REGION
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
HERMISTON
HERMISTON
Paramedic to lend a hand at inauguration
Higher Power Fitness
moving to larger space
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Mark Johnson will see
history up close this month,
when he serves on a team of
paramedics working at the
Jan. 20 inauguration of Pres-
ident-elect Donald Trump in
Washington, D.C.
Johnson, a Hermiston
native and paramedic with
Hermiston’s fire district for
almost 17 years, is part of the
statewide Disaster Medical
Assistance Team. The teams
are deployed to federal events
that can include natural
disasters or national security
matters. Most states in the
U.S. have at least one team,
Johnson said. Those teams
are on rotation throughout the
year, and Johnson’s team is
up for January.
“Our team commander
sends out the federal info to
us and asks us if we want to
go,” he said.
The teams provide medical
assistance, and are akin to
hospital units that can set up
anywhere.
“We basically can take
care of ourselves for up to
three days,” Johnson said.
The group was created in
2000, and Johnson was one
of the charter members for
Oregon’s team. The team
has provided medical care at
catastrophes like hurricanes
Rita and Katrina and has
been present at other events
— such as when international
figureheads visit the U.S. —
to provide medical care if
necessary.
“Our medical team was
one of the teams (there) for
the pope’s visit,” he said,
recalling his most recent
deployment to the East Coast
in 2015.
In order to work the
event, paramedics and team
members had to be vetted
and cleared at a federal
level. Johnson said with the
animosity surrounding this
year’s election and inaugura-
tion, it’s possible his team will
see more issues.
“It has the potential to be
challenging for security,” he
said of working the inaugu-
ration. “We know from that
standpoint — the federal
government — security is
one of their strong points.
But every deployment has the
potential. This one is more
politically active.”
The team does a lot of
training, some for specific
activities and some for general
maintenance and preparation.
“Our job is to be there, and
to be available for anything
that happens at a moment’s
notice,” he said.
———
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan
at
jramakrishnan@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4534.
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan
Hermiston paramedic Mark Johnson will work at this
month’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.
TURNER: Sees potential in developing UAS range
Continued from 1A
Rather than gut city departments that
would affect quality of life, Turner said
the best way to improve Pendleton was
to grow the economy.
“I bet you if you looked at the last
four mayors that were seated in this
job — that would take you back thir-
ty-some years — probably everyone of
them entered this office said the same
thing: ‘Let’s grow the economy,’” he
said. “Unless you have a road map with
specific goals, you’ll never get there.”
Shortly after he was elected in May,
Turner began working on a list of goals,
which were eventually narrowed down
to four — improving Pendleton’s
economy, housing, land development
and infrastructure.
Turner said the council would begin
coming up with ways to measure those
goals at its next work session.
Turner saw potential to solve some
of these problems by continuing to
develop the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial
Systems Range, which he credited for
helping the Eastern Oregon Regional
Airport emerge from being a financial
“sinkhole.”
He also saw potential in the Airport
Road extension, which is still without
businesses seven years after construc-
tion.
Turner said businesses could start
to arrive once the sites become “shov-
el-ready,” which is currently being
explored by the city.
Turner doesn’t see the same sort of
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton mayor John Turner presides over his first city council meeting
Tuesday in Pendleton.
economic benefit for Pendleton’s newly
legalized marijuana industry — the
costs to public safety and health could
outweigh them, he said.
Those costs to public safety justified
the high licensing fees Pendleton is
imposing, Turner said, and it hasn’t
stopped two businesses from trying to
open in town.
Back at the meeting, Turner tried to
inoculate the audience against the city’s
critics.
“Don’t pay attention to the profes-
sional naysayers and the rock-throwers
that sit on the curb and do nothing to
help and only criticize,” he said. “Help
out yourself, help us make strong, wise
decisions.”
Will Perkinson, recently appointed
municipal court judge, also swore in
new councilors Scott Fairley and Dale
Primmer, whose remarks were much
shorter.
“I have no words,” Primmer said.
“Let’s get to work.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@
eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836.
CITY HALL: Fairley said fines would only prolong the disrepair
Continued from 1A
think it’s time for action for
this property. It has posed a
public safety risk and is not
getting mitigated nearly as
quickly as it should have. The
amount of potential fire load
coupled with no sprinklers to
speak of in that block (means)
we could stand to lose a lot in
the event of a fire.”
