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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2017)
WEEKEND EDITION BILL WOULD GIVE SELF-SERVICE OPTION TO RURAL PUMPS 3A STANFIELD ADVANCES TO VACATION AT A LEPER COLONY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 1B LIFESTYLES/1C MARCH 4-5, 2017 141st Year, No. 100 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON City plans to revive convention center manager position Full-time position was eliminated in 2013 By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris The roar of the crowd Western Mennonite sophomore Terry Jiang watches the Pioneers in their 53-33 loss to Santiam while wearing an infl atable T-Rex costume on Friday at the class 2A state championship basketball tournament in Pendleton. For more on the game and the tournament see Sports, 1B. What to do about ‘megafi res’ Presentation highlights risks, actions to fi ght growing threat By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Wildfi res are getting bigger and hotter across the West, threatening communities and causing billions of dollars in damage as forests become more cluttered and prone to disease. That’s according to a presentation by Paul Hessburg, research landscape ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, documenting how the landscape has changed Hessburg and what effect humans are having on fi re behavior. Hessburg’s talk, titled “Era of Megafi res,” is equal parts cautionary tale and call to action, mixing decades worth of research with short video clips to show how and why large fi res erupt, the devastation they cause and what See FIRE/12A Courtesy of Jennifer Walmsley The Canyon Creek Complex wildfi re is seen from downtown John Day, during the dark days before hundreds of fi refi ghters wrestled it into submission. That did not happen, however, until 44 homes were lost to the fi re. After eight months of experimentation, the Pendleton City Council could go back to a more conventional setup for its convention center manager position. Already the city’s airport manager and economic development director, Steve Chrisman started overseeing the Pend- leton Convention Center in July. City manager Robb Corbett is now recommending the city council recreate a full-time manager position, which would effectively relieve Chrisman of his convention center duties. In an interview, Corbett said he initially thought the convention center only needed a part-time director. Pat Kennedy was the manager for 17 years before the city eliminated the posi- tion in 2013 and rehired him on a contract basis over the next few years. Given Chrisman’s experience marketing the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Corbett thought he could handle the convention center assignment when Kennedy announced his retirement. What convinced Corbett to reverse course was an increase in activity among all of Chrisman’s departments. Although day-to-day management of the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport was handed off to associate engineer Wayne Green when Chrisman was named convention center director, Chrisman’s role as airport manager and economic development director means he spends much of time focusing on the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range. The range has seen a recent uptick in customers and Chrisman has predicted that the revenues would help the airport become self-sustaining in 2017. At the same time, the convention center has also seen growth. According to a report from Corbett to the city council, the convention center has gone from a $182,000 defi cit in 2010 to a $83,289 surplus at the end of the last fi scal year. The convention center is currently on track to exceed $200,000 in surplus at See PENDLETON/12A PENDLETON PHS, Stanford grad to lead reborn Water Coalition Nonprofi t group to focus on education, outreach Marika Sitz has returned to Eastern Oregon to revive the Oregon Water Coalition and will help promote water resources and coordinated education and outreach. Staff photo by E.J. Harris By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Marika Sitz knew she wanted to return to Eastern Oregon. Her timing couldn’t be better. After graduating from Pendleton High School in 2011, Sitz moved to Silicon Valley where she earned her bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University. Her focus was predominantly on food and agricultural systems, which led to an interest in water development and sustainability. Now, as local farmers fi nd themselves on the cusp of new irrigation supplies that could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for the basin, Sitz has come home to revive the dormant Oregon Water Coalition, a nonprofi t group formed 25 years ago to promote water resources. Sitz, 24, was offi cially hired in January as coordinator for the coalition. She will serve at the recommendation of an eight- member board of directors, including longtime irrigators and irrigation district managers. “It’s nice to be able to come back to a small town like this and have an opportu- nity like this,” Sitz said. See WATER/12A