The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, March 27, 2019, Image 1

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    ■ ✁✂✄☎
SPORTS
Stevens signs with Idaho
❋♦✆✆♦✝ ✞✟ ♦✠ ✡☛☞ ✝☞✌
WEDNESDAY ✍ ▼✎✏❝❤ ✑✒✱ ✑✥✶✾ ✍ $1.50
●✓✓✔ ✔✕② ✖✓ ✓✗✘ ✙✕❛✗✚✔ ✛✗✜✛✢✘✐✜✚✘ ✣✕✖✤② ✦✓✗✖✤✧✐✢❦ ✓★ ✩❛✪✐✫
Fate of Union
pharmacy on hold
LGCC
discusses
funding
plans
❝ ❞❡ ❢❣❤✐❥❧ ♠♥♣❥q♥r❥ st❤q✈ ✇❤①❥♣ ❥t ✐tt③
❤❥ ❣rt①t④♥r ⑤❣❤♣♥⑥♥✐♥❥⑦ ⑤♥q♣❥
❇✬ ❇ ✳③ ✯ ✰ ✮✴✸✯
it to go away,” the board
❚✹✺ ✻✼✽✺✿✈✺✿
❵❄❂ ❈❩❨❩❁❂ ❯❈ ⑧❖❅❯❖P❊
chair said.
pharmacy, the Union Drug
Company, remains cloudy
after a meeting of the
South County Health Dis-
trict Board Tuesday.
The board did not take
action on a request by Walt
Brookshire, the owner of
the Union Drug Company,
to have the South County
Health District purchase
his pharmacy.
Brookshire believes the
purchase may be needed
to ensure a pharmacy re-
mains in Union after he
retires. His hope is to have
the pharmacy relocated
and then run by the SCHD.
Karen Wing, chair of
the SCHD board, said the
SCHD does not have the
resources to purchase the
pharmacy at this time, but
stressed the body wants to
save the pharmacy.
“We all support the
pharmacy and do not want
analysis of the Union Drug
Company is now being
conducted by the SCHD
and the board will take a
serious look at its options
after the review is com-
pleted.
“We will see if (the pur-
chase of the pharmacy) is
feasible,” she said.
Purchasing the phar-
macy would cost the SCHD
about $240,000, but
Brookshire said he would
ask the money be paid
over a 15-year period. This
would cover the cost of the
⑧⑨
❜❄❍❁❳❍❃❞P❊
❜❁❂❊❃❁❅❜❨❅❯❖
and over the counter medi-
❃❍❨❅❯❖❊ ❍❖❏ ❅❨❊ ❜❍❨❅❂❖❨ ❀▲❂❊❉
said Brookshire, a member
of the Union City Council.
The immediate future of
the pharmacy is in danger
because its building at 105
N. Main St., may be sold
this spring. Brookshire,
who owns the building,
⑩ ⑨ ❶
✱
❇✬
❡✷✳✴❡ ✮❡③ ❡ ❡
❚✹✺ ✻✼✽✺✿✈✺✿
❵❄❂ ♣❍ ❷❁❍❖❏❂ ❅❨❞
❘❅❖◆ ❖❯❨❂❏ ❍ ❀❖❍❖❃❅❍▲
Council discussed what
to do with money allo-
cated to the TRT funds
and what to do with
the unanticipated sur-
plus from the general
funds budget at Mon-
❏❍❞ ❖❅◆❄❨P❊ ❬❯❁❭ ❊❂❊❊❅❯❖
❉✳✴✵✶✷✹✻✼✽✾✿❀❁❂❃❀❄❅❀❄
❆❊❋ ●❍■❏❍ ❑◆❖P ◗❏❘ ❊❙❯ ❱❋❋❍ ❏❳❋◆❙❨■❍P ❯■❍❩❋ ❬❭❪❫ ❙❨ ❬❪❴ ❵❘ ❛❙■❍ ❜❨❘
said he has a purchase
agreement with a perspec-
tive buyer, who might ex-
ercise it by May 1.
Should this happen,
Brookshire said, his phar-
macy would have 90 days
to relocate.
“The clock is ticking
quickly,” said Brookshire,
who has owned Union
Drug Company since the
mid-1990s.
