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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2015)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Wednesday, June 10, 2015 PETERSON: Son of a PARK: City is 75 percent to goal of $50K “To me, there former superintendent Continued from 1A Continued from 1A He was paid $128,215 for the 2014-2015 school year. Peterson said he has been considering retirement for the past few years, but came WRDPRUHGH¿QLWLYHGHFLVLRQ part-way through the school year. “The timing just seemed right,” he said. It has always been Peter- VRQ¶V LQWHQWLRQ WR JLYH WKH district a year’s notice before KLV UHWLUHPHQW WR DYRLG OHDYLQJWKHVFKRROV\VWHPLQ the lurch. Citing his 33 years in education, Peterson, 55, said his retirement would JLYH KLP WKH FKDQFH WR WU\ something new, although he hasn’t decided what that is yet. Following his graduation from Pendleton High School in 1978, Peterson started his career as a teacher at Gresham High School in 1983. Peterson returned to Pendleton High School in VHUYLQJ DV D PDWK teacher, guidance counselor, athletic director and assistant SULQFLSDO EHIRUH OHDYLQJ LQ 2003. Between 2003 and 2009, Peterson was the principal at Lincoln Primary School, West Hills Intermediate School, Washington Elementary School and Sunridge Middle School. The son of a former superintendent, Peterson was named to the position in 2009, replacing Jim Keene. 3HWHUVRQEHOLHYHVKH¶VOHIW the district in a good posi- tion, especially considering two new elementary schools will open at the start of the next superintendent’s tenure. The new schools were made possible by a $55 million bond passed in 2013, DQHYHQW3HWHUVRQFRQVLGHUHG one of the highlights of his tenure. Pendleton School Board Chairwoman Michelle Monkman said Peterson’s retirement was bittersweet. “I understand why he’s OHDYLQJ EXW , GRQ¶W KDYH WR like it,” she said jokingly. As the board chair, Monkman will be tasked with leading the effort to ¿QG3HWHUVRQ¶VUHSODFHPHQW Monkman said the board GRHVQ¶WKDYHDVHWSURFHGXUH for hiring a superintendent, DSURFHVVVKHZDQWVWRKDYH in place by the start of the school year in August. With the school board KDYLQJ D \HDU WR PDNH D decision, Monkman expects WRKDYHDJRRGSRRORIFDQGL- dates to choose from. Board Vice Chair Debbie McBee said Peterson jumped the district “light years ahead” during his tenure and expects his successor to continue that trend. McBee said her ideal candidate would continue to IRFXVRQSURIHVVLRQDOGHYHO- opment, parent engagement and community outreach while still adding his or her own personal touch. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. WAGE: Oregon cities cannot set their own minimum wages Continued from 1A YRWHUVDSSURYHGLQ Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are phasing in $15 minimum wages. But under a 2001 law, Oregon cities and coun- ties cannot set their own minimum wages, although the Portland City Council and Multnomah County FRPPLVVLRQHUV KDYH VHW $15 minimum wages for WKHLU IXOOWLPH JRYHUQPHQW workers. House and Senate committees conducted public hearings on mini- mum-wage bills on April 13, but there hasn’t been much action since. There are about a dozen pending bills, ranging from $10.75 to $15 per hour, and a few UHPRYLQJ D SUHHPSWLRQ RQ local action. The 2015 session must end by July 11, and leaders are pressing toward a target of July 4. ³2XU YLHZ LV WKDW WKLV is going to be on the table, EXWQRWSDUWLFXODUO\PRYLQJ anywhere,” said D.J. Vogt, who spoke for the Oregon Business Association. “We would remain opposed to lifting the pre-emption on the minimum wage.” Business groups fought WR UHLQ LQ FRQÀLFWLQJ requirements by Portland and Eugene, whose city FRXQFLOV LQ DSSURYHG differing policies for busi- QHVVHV WR SURYLGH SDLG VLFN OHDYHIRUZRUNHUV Senate Bill 454, which DZDLWV YRWHV LQ ERWK FKDP- bers, sets a statewide stan- dard for businesses subject WR WKH SDLGOHDYH UHTXLUH- PHQW DQG EHQH¿WV SURYLGHG to their workers – although the bill allows Portland to retain a lower number of employees. Vogt also said the Senate remains a political barrier to a minimum-wage increase. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, has said a jump to $15 is not feasible. “It is going to be a SURSRVDO IRU FRQYHUVDWLRQ´ Kotek said. “But it could YHU\ ZHOO EH D SURSRVDO that meets a lot of people’s needs and that people could VXSSRUW LW :H¶OO KDYH WR wait and see how it goes.” jumped into the slime. “My boys were playing in a foot of mud,” Friday Bracher said, grimacing. The boys came clean in the shower, but the park ZRXOGQ¶WUHFRYHU²DWOHDVW without major help from the community. “It was in such poor shape, we didn’t know where to start,” Paul Bracher said. It took many months to raise enough funds to start, but the town of 187 people is now well into a major PDNHRYHU $ UHWDLQLQJ ZDOO lines the drainage ditch. A few weeks back, almost 40 community members laid 14,000 square feet of VRG DERYH D QHZ VSULQNOHU system. Concrete curbing ERUGHUV WKH SDUN )LYH QHZ trees dot the lawn. A couple of weeks ago, the town debuted the park with a community picnic. Last Saturday, almost 100 people showed up for a 5-kilometer run to raise money for swings. Runners sprawled in the shade after- wards and relaxed as kids played around them. One of the runners, 7DPPLH3DUNHUVXUYH\HGWKH scene