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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2017)
REGION Friday, August 4, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON HERMISTON Fire leaves man little break from heat Rivera accepts EOTEC manager position By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Richard Hayes of Pend- leton is sweating out the heat wave after an electrical fi re knocked out the power to his trailer. “I ain’t got no water, no electricity, nothing ...,” Hayes said. The fi re happened Tuesday afternoon in an electrical panel on his right side of his 27-foot trailer at Catalpa Tree RV Park, 15 S.E. 11th St., Pendleton. The fi re also damaged the trailer’s sewer pipes. “I go up to [Hal’s Hamburgers] to get lunch, and I come home and the fi re department is all over the place.” An extension cord to the outlet on the power pole next to his trailer provides elec- tricity to keep the freezer on, along with a mechanic work light and the TV. Without a bathroom, Hayes said he has to use a portable toilet. And a buddy lets him shower at his place, but there is no air conditioning there, either. Thursday he was outside the trailer, trying to enjoy what little breeze there was while the sun pushed temperatures into the high 90s. By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Staff photo by Phil Wright An electrical fi re Tuesday has left Richard Hayes of Pendleton without power or wa- ter in the trailer he calls home. “Too damn hot in the trailer,” he said. Hayes’ neighbor, Barbara Wright, said she set up an online crowdfunding account to help him and plans to open a donation account at Community Bank. She also said she is reaching out to Keystone RV to see if the local manufacturer would donate a trailer. Hayes, a disabled Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said he’s “exploring a bunch of avenues” to get out of the predicament. “I’m just a regular guy,” he said, “trying to get along.” And until something better comes alone, Hayes continues to live in the powerless trailer. If you want more informa- tion on how to help Richard Hayes, call Barbara Wright at 541-276-3532. An online fundraiser has been set up at www.youcaring.com Oregon rolls out private retirement program By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Come January, all private sector employees in Oregon will be able to save for their retirement through a new statewide program. The Oregon State Treasury is looking for volunteers in Eastern Oregon to join the pilot groups. The program, called “OregonSaves,” is the result of legislation passed in 2015, and aims to expand the number of Oregonians saving for their retirements through automatic payroll deduc- tions. It is not connected to the Public Employees Retirement System. The bill was introduced in 2015 as House Bill 2960, and passed 32-26. James Sinks, the state treasury’s director of commu- nications and stakeholder relations, said they are now in the process of testing out a pilot phase, and are about to start a second one. “We want to ensure it’s going simply for the employers and workers, and make sure it has geographic representation in all parts of Oregon,” Sinks said. Joel Metlen, public engagement manager for the state treasury, said the fi rst pilot phase has included 11 employers, and about 163 employees, from businesses in Portland, Bend and Southern Oregon. “Most have started payroll deductions,” said Metlen. “That was really our fi rst test, to have different employees set up accounts and make choices about participation, savings grades and invest- ment options.” “We have a retirement savings crisis in the country.” — James Sinks, Oregon State Treasury Volunteer groups for the fi rst pilot phase include S & S Sheetmetal in White City, Square Deal Lumber in Springfi eld, Upper Rogue Physical Therapy in Shady Cove and Statehood Media in Bend. Now that the fi rst pilot phase is underway, state treasury employees will be rolling out a second pilot phase, on a larger scale. “We have about 40 employers who’ve expressed interest,” Sinks said. “That represents about 2,000 employees.” In addition to testing out the program, treasury employees hope to fi gure out how things work across different business models — large and small orga- nizations, companies that outsource their payroll, and ones that do it in-house. But all have one thing in common: they’re private- sector companies that don’t have retirement savings programs. “In Oregon, we like to be fi rst,” Sinks said. “The bottle bill, the beach bill, land use planning, vote-by-mail. This is the fi rst in (the nation) retirement plan for private sector workers.” The plan, he said, is specifi cally geared toward employees whose employers don’t have plans to help them save. “More than half of private sector workers in the state don’t have retirement plans,” Sinks said. “That ends up being about one million people.” Sinks noted that the plan is not tied to specifi c employers, but is managed by the state. If an employer already has a retirement program in place, this one will not replace it. “When people do payroll deductions, they’ll pass the money through to OregonSaves,” he said. “So employers have to do some- thing, but they don’t have any fi duciary risk.” Though people can make changes once they’re enrolled, the program is fairly structured, Sinks said. “A lot of people don’t save because they’re intimidated,” Sinks said. “Best practices (say) to automatically put people into retirement plans, and put them into a simple option so they don’t get overwhelmed.” Sinks said there are several savings options — capital preservation, market-based, and target-date funds. Funds are managed by State Street Global Advisors, a private asset management company. The default amount that the program takes out of a paycheck is 5 percent, but Sinks said people can adjust that number. People can also choose to opt out of the program. Metlen said they’ve seen fairly positive reactions from their pilot group. “Most people who are actually workers, having automatic savings through their paycheck benefi ts HERMISTON Woman suffering mental episode assaults cop East Oregonian Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston reported an offi cer came away with a bloody nose while trying to arrest a woman. “No call for service is ever predictable,” Edmiston said in a written statement, “and offi cers are trained to be alert and ready to take immediate action. This inci- dent involves yet another person having a mental crisis of some kind and offi cers having to respond and be the community care- taker.” Police at about 8 p.m. responded to the 300 block of East Cherry Avenue after a caller reported