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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2019)
2A — THE OBSERVER D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Friday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2019. There are 18 days left in the year. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019 LOCAL School board names firm to oversee work IN BRIEF Hoskin makes annual ‘Who’s Who’ publication ■ Wenaha Group to lead Union School District’s three-year $8 million renovation project By Dick Mason TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT The Observer On Dec. 13, 1981, authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidar- ity labor movement. UNION — The Union School District is a big step closer to getting work started on major bond-fund- ed renovation work in the summer of 2020. The board Wednesday night named the Wenaha Group as the construction management provider for the school district’s three- year $8 million renovation project. The Wenaha Group, a construction management and consulting fi rm, will be in charge of making sure the Union School District follows all rules and regula- tions for bids, the hiring of subcontractors and much more. It also will be respon- sible for hiring construc- tion and design teams and keeping them progressing in synchrony. “It will be working to keep ON THIS DATE In 1862, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside launched futile attacks against entrenched Confederate soldiers dur- ing the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg; the soundly defeated Northern troops withdrew two days later. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, becoming the fi rst chief executive to visit Europe while in offi ce. In 1944, during World War II, the light cruiser USS Nashville was badly damaged in a Japanese kamikaze attack off Negros Island in the Philippines that claimed 133 lives. In 1977, an Air Indiana Flight 216, a DC-3 carrying the University of Evansville basketball team on a fl ight to Nashville, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 29 people on board. In 1997, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Los Angeles for the $1 billion- dollar Getty Center, one of the largest arts centers in the United States. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency a day after the U.S. Supreme Court shut down further recounts of disputed ballots in Florida; Democrat Al Gore con- ceded, delivering a call for national unity. everyone on the same page,” Superintendent Carter Wells said. The Wenaha Group, based in Tacoma, Washing- ton, with a satellite offi ce in Pendleton, will receive $110,000 for the fi rst two years of the project. Wells said the hope is after two years the project will be mapped out to the point the Wenaha Group’s ser- vices will be needed on a more limited basis or not at all. The fi rm, which has a project manager in La Grande, was one of two that applied for the Union School District project but the only one to meet all fi ve criteria the school board stipulated. “I have heard good things about the job it has done in other communities it has worked with,” said Union School Board member Macey Clark. Observer fi le photo Bond funds will pay for major renovation work on Union High School’s gym. The school board Wednes- day night named the Wenaha Group as the construc- tion management provider for the school district’s three-year $8 million renovation project. Wenaha Group has done work for multiple Eastern Oregon school districts, including Imbler, Pendleton, Baker City and Hermiston. Wells said Wenaha Group has managed a lot of projects similar to the one it will be taking on in Union. The renovation work the Wenaha Group will oversee will be funded by a $4 million bond school district voters approved 66% to 34% on the Nov. 5 election and another $4 million in a grant from the the Oregon School Capital Improve- ment Matching Program. The Union School District received the matching grant due to the passage of the bond. The school district, under state law, has three years to spend 85% of the $8 million in funding it will receive. The money will cover an array of upgrades, such as security and handicapped accessibility, which are need- ed primarily because of the age of the school district’s buildings. The high school was built in 1912, the J.F. Hutchinson Building in the late 1920s or early 1930s. The S.E. Miller building and the high school gym were built in the 1950s. Library adds music streaming service Observer staff LA GRANDE — The Cook Memorial Library is growing its digital offer- ings. Library director Kip Roberson announced this week the addition of Freegal Music Service for patrons. “Freegal is kind of like Spotify or Apple Music, where you can create playlists and stream music,” Roberson said in a news release. “I often fi nd that Freegal Music also helps me dis- cover new artists and recall songs that I have long forgotten.” Anyone with an active Cook Memo- rial Library card has free access to more than 15 million songs from more than 28,000 labels, including the Sony Music catalogue. With the Freegal Music Service, Cook Memorial Library cardholders can stream up to three hours of music a day and download up to three songs a week. Users also can download music videos, but that counts as two song downloads. (You’ll be unable to download a music video without two available downloads.) The Freegal website allows users to keep track of their downloads snd listen to samples of songs before completing a download, but that requires logging into the website. Library cardholders can start by going to the Library’s Freegal web- site at http://CML.freegalmusic.com. Downloads on the website are in MP3 format, and music videos in the MP4 format. Users also will discover an eclectic collection of eAudiobooks. This service will work on almost any computer, player, tablet or smartphone. The Freegal Music mobile app is free in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Library staff can assist patrons with their fi rst download and/or set up an app for their device. “I use this service almost every day, and I’m certain our library patrons will use it often too,” Roberson said in the announcement. For more information about this and other library programs, visit the library at 2006 Fourth St., La Grande, or call 541-962-1339 or view the library’s website at www.cookmemori- allibrary.org. LOTTERY Megabucks: $7.3 million 20-21-27-28-34-48 Mega Millions: $340 million 18-31-46-54-61-25-x2 Powerball: $150 million 24-29-42-44-63-10-x4 Win for Life: Dec. 11 28-49-56-60 Tree removal near Meacham prompts I-84 slowdowns Observer staff Pick 4: Dec. 12 • 1 p.m.: 2-1-2-5 • 4 p.m.: 3-7-1-7 • 7 p.m.: 6-5-1-8 • 10 p.m.: 7-9-1-8 Pick 4: Dec. 11 • 1 p.m.: 3-6-8-1 • 4 p.m.: 5-0-6-4 • 7 p.m.: 9-6-4-5 • 10 p.m.: 8-0-4-7 NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If you do not receive your paper by 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, please call 541-963-3161 by 6 p.m. If your delivery is by motor carrier, delivery should be by 6 p.m. For calls after 6, please call 541-975- 1690, leave your name, address and phone number. Your paper will be delivered the next business day. QUOTE OF THE DAY “An orator without judgment is a horse without a bridle.” — Theophrastus, Greek philosopher La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS MEACHAM — The Or- egon Department of Trans- portatio announced another round of rolling slowdowns is coming for westbound In- terstate 84 to accommodate the removal of hazard trees between mileposts 231 and 234, about 22 miles east of Pendleton. The state road depart- ment has schedule several slowdowns to take place Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. that will effect traffi c for about 15 minutes each occurrence. The slow- downs will begin at milepost 248 near the Spring Creek Interchange for westbound traffi c only, with pilot cars slowing motorists to about 35 mph. Once traffi c has passed the work site, the pilot cars will exit the free- way and you can return to posted speeds. ODOT advised westbound drivers to plan for extra travel time in this area. The eastbound freeway will not be impacted. The operations involve the temporary closures of on-ramps in the slow down zones until the pilot cars and traffi c have passed. Travelers will be able to exit the free- way in work zones but may experience delays in getting on the freeway toward the direction of the work zones. The rolling slowdowns will create a window of time when no vehicles will be at the work sites for approxi- mately 10 minutes. This will allow crews to safely fell the hazard trees without traffi c in the area. “We really appreciate everyone’s patience and sup- port,” said ODOT Meacham maintenance manager Randy Randolph. “The slow- downs we performed last week enabled us to safely remove several. We hope to get more hazard trees down on this coming Wednesday.” The work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled if conditions are not favorable for the operation. ODOT also will continue the Interstate 84 westbound lane restrictions through Ladd Canyon for the next two to three weeks. Motorists should slow down and be prepared for congestion 10 miles east of La Grande between mileposts 273 and 270, from the top of the steep downhill grade to the bottom, accord- ing to the announcement from the state road depart- ment. The two eastbound lanes in this area will remain open. Mike Remily, ODOT project manager, said the plan was to remove the westbound lane restrictions by November, but crews in late October ran into some unexpected conditions. “The fi nal 120-foot-long section of the new Brush Creek alignment we are FAMILY OWNED constructing was supposed to have bedrock, but it didn’t,” he said. “The solution is to construct a concrete lined channel, which required one lane to remain closed for part of December.” The project created a detour for Brush Creek, Remily said, which includes a section of pipe not large enough to handle spring- time water fl ows. “We need to complete the Brush Creek realignment now and our contractor, Knife River Construction, is putting in the extra time needed to get the work done as soon as possible,” he explained. “We plan to have the freeway completely open by Dec. 21.” MURRAY, Kentucky — McKayla Hoskin of Sum- merville has made this year’s edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Uni- versities and Colleges.” Hoskin, the daughter of Rick and Con- Hoskin nie Hoskin, is majoring in en- gineering physics at Murray State University in Kentucky. She is involved in several ac- tivities on campus, according to the university, including the honors college, Association for Women in Mathematics and Society of Women Engineers. The Who’s Who pro- gram has been recognizing outstanding college and university students since its fi rst edition in 1934. Hoskin will receive an award certifi cate from the publication to symbolize the achievement. OSP brings on new police dog LA GRANDE — Oregon State Police announced its La Grande Area Command has a new police dog. K-9 Buddy retired as the local field office’s police dog, ac- cording to state police, and K-9 Ore has stepped into the role. Ore is a Belgian Mali- nois, a popular breed for police dogs, and came to the Oregon State Police as a rescue from the Woof Project Rescue. The Woof Project Rescue is a nonprofi t dedicated to the caring for and placing of Belgian Malinois. Ore is trained to detect the odors of controlled substances. Ore and his handler, senior trooper Charles Rohlf, became certifi ed on Nov. 15 and are assigned to the La Grande Area Command. Energy Facility Siting Council to meet in Pendleton SALEM — Oregon’s En- ergy Facility Siting Council will meet Dec. 19-20 in Pendleton. The public meet- ing begins at 5 p.m. Dec. 19 and will reconvene Dec. 20 at 8 a.m. at the Red Lion Inn, 304 S.E. Nye Ave. The main item on the council’s agenda is the Board- man to Hemingway Trans- mission Line. The council will receive a presentation Dec. 19 from Oregon Department of Energy staff, reviewing the B2H Draft Proposed Order, comments received on the DPO and responses from the project’s applicant, Idaho Power, to those comments. The agenda item continues Dec. 20 and the council may provide staff comments they would like to see refl ected in the proposed order. — Observer staff Händel’s MESSIAH Community Performance Sun, Dec. 15 th , 2019 @6:30 pm Performance will be in La Grande High School Auditorium 2nd Street & J Avenue Conductor: Dr. Edward Dixon Choir & Orchestra are volunteers from Eastern Oregon and Washington O Our u r b banquet a n q u e t r room o o m is i s ready r e a d y for f o r your y o u r h holiday o l i d a y gatherings. g a t h e r i n g s . Soloist in order of appearance: L Let Le e t u us s c cater at ter t to o your yo o ur h holiday olid ol i ayy n needs. id eeeds ds. 541-963-8766 tendepotstreet.com 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com Jared Hylme, Wes Rampton, Trina Butler, Chris Blair, Brianna Waddoups, Jeannette Rampton Smith, Kristen Rushton, Jocelyn Berado, Brent Smith, and Becky Mullarkey (trumpet).
