Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2015)
REGION Friday, June 5, 2015 East Oregonian Drowning victim recovered from river Sheriff Chris Humphreys said Frech was wading in a stretch of the river along SPRAY — Authorities have recov- Highway 19 near mile marker 86 when ered the body of a 30-year-old Fossil he was pulled underwater by the current. Frech was found within a mile from man who was swept away and drowned 0D\LQWKH-RKQ'D\5LYHUZHVWRI where he went under. Crews from the Wheeler County Spray. 7KH PDQ ZDV LGHQWL¿HG E\ WKH Fire and Rescue, Grant County Sheriff’s :KHHOHU &RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH DV 2I¿FH 'HVFKXWHV &RXQW\ 6HDUFK DQG Rescue, Crook County Search and Damian Scott Frech. East Oregonian PENDLETON Council passes master plans without funds Rescue, Spray City Fire Department and Volunteer Ambulance Association all assisted with the search effort. Alcohol was not a factor in the drowning, Humphreys said on Wednesday. While the John Day River might not look like much at this time of the year, Humphreys said it can be deceiving with fast-moving water and deep holes. By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON Staff photo by E.J. Harris Jason Terry talks about the construction of the cafeteria at the new Washington Elementary School building site as a group of fourth graders take a tour Thursday in Pendleton. Students get outline of new school went on a heavily guided tour of the construction site, stopping several time for Kirby Nagelhout employees to explain glue laminated beams, scaffolding and the cement hardening By ANTONIO SIERRA process. East Oregonian Plans for the tour were put in motion when staff noticed that the construction At a tour of the Washington Elemen- was visible from Washington’s play- WDU\ 6FKRRO 7KXUVGD\ RI¿FLDOV IURP ground, but the actual activity was Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co. had obscured. students use their imagination. “You really couldn’t tell what’s Employees told students the bare going on,” Washington Principal Curt wooden frame would soon be the Thompson said. VFKRRO¶VOREE\DKDOI¿QLVKHGVWUXFWXUH Thompson said there are already made of concrete bricks would be plans for several more student tours transformed into a new gym while a throughout construction, which has an concrete base with a tarp over it would expected completion date of Fall 2016. eventually turn into a two story struc- Eventually, Kirby Nagelhout will ture that would contain 18 classrooms. install a webcam to allow the public to This exercise in projection was keep track of the construction process. organized by Kirby Nagelhout and The new school should be a signif- the Pendleton School District to icant upgrade to Washington’s current teach Washington students about the facilities. construction process. In addition to an improved heating Coinciding construction crews’ and cooling system, Thompson said lunch break, Washington students the new school will offer more space, Webcam will allow public to view progress Land Trust tour highlights peas 0,/721)5((:$7(5 — The public is invited to learn the fascinating history of the green pea industry in the region with a tour of the H.T. Rea Farming Company. Peas on Earth: A brief history of vines is Saturday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning at the Rea residence, 84224 Spofford 5RDG0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU7KH cost is $10 for adults and free for youths. Lunch is planned after visiting the Rea Ranch and then a visit at Smith Frozen Foods, located just outside Weston. Originally established by the Lamb Weston Company, the plant is owned by Gordon and Sharon Smith. Tour guests are required to wear closed- allowing staff to permanently retire Washington’s “gymeteria.” Thompson didn’t know the exact age of Washington’s current building, but said some bricks on the structure date back to 1904. With more space comes more responsibility. Due to the consolidation of Lincoln Primary School and West Hills Intermediate School, Washington is being built to accommodate 525 students, an increase from the school’s current population of 375. Both Washington and Sherwood Heights Elementary School are getting entirely new buildings as a part of the district’s $55 million bond. Other projects including the conversion of Hawthorne Alternative High School into the Pendleton Early Learning Center, Lincoln into the GLVWULFW FHQWUDO RI¿FH DQG :HVW +LOOV into the new alternative school and career-technical center. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. BRIEFLY toed shoes and long pants for safety. This is the third event of Learning on the Land, a 14-program education VHULHVWKDWEHJDQLQ0D\ and runs into October. The goal of this series is to provide the community with an understanding and appreciation of our natural resources. For more information about other tours sponsored E\WKH%OXH0RXQWDLQ/DQG Trust or to register for Peas on Earth, visit www.bmlt.org or contact 509-525-3136 or bmlt@bmlt.org. Lexington to show ‘American Sniper’ LEXINGTON — Donations from a screening of “American Sniper” will EHQH¿WWKH,RQHDQG+HSSQHU American Legion auxiliaries. The movie night is Thursday, June 18 form 6:30-9 p.m. at the Lexington *UDQJH0DUTXDUGW Road. Admittance is by donation. In addition, candy, popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact 541-240-1761 or sputman@co.morrow.or.us. Discover China +(50,6721²,I\RX have wanted to visit the Great Wall of China, tour the Bund in Shanghai or take a boat ride on the West Lake — now is the time to make plans. The Umatilla and Hermiston chambers of commerce are hosting an informational meeting about a 10-day, all-inclusive, H AMLEY S TEAK H OUSE & S ALOON Happy 5 th Birthday, Kynlee! Celebrate your fabulous day with lots of cake and family! We love you very much and think of you all the time. Love, Grandpa and Grandma Powell MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON Thursday, June 11 June 5 Party starts at 4p Dinner Service at 5p Live Music CALE MOON 5-7:30p T ELEVENTH ST 8- R 11 E p E INCIDENT FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS “on the lawn” The Pendleton City Council passed an ambi- tious set of master plans for the water, sewer and storm- water utilities at a meeting Tuesday, but without the means to fund them. This irked Councilman Al Plute who not only provided the sole no vote for all three master plans, but also voted against adopting the city’s budget. According to the master plans, Pendleton should spend $56.9 million over the next 10 years to improve and maintain the city’s water and sewer system and $7.5 million RYHU WKH QH[W ¿YH \HDUV to cover the costs of the city’s stormwater drainage system. To cover the increased activity, the consultants also suggested creating 11.5 jobs to handle maintenance duties. In order to cover those FRVWV WKH FRQVXOWLQJ ¿UP that helped put the master plan together suggested a series of rate hikes and system development charges. Plute said that the plans would not be effective if the council didn’t enact the suggested fee increases, which need to be adopted in separate votes. “I think we’re voting for stuff we can’t do,” he said. “I don’t like voting for plans that we’re going to put on the shelf.” Public Works Director Bob Patterson said earlier in the week he expects public discussion of utility rate increases and system development charges won’t take place for another six months to a year. Plute’s disdain carried over to the city’s $53.2 million budget for the ¿VFDO \HDU which was also adopted. Finance Director Linda Carter said staff added $29,000 to the proposed budget the budget committee adopted EHFDXVHRI¿FLDOVWKHGHVLJQ ¿UP 0DFNHQ]LH UHFHQWO\ informed the city that they wouldn’t be done with the ¿UH VWDWLRQ DVVHVVPHQW E\ WKHHQGRIWKHFXUUHQW¿VFDO year on June 30. Budget highlights include creating a new SROLFH RI¿FHU SRVLWLRQ and three new paramedic positions. Ultimately, the master plans and budget were all passed on a 6-1 voted, with Plute voting against. Other news from the meeting included: • An awkward disagree- ment marred a $1,000 donation from the city to the Sister City Exchange program. During the public comments portion of the meeting, trip chaperon Roberta Lavadour and two Pendleton High School students presented a letter to the city council requesting $2,000 to cover the cost of sending six Pendleton School District students to 0LQDPLVRPD -DSDQ WKH ¿UVW WLPH VWXGHQWV KDYH gone to Japan since the 2011 earthquake. At multiple points during Lavadour’s presen- WDWLRQ0D\RU3KLOOLS+RXN expressed his discomfort in the city donating any money to the exchange program, saying he would prefer the students raise it themselves. Despite Houk’s concerns, the council unan- imously voted to donate $1,000 to the exchange program. This year’s trip will be from July 14-28. • The council unan- imously approved appointments to the library committee and the newly formed tree commission. The council appointed 0F.HQQRQ0F'RQDOGDQG %OXH 0RXQWDLQ &RPPX- nity College tutor Karen Willis to replace Jane Hill DQG -RUGDQ 0F'RQDOG RQ the library commission, respectively. 0F.HQQRQ 0F'RQDOG DQG -RUGDQ 0F'RQDOG DUH married. Joining the tree commis- sion are Alan Kendrick, retiree, Jonathan Staldine, Umatilla Basin Watershed Council executive director, Andrew Leisinger, land- scape architect, David Powell, retiree from the U.S. Forest Service, Christopher Johnson, U.S. Forest Service employee, Dick Prouse, retiree, and Donnie Cook, Pendleton Parks Director. The commission was formed to meet a require- ment for the title of Tree City USA, which is deter- mined by the Arbor Day Foundation. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. NIXYAAWII CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Friday Sponsored in part by ¿YHVWDUWULSIURP2FW 19-28 for $2,399 per person. The fee includes round-trip airfare from Seattle, accommodations in four- and ¿YHVWDUKRWHOVWKUHHPHDOV a day, land transportation, gratuities, taxes, deluxe bus tours, English-speaking tour guides and seven of China’s 10 wonders of the world. The Discover China 2ULHQWDWLRQ0HHWLQJLV Thursday, June 18 at 3 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. For more information, contact Debbie Pedro at 541-567-6151 or debbie@ hermistonchamber.com. Page 3A COURT & MAIN, PENDLETON 11:45am-1pm Pendleton Center for the Arts Speakers from ODOT, OMWESB, and ORPIN will speak on government contract opportunities. FREE one-hour workshop follows. Tickets are $15 members; $17 non-members Advance reservations required by email to nixyaawiichamber@live.com.