The debris’ close prox-
imity to the building spurred
councilor Becky Marks to
scold the Quezadas, who were
represented by Jose Quezada
and his adult children —
Diana, Miguel and Marco.
“You’re
jeopardizing
the safety and security of
the buildings around you,”
she said. “That’s where my
heartburn comes from.”
Miguel Quezada said
the family could remove the
debris this week.
City attorney Nancy Kerns
said the council should vote
on whether the city should
continue to declare the
building a nuisance and also
whether to provide another
extension or enforce the
ordinance.
If the council decided to
enforce the ordinance, the city
would fine the Quezadas the
maximum $500 per day, with
the municipal court judge
given the option of adjusting
the rate if they contested it in
court.
If the Quezadas fix the
roof by the court date, Kerns
said the issue would be at the
discretion of the judge.
The council unanimously
agreed that the building
should still be a nuisance,
but enforcement was a more
contentious issue.
Casey Severe, a general
contractor and Quezada
family friend who is assisting
them with the project, said the
Quezadas were a victim of
“the worst winter in 10 years”
and a drawn-out bid process
for supplies.
If the family got an
extended period of dry
weather, Miguel Quezada
said they could have the roof
done in three weeks.
Councilor Scott Fairley
said fining the family would
require them to redirect their
resources from the roofing
project to the fines and would
only prolong the building’s
disrepair.
He suggested the council
extend the enforcement date
until the Quezadas had three
weeks of good weather to
finish the roof.
Calling in from home
while he recovers from
knee surgery, councilor Paul
Chalmers said he didn’t think
it would be feasible for the
council or city staff to define
“good weather.”
Ultimately, the council
voted 5-3 to begin enforcing
the nuisance ordinance, with
councilors Fairley, Jake
Cambier and John Brenne
voting against.
The council’s decision
sparked the ire of Miguel
Quezada.
“Jerks,” Miguel Quezada
said to the council before
leaving the chambers.
WEATHER: Last year saw a rapid spring runoff of snowpack
Continued from 1A
in December at the Pendleton
airport, with at least 1 inch
reported on six days and
5.7 inches reported on Dec.
14. Overall, precipitation is
running 1.52 inches above
normal for the water year,
beginning Oct. 1, 2016.
That’s
good
news
for snowpack across the
Umatilla,
Walla
Walla
and Willow basins, which
depend on snow in the Blue
Mountains to replenish
streams and reservoirs in
spring and summer. As
of Tuesday, snow-water
equivalent — defined as the
amount of water contained
within snowpack — was 126
percent of normal for the
water year, according to the
Natural Resource Conserva-
tion Service.
Julie Koeberle, snow
hydrologist for the NRCS,
said the year couldn’t have
gotten off to a much better
start, though they are hoping
to avoid a repeat of last
year’s rapid spring runoff,
triggered by record-breaking
high temperatures in April.
“The way to think of
snowpack is like a frozen
reservoir storage,” Koeberle
said. “If it melts off too
quickly, you deplete that
water source.”
Healthy stream flows are
critical for irrigation and
fisheries in the area. Koeberle
said the NRCS is compiling
its stream forecasts for the
upcoming spring, which
should be completed within
the next week or two.
“A lot of industries
depend on that stream flow
over summer,” she said.
Despite the increased
precipitation, most of Eastern
Oregon — including southern
Umatilla County — is still
classified as abnormally dry
by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The
National
Weather
Service Climate Prediction
Center is predicting wetter-
than-usual weather over the
next three months, which
could lead to removal of the
drought designation.
The forecast is still fuzzy
when it comes to tempera-
ture, with an equal chance of
being below, above or near
normal.
“It’s still a little up in the
air,” Koeberle said.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
Higher Power Fitness in
Hermiston is celebrating its
new home with a six-week
fitness challenge.
The fitness center is
having a week-long “grand
re-opening” at 2120 N. First
St. during the week of Jan.
16, with a ribbon cutting
ceremony hosted by the
Greater Hermiston Area
Chamber of Commerce Jan.
20 at noon.
The new space is 5,600
square feet, which makes it
almost four times as large
as the former 1,500-square-
foot space that Higher
Power Fitness began in two
years ago. The extra space
will be used to offer more
programs and larger classes.
Higher Power Fitness
offers workout classes,
personal training, yoga and
nutritional programs to help
people lose “as much fat
as they can in a healthful
manner,” according to a
news release from owner
Cindee Henderson.
