REGION
Thursday, May 18, 2017
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK
Hermiston FFA wins big at state
You won’t see them on
ESPN, but students in Herm-
iston’s chapter of the Future
Farmers of America compare
themselves to a group of
athletes.
“The longer players have
been together, the better
they work as a team,” said
freshman Landon Vandehey.
“They get more practice
together, they get more out
of it. Our team is like a sports
team.”
Several of those team
members went to a state-
wide FFA competition May
1-2, where students from
the Hermiston program
competed in five different
categories: dairy foods,
agriculture communications,
crops, meats evaluation and
food science. The dairy foods
and agriculture communica-
tions teams won first prize
and will travel to Indianapolis
in October for a national
competition.
The competitions are all
part of the FFA’s career devel-
opment events. The students
compete in nearly 20 different
such events throughout the
school year, some of which
require
preliminary
or
sectional contests to qualify.
At Oregon State University’s
competitions, Hermiston was
well-represented. In addition
to its two first-place teams,
its meats evaluation team
finished second of 23 teams
and the food science team
was third of 16.
“In FFA, we probably
have 100 to 150 kids that do
something ag-related every
year,” Leah Smith said. That
can include competitions,
showing at the fair, or
teaching agricultural concepts
in the schools to younger
students.
The students can hone a
variety of skills through FFA
competitions.
“We get a lot of diversity in
the kids that come through the
door,” Smith said. “Ag comm
is very academic — those kids
have to do a lot of reading and
writing. Dairy foods is more
sensory evaluation.”
The different competitions
also allow the students to
see what a career in different
aspects of the agriculture
industry might look like.
“For dairy foods, we get
to step into the business, and
decide the production quality
(of a dairy product),” said
Vandehey, who was part of
the winning team.
The students have to test
and identify different cheeses,
and be able to determine
Increases to water,
public safety
approved in budget
“You get skills you
wouldn’t get just sit-
ting in a classroom.
It’s a hands-on
opportunity.”
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
— Isel Tejada, Hermiston
High School sophomore
Photo contributed by Leah Smith
Hermiston FFA students Gissep Marin, Ellen Vander
Stelt, Landon Vandehey, Wyatt Paschal and McKayla
Dyer were on the team that won the Dairy Foods cate-
gory at a recent statewide competition.
Photo contributed by Leah Smith
Hermiston’s Deven Hofbauer, Jessica Sandoval, Alexis
Myers and Dylan Westfall were on the team that won
the Agriculture Communications category at a recent
statewide FFA competition.
which one is made from real
milk, and which is from soy or
another ingredient. They also
have to taste different milks to
determine the quality. Based
on what cattle have been
eating, the flavor of the milk
can be altered. The students
grade the milk on a scale of
0 to 10, 0 being undrinkable
and 10 without defects.
“That’s the hardest part of
the whole competition,” said
Wyatt Paschal, a senior and
part of the dairy foods team.
Students have to determine
whether there are defects in
the milk, and grade it based
on taste.
Additionally, the dairy
foods students take a 50-ques-
tion test about what’s going
on in the dairy industry right
now.
“It gives them insight into
what the industry is,” said
Alyssa Davies, an agriculture
instructor at Hermiston High
School. “Where it’s been,
where it’s going.”
Smith added that a lot of
the competitions replicate
actual jobs and skills required
in the industry.
“There is someone who
identifies whether or not milk
is good or bad,” she said. “It’s
an industry skill they can
learn.”
For
the
Agriculture
Communications
team,
preparations include studying
and honing their presentation,
speaking and writing skills.
“We have to cram a lot
into a short time,” said Lexy
Myers, a junior on the ag
comm team. “We have about
a month to prep.”
At this month’s competi-
tion, the students attended a
press conference, where they
heard a presentation from a
former FFA student. They
took notes, and then went
into their individual practical
exams, which included
writing a blog post about
what they’d heard. Then,
they prepared for the team
exercise, giving a presenta-
tion of their own, about how
a team member of their own
promotes FFA in the state of
Oregon.
“It’s all impromptu,”
Smith said. “They don’t know
what the presentation is going
to be about beforehand.”
Other categories also
involve more hands-on skills,
such as the meats evaluation
team.
“We have to know the
cuts of pork, beef and lamb,”
said Cody Wizner. “We look
at four different cuts, and tell
which is the best and why.”
