BAKER CITY HERALD • THuRsDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 A3
LOCAL
Baker Rural Fire District asks voters for 5-year tax levy
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The Baker Rural Fire Pro-
tection District, which covers
much of Baker Valley between
Haines and Baker City as well
as Western Heights, will ask
voters in the district to approve
a 5-year property tax levy.
The measure will be on the
May 17 ballot.
The district does not include
properties inside the Baker
City limits.
The levy would increase prop-
erty taxes for residents within
the district by $1 per $1,000 of
assessed property value over five
years. That means the owner of
a home with an assessed prop-
erty value of $250,000 (which is
not the same as the real market
value) would pay an additional
$250 per year during the levy’s
5-year duration.
If voters approve the levy, it
would expire after five years
unless the district decided
to seek a renewal, and voters
agreed to do so.
According to the measure,
which the district filed with
the County Clerk’s office on
Tuesday, March 8, the last day
to get a measure on the May
17 ballot, the levy would raise
an estimated $182,000 the
first of the five years.
The amounts would in-
Baker County Assessor’s Office map
The yellow dashed line shows the boundaries of the Baker Rural Fire Protection District.
crease to $187,500, $193,000,
$199,000 and $204,500 for the
four subsequent years, the in-
creases based on estimates of
rises in property values.
Collin Kaseberg, president
of the fire district’s board of di-
rectors, said the district, since it
was formed in 1983, has relied
almost solely on a permanent
property tax levy of 67 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value.
That levy, which has never
been increased and would con-
tinue even if voters approve
the new 5-year levy, yields
about $125,000 per year now,
although Kaseberg said after
reductions for people who pay
early and other factors, the dis-
trict actually receives a little
more than $100,000.
Over the decades, he said,
the significant amount of
“I understand that there
are some folks out there that
Continued from Page A1
maybe want to be considered,
but this is an issue of timeli-
the ambulance issues that we
ness,” Guyer said.
face and I think that he would
During the meeting, Diaz
be an exceptional person to
addressed the council and
add to the city council.”
took questions.
Guyer’s motion to appoint
Spriet asked Diaz if there
Duman failed by a 3-3 vote, with were any local issues that Diaz
Guyer, Jason Spriet and Shane
thought the city needed to ad-
Alderson voting in favor, and
dress.
Mayor Kerry McQuisten and
“The first and most obvious
Councilors Joanna Dixon and
thing, for me because it affects
Johnny Waggoner Sr. opposed. me daily in winter is snow
McQuisten pointed out that removal,” Diaz said. “That’s
two other residents had ap-
been a big issue just in my
plied since Sells announced
neighborhood.”
her resignation — Matt Diaz
Diaz told councilors he has
and Danika Sinram.
lived near the Baker Sports
Diaz attended Tuesday’s
Complex for four years and he
meeting. Sinram did not.
hasn’t seen any snowplows in
“They certainly deserve the his neighborhood.
courtesy of reviewing their
Diaz also said he believes
applications and discussing
councilors should work better
this. That’s my opinion,” Mc- with the Baker County Com-
Quisten said.
missioners.
Guyer contended that with
Sells’ position expiring at the
Latest in a series of
end of the year, councilors
deadlocked votes
should act quickly to replace her.
Duman applied last fall for
a vacancy created in August
2021 when Lynette Perry re-
signed due to health issues.
The six-member Coun-
cil tried to replace Perry, but
multiple motions failed on
3-3 votes, with McQuisten,
Dixon and Waggoner Sr. in
one group, and Spriet, Alder-
son and Sells in the other.
The Council eventually
filled the vacancy on Dec. 14,
2021, by appointing Guyer on
a second motion.
In other business Tuesday,
councilors:
• Appointed Laurie Perry
to the Planning Commission
Board. Councilors voted by bal-
lot with Guyer, Spriet, Dixon,
Waggoner and Alderson voting
for Perry. McQuisten voted for
applicant Jonathan Fleming.
• Appointed Sarah Wynn to
the Public Arts Commission.
• Appointed four members
to the Budget board — Daniel
McQuisten (not related to the
mayor), Amanda Daugherty,
Ray Duman and incumbent
Shelly Cutler.
