LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
LADD
Continued from Page 1A
portion of it runs along the
area where the new lane
will be built. ODOT is thus
taking steps to move the
lower part of Brush Creek’s
channel to the north side of
I-84’s eastbound lanes.
Almost all of the new
channel, now partially com-
plete, will have a concrete
streambed and concrete
banks and weirs. The con-
crete structures, except for
the weirs, will not be visible
because it will be covered
with fi ll dirt and gravel,
said ODOT spokesman Tom
Strandberg.
The channel’s weirs are
meant to make it easier
for fi sh to swim up Brush
Creek.
“It will look similar to a
fi sh ladder,” Strandberg said.
SHERIFF
Continued from Page 1A
dedicated men and women
of the Sheriff’s Offi ce as well
as with our local partners in
law enforcement,” Rasmus-
sen said in a letter to the
community announcing that
he is running for reelection.
He fi rst began working for
the Union County Sheriff’s
Offi ce in 1994 as a reserve
deputy. He was promoted to
a full-time patrol position in
1996.
“I look forward to visit-
ing with you in the coming
months as we stand together
in continuing to protect our
communities, citizens and
our rights,” he said.
Rasmussen, who grew
up in Union County and
He said the fi sh ladder is
needed because otherwise
fi sh might face a current
that would be too hard to
swim uphill against.
The new channel’s weirs
will be designed so that fi sh
can easily jump over them
and spaced so that they will
create small pools the fi sh
can rest in before their next
leap.
The new channel’s con-
crete lining will also allow
the lower portion of Brush
Creek to retain woody debris
and other natural fi sh habi-
tat elements, said Chuck
Longfi eld, a senior inspector
for ODOT.
Work on the Brush Creek
project is set to be completed
this fall. Brush Creek will
then be diverted to the new
channel, which will run to
Exit 270 where it will fl ow
into Ladd Creek, Strandberg
said.
The reconfi guration of
Brush Creek is part of
phase I of the Ladd Canyon
Freight Improvement Proj-
ect. Another major portion of
the phase involves removing
an eastbound lane bridge
near the entrance into Ladd
Canyon and replacing it
with a concrete box culvert.
The box will be large enough
to accommodate log trucks
and semi trucks.
The bridge has already
been removed and about
half the box culvert has been
completed, Strandberg said.
Removing the old bridge
out will improve safety for
motorists because it tended
to get icy.
“It will reduce the chronic
freezing problem,” Strand-
berg said.
He explained that
bridges usually freeze fi rst
in cold conditions because
they are sandwiched be-
tween cold air. The adjacent
roadway by contrast freezes
later since only its top sur-
face is exposed to frigid air
and its bottom is insulated
by soil. The new culvert will
not get as icy as quickly
because it will have ground
insulation.
Phase I work that has
already been completed
includes repaving Exit 265
near the west entrance into
Ladd Canyon and expanding
the shoulders of the east-
bound and westbound lanes
of the 10-mile stretch of I-84
between La Grande and
Ladd Canyon.
Expanding the shoulders
is providing more space for
drivers to pull over during
emergencies, making it less
likely they will accidentally
drive off the freeway and
lose control, Strandberg said.
Now, when ODOT has to
close an eastbound or west-
bound slow lane between La
Grande and Ladd Canyon to
do maintenance work, traffi c
can be diverted to the fast
lane because of the extra
freeway space.
All phase I work on
the Ladd Canyon Freight
Improvement Project will be
completed by the end of Oc-
tober. Phase II work, which
will conclude the construc-
tion of the third eastbound
lane, will start in April of
2020.
Strandberg said the ex-
panded space the new lane
will provide should reduce
the number of times Ladd
Canyon has to be closed due
to trucks blocking lanes. He
explained that if a truck
crashes in the future three-
lane roadway, traffi c will be
graduated from Imbler High
School, has a bachelor of
science degree in business
and economics from Eastern
Oregon University.
