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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2015)
Saturday, September 5, 2015 OFF PAGE ONE PROJECT: City crews expected ROADS: Cabbage Hill is not on the OLVWGXHWRLWVKLJKYROXPHRIWUDI¿F to be complete by early fall Page 10A East Oregonian the city would have to seek out funding from the state or and Northwest Stage Gulch a private lender to fund the Road. project. The $500,000 was only Additionally, state funding D ³SODFHKROGHU´ ¿JXUH would require the city to bid Patterson said, and since the out the project to a private future development is much contractor instead of doing closer to the airport, it only the job in-house. needed a $300,000 invest- Pendleton voters passed a ment. temporary 4-cent gas tax to The cost of the project, cover 20 percent of the cost of which Patterson expects city building Airport Road, with crews to complete by early the rest of the bill footed by fall, is coming out of the city’s the federal government. enterprise fund. With the gas tax covering Patterson also budgeted only the cost of constructing $2.5 million to extend water the street, Patterson said lines throughout Airport installing utilities on Airport Road and upgrade the Road earlier would have airport’s booster station, but necessitated rate hikes. Continued from 1A Another future airport development that could EHQH¿WIURPVWDWHIXQGLQJLV the Hill Meat Co. expansion, which requires water exten- sions. Patterson said the city will meet with the state’s Infra- structure Finance Authority to discuss its options. If the city were able to obtain funding from the authority for the project, Pendleton would receive the money and in turn reimburse Hill Meat for the costs of the extension project. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. MONEY: Fund generates $35-$50M in interest for education every year Continued from 1A Last year businesses turned over $63.8 million in unclaimed property, while the state only paid out $23 million in claims. Curtis said most years are similar, which is why the collection of unclaimed funds recently passed the $500 million mark. Checking for unclaimed property is as simple as entering the name of a person or business into the state’s database online at www.oregonup.us. From there, claimants can print off a form to send into the state claiming their money. The database can only be searched by name, not location, but a search for the word “Hermiston” turns up 52 businesses or organiza- tions with the word “Herm- iston” in their name that have unclaimed cash sitting in the state fund, including Hermiston High School and the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce. Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Pedro said no one at the chamber had ever heard of the unclaimed property fund or realized the chamber had two checks for over $100, one from 1994, that were waiting to be claimed. “I feel like I won the lottery,” she joked. A search for the word “Pendleton” turns up approx- imately 48 businesses or organizations with the word “Pendleton” in them that are tied to a Pendleton address. Many of those businesses have multiple checks listed from different years. One of those businesses is 3HQGOHWRQ $XWRERG\ 5H¿Q- ishing. About 20 line items are listed for the business, but manager Jerry Bernard said only four of those items can actually be claimed by the business. The rest are checks that were issued to the shop and a car owner to do work on a car that the customer never brought in WR ¿[ XVXDOO\ EHFDXVH WKH\ decided they couldn’t afford the deductible. “Our name may have been on the check, but the money was not intended for us,” he said. Bernard said he keeps an eye on the unclaimed property website and does ¿OH FODLPV ZLWK WKH VWDWH from time to time. Most of the process is online now, he said, and fund representa- tives in Salem are helpful if he calls with a question. “It’s not all that compli- cated,” he said. All states have a fund for handling unclaimed money, but Oregon is unusual because it holds the money in the Common School Fund, meaning it generates anywhere from $35 million to $50 million in interest for education every year. The state makes an effort to track down and notify people with accounts worth more than $250, but most of the line items in the state’s database are for less than that. Curtis said the contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes are auctioned off every two years and the money is put aside for the owner or heirs to collect if they ever contact the state. Items like family photo- graphs are held for longer than two years. “If something looks like an heirloom or it’s some- thing extremely valuable we’ll hold it back from the auction,” Curtis said. She encouraged everyone who has ever lived in Oregon to check and see if they’re on the list. “It’s so easy to do and people should just do it,” she said. “It’s not our money, it’s their money.” ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. Continued from 1A and the largest, Region 5, covering Eastern Oregon’s expanse from Boardman to the Idaho border and from the state line with Washington to the state line with Nevada. The higher the score, Strandberg stated, the higher potential for safety needs on that roadway segment. The highest index score in Eastern Oregon is 67.05 for the port entry on Highway 730, Umatilla. The 0.21-mile long section had 11,700 vehicles pass through a day, and in the last three years there have been 26 crashes. Most of those, according to the report, have been rear-enders and turning wrecks. The state could spend as little as $12,000 for some safety improvements, including warning signs, or $1.2 million that would include moving entrances and building more weigh stations on Highway 730. Rich Heinemann is the man who made that recom- mendation, along with 17 more throughout Eastern Oregon. Heinemann has EHHQ2'27¶VWUDI¿FLQYHVWL- gator based in La Grande for 10 years. “I know just about every street in Eastern Oregon,” he said. He starts his day at 3:30 in the morning and works four 10-hour shifts a week. Heinemann said that makes more sense given he might drive four or more hours a day to check out roads and intersections on the SPIS list. He takes photos of locations, FRPSDUHVVLWHFRQ¿JXUDWLRQV with similar areas, tries to ¿QGRXWZKDWLVFDXVLQJKLJK numbers of crashes and then develop potential remedies. Sometimes he comes up with “some fancy-schmancy solution,” he said, sends that off and an engineer comes back with a more affordable way to achieve the same effect. Other times he recommends nothing more than monitoring, such as for EO file photo Pendleton paramedics load a victim in a two-vehicle collision onto a gurney at the corner of Southwest Court Avenue and 10th Street on Oct. 17, 2008. the section of Highway 395 in Pendleton that intersects Southwest Haily Avenue on the north and Tutuilla Road on the south. The busy site is No. 4 on the list with 29 crashes, according to the report, but 72 percent were rear-end colli- sions, and since 2011 crashes there dropped 26 percent. Some places with repu- tations as dangerous roads do not make it high on the SPIS list. Cabbage Hill on Interstate 84 near Pendleton is that way, Heinemann said, primarily due to its high WUDI¿F YROXPH DQG URXJKO\ seven-mile length. Cabbage Hill could have 50 crashes over a year, he explained, but that number is a smidgen of the total vehicles that use the long section each day, so it earns a lower SPIS score than a smaller section RIURDGZLWKOHVVWUDI¿F The second-worst crash prone section in Eastern Oregon is less than two tenths of a mile long, but had 34 crashes, and, like other the top spots, it makes the list year after year: Highway 395 and Elm Avenue near the Hermiston Wal-Mart. That would not surprise Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, who called the site the worst in the city with regard to the potential for crashes. He said a couple of years ago he directed the WUDI¿F RI¿FHU WR ZRUN WKH intersection for 40 hours over the course of a couple months. “He witnessed 40 red light violations during those 40 hours,” Edmiston reported, “but could only safely get to about half of the violators for issuance of a ticket.” The state road department is making safety improve- ments throughout Highway 395 in Hermiston, including a redesign of that intersection. The area around South- west Court Ave./Highway 30 and 10th Street, Pendleton, is No. 3 on the list, and Highway 395 and Theater Lane, Hermiston, comes in at No. 5. None of the worst spots have had a fatal crash in the last three years. Heinemann said the index system is a useful tool, but not perfect. Crashes in road construction areas can throw a wrench into the calculation and produce a high index number. He still has to check it out, but the problem is likely to go away when the construction ends. Road also can stay on the list a few years after the state made them safer because of the formula’s three-year window. “You implemented a solu- tion,” he said, “and then have to wait a few years to see if it did any good.” And while Heinemann and other ODOT investiga- tors make recommendations, they do not have a say in determining the budget or deciding which roads get the dollars for improvements. Paid Advertisement Rogers Toyota of Hermiston 1550 N. 1st St., Hermiston, OR 97838 SNOW: Damaged areas have steep slopes, ashy JURXQGDQGODFNYHJHWDWLRQWRKROGEDFNÀRRGLQJ Ferguson to work with the various agencies to coor- dinate the restoration and mountains. $ VLJQL¿FDQW DPRXQW RI ÀRRGPLWLJDWLRQ ZRUN WKDW the Canyon Creek drainage will take place. )HUJXVRQ PHW ZLWK RI¿- has been damaged by ¿UH *UDQW &RXQW\ &RXUW cials from the U.S. Forest