Chess
About CFS
Chess for Success was
founded in 1996, growing out
of the Portland Chess Project,
which was a pilot program
established in the worst-per-
forming schools in Portland.
For the 2021-2022 season,
73 schools are participating
in Chess for Success in Or-
egon and southwest Wash-
ington.
The Oregon State Chess
Tournament celebrated its
50th year in 2016. The tour-
nament was cancelled in
2020, and held virtually
in 2021.
Council
Continued from Page A1
Grades K-5, Brooklyn
Sylvia Rich, Sarah Perini,
Obsidian Adams, Jameson
Barnett, Charlotte Burrill, Oak
Richards
On to state
For the state chess tourna-
ment, FridayPlus will provide
transportation, lodging and
tournament registration fees.
Individuals qualified in
grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, plus the
Baker Middle School team.
“This is the first time that
Baker schools will be repre-
sented at the state chess tour-
nament and it’s all due to their
dedication to the game,” Wolfe
said. “They continue to show
growth and progress each time
we meet and we’ll be really
working hard in the next com-
ing weeks to prepare for state.”
The BMS team heading to
state includes Jacob Burton,
Weston Burton, Dallin Stocks,
Elias Taylor and Jace Whitford.
Alternates are Christopher
Dallstream and Justin Wolfe.
Individual players who qual-
ified for state are: Sylvia Rich
(K-4), Evan Carroll (grade 5),
Joseph Chastain (grade 6), Dal-
lin Stocks (grade 7), Elias Tay-
lor (grade 7) and Christopher
Dallstream (grade 8).
“Win, lose or draw these kids
keep playing with composure
and sportsmanship,” Wolfe
said. “We’ve got some really
great players and I’m lucky to
get to coach such a great group
of kids.”
Ernest Ray Darlington
July 29, 1932 – March 6, 2022
Ernie Darlington passed away of
natural causes at his home in Baker
City on March 6, 2022. Ernie was 89.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years,
Alberta Darlington; his daughter and
son-in-law Glinda and Jim Fennell of
Burley, Idaho, their son and Ernie’s
eldest grandson Derek Fennell of
Twin Falls, Idaho, Derek’s children
and Ernie’s great-grandchildren
Bronson and Mattie Fennell. Ernie is also survived by his
son Doug Darlington and grandson Sage Darlington, both
of Baker City.
Ernie was preceded in death by his mother and stepfather,
Ethel and Pete Manchon, his brother, Bill Darlington and
sister, Vera Walters.
Ernie was born in Baker City on July 29, 1932. After
his school years, he met and married Alberta Hendrick in
1952 and joined the United States Army the same year. After
three years stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state, he
returned to Baker and went to work at Baker Bottling Co.
Shortly thereafter, he went to work for Dick Kirby at
Coast to Coast Hardware. Ernie was a hardware man the rest
of his life, working not only in Baker but in Burley Idaho,
Florence Oregon, Springfield, Oregon, Bend, Oregon, and
finally back in Baker. He finished his career at Ace Hardware,
working even in retirement.
Ernie found joy helping others in unsung ways: from
repairing kids toys for Christmas bazaars to using his
hardware and plumbing knowledge to help friends and
strangers alike. Over the years, Ernie enjoyed hunting,
camping, fishing, lawncare and tinkering in his woodshop.
A memorial will be planned for summer. He will
be missed. Online condolences may be shared at
www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
home construction and pop-
ulation growth in the district,
which includes the Pine Creek
and Goodrich Creek areas
at the west end of the valley,
where dozens of small parcels
have been sold, has resulted in
a boost in the district’s work-
load.
Costs have also increased
for equipment — turnouts for
a single firefighter cost about
$3,500, Kaseberg said, and
must be replaced at least every
decade.
The district’s fleet also in-
cludes a total of 72 tires, with
an average replacement cost
of $600 per tire, he said.
Although the surge of con-
struction has boosted the
district’s tax base and thus its
revenue, it hasn’t kept pace
with inflation and other fac-
tors, Kaseberg said.
He said he understands the
potential for the timing of the
levy request, a month or so af-
ter the district announced that
it was buying a building as its
main fire station, might make it
more difficult to persuade dis-
trict voters to approve the levy.
