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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2017)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Tuesday, December 12, 2017 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dan Woellmer, with Jimco Fence of Salem, carries a section of fencing over his head while installing a fence along the Union Pacific Railroad line on Mon- day in Pendleton. FENCES: Aims to reduce illegal railroad crossings Continued from 1A Staff photo by Kathy Aney Tom Tangney, commander of VFW Let ‘er Buck Post 922 salutes during the singing of the national anthem Sunday at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton at the Wreaths for Remembrance ceremony. WREATHS: High school group laid about 200 wreaths Continued from 1A Staff photo by Kathy Aney Griswold High School senior Lynne Ashby lays a wreath at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton on Sunday as part of Wreaths for Remembrance. Senior Alyssa Keene took Kubishta’s advice, thinking about each veteran and saying his or her name either silently or aloud. “It was really an honor,” Keene said. “These were men and women who have fought and sacrificed so much for our country.” The Griswold High School Euro Club started the Wreaths for Remembrance project eight years ago. They laid 64 wreaths that year and slowly built the program to about 200 in 2017. Some year, they hope to sell enough to adorn all 1,000-or-so veterans’ graves at Olney. The Helix tribute is modeled after Wreaths Across America, an event that started with the laying of 5,000 at Arlington National Cemetery in 1992. “It comes down to grati- tude,” Kubishta said. The wreath laying, he said, nudges the students away from a self-centered culture and focuses them on others. “It gets them into a cemetery where they have to get out in the cold and feel uncomfortable,” he said. “They get to give back a little bit and do something not for themselves.” Last year, several inches of snow on the ground made identifying graves extremely difficult. This time, things went smoothly. During the ceremony, senior Kailey Mize sang two songs with origins in World War II: “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or 941-966-0810. HOLIDAY: A guitar raffle enticed more folks to come down Continued from 1A sales. Pendleton has a core of people, Royal said, many of which are his customers, who are long-time residents and want to see the town grow. Events like the stroll help his and other specialty shops, he said, but growth in Pendleton’s population would be a bigger boost. Some time later in the midst of the stroll, Royal said business turned out to be more than good. Several doors down, Echo Bike & Board owner Stephanie Myers and her staff were working on a window display. She said last year’s stroll brought an increase in foot traffic and business, but that died after 5 p.m. She said having the stroll from 1-5 during the day “would be awesome,” but the store would be open until the event ended at 7. The store has been in Pendleton almost three years, and Meyers said business has been good this year. Molly Turner of the downtown association was hopeful this year’s stroll drew larger crowds than last year’s. Some 1,100 people RSVPed, she said, and given the day’s temperature was almost balmy compared to last year’s, when strollers had to navigate ice and snow, there was the potential for more people participating. Businesses off of Main Street joined the event, and some shops offered discounts to strollers. A guitar raffle enticed more folks to come down. Instead of buying a ticket, strollers had to get stamps from seven of nine participating establishments, then turn in their stamp card by 7 to the downtown association, 380 S. Main St. The Pendleton Center for the Arts drew families with free sugar cookie decorating, probably about as much a hit with the kids as Santa. Roberta Lavadour, director of the arts center, credited Turner with the success of the stroll. “She is sort of the kingpin we needed to drive these downtown events,” parking lot. The $70,000 cost was split between a $20,000 Wildhorse Foundation grant to the Pendleton Enhance- ment Project and Union Pacific Railroad. The group expects the fences will be completed next week. The fence is meant to funnel pedestrians through the Main Street railroad crossing rather than allowing them to walk around the crossing arms. Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs said the railroad company enjoys working with community partners to enhance railroad safety. He said it’s illegal for pedestrians to travel across railroad tracks outside of designated crossings and the aim is to decrease these types of pedestrian habits. Pendleton Downtown Association Executive Director Molly Turner said the fences could also act as a community enhance- ment for Museum Park, providing a barrier between park patrons and the rail- road tracks. “It makes it more usable for them,” she said. With Webb’s Cold Storage demolished and the fences nearly completed, the project will move on to its third and final phase, the most ambitious and expen- sive part of its plan. The group had originally envisioned creating an event plaza surrounded by historic trusses from the Eighth Street Bridge and a food hub from the Commu- nity Action Program of East Central Oregon. After failing to reach a mutually agreeable land lease with Union Pacific, the project refocused its efforts on beautifying the parking lot across from the Fraternal Order of Eagles sans a CAPECO food hub. The press release notes that creating a South Main Street gateway for the downtown area is a goal of the city’s 2003 urban renewal plan. The project’s current plan calls for relocating three trusses around the parking lot in 2018 or 2019 as the city continues to work on replacing the Eighth Street bridge. With more than $100,000 in financial backing of Umatilla County, the Pendleton Development Commission, Pendleton Foundation Trust and private donors, the project is still raising money toward the relocation costs. Turner said the enhance- ment project is convening a committee to take a look at the landscaping for the improved parking lot and opportunities to solicit public input on the project. