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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 2016)
REGION Friday, September 30, 2016 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON PENDLETON One-time bundle grant could replace closed playgrounds Intoxicated driver nearly crashes into cop By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Pendleton Parks and Recreation Department is preparing a full-court press to obtain funding to replace playgrounds at several city parks. Parks and Recreation Director Donnie Cook said a steering committee directed the department to begin applying for private grants with the intention of using those as leverage for a large state grant the city will apply for over the spring. Cook said securing support from smaller private charities like the Pendleton Founda- tion Trust and the Northwest Credit Union Foundation could improve Pendleton’s case to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “When we have support from them, it looks better to the state,” he said. A large grant is needed if the city is going to try to replace at least some of the playgrounds at Kiwanis, May, Aldrich and Vincent parks, which have been closed or removed to prevent kids from playing on the old equipment. Cook has said the play- ground at Sherwood Park also needs be replaced, although it hasn’t been closed yet. EO ile photo In this June 6 ile photo, an orange construction barrier surrounds the play structure at Vincent Park in Pendleton. Replacing all that equip- ment would cost an estimated $182,099, a bill that is prompting the department to attempt a process that’s only been successful once before with a parks program. Pendleton is going to “bundle” all of the play- ground projects under one grant application, a process usually reserved for other capital projects like street paving. In order to successfully do that, Pendleton will have to propose installing similar playground equipment at every site, which would drive down the cost of doing all the projects at once. Even if the city lands the large grant from the state, children who patronize the affected parks shouldn’t expect to see their playgrounds return in time for next summer. The grant application is due April 1 and the city won’t know if they’ve gotten it until next September. Because the parks depart- ment doesn’t have enough money in its annual budget, the city would have to apply for smaller grants to replace the playgrounds one at a time if the state rejects its proposal. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. PENDLETON Arts center exhibit showcases Hermiston artist Portland2016 Biennial included Arlen Clark’s work East Oregonian Hermiston artist Arlen Clark was surprised last year when he received a call from Michelle Grabner, asking if she could come by and see his work. A nationally known artist, Grabner was co-curator for the Whitney Biennial in 2014, one of the most prestigious exhibits in the United States. She was traveling the state trying to identify the most interesting artists in Oregon for the Portland2016 Biennial, and Clark’s work was on her radar. After a 1,800-mile trek to visit 400 artists, Grabner invited Clark to be one of 105 artists featured in Salon: Portland2016, The Studio Visits, which was featured at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center. Following that success, Clark created a new body of work which will be on exhibit in the East Orego- nian Gallery at Pendleton Center for the Arts. The public is invited to an artist’s reception Thursday, Oct. 6 from 5:30-7 p.m. at 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Painting for the past 35 years, when Clark irst became interested, he took an art class with northwest painter Sandra Campbell. “She didn’t teach us how to paint, she just told us we could paint anything we wanted, any way we wanted,” Clark said. “I spent the next several years trying to igure out what I did want to paint, and how I wanted to paint it.” Like many successful artists, Clark’s exploration began by making copies of paintings by the old masters. He created several paintings after Johannes Vermeer’s iconic works, Contributed image An exhibit by Arlen Clark of Hermiston opens with a reception Thursday, Oct. 6 at Pendleton Center for the Arts. “One of the things I love about Arlen’s work is that while he’s depicting people and places that are very personal to him, the paintings provide a dynamic backdrop that sparks the observer’s imagination.” — Roberta Lavadour, executive director for Pendleton Center for the Arts but didn’t connect with the style. Shortly after, he was in Hawaii and was struck by the vibrant colors and lush foliage. He also was inter- ested in painting portraits of his wife, Linda, from old photographs. A deep exploration of art history and the works of the icons of modern art has given Clark’s work a rich collection of associations. Viewers might recognize references to everything from Picasso and Gauguin to Australian aboriginal work. “One of the things I love about Arlen’s work is that while he’s depicting people and places that are very personal to him, the