B USINESS
Hermiston
A4
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
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By JADE MCDOWELL
Staff Writer
The Stan¿ eld City Council
took the next step in approv-
ing the city’s curb appeal by
implementing two new grant
programs on Sept. 15.
The council passed ordi-
nances that created a facade
grant program and a sidewalk
improvement grant program
that together will represent a
$40,000 investment in down-
town.
“We want to get the word
out to as many people as pos-
sible and hopefully get things
cleaned up,” City Manager
Blair Larsen said.
For the façade improve-
ment program, the city will
match up to 50 percent and
$10,000 for projects that im-
prove the exterior of Main
Street and Coe Avenue build-
ings.
The sidewalk improve-
ment program will pay up to
50 percent of the cost of side-
walk construction within the
city right-of-way.
The Stan¿ eld Public
Works Committee will re-
view applications for the
sidewalk grant and the Main
Street Revitalization Com-
mittee will review applica-
tions for facade grants.
Larsen said applications
will be accepted from now
until Jan. 1, 2016 to give any-
one considering investing in
sidewalks or facade improve-
ments plenty of time to make
a decision.
“We can’t do it on a ¿ rst
come, ¿ rst served basis be-
cause we don’t have enough
money available to serve ev-
eryone so we want to make
sure we give awards to the
best projects,” he said.
The city budgeted $20,000
for each of the two grant pro-
grams during the 2015-2016
¿ scal year.
AgSource has new sales rep
AgSource Laboratories new role. She’s really going
announced that Paulina Me- to hit the ground running.”
delez has accepted the posi-
Medelez will work with
tion of territory sales repre- customers in Washington and
sentative.
Oregon. She will sell Ag-
Medelez has worked with Source’s services, from water
the laboratory for 10 years, testing to plant tissue and soil
most recently as AgSource’s analyses. She will work di-
laboratory manager in
rectly with customers,
Umatilla.
including municipali-
She has a good
ties, businesses, home-
relationship
with
owners, ag dealers,
customers, a great
and farm operation.
knowledge of the lab-
Medelez has a
oratory and a strong
bachelor’s degree in
background in cus- Paulina
business
manage-
tomer service.
ment from Columbia
Medelez
“From her past po-
Basin College and a
sitions, Paulina has gained biochemistry science degree
valuable experience in the from Guanajuato Mexico
laboratory,” says Chris Ib- and an associate’s degree in
sen, director of sales. “I look agribusiness from Columbia
forward to working with her Basin College in 2011.
U.S. Cellular to host free business workshop
Hermiston’s U.S. Cellu-
lar store will host a business
solutions workshop at 7:30
a.m. Sept. 24 at the store,
650 N. First St., Suite A.
The free event will al-
low people to learn about
mobile security, the mobile
workplace, mobile regis-
ters, business productivity,
À eet tracking, remote mon-
itoring and more.
3rinted on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 53
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Sam Barbee | Sports Reporter • sbarbee@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4542
Kim La Plant | Multi-media consultant • klaplant@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Sean Hart | Reporter • smhart@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
NOT ‘FLASH IN THE PAN’
Forty years ago
developer proposed
Hermiston Plaza
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
The work currently go-
ing on at Hermiston Plaza
to renovate parking and
landscaping builds on a
project proposed 40 years
ago.
The Sept. 25, 1975 edi-
tion of the Hermiston Her-
ald held a front page story
titled “New Shopping Plaza
Eyed” after Eugene devel-
oper Earl Green appeared
before the Hermiston City
Council to ask that 14 acres
at the junction of Highland
Avenue and Highway 395
be annexed into the city
and zoned for commercial
use.
He also said he would be
willing to pay to add a traf-
¿ c signal and left turn lanes
at the intersection.
His plan was to build a
$4 million shopping center
anchored by three major
tenants and hosting up to an
additional 30 businesses.
From the article:
“Green said he couldn’t
reveal the names of the
major tenants at this time
but would do so at the
next regularly scheduled
6TAFF 3H2T2 %< 6(A1 HA5T
Since Dickerhoof Properties purchased Hermiston Plaza
in November, the company has spent about $500,000 on
upgrades and plans to complete landscaping at the center
by the holidays.
HISTORY
meeting of the Hermiston
Planning Commission.
... Green, who is a civ-
il engineer, said prelimi-
nary plans call for 140,000
square feet of buildings.
The three major tenants
would occupy 35,000,
32,000 and 15,000 square
feet respectively. There
would be parking for about
600-650 vehicles and ‘lots
of landscaping.’
The developer told the
Hermiston Herald he want-
ed to break ground in De-
cember. Two of the major
stores have set deadlines to
open by September, 1976.
Green said this was no
‘À ash in the pan’ proposal.
He said he has spent thou-
sands of dollars already and
that he has no intention of
walking away from it. He
said he has been working
on the proposal for the last
15 months.
A total of 13 separate
properties are involved
in the proposal including
highway right-of-way re-
cently purchased from the
state. The right-of-way was
to have been used for a new
highway.
... Green said the center
was somewhere between
a regional shopping center
and a community shopping
center. He pointed out that
the center would ‘enhance’
and ‘bene¿ t’ downtown
businesses.
