FROM PAGE ONE
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021
SAFE
Continued from Page 1A
thing else you can do is
make sure there’s nothing
blocking the unit from the
outside.”
According to Pacifi c
Power, thermostats should
be set to 78 degrees to avoid
a costly electric bill and
windows should be opened
in the mornings to allow in
cool air.
Have a plan
In response to the
record-breaking forecasts
nearing wildfi re season,
Oregon Trail Electric Coop-
erative — which supplies
power to roughly 60,000
residents in Eastern Oregon
— is prepared to shut off
power lines, if needed, to
minimize the potential for
wildfi re ignition.
“The major factors are
going to be high winds,
extreme heat and any red
fl ag warnings that are given
by the National Weather
Service,” Joe Hathaway,
communications manager
for OTEC, said. “We follow
their lead, and the weather
is always changing so it’s
hard to say if it’s defi nitely
going to happen or not this
season.”
OTEC has an early
warning system in place to
ensure members are noti-
fi ed of any potential out-
ages. Outages could last
anywhere from a few hours
to several days. To pre-
pare, residents should create
supply kits of food, water
and medical supplies and
ensure any backup genera-
tors are ready.
“I want to empha-
size that power shut-off s
are a last resort option.
They aren’t very common,
but we want to make
sure everyone is aware,”
Hathaway said. “Everyone
should have a backup plan,
and if it really comes to it,
make sure they are keeping
updated on any evacuation
procedures.”
Working safely in heat
The Oregon Occupa-
tional Safety and Health
Administration is recom-
mending that employers
create a heat illness pre-
vention plan, which could
include training employees
to recognize the signs of
heat illness, performing
work during the coolest part
of the day and providing
water and breaks, particu-
larly for those in labor-in-
tensive jobs.
“Employers need to
take the threat of heat ill-
ness seriously, which means
HEAT
Continued from Page 1A
The all-time mark was
fi rst set July 18, 1960,
according to data from the
National Weather Service
cited in The Observer at the
time. The record was tied
four decades later on July
13, 2002.
La Grande’s second
highest recorded tem-
perature is 106 degrees,
according to the National
Weather Service. This tem-
acting sooner — not later
— to put the appropriate
safeguards in place,” said
Penny Wolf-McCormick,
statewide health enforce-
ment manager for Oregon
OSHA. “And they don’t
have to do it alone. Oregon
OSHA is ready to help
with free expert advice and
a variety of educational
resources.”
Oregon Department of
Transportation Region 5
Safety Coordinators Cam
McGinnis is encouraging
his agency’s staff and con-
tractors to take a number
of precautions to protect
themselves from the heat.
They include doubling the
amount of water or fl uids
they bring and keeping it
nearby.
“Keep some close —
having a gallon of water, 2
miles or an hour away does
not help you,” McGinnis
said in a statement.
McGinnis also encour-
ages employees to take
breaks often while working
in the heat.
“Breaks give your body
a chance to catch up,” he
said.
Looking out for the
people you are working
with in the heat is also
important.
“Lead from every
position: check to make
sure others take breaks,”
McGinnis said.
According to Lt. Jason
Hays, there is usually a
lag time before the depart-
ment sees the eff ects of
rising temperatures in the
summer.
“La Grande isn’t a
stranger to high heat,” he
said.
He also said there has
been a slight uptick in
reports of unmowed grass
in La Grande, which can
result in a fi re hazard if not
dealt with properly.
La Grande typically
sees a rise in homelessness
during the summer months,
so Hays noted there is a rise
in calls regarding welfare
checks of homeless people.
This typically results in
the department buying the
person a water or taking
more serious measures if
necessary to ensure their
safety.
Other than a slight rise
in welfare checks, there is
little change in crime trends
related to extreme tempera-
tures, Hays said.
Keeping animals safe
The La Grande Amer-
ican Red Cross on Cove
Avenue works with schools,
churches and community
centers around the area in
the case of an emergency
shelter being required. In
the past, they also worked
with locations in Union
and other cities nearby.
According to disaster action
team volunteer Heather
Stanhope, a number of
sheltering agreements are
in place in the case of an
emergency.
The Red Cross in La
Grande operates through
the Idaho/Montana Region,
which spends eff orts year-
round preparing emergency
services.
“We’re there to meet
the most immediate needs,
from a power outage to
a wildfi re,” said Greater
Idaho and Montana Com-
munications Director Matt
Oschsner.
The La Grande Police
Department is also pre-
paring for the rise in tem-
peratures the same way
it does every summer:
keeping an eye out on wel-
fare checks on elderly resi-
dents, heat-related medical
injuries and the homeless.
Farm animals will also
be feeling the impact of the
heat wave. According to the
Humane Society, animals
can be especially vulner-
able to heat illness if they
are old, overweight or have
heart or respiratory disease.
Matt Henneke, co-owner
with his wife, Veronica, of
Henneke Farm Carriage,
La Grande, will be taking a
number of steps to protect
his animals from the heat,
including keeping water
troughs fi lled to capacity
and creating muddy areas
where animals can roll
around to cool off .
Henneke also makes a
point of operating his car-
riage service when it is hot
only in the evening to pro-
tect the horses who pull it
from the heat.