Commissioner Boyd Britton Service, Natural Resources said the danger is real and the Conservation Service and issue needs to be addressed other agencies Sept. 2 to begin hashing out a plan. sooner rather than later. Malheur National Forest “I’m just scared to death of what could happen,” Supervisor Steve Beverlin Britton said. “I am really, said Wednesday that resto- really concerned. We don’t ration efforts to help control have any vegetation now in ÀRRGLQJLQFOXGLQJVRLOVWDEL- lization and erosion control much of that watershed.” The forecast called for projects, will be conducted steady drizzle for Friday night as quickly as possible. “We’re moving as fast as into Saturday and emergency responders weren’t taking we can,” he said. “My direc- chances. However, the real tions to my team are: Let’s focus is on spring runoff and have those investments down EHIRUHWKHVQRZÀLHV´ snow melt next year. Britton said the county Doug Ferguson of Ferguson Surveying and Engineering will act as a liaison between the multiple local, state and federal agen- cies that will each conduct rehabilitation efforts in areas of the Canyon Creek GUDLQDJHKDUPHGE\WKH¿UH “Those who understand WKH SRWHQWLDO RI ÀRRGLQJ DUH certainly concerned,” he said. “The county wants to stay close to this issue.” Much of the damaged areas are steep slopes now ¿OOHG ZLWK KDOIEXUQHG debris, downed trees and ashy ground. Add in the lack of vegetation keeping that debris anchored to the hillside, and the potential IRU FDWDVWURSKLF ÀRRGLQJ increases. In the worst-case scenario, Ferguson said, “the silt and ash and debris that could come down that creek could be devastating. Everybody is still pretty focused on ¿JKWLQJ WKH ¿UH %XW , DP worried about the possibility RI LPPLQHQW ÀRRGLQJ SURE- lems. We just don’t have anything left to hold back a ÀRRG´ The county has asked Continued from 1A is hoping to cut through the red tape that will be involved with such large restoration efforts and get the work done quickly. “We have to get out ahead of this,” he said. “Let’s be proactive to keep this thing from being worse than it already is.” Grant County Court Judge 6FRWW0\HUVVDLGWKHÀRRGLQJ concern is legitimate. “If we were to have a gully washer or sudden downpour, with all the vegetation upstream of Canyon City virtually gone, we could get DQ LQÀX[ RI PXG DQG GHEULV … rushing into Canyon City,” he said. ——— Sean Ellis of the Capital Press contributed to this story. LABOR DAY NEW AND USED CAR SALES EVENT Thursday, September 3, 2015 – Tuesday, September 8, 2015 We have the best selection of inventory that we’ve had all year. With over 50 new 2015 and 2016 Toyotas coming in every day! This is one of the biggest sales events we’ve ever had! 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Customers can DUULYHHDUO\DQGLQVSHFWWKHYHKLFOHVEHIRUHWKHVDOHRI¿FLDOO\EHJLQV Our hope is that people will take advantage of this fantastic opportunity and get into a new vehicle at great, no-hassle prices. *Not valid with any other offers. In-stock vehicles only. No Payments until December 2015 for Tier 1-3 New Toyota buyers XSWRPRQWKV2QDSSURYHGFUHGLW0XVW¿QDQFHWKURXJK7R\RWD)LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHV 7KHODUJHVWLQFHQWLYHLVRQD1HZ7R\RWD9HQ]D9$:';/(6WRFN1XPEHU7&XVWRPHUVGR QRWKDYHWR¿QDQFHWKURXJK7R\RWD)LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHVWRWDNHDGYDQWDJHRIWKH6HOHFWHGPRGHO1HZ7R\RWDYHKLFOH incentives. Actual vehicle prices and payments may vary for various reasons, including, but not limited to, applicable manufacturer rebates, special limited time offers, dealer incentives, taxes, document fees of $150, title fees, any emission LQVSHFWLRQRURWKHUWHVWLQJIHHVJRYHUQPHQWIHHVDQGEX\HU¶VFUHGLWTXDOL¿FDWLRQV$OOSULFHVSHFL¿FDWLRQVDQGDYDLODELOLW\ subject to change without notice. Rebates offered by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Featured 0% APR offers valid only ZLWKDSSURYHGFUHGLWDQGPXVW¿QDQFHWKURXJK7R\RWD)LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHV1RVHFXULW\GHSRVLWUHTXLUHG25LQFOXGHV refundable security deposit. Event offers run Thursday, September 3, 2015 - Tuesday, September 8, 2015. ***$2,999 price is based on a 1985 Chevrolet pickup. Stock Number 15U186A. &ROOHJH*UDGXDWH)LQDQFH3URJUDPLVYDOLGRQWKHOHDVHRU¿QDQFHLQFOXGLQJSUHIHUUHGRSWLRQRIVHOHFWQHZXQWLWOHG 7R\RWDPRGHOVRURQ7R\RWD&HUWL¿HG8VHG9HKLFOHV&ROOHJH*UDGXDWH5HEDWHLVRQO\DYDLODEOHRQQHZXQWLWOHG7R\RWD &DPU\*$6H[FO+\EULG&RUROOD3ULXVF5$9*DVRQO\7DFRPDDQG<DULVYHKLFOHV7&89VDUHQRWHOLJLEOHIRUWKH 5HEDWH3URJUDP7KH&ROOHJH*UDGXDWH5HEDWH3URJUDPDQG&ROOHJH*UDGXDWH)LQDQFH3URJUDPDUHDYDLODEOHXSRQ FUHGLWDSSURYDOIURPDQGH[HFXWLRQRID¿QDQFHRUOHDVHFRQWUDFWWKURXJKDSDUWLFLSDWLQJ7R\RWDGHDOHUDQG7R\RWD )LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHV7)61RWDOODSSOLFDQWVZLOOTXDOLI\6HHVWRUHIRUGHWDLOV For questions or more information go to toyotaofhermiston.com or call 541-567-6461
