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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
REGION Wednesday, February 15, 2017 East Oregonian STANFIELD Page 3A MILTON-FREEWATER Part of downtown building collapses Council, property owner throw barbs No injuries, but severe damage Governor’s rep works councilor Ed Chestnut. “A far cheaper alternative to find solutions to is to find those people some trailer park problems place else to live,” Mayor By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Part of a downtown Stanfield building collapsed Friday afternoon, forcing a restaurant and several tenants out indefinitely. The building, at 110 N. Main St., is home to the Blanquita Restaurant and Pupuseria, serving Salva- dorian food, as well as four upstairs apartments. Stanfield City Manager Blair Larsen said Stanfield police and Umatilla County Fire District 1 responded to the call and found the entire back side of the building had collapsed. The back area is used for parties and special events but is not occupied full-time. No one was in that area at the time of collapse. Larsen said an inspection has not been conducted yet, but the fire department suspects the collapse was caused by ice and snow By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris The roof on the back half of the Pupuseria Blanquita lies in ruins on Tuesday in Stanfield. on top of the building that started to melt and leaked into the structure. “The moisture may have weakened the beams,” Larsen said. Larsen said the city has attempted to contact the owners, Antonio and Filberto Chavez, but has not yet heard back from them. The building has been shut down and a dangerous building ordinance has been placed on the structure barring entry. In order to lift that ban, Larsen said the building must be repaired and has to pass another safety inspection. The restaurant’s oper- ators, Moises Torres and Blanca Orellano, could not be reached for comment by press time, and the number of people living in the building was not known. PENDLETON City staff details ‘busy year’ for street repair By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The city of Pendleton is entering the second year of its increased focus on street repair. At a workshop Monday, Public Works Director Bob Patterson told the Pend- leton City Council what staff members accomplished since the council agreed to implement a $5 street utility fee and what they were aiming for in 2017. “It’s going to be a busy, busy year out there in the city,” he said. In an interview Tuesday, Patterson recounted staff’s discussion with the city council. Patterson showed the council the five streets they were able to overlay using the revenue from the street utility fee, 70 percent of which went to neighborhood streets in good condition and 30 percent to residential streets in poor condition. The city also contracted with a paving company to provide crack and slurry seals for 64 streets, which Patterson said is mostly complete. The poor street revenue went to a section of Southwest Perkins Avenue between the dead end west of 46th Street and 44th Street. Residents of that neighborhood had previously petitioned the city council to fix their road. Staff also produced a 2017-2018 list of residential streets it would target for repair, combining some of the leftover roads from the 2016-2017 list with new additions. The new list targets 12 good streets and eight poor streets for new outlays, and nine streets for crack and slurry seals. Including all of the alternative proj- ects, the list identifies $972,420 in resi- dential street projects. The street utility fee brings in an estimated $481,000 per year The streets in need of repairs are complicated by the utility upgrades needed underneath them. Of the roads identified in the 2017 list, five of them also needed sewer repairs while 11 required sewer repairs. The city is currently in the process of leveraging a five-year utility rate increase into a state loan for water and sewer system repairs. As for repairing some of the city’s worst-kept roads, Patterson said the streets covered over the next few years will look a lot like Southwest Perkins used to. Patterson said residential streets near Rice-Blakey Park and Ken Melton Little League Park were made with the same rock used to make Perkins. The rock never bonded well with the oil in the asphalt mix, making for a street prone to crumbling. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. M i l t o n - F r e e w a t e r ’s Monday city council meeting devolved into heated exchanges and snide comments between officials and a trailer park owner. About the only one to keep his calm while others lost theirs was Scott Fairley, the governor’s coordinator of the Greater Eastern Regional Solutions Team. Fairley, of Pendleton where he is also a city councilor, told the council he came for two reasons: to hear council members’ objections to a plan to use federal grant money to extend city water lines to Locust Mobile Village, 1501 N. Elizabeth St.; and to find out if the council would consider such a plan if he could address their concerns. The Oregon Health Authority last spring notified the 40 or so park residents that their drinking water was contaminated. That notice remains in effect. Fairley said the Health Authority is committed to drilling a new basalt well to provide clean water to the park thanks to a federal grant. But if the council wanted, that money could pay to run city water lines to the park. He told the council one of the most significant problems he sees communities face is how to fund infrastructure for future development. Council members responded with a litany of complaints, from code violations at the park and who should enforce them to opposition against Nancy Shaw, owner of the park. “We need to find a way not to be a gift to a person who has made an art form of externalizing costs,” said Lewis Key said. Fairley acknowledged their concerns and offered answers when he could, such as that any deal would prevent Shaw from profiting if she sold the property after improvements. Then councilor Steve Irving said “every one of those houses probably needs to be moved out of there