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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
May 14, 2014
iN mis aomoN: Local • Business @AgLife • Go! magazine 75e
'Little
Shop' finale
QUICIC HITS
ASprinotime Tour
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscribers Freda Waldron of Baker City.
Sports, 7A PORTLAND (AP)Nicolas Batum had a simple question for his Portland teammates: "Why not us?" No other team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. But the Trail Blazers took the first step Monday night by beating the San Antonio Spurs 103-92 to stave off elimination and narrow the Western Conference semifinal series to 3-1.
• Oficials uncertain about city's role in spurring economic development for the area By Pat Caldwell pcaldvvell©bakerc(tyherald.com
BRIEFING
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City to begin hydrant flushing The Baker City Public Works Department will begin its annual fire hydrant testing and flushing on Monday, May19. The testing is expected to continue for two to three weeks. This testing is done annually to ensure all hydrants are functioning properly and are delivering water at the correct pressure and volume, Jennifer Murphy, of the city's Public Works Department stated in a press release. During the testing and flushing process small silt-like particles might become "stirred up" in the lines. These are particles that have settled in less active water lines, Murphy said. Water might appear yellow or cloudy as a result of this flushing process. To clear the water, residents are advised to run their faucets full force for five minutes. If the water still does not clear, call the Baker City Public Works Department at 541-5242063.
Senate candidate to visi tSunday Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Dr. Monica Wehby, will be in Baker City Sunday, May18, at the Sundridge Inn. The meet-and-greet session begins at 11 a.m. For more information, call Candice McKim at 541-403-1380.
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A long-term goal for Quail Ridge Golf Course is to update the irrigation system to make it more efficient.
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Two elected city officials agreed the local areafaceschallenges regarding economic development but conceded the best way government can help in the effort to spark expansion is to stay out of the way. Baker City Mayor Richard Langrell and City Councilor Kim Mosier both said local government entities should be supportive ofbusiness development but should also be carefulnotto createneedlessroadblocks on the road to expansion. Langrell said he remains uneasy regarding how much — and for how long — city government should be involved with economic development. "I've always had mixed feelings about the city of Baker being in the economic development department. I kind oflook at the city, the city's job is to provide safe drinking water, sewerservice,roadsto driveon,police and fire. The city should be supportive of everyone who wants to start something in town," Langrell said. Langrell said he carries no illusions regarding job prospects in Baker County. "It's tough to make a living in Baker," he sald. Lateststatistics— forMarch — from the Oregon Employment Department's Labor Trends illustrate that while the region is slowly crawling out from under the cloak of the recession, much work remains. For example, March numbers show many of the counties in the region still face doubledigit unemployment. Baker County listed a 10.5 percent unemployment rate in March, while Grant County's stood at 13.8 percent and Wallowa County recorded a 14.3 percent unemploymentrate.H arney County documented a 14.2 percent unemployment rate in March. See JobslPage5A
• City Budget Board to consider golf course irrigation system upgrades By Pat Caldwell pcaldvvell©bakerc(tyherald.com
An effort to establish a preliminary plan to replace portions of the outdated irrigation system at the Quail Ridge Golf Course might secure more than a rudimentary review nextweek when the Baker City Budget Committee convenes to chart the fiscal future. Irrigation system snags at the course are not a recent development and city officials want to at least secure funds to craft a feasibility study to tackle the challenge during the budget committee sessions next week. Baker City Manager Mike Kee said city staffhas alreadyadopted tentative steps toward shaping a viable plan. ''We've taken a step this year in the budget and in the proposed budget and have put aprojectoutthere to begin the planning for an irrigation system. It ithe irrigation system) is not a new problem," Kee said. At issue is the irrigation system thatservicesportions ofthe original nine — dubbed the "old
"On average,during a normal water night, you'll save150,000gallons due to the new technology." — Jeff Stahman, Quail Ridge Golf Course general manager
nine" — holes of the course constructedby the Depression-era Work Projects Administration in the mid-1930s. The irrigation system for that portion of the course was positioned in the early 1970. Now, officials said, that portion of the irrigation configuration is old and it leaks on a regular basis, costing extra money to fix and slicing through water efficiency efforts. "The original nine-hole portionofthegolfcoursethatis the portion that is in dire need of replacement, for a number ofreasons.There area lotof breaksand alotofrepairsthe cityhas topay forand itis also extremely inefftcient," said Bill Tiedemann, the Quail Ridge Golf Course operator.
Kee said the main, shortterm goal, will be to find a stable funding stream to fuel a study regarding a new irrigation system. The long-term goal, of course, will be to replace the eroded water system on the original nine-hole portion. That effort, though, will not be cheap, Kee said. "It could cost hundreds of thousandsofdollars,"Kee said. A preliminary blueprint regarding a new irrigation system will cost a lot less-
Council OKs resolutions By Pat Caldwell pcaldvvell©bakerc(tyherald.com
General Manager Jeff Stahman sald. "On average, during a normal water night, you'll save 150,000 gallons due to the new technology," he said.
In one of the fastest meetings in months, the Baker City Council moved through a modest agenda of items Tuesday night and inished up work in under an hour. f Councilor Mike Downing was absent from the session. The council approved four resolutions and appointed a local resident to the Baker City Planning Commission. The elected board appointed Ned Ratterman to the commission and also accepted two proclamations — one that declared the week of May 18 through May 24 National Public Works Week and another that decreed May 13 through May 31 as Poppy Day in Baker City. The elected board approved fourresolutions unanimously during the session. The council approved Resolution No. 3720 — the adoption of the Regional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan — then OKd Resolution No. 3721, a mandate that will allow the city to authorize a loan fiom the safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.
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probably about $20,000 — and furnish the city with a solid platform for future planning. ''We need to have a plan put on the shelf," Kee said. A new, updated irrigation system on the older nine-holes of the course will save the city
money, Quail Ridge Golf Course
Partly sunny Full forecast on the back of the B section.
T ODAY Issue 2, 32 pages
Business....................1B C o m i cs.......................4B De a r Abby...............12B L o t t ery........................2A Opinion...................... 4A Carendar... .................2A Community News....3B Horoscope.... ....9B&10B N ews of Record........2A Sports .............. 7A & SA Crassified............BB-11B C r o ssword........9B&10B L e t t ers........................4A Ob i t uaries..................zA Sudoku ...................... 4B
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