Miller is a lifetime resi-
dent of Northeast Oregon
and graduated from Elgin
High School in 1984. He has
a bachelor of science degree
in liberal studies from EOU
and served in the U.S. Air
Force from 1985 to 1990.
Miller joined the Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce as a
patrol deputy in 2005 and
was promoted to the rank of
detective sergeant in 2013.
He left the UCSO in late
2018 to begin a career with
Union County Community
Corrections and is now a
certifi ed parole and proba-
tion offi cer.
Prior to joining the Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce,
Miller was employed by the
Elgin Police Department as
a reserve and certifi ed patrol
offi cer.
“The knowledge and
experience I have gained in
corrections, police and now
parole and probation have
made me a well-rounded law
enforcement offi cer. The citi-
zens of Union County need
someone who serves them
fi rst and who has the forti-
tude to stand up for them
while leading the employees
at the Sheriff’s Offi ce from
the front,” Miller said in a
press release.
The sheriff’s election is
non-partisan. Under non-
partisan rules, an election
will be conducted in conjunc-
tion with the primary elec-
tion in May of 2020. Should
one candidate receive more
than 50% of the votes, the
individual will be the lone
candidate on the November
2020 ballot. If no candidate
tops 50%, the two with the
most votes will be on the
ballot in the November 2020
election.
Two others, both incum-
bents, have also fi led as
candidates for Union County
positions. Robin Church has
fi led for reelection as Union
County Clerk, and Donna
Marshall has fi led to run for
reelection as Union County
Treasurer.
Church was appointed
Union County Clerk in 2007
and was elected to the fi rst of
three four-year terms in 2008.
She has worked in the county
clerk’s offi ce since 1991.
Marshall has served as
Union County Treasurer for
a total of 15 years.
The Union County clerk
and treasurer positions are
non-partisan and follow the
same election process as
that for the Union County
Sheriff’s position.
HOUSING
Continued from Page 1A
as “reasonably priced upscale living ac-
commodations.” The eight single-family
homes feature step-free access with
single and split-level fl oor plans. The
houses will range from approximately
1,894 square feet to almost 2,180 square
feet and feature two or three bedrooms,
at least two bathrooms and two- or
three-car garages. Prices will begin in
the low $300,000s.
The single-family homes are being
constructed in a terrace style, with
houses slightly elevated above each
other as they go up the gentle slope.
This is where the complex got the name
Elevation Pointe, according to Tsiatsos.
The condominiums will be clus-
tered together at the top slope of the
property for better views. They will be
approximately 1,331 square feet, have
gated backyards, patios and partially
enclosed carports. There are multiple
SCHOOLS
Continued from Page 1A
Mayfi eld Elementary and
Elgin High School are also
up. Stella Mayfi eld has 249
students, 12 more than it
had four months ago, and
the high school has 186
students, an increase of
24. Stella Mayfi eld serves
students in kindergarten
through sixth grade, and
Elgin High School’s students
are in grades seven to 12.
Greif believes the school
district’s overall growth
refl ects an increase in the
number of families moving
to Elgin.
The Imbler School
District’s student head
count is up four students
to 291 thanks to a larger
than expected kindergarten
class. Imbler has 20 kin-
dergartners, fi ve more than
anticipated, said Superinten-
dent Angie Lakey-Campbell.
The school district has 155
students in its grade school
THE OBSERVER — 5A
two-story fl oor plans with the master
bedroom on the fi rst or second fl oor.
These units start below $200,000 and
there is an option to lease. There will
be some additional parking located at
the end of the blocks as well as limited
off-street parking.
The community will have a fence
around the perimeter and possibly a
security gate at the entrance. Market-
ing manager Terri Bradley said the
gate may provide an added sense of
safety that is appealing to many, but
Tsiatsos said there is some concern it
would cause an unwanted assumption
of exclusivity.
However, the company is hoping to
create a sense of togetherness within
the development.
