LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 5A
VISION
NEW YEAR
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
Hundreds of thousands
of cars pass the Woodburn
truck scales on Interstate 5.
It’s here that inspectors,
called compliance special-
ists, complete random checks
on a variety of criteria from
the physical equipment to a
driver’s documentation.
The process starts with the
75 weighmasters across the
state at roadside scales like
Woodburn.
Weighmasters use an auto-
mated system that electroni-
cally collects data from each
truck that passes under a
detector located about a mile
up the freeway.
Tom Avila is one of the
weighmasters at the Wood-
burn scales. After 14 years,
he’s adept at reading dozens
of data points on several
trucks at once as they fi le
past his little hut at the
weigh station. He sits in
front two computer monitors
displaying details he needs to
know about each truck.
In a matter of seconds,
Avila reads who is driving,
where they’re licensed, how
long they’ve been driving,
whether their registration is
valid, how much weight each
truck axle is carrying and if
the weight matches their per-
mit. The Woodburn scales are
also piloting a new technology
that can tell Avila whether a
tire is fl at or if there’s a prob-
lem with an axle so he can
alert the driver to pull over.
The Woodburn scales
see approximately 6,000 to
7,000 trucks a day. Between
pre-clearance and simply not
having enough time to weigh
every truck, that number is
a small portion of the total
trucks rolling by.
Avila works with inspec-
tors like Don McCloskey, who
pull trucks out of line either
by certain type — such as
focusing on those carrying
hazardous materials — or
using a formula.
According to Jess Brown,
ODOT Motor Carrier’s cen-
tral safety unit manager, the
algorithm is crucial to inspec-
tors’ ability to keep Oregon’s
roads safe.
Instead of randomly check-
ing trucks and stopping driv-
ers who have no violations,
inspectors can target trucks
most likely to have an issue.
“We want to take those
trucks and drivers who are
in bad shape off the road,”
Brown said.
McCloskey will ask Avila
to fl ip a switch that notifi es
the driver they’re going to be
inspected and to pull around
to a large truck barn located
a hundred feet west of the
weigh station.
According to Brown,
compliance specialists like
McCloskey are expected to
complete between eight and
10 rigorous inspections a day.
That means they give each
truck a 360-degree sweep,
crawling down into a pit
to get underneath, shining
fl ashlights up into critical
systems like brakes and load
securement, checking the
driver’s service and medical
records and ensuring regis-
tration is in order.
An inspection can take
from 30 minutes to an hour
depending on what they
fi nd and how long it takes to
discuss with the driver what
needs to be fi xed.
According to ODOT data,
the most common issues
inspectors catch are improper
lights and brake problems.
Those account for nearly
half the violations cited by
inspectors.
the event’s Facebook page that it
was a great opportunity for train-
ing on the bucket ladder.
O’Toole said the block party
has increased in popularity every
year, with more people coming
and more businesses staying
open and participating in the
festivities.
“It is a simple party,” he said.
“The real party is the people. We
just provide the burn barrels,
music and a ball to drop.”
The Union County Chamber
of Commerce for this year’s event
again organized a scavenger hunt
with winners receiving prizes pro-
vided by Grande Ronde Hospital.
Staff photo by Phil Wright
The New Year’s Eve block party in downtown La Grande bustles as locals
welcome in 2020.
MADSEN
Continued from Page 1A
trooper. Hove, who also works in the
La Grande offi ce, noted Madsen is
a leader, an excellent teacher and
willing to put in extra hours when
the need arises.
JoLyn Scott, an administration
specialist for the La Grande OSP
offi ce, describes Madsen as upbeat
and positive.
“He is always kind and fun,” Scott
said.
Madsen became a drug recogni-
tion expert with state police. In
this role he has been responsible
for determining if people are
under the infl uence of drugs when
driving. He has found many peo-
ple do not realize they can remain
impaired by drugs even after the
hallucinogenic effects wear off.
“People are impaired much longer
than they feel the effects,” he said.
He noted people who use mari-
juana can be impaired at least a
day after taking it. One reason
is marijuana now is much more
potent than it was when he joined
the state police. He explained the
levels of THC, the psychoactive
chemical in marijuana that makes
people high, averaged about 4%
when he was a new trooper. That
level has soared, he said, noting
that he recently has seen some
forms of marijuana with THC
levels as high as 93.7 percent.
He said contrasting marijuana of
yesteryear to that of today is like
comparing beer with 5% alcohol
content to 150 proof whiskey.
Madsen has seen fi rsthand how
drug addiction destroys lives, but
he does not hold many caught in
its throes completely responsible.
“Some didn’t know any better.
Their parents did this (took drugs),”
he said.
By the same token, Madsen has
seen young people with tremendous
potential and family support who
fell into the trap of drug addiction.
“They made bad choices,” said
Madsen, who made a number of
FIGHT
Continued from Page 1A
a longtime Union resident,
told the commission.
The commission decided
in a 3-1 vote to deny the
permit.
According to the letter the
city sent the Wentzels, the
denial was because allow-
ing the land to be used for a
residence would contradict
the master plan for the city.
“We felt like it was a gut
punch after the planning
commission meeting,” Jane
Wentzel said.
