REGION
Thursday, April 20, 2017
East Oregonian
PENDLETON
Page 3A
BRIEFLY
Muscle added to code enforcement
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The
Pendleton
City
Council expanded the city’s
code enforcement staff by
50 percent in response to a
59 percent increase in code
enforcement incidents.
The council unanimously
agreed to hire a half-time
code enforcement officer to
complement the full-time
code enforcement officer the
city already has on staff.
Andrea Denton, the city
human resources director
and a member of the housing
committee that made the
recommendation, pointed to
internal statistics that showed
code enforcement incidents
have risen from 1,148 in 2014
to 1,831 in 2016.
In an email Wednesday,
police chief Stuart Roberts
defined a code enforcement
incident as a “call for service
or officer initiated activity.”
Denton admitted that it
was more difficult to find a
part-time employee versus a
full-time employee, before
adding that some city depart-
ments like the Pendleton
Public Library were able to
staff themselves mostly with
part-timers.
A couple members of the
city council suggested Pend-
leton partner with another
government like Hermiston,
Umatilla County or the
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation
to split the cost of a full-time
salary to make recruiting an
officer easier.
The other recommenda-
tions the council adopted
are continued support of
controlled burns by the
fire department to control
weeds and fire hazards,
better coordination of code
enforcement efforts between
departments, expanded use of
community corrections work
crews to clean up properties
and prompt action against
property owners in violation
of the nuisance ordinance.
If history is any indicator,
a step-up in code enforcement
could lead to some backlash.
After the city council
amended
the
nuisance
ordinance in 2014, which
included new rules on
livestock, yard sale signs
and other code violations,
a Facebook group called
“Pendleton Citizens against
selective Code Enforcement”
attracted
24
members,
although it hasn’t been active
since August 2014.
The council also took
other action, including:
• The council approved
raising
the
Pendleton
Convention Center parking
lot rental rates for recreational
vehicles from $12 per night to
$25 for dry camping and $30
for electrical hook-ups.
The move was spurred
by complaints from RV park
owners that the city’s rates
were undercutting the market
rate.
• The council approved a
$49,994 bid from Soft-Step
Interiors for new carpeting
at the Pendleton Public
Library and a $100,000 bid
from Pioneer Asphalt for
road patching after the city
conducts utility cuts.
The carpeting project
will close the library for two
weeks during May.
• After meeting behind
closed doors to evaluate city
manager Robb Corbett, the
council reopened the public
meeting and offered him
another one-year contract.
The offer includes a
1.8 percent cost-of-living
increase, which will raise
Corbett’s salary to $123,356.
Man loses pickup, trailer to fire
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Fire ruined a pickup and
damaged a fifth-wheel trailer
Wednesday morning near
Pendleton.
Norman Dumont was
eastbound on Trail Road, a
few miles east of Pendleton,
around 9:45 a.m. and hauling
his Cameo trailer when he
said he heard a “pop” under
the hood of his 2008 Dodge
pickup. Dumont said he saw
what he thought was steam
coming from the engine and
pulled over to check it out.
“I opened the hood and
the fire was just a-flaming,”
he said.
He said he walked away
and called 9-1-1.
Mike Tester said he was
eastbound on Interstate 84
and saw the fire. He crossed
the median to the westbound
side, stopped on the shoulder
and called for emergency
services. He ran to the
barbed wire fence and saw
Dumont was out of harm’s
way. Tester added he wished
he had a fire extinguisher,
but was not sure it would
have been enough.
Flames covered the cab
within moments and spread
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Norman Dumont watches as Tribal firefighters extinguish the fire that engulfed his
Dodge three-quarter ton pickup and fifth-wheel trailer on Wednesday on Trail Road
east of Pendleton.
to the trailer, sending off
plumes of black smoke.
Dumont said the Cameo
was top-of-the-line when he
bought it in 2001, with “all
the bells and whistles.” He
even stocked it with canned
food, he said, and just took it
out of the shop to get it ready
for summer travel.
Dumont lit a cigarette and
watched from the roadside as
his pickup and trailer burned.
He said he has owned
property in the area for 50
years and called himself a
“gentleman farmer.” He said
he takes care of his vehicles
and had no idea what caused
the blaze.
“Good thing I got a car,”
he quipped.
The Umatilla Tribal Fire
Department arrived with an
engine and knocked down
the fire. Dumont also called
his insurance agent, who
showed up a few minutes
later and reassured his client
he would take care of him.
ARLINGTON
Condon teen reigns over 70th annual Jackpot Rodeo
East Oregonian
The Arlington Saddle
Club is excited to have
Annika Rietmann reigning as
queen during the 70th annual
Arlington Jackpot Rodeo.
