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BAKER BOYS, GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS TOP NYSSA: SPORTS, PAGE 6A
In SPORTS, 6A
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
June 15, 2021
Local • Home & Living • Sports
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Joan
George of Baker City.
State, 3A
SALEM — The Oregon
Legislature gave fi nal pas-
sage Wednesday, June 9 to
a bill to protect homeless
campers in public spaces.
The measure, which
goes to Democratic Gov.
Kate Brown, mandates
that any city or county law
must be reasonable if it
regulates “sitting, lying,
sleeping or keeping warm
and dry outdoors on pub-
lic property.”
$1.50
County may survey Pine Cr. Rd.
■ Property owner sued county in late April claiming there is no public right-of-way on the road
The unimproved road, which is
mainly used by all-terrain vehicles
Baker County Commissioners
and hikers, passes through a 1,560-
could start a process this week in-
acre parcel of private land on its way
tended to establish as a public road a to Pine Creek Reservoir.
mountain route that is the subject of
The owner of that parcel, David
a civil lawsuit a resident fi led against McCarty, is suing the county based
the county on April 30.
on his contentions that there is no
The Pine Creek Road — also
public right-of-way on the 2.5-mile
known as Pine Creek Lane — fol-
section of the road through his prop-
lows its namesake stream into the
erty, and that the county has encour-
Elkhorn Mountains about 12 miles
aged people to travel the road despite
northwest of Baker City.
the lack of legal access rights.
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
During their meeting Wednesday,
June 16, commissioners will consider
a resolution “declaring the necessity
for the legalization of Pine Creek
Lane.”
Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m.
at the Courthouse, 1995 Third St.
The resolution, citing McCarty’s
claim, states that “there is doubt as
to Pine Creek Lane’s location and
its legal establishment or evidence
of its legal establishment as a public
County Road. This resolution initi-
ates the statutory process of legal-
izing Pine Creek Lane pursuant to
ORS 368-201-368.221, in order to
eliminate doubts as to the location
and its legal establishment as a
public County Road.”
The resolution calls for the county
roadmaster to have the road sur-
veyed and to fi le a written report,
including the survey, with commis-
sioners.
City Planning Commission Sets Public Hearing For Wednesday, June 16
BRIEFING
COVID vaccine
clinics scheduled
Free COVID-19 vaccina-
tion clinics are planned
in several places in Baker
County over the next few
weeks. All three vaccines
— Moderna, Pfi zer (for
ages 12 and older) and
the one-dose Johnson &
Johnson vaccine — will be
available. You can sign up
online at www.bakercoun-
tycovid19.com/vaccine-
information/ or by calling
541-523-8211. The schedule:
• June 17, 4 p.m. to 6:30
p.m., Richland, next to City
Hall
• June 24, 4 p.m. to 6:30
p.m., Huntington Lions
Park
• July 2, Sumpter. Time
and place will be an-
nounced on the website
above.
Vaccines are also avail-
able at Rite Aid, Bi-Mart,
Safeway, Albertsons, Pine
Eagle Clinic, Saint Alphon-
sus and St. Luke’s EOMA.
WEATHER
What Are Baker’s
Housing Needs?
Mostly sunny
Wednesday
76 / 44
Sunny
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
See Survey/Page 3A
COVID
rate up,
but still
below
2021
average
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
A house under construction in Baker City. A recent housing needs analysis projects the city will need be-
tween 235 and 460 home units, including duplexes and other multi-family dwellings, by 2040.
Today
72 / 40
Wrestlers
qualify
for state
Baker County’s rate of
new COVID-19 cases has
risen during the fi rst two
weeks of June, but infec-
tions remain well below the
average for the previous six
months.
From June 1-13, the
Baker County Health De-
partment reported 23 cases.
For the fi nal 13 days of
the May, the county’s total
was 10 new cases.
June’s daily average of
1.77 cases per day is only
slightly above May’s 1.65.
