. will
also be a healthier space to spend time
browsing the shelves, reading a book or
magazine in a tranquil nook, or attend-
ing a meeting in one of the conference
rooms.
And although COVID-19 was the
impetus for the recent improvements,
the benefi ts to library patrons — and
to employees, who spend the most time
inside — will persist long after the pan-
demic has ceased, Adamson said.
The installation of a new, more power-
ful and reliable air ventilation and fi ltra-
tion system, combined with a network of
wall-mounted machines that pull from
the air viruses, bacteria, mold and pol-
len, among other infectious agents and
allergens, accomplishes much more than
just protecting people from COVID-19,
he said.
Adamson said this “triple-redundant”
system should reduce the incidence of
allergic reactions and curb the spread of
a variety of germs.
“The safety of our visitors and staff is
our paramount priority,” Stokes said in
a press release. “We consider this project
to be a great step forward in providing a
clean, safe, and healthy environment for
our community. I applaud our facilities
specialist, Ed Adamson, for his outstand-
ing work of coordinating this project.”
Stokes said the Library District,
which received about $180,000 from the
2020 federal CARES Act, spent $42,000
to replace its aging, and obsolete, heat-
ing, air-conditioning and ventilation sys-
tems, and to install air purifi ers — the
latter happening both at the Baker City
library and at the District’s branches in
Haines, Halfway, Huntington, Richland
and Sumpter.
The three-level system in the Baker
City library starts with the air pulled
into the building from outside, Adamson
said.
That air is sterilized and fi ltered
much more effectively than the previous
system, he said.
The second part of the system is the
new ventilation system, which circulates
the air more frequently and effi ciently
and reduces the accumulation of pollut-
ants, Adamson said.
The library’s original system was
pneumatic, a series of air tubes that op-
erated a network of solenoids controlling
the heating and ventilation ducts.
“It was a great system — 40 years
ago,” Adamson said.
But the air tubes are prone to pinhole
leaks that are hard to detect but which
cause the system to either fail or to oper-
ate ineffi ciently.
The new electromechanical system is
computer-controlled, and Adamson can
operate it with his laptop.
The third part of the system is the
network of wall-mounted “bipolar ioniza-
tion” units, which can kill 99.4% of virus
■ Two candidates vying for one
position in the May 18 election, and
one candidate filed for another slot on
the five-member Baker 5J board
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
Two new members will join the Baker School Board
when it convenes in July as the next fi scal year begins.
Kevin Cassidy, who will end an eight-year stint on the
Board, and Katie Lamb, who will have completed her
fi rst four-year term, did not fi le for reelection.
Instead, three people will seek to fi ll the two positions
when voters mark their ballots for the May 18 election.
Travis Cook, owner-operator and wine maker at Cop-
per Belt Wines, is the only candidate to fi le for position
4, currently held by Lamb.
Jessica Dougherty, a substitute teacher and executive
director of Baker County Community Literacy Coali-
tion, is one candidate for position 3, currently held by
Cassidy. The second candidate for the seat is Koby Myer,
chief fi nancial offi cer of New Directions Northwest Inc.
All three paid the $10 fi ling fee rather than gathering
signatures prior to the March 18 fi ling deadline.
This information was provided on their candidate
fi ling forms:
• Cook, a 2003 Baker High School graduate, served
on the committee that helped develop a pared-down
bond measure proposal, after the failure of a $48 million
bond measure that failed in November 2018. The Board
had planned to ask voters to approve a $6 million bond
in May 2020. That bond measure was canceled because
of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact on
the community.
The Baker School District now is seeking voter ap-
proval of a further reduced bond measure, for $4 million,
in the same May 18 election in which new directors also
will be chosen.
Cook earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture at
Oregon State University and worked as an advanced
systems manager in McMinnville from 2008 to 2015. He
established Copper Belt Wines in 2010.
• Myer has 15 years of banking fi nancial experience.
He earned a Master of Business Administration from
Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts, a bach-
elor’s degree in business at Mayville State University
in North Dakota and he earned an associate degree in
business management from Bemidji State University in
Minnesota.
He has no prior governmental experience.
• Jessica Dougherty also lists among her relevant
experience that she has served as a Parent Teacher
Organization president and is a “creative mom.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California.
She earned an associate degree in anthropology and
photography from Marin County Community College in
California.
And although she noted on her candidate fi ling form
that she has no prior elected or appointed governmental
experience, Dougherty has “nearly a decade of experi-
ence working for federal and state government.”
New At The Library
Patrons can reserve materials in advance online or by
calling 541-523-6419. Drive-in hours at 2400 Resort St. are
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
A wall-mounted air purifi er at the library in Baker City.
particles in 30 minutes, according to the
manufacturer.
Larger units are mounted in areas
where larger numbers of people are
likely to congregate, Adamson said.
Smaller purifi ers are installed in
classrooms, bathrooms and other
smaller spaces.
He said he was already working on a
project to replace the heating, air-condi-
tioning and ventilation control system
when the pandemic began.
With the advent of COVID-19, Adam-
son said it was natural to expand the job
to upgrade the building’s air purifi cation
and fi ltration capacities.
“This building is a perfect candidate,
and the timing was right,” he said.
Adamson praised the assistance of
Brian Zoeller of the Energy Trust of
Oregon.
Stokes said the District is applying
for fi nancial aid for the project from
both Energy Trust of Oregon and from
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative, as
the upgrades will reduce the library’s
appetite for natural gas and electricity.
Library hours:
• Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
• Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
More information is available at baker
lib.org or by calling 541-523-6419.
Library browsing
time increases from
30 minutes to 60
minutes on Monday
Thanks in part to the library’s
new air ventilation and purifi cation
system, patrons will soon be able
to browse the shelves for up to an
hour, instead of the 30-minute limit
in place for most of the past year.
The change takes effect on Monday,
March 29.
In addition to the new air purifi -
cation system, the Library District’s
safety committee, in expanding the
browsing period, also considered
recent declines in COVID-19 cases
in Baker County, and the county’s
move from moderate to low risk on
the state’s four-level system starting
Friday, March 26.
The library continues to require
visitors to wear masks, sanitize their
hands, maintain social distancing,
and keep a respectful quiet reading
environment inside the building.
Library Director Perry Stokes
encourages patrons to reserve ma-
terials in advance when possible,
and use the library’s drive-thru or
curbside services.
FICTION
• “The Bounty,” Janet Evanovich
• “The Consequences of Fear,” Jacqueline Winspear
• “Double Jeopardy,” Stuart Woods
• “Eternal,” Lisa Scottoline
• “The Other Emily,” Dean Koontz
NONFICTION
• “Just As I Am,” Cicely Tyson
• “Unmasked,” Andy Ngo
• “Forgiving What You Can’t Forget,” Lysa Terkeurst
• “Land,” Simon Winchester
• “The Doctors Blackwell,” Janice Nimura
DVDS
• “The Craft: Legacy” (Horror)
• “Lowriders” (Drama)
• “McQueen” (Documentary)
• “Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder” (Documen-
tary / Concert Film)
• “Time Freak” (Sci-Fi)
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