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News Archive
OMSI Visits Baker Library
Baker County Library Children’s Services Coordinator Melissa Shafer introduced kids to Ozzie, the Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Ozzie was part of the Oregon Museum of Science and Insdustry (OMSI) Science Festival held at the Baker County Library Friday. In photo above, from left: Melissa Shafer, Celina Fuzi, Dillon Baggerly, Christa Daily.
Eric Anderson, OMSI staff member, presented the event. Kids were able to participate in a hair raising event with the Van der Graff generator, were allowed to hold Maxine the corn snake, Australian Walking Sticks, and a Giant Madagascar hissing cockroach.
“We had such a great turnout that Eric was kept constantly busy and regretted not having more opportunity to help folks with some of the more challenging “Brainteaser” puzzles. But everyone will have another shot at OMSI’s return next year,” said Perry Stokes, Library Director, Baker County Library District.
Council Discusses Water/Wastewater Rate Increases And Possible Gas Tax
By Brian Addison
Baker City Mayor Jeff Petry and Vice Mayor Andrew Bryan began the City Council Work Session discussion Tuesday following the City Council meeting on water and wastewater rate increases to help fund upgrades to the systems, including replacement of mountain waterline system and eventually the city’s wastewater treatment of effluent. Council also discussed the possibility of a city gas tax to help fund maintenance of city streets.
“It will be $1 million per year to replace pipes in the hills,” said Mayor Petry. The Mayor also gave a timeline regarding a possible major change in Baker City’s treatment of wastewater effluent, “The DEQ (Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality) gives us three to maybe six years.” The DEQ is expected to require the city to reroute the city’s current effluent treatment system due to incrementally stringent requirements being handed down by the DEQ regarding surface water quality and municipal treatment of wastewater effluent.
Union Pacific Freighter Collides with Unattended Passenger Car
by Brian Addison
A “deliberate act” is how Baker City Police Lt. Brian Harvey described the collision between Union Pacific freight train #5626 and the 1996 Ford Contour first stolen then left abandoned on the RR tracks late Sunday evening.
Oak Street resident Laurie Maras reported that the car was stolen from her residence where it had been parked. It was reported that the keys were not in the car when it was stolen although the doors had been left unlocked. The car allegedly was stolen and then parked and left on the tracks near the Campbell Street crossing.
At approximately 11:40 p.m. the vehicle was struck by the eastbound Union Pacific freight train. The car was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported. Union Pacific confirmed that the train did not derail. The automobile was pushed and mangled by the train for several hundred yards before the train could come to a stop.
Contracted City Attorney Advises Council To Disclose Contacts
By Brian Addison
Baker City’s contracted attorney Dan Van Thiel attended the city council meeting on April 8 to discuss Ex Parte contacts made by members of city council. If city councilors discuss city business with other people at any time outside of regular city meetings, these are considered ‘ex parte’ contacts. Van Thiel is advising that council members disclose all contacts with anyone where city business is a topic of discussion.
“You need to be careful when people contact you. They need to understand that you’re going to be voting,” said Van Thiel.
Van Thiel advised that the Mayor request disclosure from councilors before every city council vote. “Before voting, the Mayor should ask council, ‘Are there any conflicts of interest or ex parte contacts to disclose’?”
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Baker County Events Center Open For Business
By Brian Addison
The newly renovated Baker County Event Center complete with commercial kitchen, luxuriously roomy restrooms and space to accommodate up to 420 people served its inaugural function, a wedding reception March 29.
Colleen Taylor of the Baker County Fair Board pulled out the fairgrounds facility schedule and pointed to several large functions coming to the Event Center over the next several months. Preparations begin soon at the Event Center for the Baker High School Junior/Senior Prom.
Local Oregon State University extension agent Cory Parsons has reserved the Event Center to hold the Baker County Juniper Management Workshop on April 15. The Juniper Management Workshop starts at 7 a.m. and includes an afternoon field trip with county noxious weed warrior Arnie Grammon. Parsons expects between 50 and 100 participants with maybe half of that number being visitors from outside Baker City.
Mayor Makes Decision On Citizen’s Complaint Against City Manager
By Debby Schoeningh
Baker City Mayor Jeff Petry has reached a decision regarding a complaint filed by Vickie Valenzuela against City Manager Steve Brocato.
“I have received, reviewed and have read the written statements from all the witnesses on Ms. Valenzuela's complaint,” said Petry. “My Decision: I see no merit in her accusations, in fact her actions and statements were disrespectful, badgering and her subsequent actions somewhat odd.
“Our City Manager Steve Brocato handled himself with professionalism in this matter. It's an unfortunate fact that City Staff has to prepare themselves for these types of situations.”
Valenzuela filed a complaint following a Feb.29 unscheduled meeting with Brocato at City Hall where she claimed he had been rude to her after she requested records regarding the city's purchase of a building for the police department located on Auburn Avenue.
Chaves Third Generation Start Local Business
By Brian Addison
The Chaves family continues building the local economy one generation after another. Ryan and Kaylin Chaves have opened their new business “Kicks Sportswear” offering Baker City shoppers a local outlet for athletic shoes, apparel and sporting equipment. The new Kicks Sportswear is located in the Palmer Brothers building at 1801 Main Street.