a relative was experiencing mental issues and outrage, according to the Hermiston police activity bulletin. Edmiston reported offi cers encountered Janie Appleby, 47, of 320 E. Cherry Ave., No. B., Hermiston, and had a warrant for her arrest. Police tried to take her into custody, Edmiston reported, but Appleby fought back. “Appleby refused all verbal commands,” according to the chief, “and ultimately struck an offi cer in the face, causing a bloody nose and broken glasses.” She also kicked the same offi cer in the chest. Police took Appleby to the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, and booked her on charges of assaulting a police offi cer, resisting arrest and second-degree criminal mischief. Fortunately, Edmiston stated, the offi cer suffered only minor injuries, “but taxpayers will be footing the bill to replace the glasses Ms. Appleby broke.” them,” he said. Sinks said initially, those enrolling will have to pay one percent of their assets toward the program. This fi scal year, he said, the treasury depart- ment is taking out a loan of $2 million for the program. “It will start paying for itself in six or seven years,” he said. He added that not everyone has been compli- mentary of the program. “There has been a vocal minority who doesn’t like the government getting involved in this, and thinks private individuals can take care of folks,” he said, noting that the criticism has mostly come from people who work in fi nancial services. “Other employers are not necessarily opposed to the program, but feel like there’s a lot of mandates coming down from the state, and like this is an extra thing they’re being asked to do.” Nevertheless, they hope the program will catch on once it’s implemented. “We’ve worked hard to put this together,” Sinks said. “As the fi rst one in the country, we want to do it right. Other places are watching Oregon very carefully.” Employers interested in volunteering for the second pilot group can contact the treasury department at retire- mentsavings@ost.state.or.us. The deadline to sign up for the pilot phase is next week. ——— Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at jramakrishnan@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4534 Nate Rivera will serve as interim general manager for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center for up to six months after the facility hosts its fi rst Umatilla County Fair. He will retain his posi- tion as general manager of Hermiston Energy Services and said that job will take fi rst priority, but he is working with Byron Smith — who will oversee both sides of the equation as city manager and EOTEC board chair — to strike a balance between obligations to both jobs. Rivera was part of the original planning group for EOTEC, and said he has always been passionate about helping it succeed. “I’m excited to be part of the project again,” he said. The EOTEC board voted on a motion during a special meeting Monday to extend Rivera an offer of the interim position for a period “not to exceed six months,” and Rivera said he hopes to help the board hire a new manager sooner than that and then assist in the transition before returning his full focus to Hermiston Energy Services. The plan is to have others pitch in with the day-to-day operations like answering phones and locking up after events while Rivera works more “behind the scenes” to craft a business plan, staffi ng plan, maintenance plan and guide to policies and procedures for the facility. He said those proj- ects should help the board in its search for someone to run the facility for years into the future. “This is not a long-term solution,” Rivera said of his interim position. “The idea is not for me to tran- sition up there. My role is to help create a long-term solution.” Rivera offi cially starts August 14, as business manager Heather Cannell leaves for a new job at the SAGE Center. Cannell has been handling day-to-day operations, marketing and booking for the event center with the help of an administrative assistant and janitorial contractor, but as construction on the rest of the project wraps up the EOTEC board has been advertising for a general manager. Final touches like fencing and signs are being placed on EOTEC this week as the facility gets ready to host the Umatilla County Fair and Farm-City Pro Rodeo next week. Rivera said he will be spending time on-site during the fair getting trained on the ins and outs of the facility. “I’m looking forward to re-engaging with the EOTEC project,” he said. Police monitor cruisers’ carbon monoxide levels after national recalls By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Police vehicles around the U.S. have recently been recalled after carbon monoxide leaks and health issues have been reported in Ford Explorer police cruisers in Massachusetts, Texas and Washington. According to the National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration, more than 700 complaints have been received about carbon monoxide leaks in the vehicle. CBS reported that one police offi cer in Massachusetts passed out while driving and crashed, a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Local law enforcement offi cials also drive the SUVs, and are taking note of the issues around the country. The Hermiston Police Department has six Ford Explorer SUVs, and though it hasn’t seen any problems yet, plans to monitor carbon dioxide in them. “We are aware others are having problems and we will be moving forward with (carbon monoxide) detectors to ensure our offi cers are safe,” said Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston. He added that on Thursday, three people from his department were traveling to Portland to pick up two new vehi- cles. However, he said the two new vehicles will be Dodge pickups that will be outfi tted as patrol vehicles. “The pickups cost around $9,000 less to fully outfi t versus the Ford SUVs, so we are going to give them a try,” Edmiston said. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce will also be watching their vehicles closely. “We’ve not had any issues with them so far, but we will be placing (carbon monoxide) detectors in those vehicles in case something like that comes about,” said Captain Dave Williamson. He estimated that the department has 15 or 16 Ford Explorers. The solar eclipse is coming August 21 Come get the coolest eclipse glasses in town at your nearest East Oregonian office, or come visit us at our Umatilla County Fair booth, Aug. 8-12. D L SO T U O $1 EACH Best deal in town! Pick some up for your friends and family while supplies last. East Oregonian 1-800-522-0255 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton 333 East Main St. Hermiston