“I’m all about people
changing their lives for the
better,” she said. “Unfor-
tunately, in the modern
age there is an overload
of information both good
and bad available, so when
people try to figure it out
on their own, they are para-
lyzed by so many choices
and fail even to take the
first step. We are making
it as easy and transparent
as possible to take that first
step. We take out all the
guess work.”
The six-week Trans-
formation Challenge runs
through Feb. 25. According
to the news release more
than 50 “challengers”
from Umatilla County and
Morrow County plan to
participate in the research-
based program consisting
of metabolic, cardio and
strength training.
Henderson said the
program “has been tested to
the point that it will produce
amazing results” in helping
people trim weight and
develop lasting healthy
habits.
“This isn’t a quick fix,”
she said. “We want to help
people get their lives back.”
Weekly updates on the
challengers’ journey will
be chronicled on the Higher
Power Fitness Facebook
page or on the blog at www.
higherpowerfitnessllc.com
For more information
or to join the Transforma-
tion Challenge, contact
Henderson at 541-289-
5483.
BRIEFLY
Icy roads and fast
driving lead to
stolen car crash
PENDLETON —
Oregon State Police out of
Pendleton and Hermiston
responded to 20 crashes
on icy state roads since
Friday. State police Sgt.
Lisa Sater said that doesn’t
include slide-offs and
tows.
Most crashes resulted in
no injuries, several wrecks
involved more than one
vehicle, and one led to the
recovery of a stolen car,
though the car may be in
rough shape.
State police received
a report Monday at 12:21
p.m. of a car smashing
into and breaking a power
pole on the southbound
side of Highway 339 at
about milepost 2 near
Milton-Freewater.
Trooper Amy Ford
responded and found the
red 1997 Nissan Sentra,
which lost control while
going too fast for the
conditions, according
to state police, the most
common reason the agency
attributed for crashes.
The driver of the car,
though, fled before police
arrived. Ford also found
the car’s owner reported
it stolen Dec. 16 from
Walla Walla.
Local troopers also took
two drivers off the road
since Friday for driving
while suspended and in
another instance caught
a 22-year-old Pilot Rock
resident driving without
a license. Violating traffic
laws led to each of those
stops.
Boardman City
Council meeting
postponed
BOARDMAN — The
Boardman City Council
has rescheduled its regular
monthly meeting to
Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m.
Meetings are typically held
the first Tuesday of each
month, but city manager
Karen Pettigrew said the
decision was made to
ensure a quorum.
The council will swear
in Mayor Sandy Toms,
who was re-elected in
November, along with
incumbent councilors Art
Kegler and David Jones,
who were also re-elected.
The council’s newest
member, Toni Connell,
will also be sworn in.
The council meets at
city hall, located at 200
City Center Circle. For
more information, call
541-481-9252.
BEST STAND-UP
COMEDY ON IT'S WAY
TO HERMISTON!
Melonville Comedy Festival
January 28, 2017
Hermiston Community Center
The 24th edition of the Melonville Comedy Festival will
feature three headlining stand up comedians. These
comics are in demand corporate show entertainers.
C HASE M AYERS
is coming to Hermiston from Baton
Rouge Louisiana for the fi rst time.
Chase is a comedy club headliner
in the Gulf Coast area, He also
appeared in the movie "The Butler''.
Chase is a Back Porch Comedian.
G ABRIEL R UTLEDGE
Another regular on the Bob and Tom Radio show
has appeared at the 2006 Melonville Comedy
Festival. He is on the comedy stage nightly all over
America. Gabriel's TV credits include
Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and HBO. Two of
his albums are on the Sirius Satellite radio comedy
radio top ten. Rutledge fi nds humor is in his family
and everyday life. Gabriel is based in Olympia.
D WIGHT S LADE
is a regular guest on the Bob and Tom
Radio show. He appeared on the Tonight
Show, and on Comedy Central. Dwight is a
headliner on the biggest stages of standup
comedy throughout the world. Slade start-
ed working in comedy clubs as a teen and
at the Melonville Comedy festival in 2004.
His humor covers everything from driving
to pets. Dwight is based in Portland.
Tickets $35 per person
Sponsor:
Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 8:00
Tickets available at
Hermiston Chamber of Commerce
Reserve Tickets at: 541-561-7488 •
NO REFUNDS • 21 & OVER