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. HERMISTON: Must fulfill a request in 10 days starting Jan. 1 Continued from 1A Staff photo by Kathy Aney A crowd reacts as Pendleton’s community Christmas tree lights up Saturday in front of the Hamley Steakhouse as part of the Holiday Stroll. companies or attorneys. Victims always receive a redacted copy of their police report for free. Smith said police reports take about 15 minutes to prepare, but the police department also gets about two requests per month for video footage, which takes two to four hours to complete. City staff made the same recommendation of $35 per hour two years ago, but the council rejected it. This time, however, Smith said the legislature has enacted a bill that gives the city 10 days in most cases to fulfill a request starting Jan. 1. That causes more of a burden for the city, he said, and cities in Washington have reported that a similar law has caused some people to make repeated time-consuming requests on the hope that the city will fail to meet a deadline and they can take the city to court or press for a settlement. “I feel like we need to be prepared to ward off some of these frivolous requests,” he said. The council voted unan- imously to update the fee structure. The council also gave the city manager permission to enter into an agreement for developer Denis Hyatt to lease the land to build four hangars out at the Hermiston Municipal Airport. Assistant city manager Mark Morgan said Hyatt plans to use one and rent out the other three. He said he was “very confi- dent and excited” about the project because the city- owned hangars are all full and have a waiting list. On Monday, Smith also introduced Mark Krawczyk, who was on his first day as the city’s new finance director. Krawczyk is replacing Amy Palmer, who resigned in July. He was previously assistant finance director for Fort Worth, Texas and said all of his career has been spent in finance, including 16 years in the utilities industry. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. SHOOTING: The involved officers remain on leave Staff photo by Kathy Aney Continued from 1A Murray Dunlap sings Christmas songs Satur- day during the Pendleton Holiday Stroll just prior to the lighting of the com- munity Christmas tree. Thorin Endicott, 3, squeezes frosting onto a cookie Sat- urday at the Pendleton Center for the Arts during the Pendleton Holiday Stroll. Thorin’s brother Grady works on his own cookie. Lavadour said. Beyond a one-day increase to the bottom line, Lavadour said the culmina- tion of these events helps brand downtown as a fun and happening place. Some chill settled in as the sun went down and people gathered outside the Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon at the corner of Southeast Court and Main Street for the lighting of the community Christmas tree. Turner addressed the crowd, which topped more than a hundred, and said while this was the second stroll, it was the first tree lighting. Pendleton City Council president Neil Brown took the mic and said the tree, a blue spruce, was alive, and the Pendleton Parks and Recreation Department would plant it after the holidays. He also gave a few remarks about the history of the Christmas tree, including a bit about Staff photo by Kathy Aney child sacrifice and how the Swiss put real candles on their trees, which they set up Christmas Eve and take down Christmas day. Moments later he led the crowd in counting down from five to one to power up the tree. The lights went on, and the crowd clapped and cheered. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. compromise grand juries that review cases. “I get all that,” Roberts said, “but at the end of the day, the identities should not have an impact on determinations.” The officers remain on leave and the suspect at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland. The chief said the two officers passed mandatory and volunteer psychological evaluations in the wake of the shooting. One is due to return to work soon, but the officer who fired his gun is off duty until the Baker County District Attorney’s Office completes its inves- tigation of the shooting. Umatilla County District Attorney handed off the case due to a conflict of interest. Roberts said he heard it could be two weeks before Baker County District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff wraps up the work. By then, the officer will be off work almost a month. The shooting inves- tigation, however, is not interfering with the inves- tigation of the Walmart theft case. Roberts said police preserved video evidence from the store and questioned employees, and the case involves two or three others aside from the shooting victim.