“People want to be surrounded by those
with a similar lifestyle,” Tsiatsos said.
To achieve this, Elevation Pointe will
include a clubhouse for gatherings, a
walking loop, a community garden,
benches and multi-use lawns. Being a
and 136 high school stu-
dents, which serves students
in grades seven to 12.
The Union School District
also is enjoying an uptick
with an increase of 10
students. Union has 377
students — 183 at its high
school, which serves stu-
dents in grades seven to 12,
and 194 at its grade school.
“We have had steady
growth for three or four
years. This is really, really
exciting,” said Union School
District Superintendent
Carter Wells.
Enrollment in the Joseph
School District is up between
fi ve and 10 students, accord-
ing to Superintendent Lance
Homan. Joseph has 270 stu-
dents — 152 in kindergarten
through sixth grade, 46 in
grades seven and eight and
72 at its high school.
The Troy School District
has increased from two
students to three. This year
Troy has two sixth-graders
and one seventh-grader.
complex limited to those older than 55,
neighbors will have the opportunity to
connect with people who are around
their age.
When developing the plans for
Elevation Pointe, Tsiatsos looked to the
current older adults in the local com-
munity to learn what they would like.
Many said they wanted the option to
downsize without having to move out of
La Grande. Tsiatsos believes this devel-
opment will allow people to do that.
“People want to downsize without
compromising,” Bradley added. “We
want to create a place where people
will be proud to live, while promoting
the choice of an active lifestyle.”
When older citizens move into the
new complex, Tsiatsos and Bradley
pointed out, younger residents will
have the opportunity to fi nd housing in
the homes the senior citizens left.
“Creating new housing takes pres-
sure off of every demographic,” Tsiatsos
said.
Enrollment in the Wal-
lowa School District is up 12,
to 192 students. Superinten-
dent Jay Hummel said the
increase is due in part to a
strong kindergarten class of
16 students.
“We typically have about
12 kindergarten students,”
Hummel said.
Wallowa’s enrollment has
been steadily increasing
in recent years. Hummel
credits this to the individual
attention students in the
district receive and expand-
ing opportunities the school
district is providing to
students in all grades.
Enrollment in the North
Powder School District is
274, which is about what
it had in 2018-19, said Su-
perintendent Lance Dixon.
The North Powder School
District, he said, is now near
its enrollment capacity.
The student count in
the Cove School District,
like North Powder, is also
essentially unchanged, said
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Superintendent Earl Pettit.
The school district has 296
students, 96 in high school
and 200 in kindergarten
through eighth grade.
The Cove School District
is at its enrollment target for
each grade except fourth and
12th grades, Pettit said. It is
three below its fourth grade
target of 20 students and 10
below its 12th grade objec-
tive of 27 students.
Enrollment in the Enter-
prise School District is 411,
down 18 from June. Super-
intendent Erika Pinkerton
said the decline can be traced
to 10 families with school-age
children who moved out of
Wallowa County, many to
take new jobs. Pinkerton said
the drop looks less drastic in
light of the district’s recent
enrollment history. She
pointed out that fi ve years
ago Enterprise had 384
students and three years ago
it had 419.
“Yes, it is a hit, but we are
still okay,” Pinkerton said.
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able to move around it while
it is being cleared. Truck
drivers will be allowed to use
only the inner and middle
lanes while automobile driv-
ers will be permitted to drive
in all three, Standberg said.
The three-lane stretch will
be similar to a westbound
one near Spring Creek on
I-84, which has been in place
since 2015.
Longfi eld said being a part
of the Ladd Canyon Freight
Improvement Project is
proving to be fulfi lling and
enjoyable.
“It has been a fun project,”
he said. “We are involved in
a lot of stuff we don’t see at
other projects.”
1910
Ave
1910 Adams
Adams Ave
P P O O Box
Box 880
880
La La Grande,
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97850
Grande, OR
541-963-0519
541-963-0519