The 16-year-old Condon
teen is the daughter of Ajax
ranchers Tom Rietmann and
Katie Cook. She is a junior
at Condon High School,
where she is active in varsity
volleyball and basketball. She
was named to the first team
all-league for two years in
volleyball and was awarded
first team all-league honors in
basketball last year and second
team all-league this year.
Rietmann is an emer-
gency medical responder for
the South Gilliam County
Ambulance. After high
school, she plans to study at
a university to pursue a career
in the medical field as either a
nurse or physician’s assistant.
Rietmann
In her spare time Rietmann
enjoys helping her dad on the
ranch, working with children
and spending time with her
friends.
During the rodeo, Riet-
mann will be riding Cash,
her 6-year-old registered
quarter horse, for official
appearances representing the
Arlington Saddle Club. She
invites the public to join her
for an action-packed weekend
during the Arlington Jackpot
Rodeo.
The rodeo activities kick
off Saturday, April 30 at 10
a.m. with a parade through
downtown Arlington. The
queen’s luncheon follows at
the United Methodist Church,
150 Hemlock St., Arlington.
Rodeo action begins at
12:30 p.m., which features
traditional rodeo events,
including bull riding and
ranch bronc riding. Money
will be added each day — the
rodeo continues Sunday, April
30 at 12:30 p.m. — except for
specialty events. The specialty
events are junior and pee wee
barrel racing, steer riding,
mutton bustin’ and a calf
scramble. The 15th annual
Kevin Johnson Memorial
buckle will be awarded to the
all-around cowboy or cowgirl.
Rodeo tickets are $6 for
ages 13 and up or $4 for those
12 and under. The two-day
pass prices are $9 and $6. The
cook shack will serve food
both days.
Also, be sure to bring
a hearty appetite for the
cowboy breakfast Sunday,
April 30 from 7-10 a.m.
at the Arlington Masonic
Lodge, 50 Shane Drive. And
the Arlington Saddle Club is
hosting past rodeo royalty for
a reunion in honor of the 70th
year.
The Arlington Saddle Club
officers include Ron Wilson,
president; Jim Rucker, vice
president; Jodie Gentry, secre-
tary; Sarah Rucker, treasurer;
and Eileen Potter, queen
advisor.
For more information
about the Arlington Jackpot
Rodeo, call 541-980-1593
or 541-980-7108.
For
royalty-related questions, call
541-384-6251.
Unlicensed home inspector worked in Eastern Oregon
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
A fake home inspector
who did work in Eastern
Oregon was fined $80,000 by
the state Construc-
tion Contractors
Board.
Gregory Mason
Miller of Bend
fraudulently
used the license
number of a legit-
imate construction
contractor with the
same first and last
name, along with Miller
the name of a Bend
business he was not actually
affiliated with, to falsely claim
he was licensed, bonded and
insured, according to a news
release from the CCB.
Enforcement
manager
Stan Jessup said Miller did
“significant business” over
a period of several months
without being certified or
licensed. The board is still
trying to locate everywhere
he did inspections, but Jessup
said they have
found cases as far
east as Malheur
County and as
far north as the
Columbia Gorge.
“We’ve pegged
him literally all
over
Eastern
Oregon,” Jessup
said. “He traveled
quite a distance.”
Home inspec-
tors must pass a national
exam to be certified by
the CCB and must hold a
contractor license through the
state where they are working.
Jessup said the exam to
become a home inspector is
more thorough than that of a
regular contractor and covers
“everything from the founda-
tion to the roof.”
The Construction Contrac-
tors Board has a website
where consumers can look
up a contractor’s name or
license number to verify their
credentials. In Miller’s case,
Jessup said the fraud was
difficult to detect because he
was using the license number
of a legitimate contractor in
another part of the state with
the same first and last name.
Jessup said Miller was
caught because a customer
tried to look up his phone
number online and reached
the legitimate contractor
instead, who had no idea what
they were talking about. Since
then the office has fielded a
number of complaints from
real estate agents who had
paid Miller to conduct what
they thought was a legitimate
home inspection.
“There is no recourse
there,” Jessup said.
Miller has been added to
the board’s Buyer Beware
list that warns consumers of
people who have engaged
in predatory and phony
contracting work in the past.
Jessup said the case is a
good reminder that people
lie — convincingly — about
their credentials and it is
important to thoroughly vet
a contractor before hiring
them.
To verify a contractor’s
license, enter their license
number or name at www.
oregon.gov/ccb
or
call
503-378-4621. To report
unlicensed contractors and
other illegal activity, visit the
website or call 503-934-2246.
Photo contributed by Glenn Graham
Mayor John Turner presents the award for youth
volunteer of the year to the Pendleton High School
National Honor Society, represented by president
Abby Rinehart and officers of the club.
