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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2016)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian BUS: Kayak could extend PUPS: Trained to help free service to Boardman Continued from 1A Hermiston dollars would not fund other legs of the inter- city system that currently runs between 17 communi- ties. Morgan said the city would continue to run the $2 taxi ticket program as well, but would expect the cost to go down as more riders opted to take the free bus. Morgan and Tovey couldn’t give councilors an estimate on cost, because it depends greatly on factors such as how many stops and how many hours per week the buses operate. But Morgan said the grant money and overhead savings would help balance things out, and the payoff would be a system that serves more citizens and doesn’t charge them anything. “Hermiston has grown tremendously since that (taxi ticket) program was put in place,” Morgan said. “It’s ineficient and it only serves our senior and disabled resi- dents.” Tovey said a ixed route through Hermiston would allow the bus that runs between cities to stop just once in Hermiston, instead of three times, saving enough time that the CTUIR could likely reach its goal of extending service to Boardman. He said state government oficials recently pointed out that the only gap in public transportation between Ontario and Portland is the stretch between Stanield and Arlington. If Kayak extended its route to Boardman, the state would likely help extend the Hood River-based service that stops in Arlington, creating the opportunity for someone to take public transportation all the way from the Idaho border to Portland and back. The city is putting together a public transporta- tion committee to design a bus route through Hermiston so that it can be paired with a budget and presented to the city council for approval. Morgan said if all goes well the system could be up and running by Jan. 2. Councilors said they liked the idea and several volunteered to sit on the transportation committee. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. WEATHER: Negotiations needed to change calendar Continued from 1A own pros and cons. Adding minutes to the school day would have the least impact on teachers and students, but the district would have to work to ensure that the extra time would be used effectively. The district could also shorten recess and lunch times, but it’s far from ideal. “We really whittled those back to a minimal number,” Kovach said. Any of these options could require negotiating with the teachers union, whose collective bargaining agreement stipulates their school-year calendar, and Kovach will stay in contact with the union throughout the process. School oficials don’t have to make a decision and could stand pat, but they would have to answer to the Oregon Department of Education if the district doesn’t meet the 900-hour minimum. The district would need to submit a plan to the state’s deputy superintendent of public instruction detailing how it would meet the minimum next year, or ile for a waiver to excuse the missed hours ahead of time. At worst, the state super- intendent can withhold state LAMB: Animals will go to auction on Saturday Continued from 1A to look for when picking a potential prize winner. Warner will be a soph- omore at Pilot Rock High School this fall and is in her second year of showing lambs at the Umatilla County Fair. Her mom, Martha, showed lambs in high school, too. But back then, the cost of buying and raising one was a lot less expensive. Olivia paid $200 for Blue, a Hampshire-Suffolk cross born in Idaho. When Martha was showing animals, $200 would have bought a pure- bred, top of its class, senior- year show worthy lamb. The costs of feed, boarding, and equipment add up, too. “I’m just hoping to break even,” Olivia said of her goal at Saturday’s auction. Showing an animal is a week long process starting with conformation which determines if an animal is qualiied to move forward with the showing process. Then there is the actual showmanship and awards with everything culminating in the livestock auction. funds if the district fails to submit a plan or come into compliance. At a Pendleton School Board meeting Monday, Kovach said he was going to discuss the district’s options with administrators and staff and come back to the board with a recommendation. According to bond project manager Dave Fishel, both Washington and Sherwood Heights are on schedule to open Sept. 19. