REGION
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Pendleton Parks and Rec director
to retire at the end of January
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Transportation
A crash at 4 a.m. Monday near Meacham closed the highway in both directions for
much of the day. The truck was hauling tetramethylammonium hydroxide, a corro-
sive ammonia solution.
Hazardous substance crash
shuts down I-84 near Meacham
Corrosive solution
did not spill
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
A semi hauling a corro-
sive substance crashed near
Meacham and shut down
Interstate 84 in both direc-
tions Monday.
Oregon State Police
reported troopers at about 4
a.m. responded to the wreck
on the westbound side of
I-84 near milepost 233. A
preliminary
investigation
revealed a green 2006
Freightliner hauling tetrame-
thylammonium hydroxide, a
corrosive ammonia solution,
was traveling westbound
when its driver lost control
on the icy road.
According to state police,
Donna Carlson, 42, and her
passenger Morrey Carlson,
42, both of Prescott,
Arkansas, were not injured
when the tractor-trailer
entered into the median and
rolled onto its side.
State police and the
Oregon Department of
Transportation set up an
isolation distance of half a
mile in all directions due
to concern over hazardous
materials. A special unit
from Hermiston responded,
as did the Umatilla Tribal
Fire Department and the
National Response Corpo-
ration.
Tom
Strandberg,
spokesperson
for
the
Oregon Department of
Transportation, said reports
from the scene indicated
the tetramethylammonium
hydroxide containers inside
the trailer did not break and
the solution did not leak.
Some diesel from the semi
did spill, he said, but he did
not know how much.
State police and transpor-
tation closed the interstate
for more than eight hours in
both directions while crews
tended to the scene. Strand-
berg said crews needed to
move the containers and
clean up the area.
“We want them to take as
long as they need to safely
move the product,” he said.
The
transportation
department closed eastbound
lanes at exit 216 about six
miles from Pendleton and
shut down westbound lanes
at exit 373 in Ontario. The
westbound closure initially
began at milepost 302,
Baker City, but around 9
a.m. ODOT reported it
extended the closure to
Ontario because La Grande
and Baker City ran out of
parking for semis.
Icy conditions along the
freeway between La Grande
and Pendleton contributed to
additional crashes, according
to the transportation depart-
ment. Winter is here, Strand-
berg said, so drivers need to
be more careful.
Intermittent
closures
remain in effect. State police
advised drivers to plan
accordingly and have an
alternate route in mind. Go
to www.tripcheck.com for
updates on road closures and
weather information.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
BRIEFLY
Commissioners try new
meeting to get to business
City accepting applications
for nine open positions
HEPPNER — The Morrow County
Board of Commissioners entered into a
new experiment last month — an early
morning business meeting before their
regular meetings.
Kim Cutsforth, the county’s interim
administrative officer, said the county is
in the midst of change and big projects,
including the retirement of the public
works director and work on a north-end
facilities plan. The commissioners wanted
a way to discuss topics in a more informal
setting than a regular county meeting and
hear from each other.
The board held the first business
meeting Oct. 18 starting at 7:30 a.m.
and did not open the meeting to public
comment, she said, nor did the board vote.
In that way, the meeting resembled a work
session, a common practice for governing
bodies.
She said the early hour guaranteed
commissioners and staff could meet.
Regular meetings start at 9 a.m, she said,
but sometimes go for hours.
Morrow County District Attorney Justin
Nelson said the meeting was open to the
public, and Cutsforth said there was a
public notice about the meeting and its
minutes are public record. Nelson also
said there are concerns that future business
meetings should have a more formal
agenda, and the county board plans to
address that.
HERMISTON — The city of Hermiston
is accepting applications for nine openings
on city boards and committees.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 29, or until
openings are filled. Positions include the
following:
• Hispanic Advisory Committee position
2, remainder of a three-year term ending June
30, 2020
• Budget Committee positions 4, 5 and 6,
three-year terms run Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31,
2020
• Recreation Projects Fund Advisory
Committee positions 3 and 4, three-year term
running Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2020
• Faith-Based Advisory Committee
positions 1 and 2, three-year term running
Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2020
• EOTEC Board position 2, four-year term
beginning Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2021
Applications can be found at city hall, 180
N.E. Second St., or online at hermiston.or.us.
They can be returned to city hall or emailed
to Lilly Alarcon-Strong at lalarcon-strong@
hermiston.or.us. Applicants must not be city
employees, elected city officials, already
serving on two other city committees or
selling more than $7,500 in services or goods
to the city in a calendar year. Preference is
given to Hermiston residents.
———
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire
reports, and press releases. Email press
releases to news@eastoregonian.com
I NTRODUCING
After 26 years in the
Pendleton Parks and Recre-
ation Department, director
Donnie Cook is retiring
from the city Jan. 31.
