Board votes to repay bond money used for employee salaries

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Controversy surrounding whether or not it was OK to use school bond money to pay employee salaries was resolved at the Nov. 18 Harney County District No. 3 School Board meeting when the board voted to take $84,000, which was used to pay custodians and administrative staff for work on bond projects, from the general fund and put it back into the bond.

At the October board meeting, the board asked district Business Manager Petrina White to determine how much of the bond project work done by custodians and administrative staff could be documented.

At last week’s meeting, White said she had documentation for about $45,000 worth of bond project work.

Board Chairman Gordon Mallon then suggested that $38,000 be put back in the bond to account for the work that was undocumented.
However, several people in the audience disagreed with this action because the original intent of the bond committee, who put the bond before the voters, was that none of the bond funds would be used to pay employee salaries.

Burns High School teacher and teacher’s union representative Jimmy Zamora stated that he felt every penny of the $84,000 should be returned to the bond. “In order to be honest and show integrity, this money needs to be put back into the bond,” he said.

Parent and bond committee member Tammy Wheeler noted that if the money paid for bond project work was above and beyond a regular eight-hour work day, then it would be acceptable to use bond money to pay employees. However, she said that was not the case.

Hines Middle School teacher Roxanne Bailey said that all teachers had to deal with hardship while the bond projects were being completed. They had to work around construction, which often complicated their time in the classroom and yet none of the teachers were paid for that hardship.

Chairman Mallon said that whatever money the board decided to put back into the bond would have to come out of the general fund and would only hurt the district later on in the year, when there is an inevitable budget shortfall.

Parent and bond committee member Tim Colahan said that he understood the hardship facing the district, but that the board made the decision to use bond money to pay employees and is paying for it now. “You had a hole and you had to fill it,” Colahan said indicating that the district used bond money to try and fix last year’s budget shortfall. “The fact is  we didn’t get some of the projects done because you spent the money,” he said.

Board member Bill Cheek then moved to repay the $84,000 to the bond. Mallon seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

•••

The ongoing concerns regarding this year’s budget as well as next year’s budget continue to be a prominent issue at District No. 3 board meetings.

At the Nov. 18 meeting, board member Steve Bull suggested that the board activate the budget committee to start meeting now, rather than wait until the spring. “The more eyes that look over the budget, the better,” Bull said.

Superintendent David Courtney said that if the board decides to activate the formal Budget Committee they would have to be treated as public meetings and advertised as such with minutes taken at each meeting. However, he said that if the board gives him the go ahead to form a finance committee, it could be more informal, and they would still be open to the public.

Several audience members agreed with the idea of forming a committee designated to deal with the budget as soon as possible.

HMS teacher Marcie Colahan said that by the time the budget board convened in the spring of last year, it was too late to deal with the budge shortfall proactively, and the district was forced  to cut days at the end of the year.

HMS teacher Bailey said the district cannot afford to cut days at the end of the year again. Students need a full year of school, she said. “We can’t keep jeopardizing these kids,” she said.

In light of the impending budget issues, other teachers suggested instituting a freeze on spending rather than waiting until January or February.

Audience member Yvonne Warden suggested that the district first identify its priorities before deciding what needs to be cut.

The board gave Courtney the go-ahead to put together a finance committee to start scrutinizing the budget now.

Tim Colahan then asked Chairman Mallon if the board was going to amend the budget to reflect the current financial situation.
Mallon replied that the board would go through the budget amendment process to do so.

In other business:

• the board discussed the state of the recently approved Silvies Web Academy. Because the school was up and running ahead of schedule (before next the next trimester), the district had to pay about $122,000 to the Web academy organizers for teacher instruction.  Superintendent Courtney said the district will get that money back.

The Web academy currently has 180 students. Courtney said that at the end of the year, the district will net $140,000 from the charter school.

At the last meeting, Silvies Web Academy Director Tim King told the board the Web academy would not cost the district any money, but Courtney said that because they got the charter school up and running so quickly, ultimately, the district will make twice what was originally projected. The drawback to having the Web academy running already is this initial outlay of funds.

Tim Colahan asked if this was the same situation that happened with the Clackamas school district, referring to a controversy that has been brewing about the charter school there. He then asked how the district could go forward with this without running the numbers. Colahan asked if the board was going to amend the budget to reflect the $122,000 payment?