April’s daily average was 5.4
cases.
See COVID/Page 2A
• Easing restrictions for duplexes
in residential zones, making review
Baker City Herald
standards the same as for single-family
The Baker City Planning Commis-
dwellings.
sion wants to know what residents
Earlier this year, consultants finished
think about the city’s housing situation, two studies for the city related to this
including zoning rules.
process — a housing needs analysis and
The Commission is inviting the
a buildable lands inventory.
public to attend a hearing on that topic
Those studies conclude that based on
on Wednesday, June 16 at 6 p.m. at City the city’s projected growth rate, it will
Hall, 1655 First St.
likely need between 235 and 460 more
The public hearing is part of the city’s homes by 2040, including single-family
effort to update its comprehensive plan homes, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes,
and development code, with a focus on quadplexes and apartments.
housing issues including:
According to the housing needs
• Updating the housing chapter of
analysis, done by Johnson Economics
the comprehensive land use plan.
of Portland, Baker City has added just
• Consider which housing policies
over 300 new housing units since 2000,
will be most effective for the city in the a growth of about 7%.
future.
During that same period, the number
By Samantha O’Conner
and Jayson Jacoby
of new households in the city is about
440, “indicating that housing growth
has not kept pace with growing need.”
The analysis noted that the number
of households in the city has grown at a
faster rate than the population, due to a
decreasing trend in the average number
of people per household.
“As of 2020, the city had an estimated
housing stock of roughly 4,738 units
for its 4,313 estimated households,” the
housing needs analysis states. “This
still translates to an estimated average
vacancy rate of over 8%. Much of this
discrepancy is likely due to second home
and short-term rental units, which
are counted as vacant as they have no
permanent resident.”
See Housing/Page 2A
Kids parade set to return July 1
■ Parade on downtown sidewalks will have a theme of ‘Salute to Super Heroes’
Categories are: groups
and clubs; fl oats; individu-
Baker City Events is
als; wheels (bikes, wagons,
bringing back a July tradi- strollers); and pets. Line
tion with the 2021 Kids
up for the walk starts at
Sidewalk Tribute parade
5 p.m. at Main and Court
on Thursday, July 1. This
streets. Judging of entries
year’s theme is “Salute to
begins at 5:30 p.m. Cash
Super Heroes.”
prizes — provided by local
This is open to kids of all sponsors — will be award-
ages and family chaper-
ed to fi rst, second and
ones.
third place. All children
By Lisa Britton
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 15, 14 pages
Calendar ....................2A
Classified ............. 3B-6B
Comics ....................... 7B
will receive a participation
ribbon.
The walk starts at 6 p.m.
and follows the sidewalk
on the east side of Main
Street to Church Street,
then east to Resort Street
and to Geiser-Pollman
Park.
At the park, participants
will have a chance to win
prizes from the Baker
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........3B & 6B
Dear Abby ................. 8B
Elks, who will organize
games. Free treats will be
provided by Gregg and Jo
Hinrichsen from State Farm
Insurance.
Anyone who would like
to help sponsor this event
can do so for $75. Donations
can be mailed to Baker
City Events/Tribute, 2545
College St., Baker City, OR
97814.
Home ................... 1B-3B
Horoscope ........4B & 6B
Letters ........................4A
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
Senior
Center
eager to
reopen
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Community Connection of
Baker City is making prepa-
rations to reopen the Senior
Center and welcome people
back for in-person lunches
and other events that have
been canceled for more than
a year due to the pandemic.
“We’ve been talking about
it but we’re still restricted
by the governor,” said Joe
Hayes, Community Connec-
tion manager in Baker City.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
has said she will lift all
statewide mandates once
70% of residents have had
at least a fi rst dose of CO-
VID-19 vaccine. The state is
likely to reach that thresh-
old before the end of June.
See Seniors/Page 3A
Opinion ......................4A
Sports ........................6A
Weather ..................... 8B
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