Cook, 58, said Monday
that his retirement was
due to “personal reasons,”
but declined to go into
specifics. He added that he
was leaving the city under
good circumstances and
praised City Manager Robb
Corbett’s leadership.
“The city has been very,
very good to me,” he said.
When former director
Dave Byrd retired in 2013,
Corbett elevated Cook, then
the parks superintendent, to
department head.
The city is now adver-
tising the position on its
website. The new director
will oversee 22 parks, the
city’s recreational program-
ming, the Pendleton Family
Aquatic Center, the Pend-
leton River Parkway and
Olney Cemetery.
Outside of the depart-
ment’s usual maintenance
and activities, the new
director will inherit projects
the city’s already
set in motion.
Beginning
in
May, the city will
begin enforcing
a smoking ban
in parks after a
six-month educa-
tional period. The
spring will also
bring the installa- Cook
tion of three new
playgrounds into city parks
after safety concerns spurred
the removal of several play
structures last year.
Cook said he would
be willing to stay on in a
part-time capacity after his
retirement to aid the depart-
ment during the transition.
“I do have a lot of insti-
tutional knowledge that no
one else has,” he said.
Corbett said he collected
input from the parks and
recreation staff on the type
of manager they would
want, but he’s also looking
for someone with longterm
planning abilities and
communication skills.
According to the city’s
job advertisement, the city
is requiring the new director
to have a bachelor’s degree
and five years of relevant
management
experience
or
“a
satisfactory
equivalent
combination of
education
and
experience.” The
new director will
earn
between
$ 8 0 , 2 6 8 –
$107,208. Cook
earns $92,068.
Another wrinkle for the
new employee is whether
the parks and recreation
director will also act as parks
superintendent. Cook has
filled both positions since
his promotion, but Corbett
said department staff told
him it’s more work than one
person can fill. Corbett said
he’ll discuss the situation
with the new hire and make
a decision afterward.
Corbett doesn’t have
a set start date for the
incoming director, but he
does expect it to happen
before Cook’s retirement to
ensure a smooth transition.
The application period will
close Nov. 15.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
Umatilla County hires new
economic development coordinator
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Umatilla County selected
a new coordinator for
economic development and
tourism. County Commis-
sioner Bill Elfering said
the county board aims to
announce the hire after the
candidate passes a back-
ground check, which may
take a couple of weeks to
complete.
Elfering also floated
the idea of a county-wide
transient room tax. Under
Oregon law, he said 70
percent of that revenue
would go toward tourism.
“Tourism is economic
development,”
Elfering
said.
The new coordinator post
comes with an annual salary
of $42,348 or $51,132 plus
benefits and dependent on
qualifications, said Jennifer
Blake, county director of
human resources. Elfering
said the departure of a senior
department head is helping
pay for the post.
Tamra Mabbott left the
county planning director job
in August for a position with
the city of Umatilla. Elfering
said the county allocated
20 percent of
Mabbott’s time
to assisting him
with
economic
development,
but she probably
did more. She
was a senior
employee, he said,
so the difference
between her salary Elfering
and a new hire is
substantial.
Additional
funding
for the post will come
from ending the contract
the county has with the
Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce for tourism
promotion. County counsel
Doug Olsen said the county
is carrying that month to
month, so ending it will not
come with legal repercus-
sions.
The county advertised
the coordinator job in
September. Elfering said
10 people applied, and he
and a hiring panel whittled
that to four, then one
applicant dropped out. The
panel interviewed the trio
Monday.
The panel consists of
Elfering, Blake and the
following: Mike Watkins,
Milton-Freewater commu-
nity development
supervisor; Mark
Morgan, Herm-
iston assistant city
manager; Mike
Short of Round
Up City Develop-
ment Corporation;
and Susan Bower,
owner of Eastern
Oregon Business
Source.
He said the panelists
represent the array of people
and groups the new hire will
have to work with, so their
input was essential.
Elfering also said he is
making the rounds with
local city officials on a
county-wide transient tax.
That would help the county
promote local tourism of
smaller events, such as
Athena’s Caledonian Games
or the Milton-Freewater
Rocks Festival. He also
said the new coordinator
could shoulder promoting
agriculture tourism and new
events, perhaps even “A
Taste of Umatilla County”
to showcase local food and
drink.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
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.
The
East Oregonian
will not publish
on Saturday,
Nov. 11 due to the
postal holiday
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Look for your BONUS EDITION
of the EO on Friday, Nov. 10
• Special section profi ling local veterans
from four wars: WWII to Iraq
• Friday and Weekend comics, Dear Abby,
Days Gone By and This Day in History
• Double Sudoku and crossword puzzles
• TV listings for Friday, Saturday, Sunday
and Monday
Veterans Day Tribute
Friday, Nov. 10