REGION
Thursday, July 23, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3A
BOARDMAN
Fire burns wildlife area, knocks out power
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Fire consumed about 100 acres
in the Coyote Springs Wildlife Area
east of Boardman Tuesday night,
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high in the air.
The blaze also triggered outages
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knocking out power to 1,460 Board-
man-area customers — including
the Port of Morrow — for nearly
three hours.
Boardman Fire Marshal Marty
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closed part of westbound Interstate
84 due to heat and smoke. The cause
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Coyote Springs is one of four
Columbia Basin Wildlife Areas
managed by the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish & Wildlife, providing
a variety of habitat for birds and
animals.
Vegetation was too thick for
engines to access the land, Broad-
bent said, so crews used controlled
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Flames reached 100 feet high in the
canopy of the trees, he said.
“We just basically ended up
burning the whole refuge down,”
Broadbent said.
About an hour later, utility lines
sparked over Homestead Lane on
the outskirts of the Boardman Tree
Farm, igniting another 40-acre grass
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said there is no evidence to suggest
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Irrigon remained on scene until 3:30
a.m. Employees from the Port of
Morrow also sent a loader, grader
and three water trucks to help,
Broadbent said.
No one was hurt and no struc-
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Coyote Springs did creep close to
haystacks owned by Frederickson
Enterprises at the port.
“It was a battle to protect the
haystacks,” Broadbent said.
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Farm burned mostly on adjoining
land owned by Larry Lindsay, said
Don Rice, director of operations for
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were harmed inside the property.
“It tripped the power system, and
we had to restart irrigation, but there
was no damage,” Rice said.
Rice said the 23,000-acre tree
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Wood Resources works closely with
the Boardman Rural Fire Protection
District in case of an incident.
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far in Boardman, Broadbent said.
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Deadline for fair exhibits is next week
East Oregonian
The Umatilla County Fair encour-
ages people to enter exhibits as it’s
gearing up to celebrate its centennial
with 100 Years What a Ride!
Open class and FFA exhibitors
need to pre-register items they plan to
enter by Wednesday, July 29. Although
entries aren’t due at that time, the regis-
tration process allows for preprinted
tags and early premium payouts. 4-H
participants need to register with 4-H
OHDGHUVRUWKH268([WHQVLRQ2I¿FH
Those who register items can
purchase discounted season passes for
$14 or $10 for FFA members. Regular
rates are $40 for adults, $30 for seniors
and $24 for youths 6-12 and free for
children 6 and under.
Exhibitors need to read department
and division rules in the Umatilla
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online at http://umatil.fairmanager.com.
For those who don’t have access to
a computer, assistance is available at
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libraries offer computer use and Internet
access.
After completing the registration
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doesn’t show up, the registration
process isn’t complete.
For the actual exhibits, Open Class
Home-Ec, Arts and Creative Kids
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
Representatives from open class photography judge and arrange the de-
partment during the 2014 Umatilla County Fair. Pre-registration of open
class entries for this year’s fair must be completed online by July 29.
100 YEARS, WHAT A RIDE!
Umatilla County Fair parade
REGISTER: by July 31 for judging
DATE: Saturday, Aug. 8
LINE-UP: 4-6 p.m.
STARTS: 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Hermiston High School
INFO: 541-567-6121
www.umatillacounty.net/fair
entries are accepted Sunday Aug. 9
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Price and Hoeft
halls, and Open Class Horticulture at
the Hermiston Senior Center. Hay King
and Livestock entries will be received
Monday, Aug. 10 from 7 a.m. to noon
and 5-8 p.m.
If people miss the registration dead-
line, entries can be submitted for display
only, but won’t be judged.
For those who don’t have access
to a computer or need assistance, call
541-567-6121, 800-700-3247 or stop
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Ave., Hermiston.
classes are full, according
to the department’s online
schedule, and the next avail-
able class is in January.
Pendleton Police Chief
Stuart Roberts said in an email
enough demand can prompt
the department to schedule
a new class before then, and
the Legislature typically allots
money for emergency acade-
mies each biennium.
“Oregon is somewhat
unique in that persons have
to be hired before they can be
considered for academy atten-
dance,” according to Roberts.
“The employing entity has 90
days to secure an academy
date from the time of hire.”
Roberts said without the
state approval Badal will not
be able to do much on his
own outside the presence of a
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Badal was at the city
council meeting, and he
waited outside city hall while
councilors and staff discuss
his hiring behind closed
doors. After the executive
session, Badal resumed his
seat and saw the unanimous
vote. He beamed, thanked
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hands. (Councilors Bob Deno
and Raymond Doherty were
absent.)