“It’s a big concern to all of us”
on the board, Kaseberg said.
But he said the district would
have sought the 5-year levy re-
gardless of the purchase of the
station, which is on 23rd Street
in the Elkhorn View Industrial
Park in northwest Baker City,
south of the Oregon Trail Elec-
tric Cooperative headquarters.
The levy is needed to keep the
district’s service level consistent,
Kaseberg said, which is a sepa-
rate issue from the station.
The $650,000 purchase of
the new station was needed
because the long-term lease for
the district’s station on Poca-
hontas Road — it also has sta-
tions on Lindley Lane east of
the freeway and on Pine Creek
Road — is expiring. Kaseberg
said it is very unlikely that
the owner of the Pocahontas
Road building would extend
the lease, and building a new
station would be much more
expensive — possibly in the $3
million range — than buying
the 23rd Street building, which
formerly housed Cutter’s Edge,
which made fire rescue saws.
Kaseberg said the district
has received $50,000 from the
Leo Adler Foundation to help
buy the station.
“That was huge — we’re
very appreciative,” he said.
In addition, Oregon Trail
Electric Cooperative (OTEC)
received a $650,000 package —
a $350,000 loan and $300,000
revolving grant — for the Baker
Rural District’s station purchase.
The district will repay all
of the money to OTEC. The
$300,000 that’s from the grant
will be available to be loaned
again to other local projects, ac-
cording to OTEC.
The district will have an open
house at the new fire station,
3855 23rd St., from 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. on Saturday, April 9,
both to show residents the new
station and answer questions
about the levy measure.
Marge Hammond Farness
May 25, 1930 - October 16, 2021
Marjorie Ann Lewis was born in Los
Angeles and grew up largely in Baker City,
OR. Art was always her favorite subject at
school, but as the daughter of Ida Lewis,
a music teacher, her early
years were also spent playing
piano and performing in
recitals and local musical
productions, the latter largely
orchestrated by her mother
with her brothers, Bob and
Merrill, also performing. At
age 17 the family moved to
McMinnville, OR, where
Marge enrolled in Linfield
College. There she met and
married Robert R. Hammond
and had four children. She
devoted herself to her family as Cub Scout
den mom, active PTA member, swimming
instructor, music and piano teacher.
Marge never lost her artistic passions,
and continued to study art at Portland State
University, The Portland Museum of Art
School and Oregon State University. She
grew to become a talented water colorist,
oil painter, sculptor and printer. Her
cement pools, benches, bird feeders and
other largely utilitarian pieces can be found
in public places and private homes and
gardens throughout Oregon and beyond.
In 1972 Marge moved with her two
youngest children to Corvallis where
she continued her art studies. She and
Bob divorced and Marge later met and
married Donald Farness, a professor of
economics at OSU. Together they led a life
filled with friends, family, art, music and,
importantly, travel. They took advantage
of Don’s sabbatical opportunities to spend
time in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge,
England. They spent another month or two
traveling around Europe, and visiting their
ancestors’ roots in Norway and Sweden.
They spent a couple months in Greece,
which they absolutely loved, and a couple
more in Oaxaca, Mexico, also a favorite.
They crisscrossed the United States and
Canada about half a dozen times in a
converted Ford Econovan,
camping, birding, painting
and drawing along the way.
Increasingly Marge and
Don spent time at their
beach house in Depoe Bay,
which
they
eventually
transformed
into
their
primary residence upon
Don’s retirement. Together
they built a new home and
studio on the property where
both were able to live out
their lives. Marge lost Don
in December, 2019 and her youngest son
James in January, 2021. She is survived
by her three children (Robert Hammond,
Amity, OR, Michael Hammond, Sparks,
NV, and Nancy Hanrahan, Wilton, CT),
their families including 6 grandchildren
and their families, and many nieces and
nephews and their families. She is missed
by family and countless friends, all of
whom feel honored and enriched to have
been a part of her world.
