REGION
Thursday, February 18, 2016
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK
Page 3A
WALLA WALLA
Leaking sewer lagoons to be moved Three charged
Project would cost
about $5.1 million
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Pilot Rock has a new plan
to address its aging waste-
water lagoons.
The
primary
and
secondary lagoons are north
of Pilot Rock and next to
Birch Creek. Leakage from
the lagoons in 2014 and 2015
prompted warnings from
the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality. City
recorder Teri Porter said the
council decided Tuesday
night on a project that would
move the lagoons.
“Pretty much we need to
get off the creek,” she said.
“DEQ isn¶t going to allow
any leakage.”
She said the city council
ended up supporting an
option to move the lagoons
EO fi le photo
The City of Pilot Rock is supporting a plan to move the
city’s aging wastewater lagoons north of the Bike Pit.
north of the Bike Pit, an
off-road motocross and
all-terrain vehicle park.
The project would cost
about $5.1 million, she
said. The city would get
the funding from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Porter, Mayor Virginia
Carnes, public works director
Steve Draper and coun-
cilors Raymond Doherty
and Deacon Perkins met
last week with agencies to
discuss funding. Porter said
the federal ag department
offered a $1.4 million grant
and the other $3.7 million in
a 40-year loan at about 1.9
percent interest. She said that
would keep sewer rates at
about $40-$41 a month.
The engineering ¿ rm
of Anderson Perry and
Associates is working up a
feasibility plan for the project
and will present that to the
Department of Environ-
mental Quality for approval.
The council also met in
a closed-door meeting again
with its prospective police
chief, Bill Caldera, the
lieutenant for the Pendleton
Police Department. The
council discussed a possible
contract for Caldera, and that
now is heading to the city¶s
lawyer. Porter said when it
passes muster it will come
back to the council for ¿ nal
approval.
Porter said she hopes
that happens at the next city
council meeting, March 1.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
MILTON-FREEWATER
Melodrama group stages interactive show
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
The sad but silly story of
Lily Fairweather (Camille
Riley), her weak but hand-
some sweetheart (Keith
Opsal) and how the evil villain
Craven Sinclair (Broderick
Graves) interrupts their plans
for everlasting bliss will be
staged in Milton-Freewater.
“It will be rather
humorous and it¶s a typical
melodrama — you boo at
the villain and clap at the
hero or heroine,” said Helen
Richartz, publicity director
for the performance.
“Lily,
The
Felon¶s
Daughter,” an old-fash-
ioned melodrama by Tom
Taggart, will be presented
by The Milton-Freewater
Melodrama Actors. It opens
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the
First Christian Church, 518 S.
Main St., Milton-Freewater.
Additional
performances
include a Sunday matinée at
4 p.m. and evening shows
Feb. 25-27, all at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is $8 for adults
and $5 for students. Money
raised from the performances
will go to the Bread Basket
and scholarships at Blue
Photo contributed by Jeff Sasser
Camille Riley and Keith Opsal participate in a rehears-
al of “Lily, The Felon’s Daughter,” an old-fashioned
melodrama being staged in Milton-Freewater.
Mountain
Community
College.
The melodrama group,
directed by Nancy Wolfe,
has put on a number of
productions over the past 15
years. The show is produced
by Barbara Coddington, who
also designed the costumes,
and Rhonda Lineberger
provides accompaniment on
piano.
Wolfe, who studied
dramatic arts at Whitman
College and is a retired
teacher, enjoys the interactive
aspect of melodramas.
“They¶re just fun. People
can boo and hiss and cheer,”
she said. “It¶s fun for the
people that are in it, too. You
have to be very serious about
it, but on the other hand it¶s a
tongue in cheek seriousness.”
100 students barred from school
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
More than 50 Umatilla
County students squeezed in
at the deadline for required
immunizations this week,
but 100 others were turned
away and excluded from
school.
The state of Oregon
requires all students in public
and private schools, daycare
and Head Start programs
have proof of vaccination —
or a completed exemption
form — on ¿ le before Feb.
17. Students without that
documentation were unable
to attend classes Wednesday
and are not allowed back in
school until that documenta-
tion is available.