In the meantime, the city
continues to negotiate with
Pendleton police to provide
oversight to the police depart-
ment and sift through candi-
dates for a chief to head up the
three-person department.
The council earlier in the
meeting voted 4-0 to increase
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the chief. Porter explained to
the council the city needed to
raise the wage scale to recruit
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was paying $3,276 a month
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example, while Pendleton
paid $700 more each month.
The new police pay scale
increases monthly salaries
by about $300 a month and
includes a 2 percent cost-
RIOLYLQJ UDLVH 2I¿FHUV ZLOO
make $3,576-$3,782 a month,
a sergeant $3,905 and the chief
$5,000-$5,750 depending on
experience. The scale went
into effect July 1.
City staffer and public
works director Steve Draper
said the raise would help
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spending money to train new
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the better-paying competition.
Councilman Deacon Perkins
said he understood the need
to be competitive, but he was
concerned about long-term
budget implications. Porter
said at least for this year, the
city has the money to cover
the hikes.
The council also approved
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pay from $3,476 to $3,679.
Porter said Thompson was
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came to Pilot Rock, so he
deserved a midrange salary.
The council also gave the
OK for Thompson to drive an
unmarked police car to and
from his Pendleton home three
nights a week to cut down on
response time and agreed to
pay him overtime for comp
time beyond 80 hours.
PENDLETON
City council gets ball rolling for new charges
ment charge was the largest
proposed fee, which is deter-
mined by meter equivalents.
If implemented citywide,
While the Pendleton
City Council took another the charge would range from
step toward implementing $3,769 for a three-quarter-
system development charges, inch line to $301,550 for an
city residents might not see eight-inch line
Those costs would be
the charges introduced for
considerably lowered if the
another year.
The council approved airport industrial area was
the methodology reports for spun off into its own develop-
water, sewer and stormwater ment zone with its own set of
system development charges system development charges.
If the council chose
Tuesday, which accepted a
fee structure for the charges WKDW RSWLRQ ZKLFK *DODUGL
recommended, developments
without adopting them.
'HE*DODUGLDVXEFRQVXO- outside the airport would be
tant for the city’s utility master charged between $3,420 and
plans, said the council should $273,635.
Councilwoman
change city laws to allow
the charges before the end of McKennon McDonald said
the year and then implement she was concerned that a
them sometime between higher system development
charge for the airport might
January and July 2016.
The charges would be a discourage development in an
¿UVW IRU 3HQGOHWRQ ZKLFK area the city has targeted for
would assess a one-time fee that purpose.
Sewer charges were
to new developments based
on their impact on the utility slightly lower, ranging from
$3,089 to $247,106.
system.
Both the water and sewer
A water system develop-
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Milton-Freewater
City Council
meeting canceled
Clinics teach
basketball skills
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Pilot Rock City Council
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approved higher pay for city
cops.
The council voted 4-0
Tuesday to hire Daniel
Badal, 23, who works as a
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Oregon Correctional Insti-
tution, Pendleton. Badal and
his wife, Marisol, live in Pilot
Rock.
Badal will start Aug. 1,
according to city recorder Teri
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though, will have a limited
role for months to come. His
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to his new job, so he is bound
for the Oregon Public Safety
Academy, Salem, where he
will have to take the Oregon
Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training’s
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class.
This year’s two remaining
BRIEFLY
MILTON-FREE-
WATER — The
Milton-Freewater City
Council meeting for
Monday, July 27 has been
canceled.
For more information,
contact City Manager
Linda Hall at 541-938-
8242 or email linda.hall@
milton-freewater-or.gov.
PILOT ROCK
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
calls than it did at this time a year
ago — which itself was a record-
breaking year.
“We’ve been running hard,”
he said. “This was typical of what
we’ve been going through this
year.”
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Eastern Oregon. Earlier in the
morning, one man was killed in an
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OHWRQFLW\KDOODQGDZKHDW¿HOGDOVR
burned south of Milton-Freewater.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or
541-564-4547.
charges were in the middle of
the pack in a study of Oregon
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higher than charges of nearby
cities like Umatilla, Herm-
iston and Boardman.
The stormwater fee is
based on the square footage
of impervious area instead of
meter equivalent.
According to the method-
ology report a 5-cent charge
would result in a $125 fee for
the average housing develop-
ment.
Some councilors were
concerned that the master
plans were based on the city’s
comprehensive plan, which
projects Pendleton to have
more than 30,000 residents
within 20 years.
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Sidewalk Sales
Friday and Saturday
Up to 70% off
207 & 217 SE Court, Pendleton
Pendleton fails to meet that
mark, the per capita costs of
development would remain
the same.
Councilman Neil Brown
appealed to the public to stay
patient during the process
of creating new charges and
raising existing ones.