Should the pharmacy
relocate, it would do so
with the help of the Cove-
Union-Powder
Medical
❣❊❊❯❃❅❍❨❅❯❖❴
✱ ⑧ ✲ P❊
❲❯❍❁❏
has formally expressed
❊❩❜❜❯❁❨ ❈❯❁ ❂❧❯❁❨❊ ❨❯ ❭❂❂❜
⑧❖❅❯❖P❊ ❜❄❍❁❳❍❃❞ ❯❜❂❁❍❨❪
ing. The board of CUP, a
❖❯❖❜❁❯❀❨ ❨❄❍❨ ❯❬❖❊ ❨❄❂
assets of The Union Fam-
ily Health Center, passed
a resolution last week stat-
ing it will consider a num-
ber of options for helping
Brookshire, including con-
structing a new pharmacy
building, renting one or
purchasing one that would
be renovated.
The resolution passed
by the CUP board will take
❂❧❂❃❨ ❯❖▲❞ ❅❈ ❨❄❂ r❯❩❨❄
County Health District
agrees to buy the Union
Drug Company. Should
CUP and the SCHD work
❨❯◆❂❨❄❂❁ ❨❯ ◆❅❙❂ ⑧❖❅❯❖P❊
See Pharmacy / Page 5A
meeting.
The TRT funds are
used for tourism pro-
motion and tourism-
related facilities. The
money comes from
lodging taxes from area
motels and hotels.
✱
❵❄❂ ❅❨❞ ❯❈ ♣❍ ❷❁❍❖❏❂
has just over $16,000
available to be used in
❨❄❂ ❃❩❁❁❂❖❨ ❀❊❃❍▲ ❞❂❍❁❉
according to City Man-
ager Robert Strope.
The Union County
Chamber of Commerce
also receives funds from
the TRT budget, which is
See LGCC / Page 5A
Award-winning director to give Elgin looks to fill ambulance,
fire department needs
EOU commencement speech
❝ ➑❤♣❥❣q① ➒q❣➓t① ①❤❥♥➔❣ ❞③⑦❣ →♥❥➣➓❣q❤✐✈ ✇❤♣ ①t④♥①❤❥❣✈ ⑤tq
❤① ➒♣r❤q ♥① ↔↕➙➛ ⑤tq ❧♥♣ ⑤♥✐④➜ ➝➞♥⑤❣⑥t❤❥➟
❇✬ ①✷✮✯③✳✴③✮ ❇❡✯✳④❡⑤
❚✹✺ ✻✼✽✺✿✈✺✿
Skye Fitzgerald will be
the commencement speak-
❂❁ ❍❨ ❨❄❅❊ ❞❂❍❁P❊ ❑❍❊❨❂❁❖ ⑥❁❪
egon University graduation
ceremony on June 15. An
⑥❁❂◆❯❖ ❖❍❨❅❙❂❉ ♥❅❨⑦◆❂❁❍▲❏
❅❊ ❍❖ ❍❬❍❁❏❪❬❅❖❖❅❖◆ ❀▲❳❪
❳❍❭❂❁ ❍❖❏ ❑⑥⑧ ❍▲❩❳❖❩❊❴
♥❅❨⑦◆❂❁❍▲❏P❊
❃❩❁❁❂❖❨
❃❁❅❊❅❊ ❅❖ ❏❅❧❂❁❂❖❨ ❃❯❩❖❨❁❅❂❊
❍❁❯❩❖❏ ❨❄❂ ❬❯❁▲❏❴ ❵❄❂ ❀❁❊❨
❀▲❳ ❅❖ ❨❄❂ ❊❂❁❅❂❊❉ ◗⑩❶ ❈❂❂❨
from Syria,” was released
in 2015 and follows Syrian-
American doctor Hisham
Bismar as he treats victims
of the Syrian civil war in
a Turkish hospital on the
Syrian border.