Courtney said he would talk with the auditors about the issue. He then told the board that Web Academy director King would be back on Dec. 9 to answer  questions;

• Teachers’ union representative Zamora presented the board with a letter from Ken Steiger, union consultant, regarding the balancing of this year’s budget. He questioned how the district was going to balance the budget without cutting days at the end of the year. Steiger requested more detailed budget information;

• Business Manager White gave an update on bond projects. The old boiler at the high school has been taken out and its replacement should arrive within the next week. The Hines Middle School (HMS) elevator is almost completed and there has been no final decision from the insurance company on whether or not it will pay to fix the Hines gym;

• HMS Principal Gail Buermann stated that because the Hines gym is unusable some students will not get to take physical education classes this year. She said that she hopes the gym will be fixed by the spring trimester so that students can resume taking P.E.;

• Food Services Director Channon Rebeiro said the high school lunch program continues to profit with an average of 59 students eating hot lunches per day. The board approved a motion to continue the program;

• Superintendent Courtney gave a short report on district goals, which included testing students to find where their weak spots are so that teachers can teach to those areas. Academic improvement is the ultimate goal;

• the board approved the hiring of Amy Smith as a biology teacher for Burns High School and Amber Hodge as volunteer girls basketball coach at BHS;

• BHS teacher and basketball coach Eric Nichols asked the board to consider allowing sixth-graders to play basketball with the seventh and eighth-grader at Hines Middle School. The board approved it on a trial basis. See the full story in the Sports section of the newspaper;

• during the public comments portion of the meeting, the board heard from Sam Kaser, whose primary concern was that, during these tough economic times, the district not ask the community to approve another bond measure.

Tammy Wheeler also spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting and asked the board what they planned to do with the school improvement funds, specifically asking if the board had plans to ever return to a five-day school week.

Chairman Mallon replied that next year’s budget will likely be worse in terms of cuts than last year’s budget;

• the board approved the infectious disease curriculum;

• the board approved the deletion of policies regarding the certificate of initial mastery (CIM);

The next Harney County District No. 3 School Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Lincoln building.

Air quality reaches unhealthy levels during winter months

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Harney County residents worried about whether or not they can keep using their wood stoves can put those concerns to rest … for now.

Recent news of Harney County’s increasing pollution levels have caused the City of Burns to take action. The city recently received a grant through the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to participate in a Voluntary Pollution Advisory Program.

“It’s an education program to encourage people to look at what they’re doing with burn barrels and wood stoves,” said Interim Burns City Manager Bill Guindon.

Smoke in the air

While local concerns regarding air pollution probably focus on wood stove usage, which is a major component of the air pollution problem, local governments are more pre-occupied with how pollution might affect the area economically.

DEQ Air Quality  Specialist for this region Larry Calkins said that DEQ has been monitoring Burns’ air quality for the last eight or nine years. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that standards for the amount of fine particulate matter (also called PM2.5 and comes mostly from wood smoke) in the air  was too high.

Guindon said that changes in federal and state standards have increased scrutiny on smaller towns such as Burns. Bigger cities in Oregon such as Portland, Salem and Eugene have had stricter pollution monitoring controls in place for many years now.

Calkins said that in 2006 DEQ talked with representatives from Burns, Hines, the county and Paiute Tribe to make sure everyone was aware of the air quality situation. DEQ is now carefully monitoring the PM2.5 levels here, and after a year and a half of collected data, Calkins said it looks as though Burns is on a path to non-attainment status where air quality is concerned. However, Calkins said it will take DEQ another year and half of testing PM2.5 levels before a formal federal non-attainment designation can be made.

If Harney County pollution levels increase, it could ultimately affect the cities’ and county’s ability to recruit businesses to this area — the economic repercussions of which would be substantial. Calkins said that any industrial businesses wanting to relocate to Harney County would have to meet stringent DEQ requirements before the necessary permits would be allowed.

Educating the public

The City of Burns plans to use its $5,000 grant to help educate locals on how they can reduce air pollution in Harney County. Guindon noted that the city is currently working on putting together an advisory program to let people know which days are better to burn on.

DEQ Air Quality Specialist Calkins said that while wildfire events such as the 2007 Egley Complex Fire affect the air quality in the summer months, those special events are accounted for in the data and identified as such. What concerns DEQ even more are spikes in PM2.5 readings during the winter months, specifically November through February, when levels reach unhealthy levels. Calkins said the cold weather combined with the fact that Burns is located in a flat basin with high elevation helps trap smoke near the ground creating unhealthy air for residents to breathe.

Calkins used the situation in Klamath Falls as an extreme example of how bad air quality can affect a community. Using a color coded system, Klamath Falls residents are notified during the winter when they can use their wood stoves and when they shouldn’t. Green and yellow days are OK for burning, but orange and red are not. In fact, Calkins said that residents can be fined by the county when they are caught using their wood stoves on poor air quality days.

