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OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
HOUSE: Facebook campaign drew interest from all over
Continued from 1A
retired. But even with the
government stipend, he said
he and Dorothy did not have
money to put into the house.
Enter Saturday’s volun-
teer initiative.
Josh Cyganik, 35, volun-
teered to paint the home after
he heard two kids comment
that someone should burn it
down because of its state of
ill-repair. Cyganik posted
about the exchange on Face-
book last week and asked for
helpers to meet him.
Just after 8 a.m. on
Saturday, 20 people had
arrived to lend a hand. By
around 11 a.m., an East
Oregonian
headcount
showed that number was
around 60, with Cyganik
saying that at one point the
crowd grew to as many as
95.
While the makeshift crew
buzzed around their house,
Leonard and Dorothy leaned
against their silver Pontiac
parked along the sidewalk
until chairs were brought for
them, watching the space
transform. Leonard said
he did not hear the kids’
remarks but was “shocked”
when Cyganik relayed them.
He said he loved the effort to
spruce up his home. About
the turnout, he said, “I thank
God for that.”
Dorothy also expressed
appreciation.
“It means a lot,” she said
while sitting under a sun
umbrella someone had put
up above her.
Jesselee Leachman, 32,
said he got off a 12-hour shift
at Columbia Care Services
before coming to Goodwin
Avenue. He brushed primer
onto a back wall, wearing a
tie-dye shirt he made just for
the day. Leachman said he
had wondered about the state
of the house when he had
passed by before.
“(Leonard’s) a very nice
man,” he said. “I’m glad
we can put a new life on his
house.”
Two volunteers came
from Camas, Washington,
after reading the Facebook
post. Benjamin Olson, 47,
said he prayed about whether
to come. He said he felt God
wanted him to help. So he
came with his friend, John
Floyd, who had earlier trav-
eled to Camas from South-
east Texas to see Olson.
“You can see miracles at
work,” you just have to look,
said Olson.
Monique Sweet, 31, from
Pendleton, said she was a
Facebook friend of Josh and
Continued from 2A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The home of Dorothy and Leonard Bullock has a fresh new coat of paint on Monday
after volunteers came together and gave the house a fresh coat.
told Cyganik the child likely
would not have lived if he
had not intervened.
About more initiatives
like Saturday’s for the future,
Cyganik said: “I’d love to
help out again.”
But the project may not
be done yet. Two volunteers,
Ryan Bork and Dean Curry,
said they would return the
following weekend to repair
the house’s rear deck with
help from Tum-A-Lum
Lumber. Then there’s the
building’s covering. “We’re
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
still looking for a roofer
Dorothy and Leonard Bullock sit on the porch of their to donate his time,” said
home at 214 S.W. Goodwin Ave. on Monday in Pend-
leton. Volunteers came from all over the area this last Leonard.
He said he thinks that after
weekend and painted the Bullock’s house after a call
the roof is redone, insurance
went out on Facebook.
companies will be willing
saw his post.
Tum-A-Lum
Lumber, to cover the home, which
“It called to my need to Pendleton Bottling, Doug’s he said they have refused to
serve,” she said. She said Septic and Sherwin-Wil- do in the past because of its
everyone has such a need, liams — donated supplies, condition.
but people rarely get oppor- said Cyganik. Starbucks on
“To me, it’d be a lot safer
tunities to follow through Southgate donated roughly because I’m just taking
on it. A stay-at-home mom, six gallons of water and chances now,” he said.
Sweet said her husband, a iced tea, said shift manager “We’d lose everything we
National Guardsman, took Chelsie Post, 26.
got if something happened
his one weekend off to look
&\JDQLND8QLRQ3DFL¿F now.”
after their three children employee, said he passed
———
while she volunteered. Leonard on his porch for four
Contact Jonathan Bach at
“The power of Facebook is years before he approached jbach@eastoregonian.com
amazing, especially when him about painting the house or 541-966-0809.
you use it like this,” she said. last week. And Cyganik has
Sweet said she hoped the a history of going out of the
event would “spark” people way for others. In 2010 the
to help out more.
East Oregonian reported
A former BMCC student, the man, then a Les Scwhab
Mar’Shay Moore, 20, said Tire Center employee and
she attended because of the &35 FHUWL¿HG VDYHG WKH
Facebook post, too. She life of a 17-month-old who
said she wanted to break the was not breathing. The
stereotype that young people boy’s mother came into Les
don’t volunteer. She noted Schwab panicking about
everyone was there to help her son. Cyganik went with
Leonard.
the mother and “tapped” the
“It’s kind of like family, child on the back three times
in a way,” she said.
until an item was dislodged
Companies from around in the boy’s throat and he
the area — including started to cough. Paramedics
“We’ve had dry years
in the past, but if anything
is different this year, it’s
been warmer and warmer
for longer,” Rowe said.
“Growers feel like this is a
little out of the norm for a
hot, dry year.”
Scattered rains helped
keep winter wheat from the
same fate in six Midwestern
states that cultivate half of
the nation’s winter wheat.
Texas, Oklahoma, Colo-
rado, Kansas, Nebraska
and South Dakota typically
raise winter wheat of
slightly lesser quality than
the Northwestern states,
according to data from the
United States Department
of Agriculture’s statistics
arm. But the Midwest is
producing more “good”
bushels this year than its
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Northwest’s “good” ratings
have dropped nearly 20
percent.