❵❄❂ ❊❂❃❯❖❏ ❀▲❳ ❬❍❊ ❁❂❪
project is a trilogy of short
leased in 2018 and is called
❀▲❳❊ ❂⑨❜▲❯❁❅❖◆ ❨❄❂ ❁❂❈❩◆❂❂
◗♣❅❈❂❲❯❍❨❴❫ ❵❄❂ ❀▲❳ ❈❯▲❪
lows German volunteers
➠➡➢➤ ➥➦➧➨ ➧➨➩➥➦➫➨➭➯
➲ ➥➦➫➨➳ ➵➦➧➥ ➥➦➤
➸➺➧➻➤➼➩ ➸➵➧➢➻
➨➡➼➫➨➧➥➫➡➨ ➡➽➽➤➢➤➻
➫➾ ➧ ➵➡➨➻➤➢➽➚➪
➶➪➧➥➽➡➢➼ ➥➡ ➹➤ ➧➹➪➤
➥➡ ➥➧➪➳ ➧➹➡➚➥ ➥➦➤
➫➾➾➚➤ ➧➨➻ ➹➤ ➧➹➪➤
➥➡ ➢➧➫➾➤ ➧➵➧➢➤➨➤➾➾
➾➚➢➢➡➚➨➻➫➨➭
➾➡➼➤➥➦➫➨➭ ➥➦➧➥ ➫➾
➢➤➧➪➪➩ ➫➼➶➡➢➥➧➨➥➘➴
➷ ➬➮➱✃ ❐❒❮❰Ï✃ÐÑÒÓ
of Monument, which cur-
rently has a population
of about 125. He said that
with class sizes of around
six students, he got plenty
of one-on-one time with
teachers.
His experience, he not-
ed, was the opposite of
◗❳❯❊❨ ❜❂❯❜▲❂P❊ ❜❂❁❃❂❜❨❅❯❖
of rural schools. I got a
great education.”
Fitzgerald said after
high school he was drawn
❬❄❯ ❬❂❁❂ ❍❊❊❅❊❨❅❖◆ ♣❅❲❞❍❖
❨❯ ❑⑥⑧ ❲❂❃❍❩❊❂ ❄❂ ❏❅❏❖P❨
migrants attempting to
make the journey in boats
to Europe to seek asylum.
want to live in too large of a
town, and he was also excit-
◗♣❅❈❂❲❯❍❨❫ ❬❍❊ ❖❯❳❅❖❍❨❂❏
for an Academy Award
this year.
Fitzgerald grew up in the
❨❅❖❞ ❑❍❊❨❂❁❖ ⑥❁❂◆❯❖ ❨❯❬❖
❂❏ ❲❞ ❍❖ ❯❧❂❁ ❨❯ ❁❩❖ ❯❖ ❨❄❂
❑⑥⑧ ❃❁❯❊❊ ❃❯❩❖❨❁❞ ❨❂❍❳❴
⑥❖❃❂ ❄❂ ◆❯❨ ❨❯ ♣❍ ❷❁❍❖❏❂❉
Fitzgerald said he fell in
love with the valley.
See Director / Page 2A
❇✬ ❆✭✮✯✰✮ ✲❡✳✴✵✷✸✰
❚✹✺ ✻✼✽✺✿✈✺✿
Elgin City Council mem-
bers and volunteers for the
Elgin Rural Fire Protection
District are preparing to
purchase a new ambulance
and recruiting community
members to join the team.
Kevin Silvernail, ERFPD
❀❁❂
❃❄❅❂❈❉
❊❍❅❏
❑▲◆❅❖P❊
current ambulance was
purchased brand-new in
2008, meaning its lifespan
is almost at its end.
◗❘❂P❙❂ ❏❯❖❂ ❍ ◆❯❯❏ ❱❯❲
of keeping the ambulance
❳❍❅❖❨❍❅❖❂❏❉ ❲❩❨ ❬❂P❁❂ ▲❯❯❭❪
ing for a new one for safety
❁❂❍❊❯❖❊❉❫ ❄❂ ❊❍❅❏❴ ◗❵❄❂❁❂P❊
❖❯ ❊❜❂❃❅❀❃❉ ❳❍❖❏❍❨❯❁❞ ❏❍❨❂
out there, but 10 years is a
guideline.”
❑▲◆❅❖ ❢❍❞❯❁ ❣▲▲❍❖ ❥❩❧❞
said the city council is cur-
rently researching possible
grant funding avenues with
the U.S. Department of Ag-
riculture and other organi-
zations in order to pay for
a new ambulance, which he
estimates would cost about
$250,000.