Ryan and Kaylin follow in the entrepreneurial tradition as the third generation of Chaves to own and operate a local business in Baker City. Ryan’s grandfather, Art Chaves, owned and operated Chaves Foodland located where Thatcher’s Ace Hardware is today. And, Ryan’s father, Richard, started Chaves Consulting, continuing strong today located on the fourth floor of the historic Baker Tower building. Ryan and Kaylin also have a business in Bend named Chaves Labor, Inc.
“We opened Kicks because we know the town needs this type of convenience, to provide a service long needed in Baker City,” said Ryan on Monday morning.
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Hawks Become Tangled In Branches
While out for a Saturday morning walk Nancy Sargeant of North Powder heard the cry of hawks. After further investigation, she found two hawks hanging upside down in branches of the trees along Anthony Lakes Highway. Sargeant said apparently the hawks attached claws in mid-air compromising their ability to fly, which caused them to plunge toward the ground and into the branches where they hung upside down unable to free themselves. Sargeant returned with her long handled pruning shears and carefully cut away the small limbs that held the hawks captive noticing that the hawk’s claws of one foot looked like they were tied in knots. She said the hawks were amazingly quiet while she trimmed away the branches and they were both able to fly away.
Annual City Staff And Management Report Emphasizes Developing Economy
By Brian Addison
The city’s annual report spells out the city’s focus and activities over the past year and sets the direction for the future. The introduction of the document states, “This report is intended to be a thorough, frank and factual public document that will address what the City staff has been doing and will be doing.” The document was presented to Baker City Council and the public during the city council meeting on Tuesday evening.
The City’s main goal is stated in paragraph four on the first page of text and is best conveyed through direct quotation beginning with the final sentence of the preceding paragraph: “Our citizens want to improve economically, but have concerns about the final product.”
Keys Left In Ignitions Made Easy Pickings For Car Thieves
By Debby Schoeningh
Four car thefts were reported in Baker City this month, which were slated as crimes of opportunity. Sergeant Beth Yeaton with the Baker City Police Department said the first theft was reported on March 19 when a vehicle was reported missing from the 2100 block of East Street.
Yeaton said it was later recovered on Auburn Street and the second car to be reported missing was taken from that same address on Auburn. That car was later recovered on Birch Street.
An older truck was reported missing the same night as the Auburn Street vehicle from the 2600 block of 3rd Street. The truck was found and recovered by the owner at Baker and Clark Streets.
Cooperative Effort to Restore the Banks of the Powder, Taken On by Kirkway Drive Residents
By Brian Addison
Residents on Kirkway Drive along the eroding eastern banks of the Powder River met with project sponsor Powder Basin Watershed Council on Wednesday, March 19, for the Kirkway Kickoff Meeting to discuss a project aimed at saving their backyards. The meeting is part of an effort to communicate with and to gain cooperation between residents, stakeholders and project directors during a stream bank restoration design project. The design stage of the project is being funded in part by a grant from Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (lottery proceeds) awarded in the amount $37,933.
The engineering firm Anderson Perry and Associates (AP) have been awarded the contract to provide a “practical, sustainable, streambank design-to include surveying, hydrological analysis, concept development and certified professional engineering design.”
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Local Ranchers Still Feeling The Effects Of Last Year’s Drought
By Debby Schoeningh
Ranchers in the Baker Valley are either in the midst of calving or wrapping things up with this year’s calf crop. Cory Parsons, Baker County OSU extension agent said local ranchers are used to dealing with the wet and cold weather, but there have been some nutritional issues.
“With the drought and lack of forage last year some cows went into the winter thin and undernourished,” he said. “Hay prices were high and some had to buy low quality feed.” He said cows going into calving with poor body condition and lacking proper nutrients didn’t have enough milk or colostrum to adequately feed their offspring, which has led to scour issues in their calves.
Veterinarian George Risdal with the Animal Clinic of Baker said the Clinic is just starting to see significant numbers of calves affected with scours in the Baker Valley.
Senator Ron Wyden Holds Town Hall Meeting In Baker City
By Brian Addison
“I’m the only person in the Senate to announce I’m ‘not’ running for President,” senior Oregon US Senator Ron Wyden told a crowd gathered for Sunday’s Town Hall meeting. “I look at myself as the designated driver for the senate, to take care of issues such as health care,” he added.
United States Senator Ron Wyden greeted a group of local citizens last Sunday at the Community Connection meeting facility. The visit from the Senator to Baker City helps fulfill a commitment he made upon being elected to the office back in 1995, to hold yearly open Town Hall meetings in every county in the state. “Direct grass roots Democracy,” said Senator Wyden of the meeting.
Crossroads Art Center Moves Back To Carnegie Building
By Brian Addison
Crossroads Art Center has made the move out of the Neuberger-Heilner Building, back into the Carnegie Building on the corner of First Street and Auburn Avenue, next to Baker City Hall. Renovation work has been completed and volunteers and students from the Haines Education Center helped make the move this week.
Events planned to celebrate the grand opening include the Crossroads Opening Gala celebration of April 4. The gala event is to be held with the theme, “Evening in the Gardens of Spain.” Tapas, a Spanish hors d’oeurves will be served and there is a silent and oral auction planned. The gala event has been sold out with 300 tickets at $50 a piece.
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