Local volunteers
recognized for
their service
PENDLETON — Ahead
of National Volunteer
Week, the city of Pendleton
honored its top volunteers
with an awards ceremony at
the Pendleton City Council
meeting Tuesday.
According to a press
release from Pendleton
volunteer coordinator
Tiffany Hegarty, 386 people
volunteered their time for
the city in 2016 — 266
of whom performed a
combined 3,554 hours of
service.
The city honored several
community members:
• David King was named
Volunteer of the Year for
his assistance to the Parks
and Recreation Department
in controlling noxious
weeds growing along the
Pendleton River Parkway.
• The Pendleton High
School National Honor
Society won the Youth
Volunteer of the Year Award
for providing 154 hours of
support for city events and
programs.
• Graham’s Digital
Photography received the
Volunteer Group of the Year
for providing its “special
skills” to events throughout
the year.
• The Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 922
was bestowed the Mayor’s
Leadership Award for its
“longstanding record of
service to the community.”
• Tikhon Gilson, Linda
Senter and Linda Wagner
were all presented with
the President’s Service
Award, a national award
the recognizes citizens who
have volunteered a certain
number of hours over a
12-month period.
Law Enforcement
Appreciation
Week in May
HERMISTON — The
week of May 14-20 is
National Law Enforcement
Appreciation Week,
marking a time many like
to set aside to thank and
remember police officers.
Initially started in
1962 by President John
F. Kennedy as “National
Peace Officers Day,” the
honor now spans a whole
week, in which businesses
and individuals are asked
to display blue ribbons to
show their appreciation for
law enforcement.
Terry Cummings, the
Hermiston police chaplain,
said the ribbons idea was
started by a group called
“COPS” — Concerns of
Police Survivors. “It’s
made up of people who’ve
lost loved ones in law
enforcement on the job,”
Cummings said. “They
formed the organization
and came up with the blue
ribbons as a memorial
idea.”
Cummings suggested
people tie the blue ribbons
on a car antenna or rearview
mirror, or roll them up in
the back window to display
them.
“It’s simply a way
to say ‘thanks’ to law
enforcement. When a law
enforcement person sees
the blue ribbon, they know
exactly what it stands for,
and it means so much to
them,” he said.
Cummings said those
interested in picking up
a blue ribbon can do
so at several churches
around town, as well as
local businesses ACE
Hardware, Banner Bank,
Bi-Mart, the Chamber of
Commerce, Hermiston
Drug and the Hermiston
Police Department.
Contact Cummings at
tcummings@hermiston.
or.us for more informations.
Building cleared
after gun report at
BMCC Hermiston
HERMISTON — Police
officers from three agencies
responded Wednesday
afternoon to Blue Mountain
Community College’s
Hermiston campus after
receiving reports of a
student with a firearm. The
student turned out to be a
former police officer with
a carry permit, and no one
was injured or in danger at
any time.
BMCC’s vice president
of public relations Casey
White-Zollman said
Hermiston’s BMCC staff
received a report that
a student saw another
student with a handgun
that was partially showing,
and the staff contacted
the Hermiston Police
Department, who cleared
the building as a precaution.
“We are going over the
policy with (the student),”
White-Zollman said.
“We still have to do an
investigation to determine
what happened and to
determine if there will be
consequences.”
White-Zollman said
guns are not allowed on
campus, and if a student
sees a gun, they are asked to
report it.
“In a situation like that,
police are called,” she
said. “Whether to clear the
building is up to them.”
Members of the
Hermiston Police
Department, Umatilla
County Sheriff’s Office,
Oregon State Police and
Umatilla County Fire
District 1 responded.
Curvy fashion
show includes
Hermiston women
PORTLAND — A
mother and daughter from
Hermiston are featured
during a fashion show at a
plus-size clothing event.
Described as the largest
plus-size consignment event
in North America, Curvy
Chic Closet offers women
an opportunity to expand
their wardrobe without
taking a major hit on their
wallets.
Jennifer Wall and
Lillie Wall will take the
runway during the event’s
fashion show Saturday,
April 29 from 7-8 p.m.
at 12505 N.W. Cornell
Road, Portland. There is no
admission charge.
People can purchase or
trade gently used clothing
while selecting from a
massive collection of
outfits and accessories. The
Curvy Chic Closet kicks
off with a special pre-sale
Thursday, April 27 from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-sale
admission is three non-food
donations (such as toilet
paper, menstrual hygiene
products, shampoo and
soap) or $5. Donations
will benefit PERIOD, a
nonprofit organization that
distributes hygiene product
care packages to women in
need.
The regular hours are
Thursday, April 27 from
2-8 p.m.; Friday, April 28
from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.;
Saturday, April 29 from 10
a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday,
April 30 from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. There is no admission
charge for regular hours.
For more information,
contact 503-848-9191,
becky@curvychiccloset.
com or visit www.
curvychiccloset.com.