Voluntary program

Calkins said that Burns is not in that dire situation yet. “At this point anyway, we are looking at a voluntary approach to wood stove curtailment on poor quality days,” Calkins said.

Burns Interim City Manager Guindon said there are a number of simple steps residents can take to reduce pollution on their own if they use wood stoves as their primary source of heat:

• use properly installed and vented EPA certified wood stoves;

• season firewood outdoors through the summer for at least six months. Properly seasoned wood is darker, has cracks in the end grain and sounds hollow when smacked against another piece of wood;

• store firewood outdoors, stacked neatly off the ground with the top covered;

• use clean newspaper and dry kindling to start fires;

• have the wood stove cleaned and inspected annually;

• don’t burn household trash or cardboard. Plastics and colored inks on magazines, boxes and wrappers give off toxic chemicals when burned;

• never burn coated, painted or pressure-treated wood, as it also releases toxic chemicals;

• never burn ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board or any wood with glue on or in it. They all release harmful chemicals when burned;

• never burn wet, rotted, diseased or moldy wood.

Guindon was quick to point out that this Voluntary Pollution Advisory Program in Burns does not involve fining people for using burn barrels or wood stoves. “This program is to help us prevent a non-attainment status,” Guindon said. “We’re not saying get rid of your wood stoves.”

Calkins agreed, saying that the focus of this voluntary program is to give residents enough information so they can decide whether or not they want to use their wood stoves on poor air quality days. “We’re not going to take away anyone’s wood stove,”  he said.

In the future, the program could offer residents incentives, in the form of rebates, to buy EPA certified wood stoves. Calkins also said that new pellet stoves burn so efficiently they could likely even be used on red advisory days.

Guindon said that because fall leaf burning is part of the pollution problem, the City of Burns may also look at starting a composting program for leaves, which would be similar to what the City of Hines has in place.

Guindon also encouraged residents to recycle more, which would cut down on how often people have to use their burn barrels.

He views this program as a partnership with the community, which includes Burns, Hines, the tribe and  rural Harney County. “It takes everyone working together,” Guindon said.

For more information on the Voluntary Pollution Advisory Program, call Guindon at Burns City Hall at 573-5255.

Columbia Energy Partners, Harney County Economic Development, Harney County Community Response Team and the Harney County Chamber of Commerce invites the public to a Wind Power Town Hall meeting presented by Columbia Energy Partners. Columbia Energy Partners is the company behind the current permitted Echanis Wind Project and two future wind projects currently in the permitting stage within Harney County.

The meeting will be held on Dec. 10 at the Harney County Fairgrounds Memorial Building.

Dinner, provided by the Lions Club, will be served at 6 p.m. The town hall, question and answer meeting will go from 7-9 p.m.

This meeting will be designed to help everyone understand the process surrounding wind farm development by Columbia Energy Partners in Harney County, and give everyone a chance to ask questions and learn as much as they can about how these renewable energy opportunities are going to positively impact Harney County for many, many years to come.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Say the word “winter” and it often conjures up images of dark, dreary days and nights. But say “winter sports season” and things are looking pretty bright for the Burns Hilanders.

Burns’ boys and girls basketball teams both earned trips to the 3A state tournaments last year, the Burns wrestling team won its seventh straight state title and all three teams look solid for the upcoming season.

Boys basketball

When the Burns boys basketball team qualified for the state tournament last year, it ended a 27-year drought for the program, but head coach Eric Nichols said last year’s success has no real bearing on the upcoming season. “We don’t talk about last year too much,” Nichols said. “It was a different team than the one we have this year, and this year’s team has their own identity. Do we have higher expectations because of last year? No. We just ask the players to always do their best. If they do that, we’ll be OK.”

There are 30 players vying for roster spots on the frosh/soph, junior varsity and varsity teams, including a solid nucleus for this year’s varsity team. Caleb Feist, Dylan Thompson, Tyler Fenton and Carraig Colahan all logged a number of varsity minutes last year and will be looked on to lead the team this season. Joe Jarvis and Zach Dobson were named to the varsity squad for the state tournament, but saw limited playing time.

Although it may not look like it on paper, Nichols said experience is definitely a strength of this team. “They’ve played together for a number of years and they played probably 30 games this summer,” Nichols said. “The physicality of the summer games also helps the kids because basketball is played different here than over there (meaning the west side of the state).”

Not only can they play the game, they have a good understanding of the game as well. “I’d say they have a high basketball IQ,” Nichols said. “When I call a 30 second timeout and start rattling off in basketball vocabulary, they know what I’m talking about, and that’s good.”

