FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021
THE OBSERVER — A5
COOLING
Continued from Page A1
The sheriff ’s offi ces in
Union and Wallowa coun-
ties reported little change
in crime trends or calls to
the station due to heat-re-
lated issues.
Union County dep-
uties are patrolling the
area with cases of water
in case of residents in
need, as well as advising
welfare checks when
necessary.
For calls relating to
animal welfare, the Union
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
typically prepares accord-
ingly in the summer
months. If there happens
to be a rise in animals
locked in cars or areas
with extreme tempera-
tures, the current precau-
tions are set in place by
the department to address
those issues preemp-
tively, according to Union
County Sheriff Cody
Bowen.
Bowen said his offi ce
has not had to ramp
up any of these eff orts
compared to past sum-
mers, despite the record
temperatures.
With the record-
breaking heat lingering
for the rest of the week,
residents have mostly
stayed indoors in front of
air conditioners.
However, not everyone
is so lucky. A 2017 study
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
The La Grande Fire Department off ers free water outside its build-
ing on Sunday, June 27, 2021. Union County is experiencing re-
cord-breaking temperatures although it has been less than two
weeks since the offi cial start of summer.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
The sun sets over Elgin after temperatures in the town reached 113 degrees on Tuesday, June 29, 2021.
Union County, along with much of the Pacifi c Northwest, is caught in a heat wave that has residents strug-
gling to keep cool.
by the Northwest Energy
Effi ciency Alliance found
that only 59% of sin-
gle-family Oregon homes
have air-conditioning.
“We don’t have any AC
at home, so we’ve been
coming to the park and
lakes and stuff like that to
stay cool,” John Brooks,
of La Grande, said.
Cook Memorial
Library, open Monday
Josephy Center buys its
Main Street building
with grant, donations
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — The Josephy
Center for Arts and Culture
in Joseph became the offi -
cial owners to the building
it has been leasing at 403
N. Main St. on Wednesday,
June 23.
In a press release to
supporters, Development
Director Kellee Sheehy said,
“As a donor and supporter,
you’ve built this home for
arts and culture one exhibit,
one class and one event at a
time. Every minute you’ve
spent contemplating a work
of art, every person you’ve
invited through the doors,
every canvas you’ve col-
ored, every piece of clay you
molded, every idea you’ve
discussed within these
walls, and every penny
you’ve so generously given
has built this organization
just as if you had laid the
logs yourself. You should be
so proud. We are.”
Because of the tremen-
dous community support
the center has received, the
Ford Family Foundation
decided to grant the Josephy
Center $230,000 to help
with much-needed acces-
sibility renovations. This
money will cover the cost
of an elevator, wheelchair
ramps, Americans with Dis-
abilities Act bathrooms, a
special sound system for
those who have a hard time
hearing and more.
Also, the center was
recently informed it will be
receiving $600,000 from
state lottery funds for the
expansion and renovation of
the building.
The recent capital cam-
paign was one of 11 art-re-
lated capital projects
in Oregon chosen to be
endorsed by the Cultural
Advocacy Coalition. Just
a week after completing
Phase I of the campaign for
the purchase and repair of
the building, the center is
already nearly halfway to its
Phase II goal for the expan-
sion of its classrooms and
workspaces.
But, Sheehy said in the
release, while it might tem-
porarily feel like the center
is “rolling in the dough,”
anyone who’s been involved
in a do-it-yourself project
lately is aware of the cost of
lumber and other building
materials and knows that
this money will only stretch
so far.
“Luckily, because the
Josephy Center is now
a permanent part of the
county, we’re in it for the
long haul and can keep
growing slowly and steadily
with our amazing commu-
nity,” Sheehy said.
Follow us on
Facebook!
through Friday from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., is also
off ering its building for
anyone needing a break
from the heat.
“We have AC all
summer. We have places
to sit and read and plenty
of water bottles to give
out,” Carrie Bushman, the
library’s director of chil-
dren’s services, said. “We
also opened up our com-
munity room with more
seats to increase our total
capacity.”