happily. Parker, asso- FLDWHYLFHSUHVLGHQWRIKXPDQ resources at Blue Mountain &RPPXQLW\ &ROOHJH VHUYHV on the park board, as does her husband, Larry. She was no option but to bring the park back. That would have been a disservice to the community and the kids. They need a place to go and it needs to be safe.” — Tammie Parker, one of the runners Staff photo by Kathy Aney Bree Perkins uses the slide at the newly renovated Helix City Park. A 2012 storm left the park covered by more than a foot of mud. remembers the shock she felt at seeing the standing water DQGPXGFRYHULQJWKHSDUN “In a short amount of time, it was destroyed,” she VDLG³,WZDVRYHUZKHOPLQJ´ But, Parker said, despite the $50,000 price tag, the community started putting one foot in front of the other. The city applied for grants. A fundraising campaign was launched and is 75 percent to the goal, thanks in part to a Wildhorse Foundation grant of $10,000. “To me, there was no option but to bring the park back,” Parker said. “That ZRXOGKDYHEHHQDGLVVHUYLFH to the community and the kids. They need a place to go and it needs to be safe.” Paul Bracher and Larry Parker, both leaders in the HIIRUWPDUYHOHGDWWKHWUDQV- formation. “There are people in the park again,” Bracher said. Parker said he often passes by the city park. On WKHODVWGULYHE\KHQRWLFHGD couple of teenagers. “They were just hanging out at the park,” he said. “I hadn’t seen that for a couple years.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. HEALTH: :RXOGQRWEHGHVLJQHGWRUHSODFHSULPDU\FDUHSURYLGHU Continued from 1A barriers like transportation and cost to get health problems taken care of so they don’t hinder their education. “This year we had about 75 kids who couldn’t come in because they weren’t YDFFLQDWHG´ 0LVKUD VDLG UHIHUULQJ WR WKHVWDWHZLGH([FOXVLRQ'D\³:HKDYH a solution.” One thing Mishra said the clinic ZRXOGQ¶WEHVHWXSIRULVUHSURGXFWLYH exams. “We will not be distributing condoms and will not be testing for STDs on-site,” he said. Mishra said the clinic would not be designed to replace students’ primary FDUH SURYLGHU EXW UDWKHU EH DQ HQWU\ point into the health system. The clinic could screen for asthma, for example, but would then send the student to a SULPDU\ FDUH SURYLGHU IRU ORQJWHUP treatment of the chronic condition. ³, GRQ¶W VHH XV KDYLQJ D QHJDWLYH effect on anything,” Mishra said. “We’ll probably be sending more referrals their way.” DeBolt said the health department VHHV LW WKH VDPH ZD\ +HU RI¿FH KDV already partnered with Pendleton School District on a school-based health center and she said it has been successful in helping students reluctant WRJRVHHDGRFWRU5HFHQWO\DSURYLGHU at the clinic found a heart murmur in a student that had gone undiagnosed for “a while” and was able to refer the student for treatment. “It’s one more set of eyes on your students,” she said. 7KH GLVWULFW ZLOO ¿QG RXW LQ September whether it has been DSSURYHGWRMRLQWKHJURZLQJOLVWRI school-based health centers in Oregon. 'H%ROW VDLG RQFH WKH VLWH LV FHUWL¿HG IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH LW LV DGGHG WR WKH program’s base funding amount that KDV EHHQ DSSURYHG E\ WKH OHJLVODWXUH HYHU\ELHQQLXPVLQFHWKHHDUO\V Mishra said the plan is to open the health clinic in Hermiston High School’s current print shop in early 2016. On Monday night the school board DOVRDSSURYHGWKHEXGJHWDV recommended by the district’s budget committee. The $76.3 million budget, which includes about $5 million in XQDSSURSULDWHG UHVHUYHV DQG PLOOLRQLQGHEWVHUYLFHIRUERQGVGUHZ no comments during the public hearing before the board’s regular meeting. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536. PORT: Working on potential land sale ZLWK8PDWLOOD(OHFWULF&RRSHUDWLYH Continued from 1A Road was being considered for the warehouse. Puzey said he was disappointed to learn the warehouse was no longer a YLDEOHSURMHFW 2YHUDOO 3X]H\ VDLG WKDW SRUW EXVLQHVV LV PRYLQJ LQ the right direction. He said KH KRSHV WR UHFHLYH JRRG news from the Legislature regarding funding for a SURMHFWWRSURYLGHPRUHZDWHU for agricultural purposes in the region. He said he looks forward to working with a water users group that would lease a portion of the port’s &ROXPELD5LYHUZDWHUULJKW which is currently unused. Puzey said the port is also working on potential land sales. He said the port has already sold an option to the Umatilla Electric &RRSHUDWLYH WR SXUFKDVH 80 acres of land south of Highway 730 to build a solar array. Another 160 DFUHV VRXWK RI 7ZR 5LYHUV Correctional Institution is being considered by a solar energy company for the same purpose, he said. Kevin Andrews, MD, L.L.C. Internal Medicine WHAT ENERGY SAVINGS AWAIT YOUR HOME? LET’S FIND OUT. Start by doing a free online Home Energy Review from Energy Trust of Oregon. You’ll get customized energy-saving recommendations and learn all kinds of ways to get more from your energy. Plus Energy Trust can help you with cash incentives and finding a trade ally contractor for your home energy project. (General Medical Care for Adults) We Really Care + Get more from your energy. Visit www.energytrust.org/start or call us at 1.866.368.7878. 27 SW Frazer, Pendleton, OR 97801 Monday - Wednesday 7:30 AM - 5 PM Open Late Thursday - Appointents Until 6:30 Closed Fridays 541-276-6244 Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas.