Hilander fans can expect to see a team that not only likes to run the floor, but can also set up and execute a half-court offense. Nichols said he’s putting in a few more set plays for the offense to try and take advantage of any mismatches he sees on the floor.

With everyone back from last year’s team, Umatilla is the early favorite to win the Eastern Oregon League, but Nichols expects another wide-open race for the playoff spots. “It’s going to be a dogfight,” Nichols said. “Umatilla’s going to be good, as are Nyssa, Vale and Grant Union. We’re right in the mix as well, and with  Riverside, you just don’t know. But any of the teams are just an injury or two away from seeing a good season go bad.”

The Hilanders open their season on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when they host Ontario at Burns High School.

Along with Nichols, the coaching staff includes Jed Patterson, JV coach, Brendan McMullen, frosh/soph coach and varsity assistants Dave Toney and Nick Miller.

Girls basketball

Surrounded by her players, head coach Alice Herauf asked, “How many of you don’t have Dec. 2 circled on your calendar?”

A few hands went up, and Herauf stated, “Get it circled. That’s our first game, and we don’t have long to get ready.”

Of the 28 players out this year, six return from last year’s varsity (which placed fourth at state), including seniors Mattea Zabala, Ashley Schouviller and Courtney Toney, as well as juniors Jamie Higle, Brea Ribeiro and Taylor Lee. “We’re working on filling out the teams, and we’ve got a good group to work with,” Herauf said.

This year’s team has adopted three sayings as their mottos: “Better every day,” “Do whatever it takes” and “Leave no doubt.” Herauf said the team voted on the sayings, and she incorporates them into the practices.

When asked about the strengths of the team, Herauf said, “We have great team leaders and team chemistry.” She also praised the work ethic of the kids by pointing out that even though practice didn’t start until 9 a.m., most of the team had arrived by 8:30 a.m. and were doing skill work.

“As quick as we are, we’ll play an uptempo game,” Herauf said. “Plus the kids played a lot this summer, so it’s like we’re a season ahead.”
She added that she and her assistant coaches attended a number of coaching clinics in the off season to improve their skills. “We want to get better too,” Herauf said.

Returning to the state tournament is always a goal, and Herauf knows the road there is a tough one. “We’ve got a great schedule again this year. Not many home games, so fans will have to come out when we are here,” she said. “But hey, championships are won on the road.”

The Hilanders open their season on the road when they travel to Ontario on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Herauf is assisted by Jake Thompson, JV coach, Terri Lee, frosh/soph coach and Amber Hodge, volunteer coach.

Wrestling

The Burns High School wrestling team is on the verge of making history. No team has ever won eight consecutive Oregon state wrestling titles, but the Hilanders have the opportunity to do just that this year.

“I think we have a pretty good chance at another title this year,” head coach Mark Hofman said. “I kind of wondered if we’d lose that feeling or desire, but that’s the ultimate goal for these kids. They want to carry on the tradition, and they’re motivated.”

Hofman said he has approximately 21 kids out this year and eight of them competed at the state tournament last year. They include  (with last year’s placing) Joe Drinkwater (1st), Brendan Palmer (2nd), Josh Cate (2nd), Pat Stampke (3rd), Dallas Root (4th), Dillon Root (6th), Mike Schaff and Kenny Withee.

There are several other wrestlers back for another year, and Michael Martin is one of the newcomers. “Michael’s out with an injury right now,” Hofman said. “He hasn’t wrestled before, but I think he can learn real quick.”

Hofman added that the underclassmen look pretty good in practice. “We put them in against some of the seniors and they’re right there,” Hofman said.

The team was strong in the light and middle weights last year, but a year’s time has seen some growth in the wrestlers. “From 140 to 171, we’re pretty loaded,” Hofman said. “I don’t know that we’ll even have someone at 103, and there are some other question marks. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Burns has been tabbed as the early favorite to win the 3A championship this coming February, but Hofman is wary of other schools. “I’m always scared of Nyssa,” he said. “They’ve got a good program, and if they get the numbers, you just never know. And Willamina should be tough.”

Rounding out Hofman’s staff are assistant coaches Ray Cate and Dally Swindlehurst.

Ernie Dent died at his home in Hines on Nov. 19.

He was born on March 30, 1928, in Creston, B.C. to Bert and Evelyn (Wheeler) Dent.

After losing his mother in 1934, Dent moved with his dad to Mitchell, and worked on ranches with his father until he joined the U.S. Army in 1950 during the Korean Conflict. He was honorably discharged in 1956.  While in the military he met and married Elaine Viles.