“Nobody wants to be
scaring people to death,” he
said. “We’re talking gas taxes,
we’re talking about system
development charges, water
rates going up, sewer rates
going up. There’s an awful lot
to absorb.”
Have you heard
about the
Wednesdays
in the Park
concert series
starting July 29?
www.pendleton
parksandrec.com
PENDLETON — Kids
wanting to learn basketball
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week clinic to attend.
The Overtime Training
Basketball Skills Clinic
EHJLQV6XQGD\IRU¿YH
consecutive weeks for
grades 3-9 to give kids the
tools to build their game
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3-4 meet from 2-2:45 p.m.;
grades 5-6 from 2:45-3:45
p.m.; and grades 7-9 from
3:45-5 p.m. Cost to attend
is $50 for grades 3-4, $55
for grades 5-6, and $60 for
grades 7-9. Registration is
due Thursday.
For older players,
a Friday option is also
DYDLODEOH7KH¿YHZHHN
clinic begins Friday,
July 31 and costs $55 for
grades 5-6 and $60 for
grades 7-9. Registration is
due is due Tuesday, July
28.
Register for all
programs at the Parks
2I¿FH7XWXLOOD5RDG
(next to the cemetery)
Monday-Friday from
7 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
or online at www.
pendletonparksandrec.
com. Call 541-276-8100
for more information.
Adult open
gym features
basketball
PENDLETON —
Looking for a great way
to start the week? Adults
can hit the gym from
6:30-7:30 p.m. for full
court basketball at the
Pendleton Recreation
Center, 510 S.W. Dorion
Ave. Or start your day off
right with half-court games
from 6-7 a.m. Monday
through Friday. It’s free for
ages 16 and up thanks to
the generosity of volunteer
gym supervisors.
For more information,
call Pendleton Parks and
Recreation at 541-276-
8100 or visit www.
pendletonparksandrec.
com.
Summer
adventure camp
extends into Aug.
PENDLETON — For
those who don’t want
summer to end, Pendleton
Parks and Recreation
has extended its popular
Summer Parks Adventure
Camp with two sessions in
August.
The camps will run
Aug. 3-6 and Aug.
Nancy and Bill
Acoustic Duo
featuring soft rock,
country and
easy listening
Sat., July 25, 2015
8 pm - 11 pm
304 SE Nye
Pendleton
541-276-6111
10-14. The $84 per week
registration fee covers the
cost of the camp, which
runs from 9 a.m. through
3 p.m. Monday-Thursday
and includes a daily snack,
lunch and camp activities.
Registrations are
OLPLWHGWRWKH¿UVW
campers, with registrations
due Friday for both camp
weeks.
Register for all
programs at the Parks
2I¿FH7XWXLOOD5RDG
(next to the cemetery)
Monday-Friday from
7 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
or online at www.
pendletonparksandrec.
com. Call 541-276-8100
for more information.
Farming 101
IHDWXUHV¿HOGWULS
ENTERPRISE — The
public will have an
opportunity to learn about
farming in Wallowa
County through the Into
the Wallowa Outings.
Farmer Woody Wolfe
will introduce participants
to the basics of farming
in the area. Farming 101:
:KDW¶V7KDW*URZLQJ
There? is Saturday, Aug.
1 from 9 a.m. to noon.
People should meet to
carpool from the Wallowa
Land Trust, 116 S. River
St., Enterprise.
The land trust’s
mission is to protect
Wallowa County’s rural
nature by working with
private landowners,
American Indian tribes,
local communities and
governmental entities to
conserve land.
For more information,
including other outings
and lectures, contact
julia@wallowalandtrust.
org, 541-426-2042 or visit
wallowalandtrust.org.
Altrusa sets
school supply
drive
PENDLETON — With
tight budgets for schools
and many families, Altrusa
International of Pendleton
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WU\LQJWRKHOS¿OOWKHJDS
A School Supply Drive
is planned to provide
needed items to help make
students successful in
the classroom. Members
of the club will collect
donated items and cash
Saturday, Aug. 1 from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wal-Mart,
2203 S.W. Court Ave.,
and Bi-Mart, 901 S.W.
Emigrant Ave., both in
Pendleton.
Needed supplies
include backpacks,
crayons, tissues, PeeChees,
rulers, binders, erasers,
notebooks, pencils, white
glue, colored pencils, glue
sticks, paper, pens, scissors
and washable markers.
In addition, monetary
donations can be sent
through Saturday, Aug. 15
to Altrusa International of
Pendleton, P.O. Box 1735,
Pendleton, OR 97801. For
more information, contact
VR¿#PDVWHUSULQWHUVQZ
com.