Other organizations in
La Grande off ering water
include the First Presby-
terian Church, Commu-
nity Connection, and city
department buildings,
including the parks and
recreation department,
fi re department, police
department and city hall.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Caleb Saldana, a lifeguard at Elgin Community Center Pool, cools off
with an ice pack while the thermometer on the counter reads 109 de-
grees on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Union County has experienced mul-
tiple record-breaking days during the heat wave, leaving residents
scrambling to fi nd ways to cool off .
BAN
Continued from Page A1
the band this year, consider
making a donation to LHS
Band.”
Other local cities, like
Imbler, are yet to make
similar bans and will wait
until the Union County
Fire Defense Board deter-
mines otherwise.
“We get a heat increase
every year, this year just
happens to be around the
Fourth of July,” Imbler Fire
Chief Mike Barry said.
“We’ll enforce it based on
the fi re defense board.”
According to Barry,
the three biggest factors
in an emergency ordi-
nance come down to
local resources, state for-
estry regulations and the
Haines Index. The index
pinpoints the potential
for explosive fi re growth
and determines how the
Imbler Fire Department
operates. Barry noted
Imbler is currently at a
three on the Haines Index,
with fi ve to six being
extreme risk.
La Grande City Man-
ager Robert Strope noted
that a sizable portion of the
community was pushing
FOURTH
Continued from Page A1
the past fi rework shows
in Union. The total cost
of putting on the show
will be $14,000, which
includes $2,000 spent for
advertising.
Agencies that will
have staff at the fi reworks
show to promote safety,
direct traffi c and perform
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
A display of fi reworks awaits customers at Walmart in Island City on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Due to
concerns about the heat and dry weather, the city of La Grande Fire Department has banned fi reworks
until further notice, just days before Independence Day celebrations.
for the ban and that the
city received positive feed-
back. According to Strope,
the conjunction between
the recent record heat and
the Independence Day hol-
iday is what led to the fi re-
work ban, which the city
has never implemented in
years past.
Strope also noted that
the city of La Grande’s
decision aligns with state-
wide precautions during
the heat wave. Cities such
as Portland, Bend, Hood
River and many across the
state have also banned the
use of fi reworks.
“We’re hoping people
recognize that the fi re
hazard is signifi cant and
make the right decision for
the safety of the commu-
nity,” Strope said.
The La Grande Fire
Department will enforce
the ban until it deems the
weather and moisture con-
ditions have returned to
normal. The fi re depart-
ment will work with the
police department in
enforcing the ban, with
citations and warnings
currently set as the most
serious penalties.
With temperatures pre-
dicted to remain at extreme
highs, there is no current
timetable for how long the
ban will stay in place.
other tasks include Union
County Search and Rescue,
the Union County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce and the Union Fire
Department, which will
have fi ve engines at Buf-
falo Peak, Beverage said.
Union County’s fi re-
works display was con-
ducted for at least four
decades in La Grande at
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity where many watched
from Community Sta-
dium. The show was
moved to Union after 2017
because of construction
work on Community Sta-
dium’s fi eld. The show has
remained in Union since
then because Eastern no
longer has room to conduct
the fi reworks show due to
ongoing construction proj-
ects such as the fi eldhouse
on the university’s former
baseball fi eld.
In addition to Union,
places Northeast Oregon
residents can go to see a
major fi reworks include
Wallowa Lake for the
annual “Shake the Lake”
display. The event, which
usually is put on from a
raft fl oating in the north
end of Wallowa Lake,
is scheduled to begin at
10 p.m.
STORAGE BUILDINGS
www.CountrysideSheds.com
A little bit more room
(541) 663-0246
Locally owned and operated
for over 25 years
BEST
Kitchen Remodel
RENT to OWN
starting at
See Our Display Lot at
10505 N. McAlister Road
(Corner of Hwy 82 & N. McAlister Rd.)
$
68 Month
Free Delivery
in Union & Wallowa
County
ASK
US ABOUT
DELIVERY
ELGIN ELECTRIC
43 N. 8th Elgin, OR 541-437-2054