REGION
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
East Oregonian
BRIEFLY
HERMISTON
City takes over portion of Highland Avenue
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The city of Hermiston
approved a request by
Umatilla County on Monday
to take over jurisdiction
of West Highland Avenue
between Southwest 11th
Street and Southwest 15th
Place.
City Manager Byron
Smith said the city already
sweeps that portion of road,
and most of the property
on either side is within city
limits. The county made
the request after the city
approved a conditional use
permit for a mini-storage
project along that stretch of
roads, which the county said
would cause problems in its
permitting process if storm
drains were required along
their portion of road as part
of the development.
“This is a new approach
the county is taking, I guess,”
Smith said.
On Monday the city
council also authorized
Smith to accept federal and
state grant funding to hire
Century West Engineering
to update the master plan
for the Hermiston Municipal
Airport. Using Oregon
Department of Aviation
dollars as a match for the
Federal Aviation Admin-
istration funds, the city’s
maximum out of pocket cost
for the $300,000 project is
expected to be no more than
$3,333.
During a work session
preceding the regular council
meeting
Smith
shared
updates on a number of city
projects that councilors and
citizens have inquired about
in recent months.
He said that representa-
tives from the Portland Trail
Blazers (possibly including
players) will be at Sunset
Park sometime in September
to help dedicate new play-
ground equipment paid for
by the Moda Assist online
competition that Hermiston
won.
New play equipment for
Greenwood Park is expected
to arrive in August.
The parks and recreation
department is ready to start
pouring concrete pads for
a new disc golf course
across from Good Shepherd
Medical Center.
The city is almost done
finalizing an agreement with
the Department of Fish and
Wildlife to take over manage-
ment of the Steelhead Park
area, allowing the planned
West Highland Trail project
to loop under the Highland
Extension bridge there and
into Riverfront Park.
Now that recreational
immunity for cities has been
restored by the legislature,
the city is searching for an
architect with experience
designing skate parks to
move forward on the planned
skate park on North First
Place across from the fire
station.
Parks and Recreation
director Larry Fetter has
been working on a plan with
the Bureau of Reclamation to
manage the dry grasses and
weeds along the Oxbow Trail
so that they pose less of a fire
hazard. Police Chief Jason
Edmiston said no suspect has
been caught in the fire that
recently swept through those
grasses and burned down a
duplex, which witnesses said
was started by fireworks. He
said the case shows the need
for the department’s new
arson officer that started July
1.
The Oregon Department
of Transportation project
to place traffic signals at
Northwest 11th Street’s
intersections with Orchard
Avenue and Elm Avenue
did not receive any bids
from contractors, so the
department has postponed
the project and hopes to put
it out to bid again in the fall.
The planning department
continues to work on opening
the door for increased housing
development in Hermiston,
including rezoning 40 acres
off of Diagonal Road from
industrial to residential
mixed with some commer-
cial. On Wednesday at 7
p.m. at city hall the planning
commission has invited real
estate professionals, devel-
opers and lot owners to come
discuss further ways the city
can help clear away barriers
to housing development.
Smith said the city
reached out to Hermiston
Foods after hearing of its
impending closure at the
end of the year. The local
managers referred the city
to the vegetable-processing
plant’s parent company
NORPAC. Smith said the
city would like to offer
whatever services it can in
helping market the building
or otherwise clear the way
for re-purposing the property.
However, he said NORPAC
has a history of not being
very communicative.
Smith also noted that the
city has been pursuing all
legal avenues available to
address nuisance complaints
against a property owner in
the Highway 207/Feedville
Road area that has been
causing a strong rotting food
odor. He said within a week
or so there should be a form
on the city’s website for
citizens to directly submit
complaints that can be used
in court.
Four Morrow County rape cases head to court Thursday
East Oregonian
Four Morrow County
men facing rape and other
sex crimes in unrelated
cases have pretrial hearings
Thursday. Two of the defen-
dants remain in the Umatilla
County Jail, Pendleton, and
two are out of jail on condi-
tional releases.
Corey Scott Baker, 40,
of Ione, has been free on
his own recognizance since
his arrest March 22 for
first-degree rape and sexual
abuse of a girl younger than
12. According to court docu-
ments, the Morrow County
District Attorney’s Office
alleged Baker raped and
molested the girl between
July and December 2016.