◗❘❂P❁❂ ▲❯❯❭❅❖◆ ❍❨ ❍▲▲ ❊❯❁❨❊
❯❈ ◆❁❍❖❨❊❴ ♠❨P❊ ❱❩❊❨ ❍ ❳❍❨❨❂❁
of searching for who has
◆❁❍❖❨❊ ❨❄❍❨ ❀❨ ❯❩❁ ❖❂❂❏❊❉❫ ❄❂
❊❍❅❏❴ ◗♥❩❖❏❅❖◆ ❬❅❊❂❉ ❨❄❂❁❂P❊
÷ÒÞâ øùùú ïïïï ûî üÒÕØâã ïïïïïïïïïïïÓø
àØÖÖÒâúïïïïïïïïïïïïÛø ýÝØâÖÐ ïïïïïïïïïïïïþø
äù×ÖÑÞâ×ÒÐïïïïïïÓø
äÝ×Ù×ØÙïïïïïïïïïïÜø
FRIDAY
❯❨❄❂❁ ❨❄❍❖ ❑▲◆❅❖P❊ ❅❊ ❅❖ ♣❍
Grande, which would add
at least 20 minutes to every
call response time.
“Having your own local
ambulance is a part of pub-
▲❅❃ ❊❍❈❂❨❞❴ ❘❂P❁❂ ❜❁❯❙❅❏❅❖◆ ❍
safety measure for our com-
munity,” he said. “Folks out
❨❄❂❁❂❉ ❬❄❂❖ ❨❄❂❞P❁❂ ❅❖ ❖❂❂❏❉
❨❄❂❞P❁❂ ❁❂▲❞❅❖◆ ❯❖ ❩❊❉ ❊❯ ❬❂
❵❄❂ ❳❍❞❯❁ ❊❍❅❏ ❨❄❂ ❀❁❂
district follows the same
boundary lines as the Elgin
School District.
r❅▲❙❂❁❖❍❅▲
❊❍❅❏
❑▲◆❅❖P❊
emergency services have
12 volunteers in total, 10 of
whom are responders for
❲❯❨❄ ❨❄❂ ❀❁❂ ❏❂❜❍❁❨❳❂❖❨
and the ambulance. Back in
❳❂❖❨ ❨❄❍❨P❊ ❁❩❖❖❅❖◆❴ q❯❩
❏❯❖P❨ ❬❍❖❨ ❞❯❩❁ ❍❳❲❩▲❍❖❃❂
❲❁❂❍❭❅❖◆ ❏❯❬❖❴ ❘❂P❁❂ ◆❂❨❪
began volunteering for the
not necessarily a timeline,
❘❂P❁❂ ❨❁❞❅❖◆ ❨❯ ❲❂ ❜❁❯❍❃❨❅❙❂
get year ends in July, so
he and the council are ex-
pecting to have the new
ambulance in town by late
summer or early fall. The
mayor stressed the impor-
tance of the rural city having
its own functioning emer-
top of Minam grade, then
out north seven miles, then
out to 204, then south to the
top of Hamburger Hill.”
have to have good equip-
❲❩❨ ❬❂P❁❂ ▲❯❯❭❅❖◆ ❍❨ ❜❩❁❪
❥❩❧❞ ❊❍❅❏ ❨❄❂ ❃❅❨❞P❊ ❲❩❏❪
å➹æçè
îÑÐ×ÙÒÐÐïïïïïïïïðî
ñòÞÐÐ×ó×ÒãïïïïïïïÜî
ñØô×ÕÐïïïïïïïïïïïÓî
ñâØÐÐõØâãïïïïïöî
gency equipment because
the nearest ambulance
ting to a point where it
needs to be replaced soon
before we run into issues.
chasing (the ambulance)
after the end of the budget
year.”