Marge and Don spent many happy
hours attending concert and opera events
at the Newport Performing Art Center
in Newport, Oregon. Accordingly, the
family is inviting those who wish to honor
their memory to consider making a tax
deductible donation to a fund established in
their memory at the Oregon Coast Council
for the Arts (OCCA). The Marge and Don
Farness Classical Piano Performances
Fund will go to support future piano
performances at the Newport Performing
Arts Center. Donations may be made
online at https://coastarts.org/product/
marge-don-farness-fund/ or by phoning
541-574-2652.
Sharon Everson
Margurette Hall
September 11, 1957 – February 13, 2022
March 31, 1926 – March 2, 2022
Sharon (Nelson) Everson, 64,
of Baker City, Oregon passed away
surrounded by her loved ones At
St. Alphonsus in Nampa Idaho on
February 13, 2022. A memorial
service will be held at Elkhorn Baptist
Church at 2:00 on March 19,2022.
Pastor Tim Fisher will officiate.
Sharon was born on September
11, 1957 in Harlingen, Texas to her
mother Anzelee (Talley) Nelson and her father Kermit
Gibby Nelson. Her father was in the U.S. Air Force, so
Sharon spent much of her childhood following him around
the world.
Sharon met the love of her life Terry Everson in
Honolulu, Hawaii and they were married on January 19,
1980 at Calvary Baptist Church in Cleveland Tennessee.
The couple had been married 42 years when she passed.
Sharon was stay at home mom for many years before
working at the Baker Middle School. and finally retiring as
an executive assistant at New Direction Northwest in 2013.
Sharon had been an active member of Elkhorn Baptist
Church for over 30 years, she served in the children and
youth ministries as long as her health allowed.
She loved to make handmade gifts for her family and
friends, she spent much of her free time crocheting. She
could be found in the kitchen every Sunday after church
cooking dinner for her family.
She loved to spend time with her family especially her
grandkids, she would sit and listen to their stories for hours
and even tell a few of her own. She loved to laugh and
always looked for the humor in any situation.
Sharon was survived by her brothers Gibby, Steve and
Charles Nelson and her husband, Terry Everson along
with children Marie (Terry) Taylor, Somer (Joel Milburn)
Everson, Donald (Katherine) Everson, Julia (Kristian)
Krohn and grandkids Dalton, Preston, Naomi, Noah John,
Adrianna, Jocelyn, Donald Cecil, and Gideon James and
great grandson Sutton Taylor.
Sharon was preceded in death by her parents and
grandparents.
Margurette D. Hall, age 95,
entered into Heaven on March 2,
2022. A funeral service was held
at noon on Wednesday, March 9, at
Gray’s West & Company Pioneer
Chapel with Pastor Jesse Whitford
of the Baker City Christian Church
officiating. She was laid to rest
with a vault interment at Mount
Hope Cemetery next to her late
husband, Ray Richard Hall.
Margurette was born in Boise, Idaho, to Carney
Johnson and Cora Johnson (Goodman). She graduated
from Halfway High School. Margurette was married to
Ray Richard Hall on December 22, 1945. They were
married for 36 years. Together they raised two sons,
Jerry and Tracy, and two daughters, Lorna and Sandra.
Margurette worked at J.R. Simplot Company and also
as a waitress. She was active at the First Christian
Church, Old Oregon Trail Ride, V.F.W. Auxiliary,
Eagles, and Sheriff’s Possettes. Margurette enjoyed
hunting, camping, and little league.
Margurette is survived by her daughter, Lorna
Beam (John) of Baker City, Oregon, her son, Jerry Hall
of Wasilla, Alaska; her daughter, Sandra Rounsville
of Baker City, Oregon; and her son, Tracy Hall of
Baker City, Oregon. Margurette is also survived by
10 grandchildren, Jerry Dowdy (Trina), Justin Hall
(Kristie), Lance Hall, Ray Dowdy, Doug Dowdy, Stacey
Zoon (Dale), Mandy Garrett (Josh), Dannielle (Kurt)
Colnot, Cassie Hall, Lee Reedy; 21 great-grandchildren
and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father Carney
Johnson; mother Cora Goodman; and husband, Ray
Hall.
Memorial contributions may be made to Best Friends
of Baker City or to the charity of one’s choice through
Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.,
Baker City, OR 97814.
To light a candle in Marge’s memory or to offer
online condolences to her family, please visit www.
grayswestco.com.