The
Pilot
Rock
City Council approved
increases to public safety
and water charges in
anticipation of passing the
upcoming budget.
The council Tuesday
voted to bump the city’s
public safety surcharge to
$4.50 a month, effective
July 1. The previous rate
was $3.50. The Pilot Rock
Police Department is now
at full staff — a chief and
three officers — for the
first time in several years.
The new rate remains
below the $6 public safety
fee the city established in
2010.
And a new water rate
goes into effect July 1. The
council approved upping
the monthly rate $1.50, or
7.14 percent.
Teri
Porter,
city
recorder
and
budget
officer, in a memo to the
council explained the
city underfunds the water
department, and for the
2017-18 fiscal year the
water fund will use $6,000
of the $23,000 the city
collects to repay loans for
water projects.
Even with the increase,
the memo states, Pilot
The students also have to
determine yield and quality
for the different cuts, and get
to do some of the same things
a USDA meat inspector
would do.
Many of the students say
they are interested in pursuing
a career in agriculture.
“Many times I get asked,
why do you spend so much
time in the ag room?” Asked
Isel Tejada, a sophomore.
“It’s really because you get
skills you wouldn’t get just
sitting in a classroom. It’s a
hands-on opportunity.”
The students are done
competing for the year, but
the two nationals-bound
teams will practice through
the summer, and will go to
Indianapolis in the fall.
Hermiston has had a strong
FFA program for many years.
“The program is very
seasoned,” Smith said. “We
have good participation,
good numbers. I don’t know
if we’re rapidly growing, but
we have a good following.”
Pendleton also had a
strong showing at a recent
state competition on March
24 in Redmond. Student
Macy Rosselle won first prize
in the state’s Creed speaking
competition. Students have to
memorize the five-paragraph
creed for the FFA program,
recite it, and then answer
questions about what the
statement means.
“I practiced with my
advisers, and they grilled
me with questions about the
creed,” Rosselle said. She
said she also practiced for at
least a half hour by herself
every day.
Pendleton High School
student Brooklynn Lunny also
competed in public speaking,
and won third place in her
category. Students Kendel
Blair and Jordan Crane
competed in the agri-science
category.
Blair and Rosselle will also
be competing at the Nationals
competition in Indianapolis in
October.
Pendleton High School
has 135 students in its FFA
program.
–——
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan at 541-564-
4534 or jramakrishnan@
eastoregonian.com
Westgate road
work underway
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s
improvements on West-
gate in Pendleton are
underway.
Peter Murphy, ODOT
spokesperson, said Roy
Houck Construction of
Salem won the contract
to repave Westgate/U.S.
30 from Airport Road to
Southwest 18th Street.
The work also covers
upgrades to traffic signals
and sidewalks, including
ADA compliance.
The $1.44 million
project will wrap up in
late June or early July,
Murphy said, and much of
the paving work will take
place at night.
The road construction
comes on the heels of
the city of Pendleton’s
waterline work along the
same stretch of Westgate.
ODOT in July
also plans to improve
connections to Interstate
84 at the 207 and 209
on/off ramps. That’s a
$4.4 million carry-over
project, Murphy said, that
includes paving work and
re-striping.
That work will also
take place at night, he said,
and crews will work on
one interchange at a time.
Commission approves façade grant for Sister’s Cafe
Sister’s Cafe will get a
considerable face lift courtesy
of the Pendleton Develop-
ment Commission.
The commission unani-
mously approved a $126,197
façade grant for the 308 S.
Main St. building at a meeting
Tuesday. The grant will help
pay to remove the stucco
exterior to reveal the original
brick façade, replacing the
windows on the second floor,
new awnings, new signs and
a rooftop feature that will
evoke the historical image of
the building.
Sister’s owner Rosemary
Ramirez said customers have
told her that the restaurant’s
current façade doesn’t do
the interior any justice, an
opinion she agrees with.
“It does not look like
a picture of the historic
building,” Charles Denight,
commission
associate
director, said. “It’s going to
look completely different if
it’s restored.”
City councilor Dale
Primmer asked staff how
Ramirez’s request would fit
into the budget considering
that the commission was
allocating only $100,000 for
façade grants in the 2017-
2018 fiscal year.