❷✻➉❺➊❹✹➋➌❸✻➊✻
❜➄➍❋❿■❨➎P❋◆❙❾➆❏❍❨❊❋◆❋➆❩❙◆❳❋❨❙❨❨❊❋➏❩❙➆❋➇➍➏➐❙◆➆❯❘
❷❸❹❺✳✹❹❻✷❹✴❸❹❼❹✽✾✿❀❁❂❃❀❄❅❀❄
❽❾P■❍ ❿■◆❋ ◗❊■❋➀ ➁❋➂■❍ ❜■❾➂❋◆❍❙■❾➃ ❛■➄❋ ➅❋❙◆❯❏❍ ❙❍➆
❵■➄ ❵■❾❯❏❍➃ ➂❏❾❖❍❨❋❋◆❯➃ ❱❖■❾➆ ❙ ❨◆❙■❍■❍P ➇❋❩❊❙❍■❯➇
➀❏◆ ❯❨◆❋❍P❨❊❋❍■❍P ❨❊❋■◆ ❯➄■❾❾❯ ➆❖◆■❍P ❯❨◆❖❩❨❖◆❋ ➈◆❋❯❘
stts ❯❁ Pt✉ ❬❄❂❖ r❅▲❙❂❁❖❍❅▲
❀❁❂ ❏❂❜❍❁❨❳❂❖❨❉ ❄❯❬❂❙❂❁❉
the city had 18-20 emer-
gency service volunteers.
He said the current volun-
teer maximum is 23 people,
in realizing the life of our
equipment.”
Along with having a reli-
❍❖❏ ❄❂P❏ ▲❅❭❂ ❨❯ ◆❂❨ ❍❊ ❃▲❯❊❂
❍❲▲❂ ❍❳❲❩▲❍❖❃❂❉ ❥❩❧❞ ❍❖❏
had that many,” Silvernail
Silvernail both spoke on
how vital it is to have enough
volunteers to run the emer-
gency vehicle and respond
to calls all over the area, but
❂❊❜❂❃❅❍▲▲❞ ❍❃❁❯❊❊ ❑▲◆❅❖P❊ ❀❁❂
protection district, which
Silvernail described as “the
❲ ❚✁❲✂ ✥✉✄✄ ☎✆✝✞✟✠✡☛✆☞☛✌✞✍✠✟❦✆☎✎✡✞✟☛✏✆☞
✑♦✒✓✔✕✖
✑✕✜✢✣✤✦②
✸✗ ▲✘✙
✺✚✛✸✚
▼✧★✩✪✫ ✬✪✧✭✮✫
❈✪✧✭✮✫
ÿ
❸❹❺❸ ❻❼❸❽❽❾❿➀ ➁➂❹❾➃❻ ➄❿➅ ➆❿➀➇ ➈➀➇❹❾
to that number as possible.
◗♠❨P❏ ❲❂ ❬❯❖❏❂❁❈❩▲ ❅❈ ❬❂
❊❍❅❏❴ ◗❘❂ ❏❂❀❖❅❨❂▲❞ ❖❂❂❏
❙❯▲❩❖❨❂❂❁❊ ❈❯❁ ❲❯❨❄ ❨❄❂ ❀❁❂
department and the am-
bulance. A lot of volunteers
have a role with both be-
cause they go hand-in-hand
✇ ❨❄❂ ❀❁❂ ❏❂❜❍❁❨❳❂❖❨ ❩❊❂❊
See Elgin / Page 5A
➪➶➹➘➴➪➘ ➷➬
é➴êç ➴ ➬➘➶ëì åæç➴í
➮➱✃❐❒❮❰❐❰✃❮✃
ÏÐÐÑÒ ÓÔ
Ó ÐÒÕÖ×ØÙÐÚ ÛÜ ÝÞßÒÐ
àÞ áâÞÙãÒÚ äâÒßØÙ
➉➊➋➋ ➌➍➎ ➏➐➑➎➒➓➎➒ ➔➎→➑➒➣➣↔ ➊↕
➙➛➜➝➞➟➠➝➠➜➟➜ ➣➒ ➑➎➔➡ ➊➔ ➎↔➊➢➋ ↕➣
➔➎→➑➤➋➊➥➒➊➔➡➎➣➐➑➎➒➓➎➒➦➧➣↔➦
➨➩➫➭ ➯➩➲➳➵➯➳ ➸➲➺➩ ➩➲ ➻➵➼➭ ➽➾➚
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