Schools, clinics, families
and students worked together
to bring that number down
from more than 700 earlier
this month. The Umatilla
County Health Department
and local schools each
track student vaccinations
and contact parents to keep
children in class.
“Our secretaries do an
excellent job at contacting
parents and making sure
everyone is taken care of
before Exclusion Day. It¶s
one of the steps we take to
make sure we¶re giving our
students a safe learning envi-
ronment,” Tricia Mooney,
Pendleton Assistant Super-
intendent said Wednesday.
SUBMIT
COMMUNITY NEWS
Submit information to:
community@eastorego-
nian.com or drop off to
the attention of Tammy
Malgesini at 333 E. Main
St., Hermiston or Renee
Struthers at 211 S.E.
Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call
541-564-4539 or 541-966-
0818 with questions.
Students excluded from school
Students excluded
Hermiston
87
Umatilla
30
Pendleton
11
Stani eld
3
Echo
1
Pilot Rock
1
Athena-Weston
0
Total enrollment
5,300
1,380
3,200
496
280
370
350
* All Milton-Freewater schools did not report fi gures by press time.
“We¶re going to continue
supporting the 11 students
who were excluded today to
get them back into school.”
Of the school districts in
Umatilla County, only one
— Athena-Weston School
District — had all students
caught up and able to attend
classes Wednesday. All
other districts had at least one
student excluded. Schools
from Milton-Freewater did
not report total numbers by
press time.
Hermiston
had
the
highest number of exclu-
sions — 87 students, or
about 1.6 percent of the
district¶s enrollment — but
also reported the highest
number of vaccinations
given on Wednesday.
Sharon Waldern, clinic
nurse
supervisor
for
Umatilla County Health,
said the county provided
vaccinations to 39 students
in Hermiston and an addi-
tional eight in Pendleton.
School-based clinics and
private providers in both
cities also served multiple
students on Wednesday.
School vaccinations were
also available at local phar-
macies.
According to the Oregon
Health Authority, county
health departments sent
home 29,234 letters to
parents and guardians in
2015. On exclusion day in
2015, 4,666 children were
kept out of school or child-
care.
———
Contact Jennifer Colton
at jcolton@eastoregonian.
com
37 TH ANNUAL
HERMISTON SPORTS BOOSTERS
STEAK FEED & AUCTION
Saturday, March 5th • 5:30pm
Auction starts at 7:00pm
Hermiston Community Center
FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS,
$
40
on
per pers
call Paul 541-567-5215 or
formore info., call Joe 541-571-4478
Everyone 21 years & over welcome.
All proceeds will assist Hermiston High
School boys and girl athletic programs.
This ad generously donated by
LINDSAY IRRIGATION
a proud community supporter
HERMISTONSPORTSBOOSTERS . COM
Performing as the play¶s
heroine when she was just
out of college, Wolfe said
“Lily, The Felon¶s Daughter”
is a longer melodrama that
features three acts.
Living in Milton-Free-
water since 1999, Wolfe has
been involved with commu-
nity theater wherever she
lives. The 80-year-old said
it provides an avenue for her
to use her talents to help area
organizations or groups.
“It¶s a way for me to give
back to the community,” she
said.
Wolfe said everyone
involved with the production
is enjoying the process and
said he hopes people will
come out and have a good
time.
Others acting in the
show are George White,
-ulie Culjak, -eanot Poirot,
Tammy Seaquist, -ennifer
Riley and Clark Colahan.
For more information,
contact Richartz at helen_
jack@columbiainet.com or
541-558-3969.
———
Contact
Community
Editor Tammy Malgesini at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539
with rape, robbery
and kidnapping
(Walla Walla) Union-Bulletin
Two men and a woman
are in custody, accused of
raping, kidnapping and
robbing a 20-year-old
woman overnight Monday,
according to a police report
presented in Walla Walla
County Superior Court on
Wednesday.
D¶Sean E. Marks, 23,
and Bailee K. Foster, 18,
were arrested Tuesday
evening in Walla Walla at
around 5 p.m. following
a high speed pursuit,
which ended when the
vehicle Foster was driving
crashed into an SUV and a
retaining wall.