The USDA said in a July
10 national crop report that
spring and early summer
weather conditions were
favorable for winter wheat
everywhere but Montana,
Idaho, Oregon and Wash-
ington. The latter three
states saw their highest June
temperatures on record.
“I think earlier on
some of the growers were
more optimistic, but as
the summer’s progressed
it’s gotten drier and drier
as the harvest comes up,”
NASS Northwest Regional
Director Chris Mertz said.
“They’re still waiting to
hear what happens when
they run the combines out
there to see how it’s going
to be.”
Due to the heat and early
wheat maturation, farmers
in the Northwest began
increase in students and a
lack of space, the program
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“It’s great to see the
Legislature has heard the
resounding cry for help
from school districts across
the state,” he said. “It could
mean millions of dollars for
the Hermiston community,
if indeed the community
did support a bond measure
(in the next biennium).”
For
the
2015-17
biennium, legislators allo-
cated $125 million to the
program to be administered
by the Oregon Department
of Education. Districts that
pass bonds up to $4 million
could receive one-to-one
matching funds, and the
match for larger bonds will
be determined by a formula
based on local property
values, poverty rates and
student numbers. The
formula will also be used
to establish a priority list of
poorer districts that would
be eligible for a 60-percent
portion of the total grant
funds, with the other 40
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Umatilla School District
Superintendent Heidi Sipe
said the formula would
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to districts with small tax
bases, such as Umatilla.
“The last time that we
went out for our bond, we
were going out the same
time as Hermiston, (and)
our cost per thousand was
VLJQL¿FDQWO\ KLJKHU WKDQ
Hermiston simply because
of the tax base difference,”
she said. “The nice thing
is this law takes all of that
into account and really
helps out communities that
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bonds. As we’re looking
into updating our facilities,
that’s a huge issue for us.”
Assistance with facil-
ities planning costs is
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Sipe said. It provides up
to $20,000 for a facilities
assessment, $25,000 for a
long-range facilities plan
and $25,000 for a seismic
assessment.
In a separate bill, the
Legislature approved $175
million in grant funding for
seismic improvements at
schools.
Smith said Hermiston
schools are already “in a
pretty good place” in terms
of earthquake prepared-
ness. Sipe said some
Umatilla schools have poor
seismic ratings, but she was
unsure if the district had
enough risk to be awarded
any funding.
State Sen. Bill Hansell,
Athena, said the criteria
for awarding the seismic
funding was still being
developed. He said priority
would be given to schools
with the greatest earth-
quake vulnerability.
“Most of the threat has
been more on the coast,”
he said. “Whether or not
anybody east of the moun-
tains will be competitive
on the grant application
remains to be seen.”
Hansell said the $300
million in the two grant
programs was only “a drop
in the bucket” considering
the total needs that have
been mentioned. He said,
however, he was pleased
the amount was spent on
schools, rather than seismic
upgrades at the state
capitol building that would
have cost about the same
amount. He said, in terms
of building safety, schools
DUHKLV¿UVWSULRULW\
“Once this allotment
is used up, I think if the
program has shown it is
meeting the need it will go
for future rounds in future
legislative sessions, but this
is a good start,” he said.
———
Contact Sean Hart at
smhart@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4534.
Join us for our
5pm
Ribbon
Cutting
OPEN HOUSE
WHEAT: Began harvesting about three weeks early
Continued from 1A
SCHOOL: Allocated $125M to
program for 2015-17 biennium
harvesting about three
weeks early this year. The
true value of the crop will
be determined in the coming
ZHHNVDVJURZHUV¿QLVKWKH
harvest and receive esti-
mates from grain elevators.
Montana farmer Gary
Dobler said he wouldn’t
be surprised if the region’s
wheat is less dense, nutri-
tionally off balance or
otherwise adversely affected
by the drought, but he’s
of the
NEW SURGERY
DEPARTMENT
waiting for a professional
DVVHVVPHQW WR PDNH D ¿QDO
determination.
“We’ll know here in
another week what the
damage was.”
Tues., July 21st • 5-7pm
Sidewalk Sales
610 NW 11th St. • Hermiston, OR
Friday and Saturday
Up to 70% off
207 & 217 SE Court, Pendleton
RESERVED
TICKETS ON
SALE NOW!
$
12
AUGUST 11-15, 2015
(does not include admission)
CARNIVAL
WRISTBANDS
$
23 (until August 10)
$30 after fair starts
Tues. Aug. 11 • 9pm
DUSTIN LYNCH
Thurs. Aug. 12 • 9pm
MAR-K DE TIERRA
CALIENTE
Wed. Aug. 12 • 9pm
JOHN MICHAEL
MONTGOMERY
Fri. Aug. 14 • 9pm
HINDER
SAVE $7
Thurs. Aug. 12 • 7pm
ANTIFAZ
when you purchase
early!
Available at:
• Fair office • Fiesta Foods
• Hermiston Chamber
• Pendleton Chamber
• Columbia State Bank
Sat. Aug. 15 • 9pm
WARRANT
In the Watering Hole: LIVE MUSIC: Tues & Wed - Brady Goss; Fri & Sat - Blue Tattoo
Call or stop by the Fair office:
515 W. Orchard, Hermiston
800-700-FAIR (3247)
www.umatillacounty.net/fair
Visa & Mastercard gladly accepted