Their son, Mike was born in 1955, daughter Colleen in 1957 and daughter Sharon in 1958. The family lived in Mitchell, where Dent contracted fence building for the Forest Service. At this time the opportunity to go to work for Jim Howden logging in Prineville came along, and Dent was employed there as a skidder operator. When  Howden moved his operation to Burns in 1966, the Dent family moved also and he continued his employment with Howden Logging until 1977.

After moving to Dexter in 1979, Dent was severely injured in a logging accident that resulted in paralysis for the rest of his life. It was due to his wheelchair confinement that Dent developed a love for painting and the challenge of jigsaw puzzles. After the accident, he made his home in Ontario until 2002, when he and his wife moved back to Burns to the mountains he loved so much. His wife spent countless hours driving him to all the areas he enjoyed. She passed away in 2004, and though the loss was devastating to him, he was fortunate enough to find caregivers who drove him every day to enjoy the outdoors.

Dent is survived by his children, Mike Dent and wife, Bitty of Burns; Colleen Vose and husband Ken of Havasau City, Ariz.; and Sharon Fulton and husband Jeff of Burns; grandchildren, Michole and Rob Glick, Michael Dent and Leland Dent, Chris and Mandy Vose, Heather and Tony Caruso, Ashley Vose and friend Will, Lori and Jon Ford and Shelly Fulton and fiance Mike Arnold; and great-grandchildren, Colby and Alexys Vose, Jayden Glick and Jaxon Ford.

He is also survived by his sisters, Mickey, Esther, Bernice and Kathy; and caregivers Esther Majors, Lanette Humphrey, Jeanette Berry, Joyce Dudley and Brandy Lee.

Contributions in Dent’s memory can be made to the Harney County EMS or Harney County Home Health, in care of LaFollette’s Chapel, P.O. Box 488, Burns, OR 97720.

A memorial service will be held in the spring to celebrate Dent’s life.

Sheryl J. Raugust, 69, died on Nov. 19 in Burns.

She was born on May 25, 1939, in Portland, to Clinton and Jeanette Raugust.

Raugust graduated high school in Seaside. She lived her entire life in Oregon, moving to Eastern Oregon in 1968. For 18 years, she lived in Prairie City, where she enjoyed ranch living, raising her horses and her children. She later moved to Burns, where she lived the rest of her life, enjoying her horses, grandchildren and friends.

Raugust is survived by her sister, Joyce White of Seneca; brother, David Raugust, of Kalama, Wash.; daughter, Sherrie Ellson of Mt. Vernon; sons, Scott Ellson of Bend, Steve Ellson of Prairie City, and Daniel Holmes of Harlan, Ind.; 10 grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Raugust was preceded in death by her parents.

Raugust dearly enjoyed her summer family reunions and in keeping with her wishes, a memorial service will be held at Parish Cabin Campground on Saturday, July 11 at about noon. This celebration of life is open to all her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Raugust’s memory to Oregon’s Equine Outreach horse rescue agency at www.equineoutreach.com, or sent to the agency at 63220 Silvas Road, Bend, OR 97701.

Storytime for preschoolers is scheduled at the Harney County Library, 80 West D St., each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Contact the Harney County Library for more information at 573-6670.

Burns Fire Dept. meets each Wednesday at the Burns Fire Hall at 7 p.m.

Burns Elks Lodge, 118 North Broadway, meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Wednesday at the Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The free annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 27, at the Burns Elks Lodge. Doors will open at 12:45 p.m. Organizers Eddy Field and Jerry Stewart ask that people who are planning to attend  call for reservations. Names aren’t necessary, just numbers, so they know how many to cook for. Call the lodge at 573-6170 or Field at 573-7923.

A Holiday Craft Bazaar will be held at the Old Camp Casino Event Center, Nov. 28-30. Table reservations are required. Call 573-1500 for more information or to reserve a table.

The Boys & Girls Club presents People in Uniform the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month, from 1-2:30 p.m. Professionals from around Harney County come give kids a peek into their profession.

Oregon Old Time Fiddlers, District 9, meets the first, third and fourth Friday of each month. Call Julia at 573-2770, for time and place.

The Boys & Girls Club has the Club Bucks Store open each Friday. This is an incentive program in which members earn “club bucks” by doing good deeds and helping out around the club.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Friday at Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

A Holiday Craft Bazaar will be held at the Old Camp Casino Event Center, Nov. 28-30. Table reservations are required. Call 573-1500 for more information or to reserve a table.

Alanon holds an open meeting each Saturday at Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.