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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2016)
REGION Friday, February 12, 2016 East Oregonian Page 3A Umatilla Co. racks up $51K bill for helping Harney message to sheriffs in all 36 counties to participate in a conference call Jan. 3, the Umatilla County Sheriff day after an armed mob took Terry Rowan reported his over the refuge in protest of staff’s work in Harney the federal government’s County during the armed control of land. Following standoff on the Malheur the call, Rowan said, he sent National Wildlife Refuge has a patrol deputy/detective and a dispatcher to aid Harney already cost $51,000. Rowan said the state is County. “We were told they looking to reimburse his RI¿FH DQG RWKHUV IRU WKH were going to establish a outlays, and would then turn command post so, I sent a to the federal government YHU\ TXDOL¿HG GLVSDWFKHU to recoup the funds. He said that could assist them with the reimbursable costs for the set up of equipment so sheriff’s agencies that helped communications could be in Harney County was at established,” Rowan said in E\ WKH ¿UVW ZHHN an email. “The patrol asset of February. That number was used at their discretion should still rise, even after but mainly provided armed the occupation is over and security to the command agencies process the crime post, helped gather intelli- scene and provide additional gence, and general police services. Both were down security. The Oregon State there for several days and up Sheriffs’ Association sent a to two weeks.” By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Rowan then sent two more dispatchers in the second week to help provide 24/7 dispatch services. “There have been at least two dispatchers down there since this began,” he said. “The operation called for a number of patrol assets to be sent, but I have limited resources in that arena, so I was unable to send additional patrol units down.” Umatilla County sheriff’s Capt. Kathy Lieuallen, commander of the local dispatch center, said Harney County has a small operation and at times dispatchers there had to use paper and pencil and not computers to take calls. Rowan said dispatchers were still operating in the third week of the crisis. He then sent two court security RI¿FHUV EHFDXVH +DUQH\ County was “having high SUR¿OHW\SHFRXUWFDVHV´7KH next week he said he sent three court security deputies along with dispatchers. One court security deputy and one dispatcher were in Harney County as of Wednesday, the day before the occupation came to a peaceful end. The sheriff said he expected they would stay there as long as Malheur County needed. Rowan, who is seeking a second term as sheriff, also stated lending a helping hand did not reduce dispatch or court security resources. The ¿UVW GLVSDWFKHU FXW KLV YDFD- tion short, but the department EDFN¿OOHGSRVLWLRQVWRPDNH sure there was coverage for Umatilla County and partner agencies. Sheriff’s employees typically drove to Harney County on Sundays and drove back on Fridays, then returned the next week. 7KH VKHULII¶V RI¿FH FRYHUHG lodging, meals and pay, including overtime. Nearly every sheriff’s RI¿FH LQ WKH VWDWH DVVLVWHG Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward and his department in some way, Rowan said, and at least two outside sheriffs were there from the onset. But Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer, Harney County’s neighbor to the north, sent no one. Palmer tried to supersede federal authority in September 2015 when he deputized 11 county residents to create a public lands natural resources plan. Palmer also called the police roadblock where Oregon State Police troopers shot and killed militant leader Robert “LaVoy” Finicum an “ambush site,” which earned him criticism from the state sheriff’s association. Rowan said sheriffs rotated in and out of Harney County every few days, so at any given time there were at least three sheriffs in the community. Oregon sheriff’s RI¿FHVDOVRVHQWHQRXJKVWDII to establish six teams of two deputies each for 24/7 patrols, though Rowan said they “scaled that back a little the last two weeks.” ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833. Hermiston deputy superintendent ¿QDOLVWIRU:DOOD:DOODMRE intendent for 18 months in 2011-2012 while Superin- Wade Smith, the deputy tendent Fred Maiocco was superintendent of the Herm- deployed to Kuwait as a iston School District, is one colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. RI VHYHQ ¿QDOLVWV “I was for the top job in honored to work the Walla Walla with an incred- School District. ibly talented and The new supportive staff,” superintendent, to Smith said about be selected by the his time in the top school board, will leadership role. begin July 1. They “You see districts will replace Bill put on the brakes Jordan, who will Smith or coast in that retire at the end of kind of situation, the school year. Smith was hired as but we made great progress Hermiston’s assistant and had great success.” Upon Maiocco’s return, superintendent of human UHVRXUFHVLQDIWHU¿YH Smith was named deputy years as an administrator in superintendent. Smith said his nine years the Morrow County School District. He served as the in Hermiston schools have Hermiston interim super- been great, but he felt it was East Oregonian time to move into a super- intendent leadership role. He and his family would like to stay in the region, so the Walla Walla job made sense. Hermiston School District