Marks and Foster face
several felony charges,
including ¿ rst-degree rape,
¿ rst-degree kidnapping,
¿ rst-degree robbery, and
gross misdemeanors of
third-degree theft and
fourth-degree assault.
Foster also faces felony
charges of attempting to
elude police and posses-
sion of methamphetamine.
Shawn Crump, 24, no
address given but who has
a past criminal history in
Walla Walla, was located
by detectives at a resi-
dence in the 200 block of
Orchard Street and taken
into custody shortly after
9 p.m. Tuesday. He was
held for investigation of
¿ rst-degree rape, ¿ rst-de-
gree kidnapping, ¿ rst-de-
gree robbery, possession
of
methamphetamine,
third-degree theft and
fourth-degree
assault,
according to a police
department news release
this morning.
According to the police
report, Marks and Foster
allegedly met up with the
victim, with whom they
are acquainted, and Stacy
Crosby late Monday night
or early Tuesday morning.
Marks was going to pay
back money he owed the
victim, the report said. The
group walked around for
a while and met up with
Crump, then went to a
residence.
Once there, the victim
went into a bedroom with
Crump, Marks and Foster
to talk. Inside the bedroom,
Crump allegedly pulled
a knife on the victim and
told her to give him any
money and drugs she had,
saying he would stab her if
she didn¶t, the report said.
Crump then strip-
searched the victim for
money and drugs, and
sexually assaulted her
during the search, the
report said. He then took
the victim¶s purse and ID
card, told her she would
go outside with Foster,
and if she said anything to
Crosby then Crump would
stab him, the report said.
Once outside, Crump
held the victim by her hair
and her hand, and made
her cover her face with a
shirt and a hood. Crump
also took a cellphone the
victim had, the report said.
Crump used duct tape
to bind the victim¶s hands
behind her back and forced
her into the trunk of a car.
The victim fought back and
was struck by Crump, and
her feet were then bound
with duct tape as well,
the report said. Foster and
Marks allegedly helped
Crump in these various
crimes.
The victim was even-
tually released on Weston
Mountain Road in Umatilla
County. She reported the
incident around 6 a.m.
after walking to a nearby
home, and was transported
to the Walla Walla Police
Department by a Umatilla
County Sheriff¶s Deputy,
the release said.
A second passenger
who was in the vehicle with
Foster and Marks during
the pursuit was identi¿ ed
as Ismael A. Rojas-Bar-
cott. Rojas-Barcott, 24, no
address given, was arrested
on investigation of posses-
sion of methamphetamine
and felony warrants from
Oregon, according to the
news release.
Bail was set Wednesday
morning in Superior Court
at $100,000 each for Marks
and Foster. Crump has yet
to have a ¿ rst appearance
in court in the case.
Pendleton City Council accepts 21 acres on Westgate
East Oregonian
With the buildings demolished and the
land cleared, the Pendleton City Council
looks to start anew with the properties that
used to contain Blue Mountain Recovery
Center and Eastern Oregon Training Center.
The city council unanimously voted
Tuesday to accept the deed for 21 acres
north and south of Westgate from the
Oregon Department of Administrative
Services, a process that took well over a
year. The council wants to use the BMRC
land for industrial development and the
EOTC property for housing.
The council also unanimously approved
a $153,372 bid and a request for proposal
to buy and install new heating, ventilation
and air conditioning units for city hall and
the public library.
Although the city had only budgeted
$148,000 to replace the city hall system at
the beginning of the ¿ scal year, the library¶s
unit failure spurred facilities manager to
start looking at other options.
By purchasing directly from a manufac-
turer and securing a $39,702 reimbursement
from the Energy Trust of Oregon, Graham
said the cost of two units and installation
would come in $5,372 over budget.
After holding a closed-door meeting to
discuss his evaluation, the council unani-
mously voted to renew City Manager Robb
Corbett¶s contract through -une 30, 2017.
Mayor Phillip Houk said the council
would also considering giving Corbett a
raise not to exceed 0.5 percent, but would
make a decision at a later date.