‘The one thing I don’t
want to do is kill the down-
town core area,’ he said.”
Three weeks later the
Herald ran a second story
announcing “Major Tenants
Named at Plaza Center.”
Green told the Hermiston
planning commission that
Safeway (already located
at what is today the Herm-
iston Conference Center
building), Pay Less Drug
and the Oregon-based dime
store chain Sprouse-Reitz
had all agreed to anchor the
plaza.
The stores did open at
the newly built plaza, but
not until June 1978 — two
years after Green had said
they would.
The world’s ¿ rst Shari’s
restaurant also opened in
1978 at the Hermiston Pla-
za, but the Herald did not
include the restaurant in its
articles about the plaza that
year.
Today Safeway still an-
chors the 150,000 square
foot plaza, but Pay Less
Drug and Sprouse-Reitz
have been replaced by Big
Lots, Bealls, the Dollar
Tree and about 13 other
businesses.
New visitor center now open in Irrigon
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Staff Writer
Slowly but surely, Irrigon is begin-
ning to ¿ nd its identity as a community.
Nestled along the Columbia River
among swaths of irrigated farmland,
the town of about 1,800 people lies
conveniently between major job cen-
ters in Hermiston and the Port of Mor-
row. The local high school reopened in
2005 and recently made headlines with
boys basketball and girls softball state
titles. A new library and marina boat
launch opened to the public earlier this
year.
On Sept. 16, the Irrigon Chamber of
Commerce held a grand opening cere-
mony for its new visitor center across
the street from City Hall, where cham-
ber president Phyllis Danielson said
they hope to share Irrigon’s story with
a wider audience.
“This is a huge moment for our lit-
tle village,” Danielson told the crowd
of roughly 30 guests. “Irrigon has so
much to offer. We’re coming into our
own.”
Guest speakers included City Man-
ager Aaron Palmquist, Mayor Sam
Heath and state Rep. Greg Smith,
R-Heppner. Smith said the visitor
center is an opportunity for Irrigon to
promote business and bring people to-
gether.
6TAFF 3H2T2 %< *(25*( 3/A9(1
Irrigon Mayor Sam Heath speaks
during the grand opening of the city’s
new visitor center Wednesday. Rep.
Greg Smith, R-Heppner, was a special
guest during the ceremony.
As a legislator, Smith said he will
continue to do what he can to make
sure Irrigon has the tools to thrive.
He sees the town as an increasingly
attractive place for middle-class fam-
ilies, with good schools and outdoor
recreation in the heart of agricultural
production.
“Irrigon is in a perfect position,”
Smith said. “This visitor center is go-
ing to help get that word out.”
The building, located at 490 E.
Highway 730, used to be Julie’s
Healthier Choice, a fruit and vegeta-
ble stand that maintains a homey at-
mosphere. The Irrigon chamber began
renting the space from Stuart and Julie
Dick in July, and secured an $8,000
grant from the Wildhorse Foundation
for furnishing and technology.
Danielson said she hopes to recruit
volunteers who can work enough ¿ ve-
hour shifts to open the center three
days a week. Wednesday’s celebration
was a soft opening, though Danielson
said she was more than happy with the
turnout and support.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s
absolutely been a labor of love,” she
said. “There’s not a doubt in my mind
this visitor center will be open for a
very long time.”
Danielson is a retired assistant
superintendent for Morrow County
Schools and owner of Stokes Landing
Bed & Breakfast, who helped revive
the Irrigon Chamber of Commerce
two years ago after the organization
planned to fold. In two years, she said
the group has grown from six to 68
members, erased $1,500 of debt and
now has $21,000 in the bank to operate
the new visitor center.
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media Consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
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0ember of (2 0edia *roup &opyright ‹2015
MEDICAL
DIRECTORY
U RGENT & F AMILY C ARE
STUDENT
OF THE
WEEK
Susana Carrera
H ERMISTON H IGH S CHOOL
Susana Carrera has lived in the US for a year
and a half. In that time her English has really
developed. She is currently ranked 19th in
her class in GPA even with the language
deficiency. She has A’s and B’s in all of her
classes with a GPA of 3.75 - even though
she has very little academic language. She
does so well because of her hard work. She
is an outstanding student.
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P EDIATRIC D ENTISTRY
MENTAL HEALTH
• Adult, Child and Family Therapy
• Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment
• Mental Health and Crisis Services
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Office: 541-567-2536
U RGENT & F AMILY C ARE
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541-567-2995
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Weekdays 8am-6pm
Plaza
Saturdays 9am-3pm
1050 W. Elm Ave. Ste 110
Hermiston, OR 97838
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M.D.
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David
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Walk-Ins Welcome
• In-House X-Rays
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1060 W. Elm, Suite #115,
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(across from Good Shepherd Medical Center)
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F AMILY D ENTISTRY
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm
Family Dentistry
V ISION C ARE
Eye Health & Vision Care
Robert D. Rolen , O.D., LLC
Optometric Physician
115 W. Hermiston Ave. Suite 130
541-567-1837
To Advertise In The Medical
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995 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston
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HOURS:
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541-567-1137 Hermiston
7:30am-7:00pm
(across from U.S. Bank)