has an enrollment of 5,500 and Walla Walla is about 6,200. Smith will join adminis- trators Susan Bell (Touchet, Washington), Kent Kultgen (Helena, Montana), Mark Mansell (La Center, Wash- ington), Kevin McKay (Zillah, Washington), Jared Hoadley (Mead, Wash- ington) and Molly Ringo (Everett, Washington) in the ¿QDOURXQGRILQWHUYLHZV The Walla Walla School %RDUG ZLOO FRQGXFW ¿QDOLVW interviews Feb. 29, March 1 and 2, and public meetings will be held on these dates at SPDWWKHGLVWULFWRI¿FH MILTON-FREEWATER $12.5M school bond set for May ballot town Alliance proposed turning Freewater Elemen- tary School into a commu- The Milton-Freewater nity recreation center. Freewater would be one School Board approved a resolution Monday that will of the buildings that would put a $12.5 million bond on be vacated as a result of the May 17 ballot, although the new elementary, and matching grants from the the alliance has targeted state and a private founda- LW IRU D QRQSUR¿WRSHUDWHG tion could bump that total to community center if the bond passes. $31.5 million. According to its proposal Although the election is still several months away, the to the school board, the 0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU 8QL¿HG alliance formed a committee School District has already to explore establishing a secured a $15 million grant community center. The committee analyzed from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation and a the cost of developing and $4 million grant from the maintaining a center by Oregon School Capital looking at comparative Improvement Matching data for recreation centers in Baker City, Tillamook, Program. Both grants are reliant on Newport and Pullman, the school district passing a Wash. They also conducted an bond. The combined funds online survey that showed will cover a new K-3 that most people in the elementary school, heating, community were in favor of ventilation, air conditioning starting a recreation center. The proposed 17,600- and technology upgrades for McLoughlin High School, 24,700 square foot facility Central Middle School and would feature a weight Ferndale Elementary School room, a teen/senior center, and the replacement of a gymnasium, locker rooms Grove Elementary School and other amenities. The with a new sports complex. pitch also recommends The bond will also replace renting out space to local a $1 per $1,000 assessed organizations and busi- value levy with a $1.10 rate. nesses. Establishing such a center The bond could have a wider range of effects in wouldn’t come cheap. Alliance Director Randy Milton-Freewater, in addi- Grant estimated it would tion to improving schools. At the same meeting take $1 million to open the board approved putting the center and another $2 a bond referendum on the million to properly establish ballot, a group from the the center as an asset and Milton-Freewater Down- community attraction. By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Grant said the alliance committee is already begin- ning to identify funding sources for a fundraising effort, with the alliance needing to raise 60-70 percent of the money before they take a fundraiser to the public. Superintendent Rob Clark said the school board was receptive to the idea of converting Freewater to a community center. If the bond passes, Clark said he would recommend the board sign a memo- randum of understanding with the alliance in July or August that will give the organization time to raise the money. Successful fundraising could lead to a lease and if not, Clark said the district would explore other uses for the 102-year-old school. The earliest the commu- nity center could open is 2019, after construction of the new elementary school is complete. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. A romp in the park Staff photo by E.J. Harris Zoey, a one-year-old red border collie, chases down a tennis ball while playing fetch with her owner Christi Jakabosky on the playground at Lincoln Elementary School on Wednesday in Pendleton. Athena-Weston to interview three for superintendent ATHENA — The Athe- na-Weston School Board has VHOHFWHG WKUHH ¿QDOLVWV IRU LWV open superintendent position. The district will hold inter- views at Athena Elementary School on Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. in a round-robin format — each candidate will get a chance to interview with the board in a closed-door session, talk with district staff and meet with the public. At the end of their meet- ings, staff and members of the public will be provided with a rating sheet, the feedback from which will be considered by board members when they make their decision. 7KH ¿QDOLVWV DUH 7RP Yahraes, the CEO of Big Sky Discovery Academy in Big Sky, Mont.; Laure Quaresma, the assistant superintendent of Walla Walla Public Schools; and Roger Trail, the executive director of human resources for the Clarkston, Wash., School District. All three candidates are aiming to replace Jerry Copeland, who resigned from the superintendent position to become the human resources director with the InterMoun- tain Education Service District. Jim Reger, the former interim superintendent for WKH0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU8QL¿HG School District, came out RI UHWLUHPHQW WR ¿OO WKH MRE temporarily while the board searched for Copeland’s successor. For more information about the superintendent search, contact the district at 541-566-3551. 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