Paul Anderes, a Union
County Commissioner
who raises farm animals
with his wife, Kelly, said
farmers should be partic-
ularly careful with hogs
when it gets hot. They
have more trouble dealing
with heat because they do
not sweat, said Anderes,
a retired La Grande High
School agricultural sci-
ences teacher and former
FFA adviser.
Anderes suggests
farmers use a mist system
for hogs and a mud wallow
to help keep them cool. He
also said it is a good idea for
farmers to limit the activity
of all of their farm animals
during a heat wave.
“It is important not to
move or push them,” he
said.
perature was recorded
twice in 2018, on Aug. 10
and Aug. 13. The city’s
third highest mark was 105
degrees, recorded in 1992
and 2015.
La Grande receives its
share of hot weather but
it falls short of what hits
Umatilla County, where
downtown Pendleton has an
all-time high of 119 degrees
set in 1898, and Herm-
iston has a top mark of 113
degrees set in 1965. The
National Weather Service
is forecasting that on June
28 Hermiston will have a
high of 113 and Pendleton
will have a top mark of 110
degrees.
Lawhorn said La
Grande is generally
cooler than many Uma-
tilla County cities because
of its higher altitude. La
Grande’s elevation is
2,785 feet, signifi cantly
higher than Pendleton,
1,200 feet, and Hermis-
ton’s 591 feet.
“Your higher elevation
keeps you cooler than the
Columbia Basin,” he said.
Local resources
PROJECTS
THE OBSERVER — 5A
to better withstand large
earthquakes.
Continued from Page 1A
OSU-Cascades, Bend
event of an emergency.
Modernized electrical and
mechanical systems will
allow more interior space
for classrooms, hallways
and offi ces. Hardware and
software upgrades will
allow classrooms to use
21st-century technology
and enhance the experi-
ence of students who take
part in distance learning.
The Rural Engagement
and Vitality Center will
off er enhanced programs,
while the renovated spaces
will improve admissions,
advising and student
services.
Oregon State
University, Corvallis
Reser Stadium,
$40,555,000
The football stadium
for the Oregon State Bea-
vers will get a new west
grandstand. It will include
new seating, enclosures,
restrooms, concessions,
press boxes and ath-
letic training and storage
spaces. Around the sta-
dium will be new parking,
walkways and fi re lanes.
The plan may include
interior facilities for aca-
demics or a health care
facility.
Cordley Hall,
$87,065,000
The 1950s-era
building houses the
school’s Integrative
Biology and Botany and
Plant Pathology pro-
gram with students and
their research having a
worldwide impact. The
235,000-square-foot
building is the site of
classes for about 60% of
all students on the Cor-
vallis campus. The ren-
ovation will include
environmentally and
economically advanced
heating, cooling and elec-
trical systems. The over-
haul will transform class-
rooms, laboratories and
faculty offi ces. Seismic
upgrades will be made
Student Success
Center, $14,035,000
The Bend campus of
Oregon State Univer-
sity will use the funds to
create a modern version
of a student union: a place
to meet, learn and seek
services. Plans call for
academic advising, career
coaching, tutoring, coun-
seling, a wellness center
and space for students to
hold group meetings or
study. A state study shows
the campus currently has
just slightly more than
50% of the 28,000 square
feet of “academic sup-
port space” it needs. The
desire for a centerpiece
of the new campus led
students to levy an extra
charge to their fees to
fi nance an additional $5
million of spending on the
facility.
Portland State
University, Portland
Gateway Center,
$68,990,000
The existing Art
Building would be reno-
vated, with space on an
adjacent lot use to expand
the School of Art and
Design, the Center for Stu-
dent Health and Coun-
seling, and the Speech and
Hearing Sciences program
areas. Classrooms, labora-
tories, study and meeting
spaces would receive
upgrades. The building
will be designed to include
business or commercial
space.
University of Oregon,
Eugene
University Hall (for-
merly Deady Hall),
$58,245,000
One of Oregon’s rare
sites on the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places will
be given a preservation-
ist-driven overhaul that
will include classrooms,
offi ces and a theater.
While retaining the
look of the university’s
longstanding place in
Oregon history, the 7,000
students and 115 fac-
ulty members who use
its classroom and offi ces
will work and study in a
safer, improved interior
space. Building materials
and electrical systems will
be updated to meet cur-
rent safety codes. Class-
rooms will be modern-
ized and include computer
workstations.
Western Oregon
University, Monmouth
Student Success
Center, $21,615,000
The existing Old Edu-
cation Building would be
demolished and replaced
by a new facility to house
student services. The
center would off er mod-
ernized environments
for advising, tutoring,
support group activity,
computer labs and study
space.
Oregon Institute of
Technology, Klamath
Falls
$55,650,000
Funds will build a new
residence hall for 900 stu-
dents, including sleeping
and study space.
Oregon Institute of
Technology/Oregon
Manufacturing
Innovation Center,
Scappoose
$5,105,000
Bonds would pay for
two new labs within the
Research and Develop-
ment (R&D) facility,
including a powdered
metal handling vault and
airlock to support the
addition of laser powder
bed fusion and binder jet-
ting methods of additive
manufacturing. Offi ce
space, conference rooms
and other spaces will
allow partnering with uni-
versity researchers from
other locations to develop
new additive manufac-
turing projects.