Wiggins supported the
decision.
“We don’t have a lot of
commercial ground in town,”
he said.
As a compromise, the
couple decided to split the
land into three lots, and the
planning commission unani-
mously approved. With
two new lots for potential
businesses and buyers, the
Wentzels looked to change
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The party began at 10 p.m.
with music playing down the
blocks, barrels of fi re kept party-
goers warm, hot chocolate on was
served in a warming tent that
sheltered people from the rain.
The multi-use venue hq at 112
Depot St. also joined the festivi-
ties, complete with an array of
area bands.
After the ball dropped, a couple
of fi reworks went off and the
party wrapped up by 12:30 a.m.
and Adams reopened for cars.
“I thought throwing the party
would be a good idea and rela-
tively easy to pull off,” O’Toole
said. “I want everyone to love
where they live and take pride in
their community, and this event is
one way they can.”
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Staff photo by Dick Mason
Eric Madsen is looking forward to spending Sundays with his wife, Jeannie. The senior trooper with the
Oregon State Police offi ce in La Grande retired Tuesday after a 23-year career.
presentations in schools during
his career urging young people to
stay clear of drugs.
Madsen has dealt with many
impaired drivers and plenty of
others who were simply driving
too fast. When pulling over these
drivers, Madsen has made a point
of asking their reason for speed-
ing.
“If there is a medical emergency
I want to know right away so I can
help them get to the hospital as
soon as possible,” Madsen said.
When counseling drivers about
infractions, he said he aimed to
get them to understand they are
putting others at risk along with
themselves. He pointed out, for
example, that many of those injured
in construction zone crashes are
the workers who have no protection
along with the drivers of speeding
the zoning on the third lot to
residential.
They fi led for a zone
change in April in addition
to suggesting a zone swap
for a residential property on
Medical Springs Highway
owned by Coy Wilde. Under
that scheme, the Wentzels
fi gured the city would not
lose any residential or com-
mercial property.
However, the city denied
the Wentzels proposal.
The city in a letter cited
the rejection was due to
Wilde’s noncompliance
with zoning conditions
and out of concerns Wilde
would not follow through
on using his property for a
business.
The Wentzels presented
their proposal during a June
19 public hearing before
the planning commission.
The fi nal decision regarding
the matter went to the city
council Aug. 12. During both
public hearings, the Went-
zels attempted to address
vehicles.
Madsen said as a law enforce-
ment offi cer he has long strived to
treat everyone with respect. He fol-
lows a mantra from an OSP offi cer
he worked under in John Day early
in his career.
“Treat everyone like you would
like to see your mother treated,”
Madsen recalled.
Madsen said he has enjoyed a
rewarding career with the OSP
because of the tremendous people
he has worked with and the support
of his wife of 28 years, Jeannie. The
couple, the parents of fi ve children,
are looking forward to spending
more time together, especially on
Sundays, when Madsen often had
to work.
“Being able to spend Sunday with
my wife and family is very impor-
tant to me,” he said.
concerns that opponents
raised to the zone change.
Some, such as Dennis
Clark, who owns a workshop
near the Wentzels’ property,
said having people living in
the commercial zone could
lead to the city getting noise
complaints. And Union
resident David Orcutt said,
“I can see problems in the
future with mixing and
matching commercial and
residential properties.”
Not everyone disap-
proved. Gary Koegler of
Union said he was in favor
of the zone change because
it would encourage more
people to move to town.
The council again voted
3-1 against the zone change.
The planning commission
and city council both cited
the 2015 study in their deci-
sions.
That was enough for the
Wentzels.
“We made the decision
to stop digging in a hole
that has no bottom,” Jane
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Wentzel said.
She said they anticipate
closing soon on a deal to sell
two lots for $34,000 total,
which will go toward paying
off their debt incurred from
purchasing the property.
“The thing that kills me is
they are just going to park
equipment on the land,”
she said. “I hope the city is
happy with their decision.
They could have had three
new families.”
But that was not the city’s
intention for the land.
“The city is not hold-
ing out for anything other
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than recognizing that it
was zoned commercially
and wishes to maintain
that zone for commercial
use,” Wiggins said. “The
property was originally a
fl our mill until it was torn
down in the mid-1990s. It
has always been commer-
cial property, and the city
continues to maintain it in
that fashion.”
Jane Wentzel said she and
her husband plan to keep
the remaining lot at 103 N.
Bellwood St. as an area to
spend time with family and
will keep horses there.
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Madsen also is retiring because
he has worked long enough to
qualify for full-time retirement
benefi ts. He said if he worked as
an OSP trooper past this point
and he should die, the retirement
benefi ts his wife would receive
from the state police benefi t fund
for spouses would be cut signifi -
cantly.
Despite his retirement, Madsen
said his days in law enforcement
are not over, not by a long shot.
Madsen, who lives in Elgin, soon
will serve as a parole and proba-
tion offi cer for Wallowa County. It
is a new challenge he is embracing.
He will no longer be on patrol but
will be continuing to do what he
has don throughout his career.
“I’m looking forward to helping
steer people in the right direction,” he
said.
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