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Raz, left, and Sawyer lie underneath the chairs of their handlers on Monday at EOCI in Pendleton. Continued from 1A and another pulled off his handler’s socks on command. St. Peter said this is the irst time her program has gone into a prison, previously relying solely on community volunteer trainers. St. Peter, who comes to the prison each week to train the handlers, couldn’t be happier with the results. About three weeks in, she noticed the dogs were farther along than normal. “The (community handlers) have their own lives and that gets in the way,” she said. “Here, this is their life. The training is extremely consistent and the dogs get more of it.” Capt. Jeff Frazier over- sees the day-to-day operation of the program at EOCI. He said the men are focused on their mission. “They are very serious. The reason for their success is how seriously they are taking this,” Frazier said. “It blows me away. It’s all been positive.” The serious mission, however, doesn’t preclude moments of joy and hilarity sparked by the puppies. Frazier recalled one night in the television room when someone dropped an ice cube. A puppy named Shrek pounced on it, sent it sliding around the room as he attempted to corral and pick up the cube. The inmates, laughing, forgot television and watched the puppy’s antics instead. “When you see the dogs, it’s hard not to smile,” Frazier said. “You see a lot of smiling.” Arnett said Sawyer greets him and his “cellie” Michael Little every morning by licking their faces. “They are so stoked to see you every morning — it’s infectious,” said Arnett, who was convicted of assault. “They are a blessing in every way.” EOCI Superintendent Jeri Taylor listened as she stood petting one of the new puppies, a cutie named Outlaw. She initially welcomed the program because of reported thera- peutic beneits for inmates and anecdotal evidence suggesting dogs in prison may lower recidivism, depression and misconduct. After four months, she said, “I see a difference in the inmates, even the non-trainers. There is friendly banter and smiles. The atmosphere has light- ened on this (the east) side of the prison.” The puppies go back to Salem each month for a week for exposure to malls, elevators, doorbells and other trappings of commu- nity life. St. Peter said she will keep future puppies in Pendleton when she gets four or ive local volunteers willing to take dogs for a week each month. For more information, call St. Peter at 503-551-4572. ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810.w Tuesday, August 9, 2016 LEAD: Testing began July 5 Continued from 1A the district’s executive director of operations, the irst step is to replace faucets and spray nozzles, which the district has already done. The sources are also tagged with large signs that direct people not to use them. Each elevated source has been retested and results are pending. The results will determine the next steps. If a new ixture still relects high levels of lead, the district will begin the process of replacing pipes. The district began testing July 5, after the Oregon Health Authority recommended all public schools and day care centers test their water for lead using accred- ited drinking water testing labs. The recommendations came after elevated lead was found in drinking water throughout Portland public schools. Most recently, the Medford School District reported high lead levels at three elementary schools. The recommendation from OHA asked districts to test all water sites that could reasonably be used for drinking water. Hermiston School District facilities crew took that instruction a step further, including testing janitor closet mop faucets because coaches have been known to ill water coolers from there. They also tested outside hose faucets and bathroom sinks. Kay said they tested these secondary sites because “it was the right thing to do.” The district sent samples to Analytical Laboratory Group and Anatek Laboratory Group, both accredited water testings companies. Kay estimates the district will have spent at least $13,000 on lead testing, but is optimistic the district will receive reimbursement from the state. Hermiston School District gets its water from the city of Hermiston’s municipal water system, which, according to public records, receives regular testing and continually meets state and federal lead thresholds. Kay gave a presentation on the water results to the Hermiston Board of Education Monday night. Board chair Karen Sherman responded favorably to the district’s efforts. “Thank you, Mike, to you and your staff, for going the extra mile in making sure that our kids are safe and our staff,” she said. “I appreciate all the hard work, I think the thick document shows a lot of time and energy that went into it. That’s the right way to do it, and we appreciate all your efforts.” The thick document she referred to was a three ring binder holding all the testing documentation for the district. On Friday, Kay received notice that the Oregon Health Authority would be requiring all school districts to test all water sources for lead. “I’m very pleased with our staff and being proactive to get ahead of this,” Kay said. OHA also will require that after the initial testing this year, districts must test a small portion of sites at every building each year. If one of those small samples comes back elevated, all sites at that building will have to undergo testing. The school district’s water was last believed to have been tested in 2002. Also at Monday night’s board meeting, members voted unanimously to appoint Bonnie Luisi to ill the board seat vacated by Maria Duron, who left for a paid position with the district ofice. Luisi worked as a classiied employee for Hermiston School District for 22 years before retiring and has served on various committees throughout the district. Her term will end June 30, 2017, at which point she may run for election to the board.