and condemned.” That prompted Shaw to speak out from the small crowd in attendance. “As far as I’m concerned,” she told the council, “you can stay out of my park ... I’m just offended with your adverse comments and adverse remarks.” Key smirked. “You can laugh all you want,” Shaw told him. Moments later, city manager Linda Hall interjected. “We were not looking for this conversa- tion,” she stated, until Shaw and occupants at the park tried to force the city to annex the site in 2015. The move failed thanks to help from the Legislature. Paula Hall, chief execu- tive officer of Community Action Program of East Central Oregon, stepped up and said her organization has the resources to relocate park residents. As soon as she was done, audience members joined the anti-park chorus. “Oh my gosh,” Shaw exclaimed. “You guys are so rude.” The back and forth continued for several minutes before Key finally restored a semblance of order. Fairley brought the conversation back to his original request for the council to consider possible solutions, and perhaps he could come back in a month or two to present them. The council consented to that. BRIEFLY Writers’ series features pair of Portland poets PENDLETON — A pair of accomplished poets from the Portland area are featured in this month’s First Draft Writers’ Series. Scot Siegel and Kristin Berger will share from their works Thursday at 7 p.m. at Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St. There is no admission charge. Siegel, the author of five books of poetry, has received awards and commendations from the Oregon Poetry Association, Nimrod International, Aesthetica (UK), Poetry Northwest and the Oregon State Library. In addition, his poetry is part of the permanent art installation along the Portland-to- Milwaukie light rail “Orange Line.” The author of “How Light Reaches Us,” a poetry collection, and a poetry chapbook, “For the Willing,” Berger also co-edited “VoiceCatcher 6: Portland/ Vancouver Area Women Writers and Artists.” She is the recipient of numerous writers’ residencies and co-hosts a poetry series at Lents International Farmer’s Market in Portland. After their presentations, local authors may read from their own works during an open mic. No experience is necessary and everyone is welcome. For more information, call 541-278-9201 or visit www.pendletonarts.org. For more about the writers, go to www.scotsiegel.com and www.kristinberger.me. Hermiston library party features valentine fun HERMISTON — Cookie decorating, a craft table, games, refreshments and a story time are all included in a free Children’s Valentine Party at the Hermiston Public Library. The free event is Friday from 4:30-6 p.m. at 235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. Parents are encouraged to bring their kids for a fun evening of free activities. For more information, call 541-567-2882 or visit www.hermistonlibrary.us. Economic group hosts annual luncheon HEPPNER — The Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group (WCVEDG) will host its annual luncheon Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in the dining room at St. Patrick’s Senior Center, 190 N. Main St., Heppner. Guest speaker is Rep. Greg Smith, who will give a legislative update. Lunch of barbecued ribs, grilled citrus chicken, sides, dessert and beverages will be catered by Gateway Café, S T U D EN T W EEK Isabelle C hapm an Pendleton High School Proudly Sponsored by Shopping center announces youth scholarships High school seniors who live in the service area of a Simon mall property are eligible to apply for a $1,500 Simon Youth Community Scholarship. Due to the proximity of the Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick, students in Umatilla County can submit an application. Students must be United States citizens, demonstrate academic promise, participate in extracurricular activities, community involvement and have financial needs. In addition, they must plan on enrolling in a college, vocational of technical school program in fall 2017. Along with the application, students need to submit responses to essay questions. For more information, including an online form, visit syf.org/ scholarships. The deadline is Wednesday, March 1. For questions, contact Erin Brown, public relations for Columbia Center, at 206-971-0707 or erin. brown@curatorpr.com. ——— Submit information to: community@ eastoregonian.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. I found Dad’s remote in the fridge again. …I’m beginning to get worried. IT’S NOT LIKE HIM. PART-TIME DRIVER O F TH E Isabelle Chapman is a member of National Honor Society as well as FFA (she is an officer) and has participated in Cross Country and Tennis for 4 years at PHS. Isabelle is also a member of the PHS Jazz Band and Symphonic Band. She volunteers a lot of hours with other member of the National Honor Society. She is looked at in FFA and band as a leader and a mentor to the younger students. She leads by example in all her classes and has continued to push herself academically each and every year. Her current academic classes include AP Government, AP Literature, Honors Biology 2 and Spanish 4. All of these are Dual Credit Courses. Isabelle is also planning to attend Linfield College next year. and will be provided at no charge. Those interested in attending the luncheon are asked to RSVP to the Heppner Chamber of Commerce at 541-676- 5536 or by email at heppnerchamber@ centurytel.net. Pick up an application at 211 SE Byers, Pendleton or e-mail resume and cover letter to hr@eomediagroup.com Part-time driver needed to deliver East Oregonian publications throughout Eastern Oregon. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds, have a valid driver’s license and a good driving record. Shifts vary but will regularly include Tuesday nights. Duties may include non- driving work if extra hours are desired. Drug test, driving record and criminal background checks will be completed before hire. WE CAN HELP. Call us with questions about aging and Alzheimer’s. 1-855-ORE-ADRC HelpForAlz.org OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM 2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton, OR • 541-276-5121