Baker in May filed a
motion asking for permission
to travel to Gilliam County
to service and repair farm
equipment for Crum Farming
Inc. Baker in the request
told the court taking the job
would end his reliance on
unemployment payments.
Circuit Judge Eva Temple
on June 13 granted Baker’s
request.
Kenny Cole Blurton,
19, of Irrigon, remains free
after posting $5,000 bail in
January. According to the
indictment, the district attor-
ney’s office alleged Blurton
raped and assaulted a girl
younger than 14 between July
1 and Dec. 22, 2015. He faces
four counts of second-degree
rape, three of second-degree
unlawful sexual penetration,
two of first-degree sexual
abuse, and one of second-de-
gree sodomy.
Jason Kane Kissler, 35,
and Eduardo Salas, 60, both
of Irrigon, remain in the jail.
The Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office arrested Kissler
on April 15 after responding
to a disturbance at a home
off Depot Lane, Irrigon. The
victim told deputies that
Kissler raped her, according
to a statement from the
sheriff’s office. The district
attorney’s office subse-
quently charged Kissler with
rape, sodomy and unlawful
sexual penetration, all in the
first degree, and one count of
fourth-degree assault.
And the district attor-
Page 3A
ney’s office charged Salas
with attempted first-degree
sexual abuse, two counts of
first-degree rape and nine of
first-degree sexual abuse for
harming two girls younger
than 12 between April 1,
2016, and May 28, 2017.
Salas filed motions on
July 3 to disqualify circuit
judges Christopher Brauer
and Lynn Hampton. In the
requests, defense attorney
Dan Stephens of Hermiston
asserted Salas “believes he
cannot receive a fair and
impartial hearing and trial”
from either judge.
Under Oregon law, that’s
enough of a reason for a
disqualification, and Circuit
Judge Dan Hill approved
both requests.
UEC board member to resign
HERMISTON — RoseEtta Ansotegui, of Pendleton,
will resign from the Umatilla Electric Cooperative board of
directors effective Saturday.
Ansotegui, who represents District 6 southeast of Pend-
leton, is stepping down to care for family members with
health issues, according to a statement
from UEC.
“This was a tough decision but the
right choice to make, and we wish the
very best for RoseEtta and her family,”
said Bob MacPherson, UEC board
president.
Ansotegui is a retired academic
assistant for Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College. She was first elected
to the UEC board in 2005, and was Ansotegui
re-elected four times.
The board will choose a successor
to complete Ansotegui’s current three-year term, which
expires in 2020.
MacPherson praised Ansotegui’s time on the board,
which included support of the United Way, Pendleton
Round-Up and service on the UEC Scholarship Committee.
She also achieved the highest level of board director
training offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association.
The UEC board is composed of seven members across
Umatilla and Morrow counties. Members are charged with
setting policy and electricity rates for the co-op.
16-year-old boy remains missing
PENDLETON — A 16-year-old boy remains missing
from the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton.
Shaydin Jones-Hoisington went missing May 1. Chuck
Sams, communications director for
the tribes, said tribal police have
responded to numerous reports of the
boy’s whereabouts.
Sams also said police along
with tribal Children and Family
Services are working with the family
to help bring Jones-Hoisington
home. Relatives and friends also
have reached out to the boy on his
Facebook page.
The National Center for Missing & Jones-Hoisington
Exploited Children in an alert about
Jones-Hoisington described him as 5 feet 8 inches tall and
weighing 175 pounds.
Anyone with information about Jones-Hoisington can
call the center at 800-843-5678 or the Umatilla Tribal
Police Department at 541-278-0550.
PSD to enter land swap negotiations
PENDLETON — At a meeting Monday, the Pendleton
School Board unanimously voted to begin negotiations
with the city of Pendleton on a land swap.
Under the agreement, the school district would get
McKay Park in exchange for the soon-to-be vacated lot
east of the Pendleton Early Learning Center.
The district is interested in the park, which is north of
McKay Creek Elementary School, because it would provide
room to build a new school if the district pursued that course.
The city is interested in the lot because it could provide
land for housing development.
There is a $67,000 disparity in real market value
between the park and the more valuable lot.
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