paintings provide a dynamic backdrop that sparks the observer’s Still Missing You imagination,” said Roberta Lavadour, executive director at the arts center. The viewer’s mind, Lavadour said, immediately begins to spin new stories. The people, animals and objects take on a different narrative for each person looking at Clark’s work. The exhibit runs through Saturday, Oct. 29. The arts center is open Tuesday through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge. For more information, call 541-278-9201 or visit www.pendletonarts.org. East Oregonian An 85-year-old man ended up in jail after nearly crashing into an Oregon State Police trooper while he helped stranded motor- ists near Pendleton. Trooper Darin Wong around 7:30 p.m. stopped on the right shoulder of westbound Interstate 84 near milepost 202, about ive miles west of Pend- leton, to help a motorist with three children put gas in her vehicle. “While I was in the process of doing this,” according to the report from state police, “I heard a loud crash and screeching of tires and saw a vehicle pitch sideways to avoid hitting my patrol car.” The vehicle got back onto the interstate and continued. Wong told the motorist and her children to stay put, got into his BRIEFLY Crash last week near Umatilla killed one UMATILLA — A young woman from Tacoma, Washington, died Friday, Sept. 23, in a crash near Umatilla. Oregon State Police Sgt. Seth Cooney said alcohol was a factor. Tamaira Grifin, 20, was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu east on Interstate 82 when the car left the road near milepost 3 and rolled. “She was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected,” Cooney said. “And the vehicle rolled on her.” Umatilla County Fire District 1 sent an ambulance, which took Grifin to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston. Cooney said she died at the hospital, which notiied her relatives. The passenger, Tiffany Darensbourg, 27, of Renton, Washington, received medical treatment at the hospital, Cooney said, and was out the next day. He also said state police have not determined what caused the crash but “alcohol was considered to be a related factor.” Athena boy recovering from second surgery ATHENA — Payton Throne, the 7-year-old boy run over by a car on his way to Athena Elementary School on Monday, is recovering from his second surgery since the accident. Surgeons implanted a stent in the second-grad- er’s brain Monday after his skull was fractured in the collision, and he underwent pelvic surgery Thursday afternoon. His mother, Jessica Stifler-Throne, said Thursday afternoon September 13, 1983 - September 30, 2003 Payton has been sedated most of the week and hasn’t been able to speak much. She also said his injuries included fractured ribs and collarbone, bruised lungs and a large gash on his face. There is an account set up to help cover the family’s medical costs at HAPO Credit Union in Weston and a GoFundMe page managed by Doug and Amanda Murphy from Christ the King Church in Milton-Freewater. On Thursday it has raised more than $3,800 of its goal of $5,000. AAUW meeting highlights upcoming election PENDLETON — Election issues are the topic during an upcoming general meeting of the AAUW. Chuck Wood of the Pendleton City Council and Nancy Kerns, attorney for the city, will present information about marijuana measures. In addition, AAUW member Elizabeth Scheeler will discuss Ballot Measure 97. Everyone is invited to the meeting, which is Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Vert Club Room, 345 S.W. Fourth St., Pendleton. AAUW’s mission is to assist in bettering the lives of women and girls. For more information, contact karenallen1965@gmail. com or visit www.aauw. org. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@ eastoregonian.com Route work pays for my children’s activities. Diabetes Education Series Diabetes Self Management Series Oct. 6 th , 20 th , 27 th & Nov. 3 rd 5:30PM to 7:30PM Advance Registration Required Most Major Insurances, Medicare, Medicaid For more information or to register 541-278-3249 Melissa Naff, RD, LD, CDE Jeremy Kurtis Shipton police car and hit the siren and overhead lights. He followed the vehicle, which sped up to 101 mph. The leeing driver, according to the report, stayed over the center line and turned the blinkers on and off at random. The driver gave it up after about three miles. “Upon contact,” state police reported, “the driver had an odor of alcohol and multiple open containers inside the vehicle.” The trooper arrested Homer Stewart of St. Helens for driving under the inluence of intoxicants (alcohol) and reckless endangering. Once at the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, Stewart consented to an intox- ication breath test that revealed his blood-alcohol level was .11 percent, above the .08 percent legal limit. Diabetes Educator • 541-278-3249 Become an East Oregonian Carrier. 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton Susan Simpson 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org 333 E Main Hermiston Dawn Hendricks 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255
