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March 04, 2010 Front Page |
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Local Spring Bull Sales
The Harrell Hereford Bull Roundup and Thomas Angus Spring Bull Sale were held March 1 and 2. Buyers from all over the nation arrived to view this year’s offerings, which included from the Harrell Ranch 120 bulls, 50 heifers and 20 quarter horses; and from the Thomas Angus Ranch 200 bulls —90 fall yearlings and 110 spring yearlings.
Planning Commission Continues Zoning Ordinance Discussions
By Suzan Ellis Jones
Baker County Planning Commission met for the regularly schedule planning meeting, work session and public hearing last Thursday night at the County Courthouse. Vice- Chair Bill Harvey conducted this work session meeting in the absence of Chair Randy Joseph. Commissioners Anna Sullivan, Dan Wietz, Don Silva and Jim Grove were also in attendance. Planning Department staff Mark Bennett, Holly Kerns, Tara Andrews and Donna Thibodeau attended the meeting. There were approximately 10 people in the audience.
The Planning Commission started early to have a work session with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel on suggestions for wordage and a few portions of the proposed Zoning Ordinances. Baker District Biologist, Nick Myatt and Assistant Biologist Brian Ratliff presented the suggestions on several chapters of the proposed zoning ordinance to the Commission. Ratliff briefly discussed the emergency elk feeding station on Harrell’s ranch in the Salmon Creek area.
Myatt provided the commission members with the “Oregon Columbia Plateau Ecoregion Wind Energy Siting and Permitting Guidelines” [copies are available at Baker ODFW office and the Baker County Planning Department] for help with developing Baker County’s wind power ordinance. He also suggested “bats” need to be added to the definitions and to clarify what the County means on the avian plan. Vice Chair Harvey requested ODFW provide bulleted suggestions for the commission rather than sifting through large documents. Bruce Eddy, Grande Ronde Watershed Manager, out of La Grande, also attended the meeting, but did not testify.
Parole And Probation Adds Fees
Commissioners Removes Art Sappington From Natural Resource Advisory Committee
By Eden Taylor
In the regular session of the County Commission conducted on Feb. 17, Will Benson, Baker County Parole and Probation Director presented additional fees in order to keep the Community Service program self sustaining. A Public Hearing was conducted on the proposal, but no one voiced any objections. Believing that “doing something for the community is 10 times better than putting them in jail (for a time out),” Benson works constantly to keep the program afloat.
The fees that will be added are: a $35 per month supervision fee for formal supervision and $10 fee for indirect supervision, $35 intake fee for work crews and $35 for each additional sentencing order. A community service sanction of $35 will also be imposed as will a $150/day rate for a work crew. Benson assured the community that he would be fair with those entities using the work crews and that some gratis work would still be done if time allows.
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