City manager Robb
Corbett said the commission
has typically been flexible
when it came to the budget —
Staff photo by Drew Langton
The Pendleton Development Commission recently
approved a $126,197 façade grant for Sister’s Cafe.
if a project is deemed worthy
of investment but costs more
than the budgeted allocation,
the commission can move
funds from one grant or loan
program to another to cover
the disparity.
Ramirez said she expects
the project to be completed
over the summer.
Later in the meeting, the
commission
unanimously
approved the urban renewal
district’s 2017-2018 budget.
The operating fund is $1.2
million while the debt service
fund is $1.6 million. Budget
highlights include $600,000
for the second story program,
$10,000 for a festival area
and $200,000 for “special
projects.”
The members spent
Tuesday meeting as both
the commission and the
city council. Other actions
included:
• As the council, members
unanimously
approved
three water line bids totaling
$623,669.
The lowest bidder for all
three was Culbert Construc-
tion of Pasco, which will
now be tasked with replacing
water lines at Southwest 20th,
Northwest King and South-
east Goodwin.
The city will draw from
its water fund and a $14.9
million loan from the state to
pay for the projects.
• The council also
unanimously approved the
purchase of two heart moni-
tors from Zoll Medical Corp.
Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo
said the heart monitor request
was separate from the $10
million bond and was already
SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS
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.
Rock “has one of the
lowest, if not the lowest
water rate compared with
the rates of similar cities. “
Approving the increases
meant the council made no
change to the proposed
budget of $6.29 million
for 2017-18, Porter said
Wednesday. The total is
more than three times the
previous year’s budget.
Porter said the major
increase is the city’s $5.2
million project to improve
the wastewater lagoon
system.
The city applied to the
United States Department
of Agriculture for a $1.4
million grant along with a
loan for the difference at
1.875 percent interest rate
for the cost of the project.
The grant required the city
raise its sewer rates to $42
a month.
The
budget
also
includes $12,000 to the
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Office for dispatch service,
a $9,000 hike from last
year. Porter said the city
pays the bill quarterly, and
the amount will increase
each year until the city can
pay the more than $20,000
the county requires.
Porter said the council
will vote June 20 to adopt
the budget.
BRIEFLY
PENDLETON
East Oregonian
Page 3A
included in the city’s current
budget. The fire bond, which
includes money for additional
heart monitors, ended up
passing later that evening.
• As the commission,
members
unanimously
approved a $50,000 request
to hold a second story design
meeting for downtown busi-
ness owners.
According to a report
from Denight, a design firm
will be hired to show owners
and developers how they can
historically restore housing
spaces to qualify for tax
credits and grants.
• Because of time
constraints, the commission
postponed discussion over
a funding request from the
Rivoli Restoration Coalition
and preserving commission
own land abutting the Umatilla
River instead of developing it
for housing. Those issues will
now be discussed at a special
commission meeting at city
hall on May 23 at 7 p.m.
Head Start
celebrates
birthday
HERMISTON — Head
Start will celebrate its
52nd birthday Thursday,
and will have a couple of
special guests to mark the
occasion. Assistant City
Manager Mark Morgan
and City Manager Byron
Smith will stop by to read
to children in the program.
Morgan will stop by at
9:30 a.m., and Smith at 3
p.m. They will be reading
the children some new
books that have been
donated to the program.
“Promoting literacy in
every way possible gives
children the best start
in life,” said Maureen
McGrath, Umatilla-
Morrow Head Start
executive director.
Head Start focuses
on literacy and school
readiness for children in
low-income families ages
3 to 5. Volunteers come
in and read with children,
and children get to take
several books home to
keep throughout the year.
Umatilla-Morrow
Head Start is looking
for volunteers, and those
interested can contact
volunteer coordinator
Gladys Velazquez at
541-564-6878.
Medical grants
available for
Oregon children
The UnitedHealthcare
Children’s Foundation
is accepting grant
applications from Oregon
families in need of
financial assistance to
help pay for their child’s
medical needs.
Qualifying families
can receive up to
$5,000 per grant with
a lifetime maximum of
$10,000 per child. The
money can be used for
services, treatments or
equipment not paid for or
fully covered by health
insurance.
To be eligible, the child
must be 16 or younger,
families must meet
economic guidelines,
reside in the United States
and have a commercial
health insurance plan.
Grants are available for
medical expenses incurred
60 days prior to the date
of application as well as
for ongoing and future
medical needs.
For more information
or to apply, visit www.
UHCCF.org.
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email
press releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
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