REGION
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
East Oregonian
MILTON-FREEWATER
Parks tax will go to voters
Aquatic center in need of
repairs for leaks, pumps
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The Milton-Freewater City Council
had yet to put a local option tax on the
ballot to fix the city’s sagging parks
infrastructure, but members were
already worried if it would do any good.
The council eventually approved
putting a five-year, 37 cents per $1,000
in assessed value local option tax on
the May ballot at a meeting Monday.
The measure will raise a maximum
of $100,000 per year for parks and
recreation, although the city expects to
collect around $80,000.
City Manager Linda Hall said there
isn’t enough money in the general
fund to cover all of the needs of the
park system, which includes an aquatic
center, an 18-hole golf course, a skate
park, tennis courts, 52 acres spread
across 10 locations and more.
“Funding a cop on the street or
dispatch center, those have gotten the
nod with dollars,” she said. “As opposed
to swing sets.”
One of the priorities under the tax
would be the Joe Humbert Family
Aquatic Center. Hall said the bottom of
the pool needs to be resurfaced to repair
leaks, key equipment and features like
heat pumps. The largest water slide and
the staircase need to be replaced and the
bathhouse needs to be repainted.
Hall said patrons often complain
about the cold water in the pool, a result
of the leaks and the aging heat pumps.
“It’s hard to heat a running river,”
she said.
The 20-plus-year-old aquatic center
needs $230,000 to operate per season,
with labor and maintenance costs rising
each year.
The rest of the park system has a
litany of needs as well: Yantis Park’s
playground, walking trail and picnic
shelters are in need of replacement
or repair, Orchard Park needs power
outlets for the local farmers market
and the municipal golf course requires
resurfaced golf cart paths and netting in
addition to many other projects.
The councilors had a choice between
putting a 37-cent or 46-cent local option
EO file photo
Mike Cleveland of Adams plays a round of golf in this October 2016 photo,
at the Milton-Freewater Municipal Golf Course.
“We have a way longer
grocery list than we have
grocery money.”
— Linda Hall,
Milton-Freewater city manager
tax on the ballot, but Hall said neither
amount would totally repair the parks
system.
“We have a way longer grocery list
than we have grocery money,” she said.
Amongst the council, members
seemed to agree that parks and recre-
ation was in need of more parks funding.
Councilor Steve Irving said the park
playgrounds weren’t meeting safety
codes while Councilor Brad Humbert
added that it would cost the city more
in the long run to operate a pool in
disrepair than it would be to fix it.
“I don’t see how we have a choice,”
Humbert said.
What did give the council pause
was the potential for compression, a
mechanism that squeezes the general
government property tax rate to $10
per $1,000 assessed value, regardless of
how high the rate actually is.
If Milton-Freewater surpasses that
$10, local option taxes will be the
first revenue source eliminated under
compression, according to an inter-
view with Umatilla County Director
of Assessment and Taxation Paul
Chalmers on Tuesday.
While Milton-Freewater is generally
under the compression threshold — the
general government tax rate ranges
between $7.76 and $7.82 within city
limits — some individual properties
with similar real market and assessed
values are already feeling the effects of
compression.
Milton-Freewater only lost about $35
to compression in 2017, but Chalmers
said a flagging economy could cause a
wider trend of real market and assessed
values converging, putting more prop-
erties under compression.
Further complicating matters is the
fact that Milton-Freewater’s local option
tax proposal will share space with the
vote for a new county-wide Oregon
State University Extension Service
taxing district, which would levy
another 33 cents on Milton-Freewater
residents. Many local governments
try to avoid putting more than one tax
measure on the same ballot so that
voters don’t choose one over another.
Regardless of the obstacles, the
Milton-Freewater City Council pressed
ahead and voted to put the 37-cent tax
on the May ballot.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@
eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836.
HERMISTON
Student leader accepted to Brown University
Heidy Mejia-Puerta
a first-generation
college student
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
This fall, Heidy Mejia-
Puerta will wake up for her
first day of school on the
other side of the country.
Mejia-Puerta, a Herm-
iston High School senior,
was recently accepted to
Brown University as an
early-decision
applicant.
The terms of the application
state that Mejia-Puerta is
now committed to attending
the Ivy League school — an
exciting prospect for her.
“Looking at the curric-
ulum, the location and the
student body, I found [Brown]
to be the one for me,” she
said. “I knew if I did early
decision, I’d be happy with
attending Brown.”
Though she has not yet
visited the campus, Mejia-
Puerta said one of the things
that attracted her about
Brown is the school’s open
curriculum, which does not
bind students to general
education requirements. The
Contributed photo
Heidy Mejia-Puerta will at-
tend Brown University in
the fall. She is a first-gen-
eration college student.
school allows undergrads
more flexibility in early
classes they take before
settling on a course of study.
A first-generation college
student, she said she is
unsure of what she’ll study,
but is interested in law and
political science.
She is also the recipient
of the Brown University
Scholarship, which will cover
a significant portion of her
tuition.
She credited her admission
to the school to taking advan-
tage of resources available
to her, as well as help from
teachers and staff.
A member of the LEDA
(Leadership Enterprise for a
Diverse America) scholars
program, Mejia-Puerta spent
several weeks last summer at
Princeton University learning
about how to prepare for
college applications.
“I think the application
process, for me, was much
simpler than for a lot of my
classmates,” she said. “I had
a lot of resources and people
helping me. But as facilitated
as it was, it was still daunting.”
She said being involved
with LEDA helped, with
people from the program
continuing to check on
her and helping her with
the process even after she
returned from Princeton.
She also credited her
involvement with the Genera-
tion College program, run by
Hermiston High School staff
Melody Bustillos and Roger
Berger.
“Most of the opportunities
have been thanks to them,”
she said.
She said her family was
excited by the news.
“I think they were a little
shocked [...] now that it’s
actually happening,” she
said. “They’ve been very
supportive.”
Mejia-Puerta moved from
Umatilla to Hermiston High
School as a sophomore. She
has been involved with the
speech and debate team,
DECA, Knowledge Bowl
club, and the National Honor
Society — of which she is
now president.
While at Brown, Mejia-
Puerta said she hopes to
explore academic opportuni-
ties, as well as stay in touch
with her roots.
“Going away this summer
really taught me the impor-
tance of my culture,” she said.
“I realized there aren’t always
going to be people around me
that cook the food I like, cele-
brate the things I celebrate.”
She said she hopes to join
a club or group that allows
her to continue exploring and
learning about her cultural
background.
Mejia-Puerta is the sixth
LEDA scholar from Herm-
iston High School since the
program was created 13 years
ago.
———
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan
at
jramakrishnan@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4534
Page 3A
Double homicide suspect
back to Idaho for trial
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
A double murder suspect
arrested in Stanfield in
November will
return to Idaho for
his trial.
R i c h a r d
Carlin, 73, waived
extradition at a
court hearing on
Monday, allowing
him to be taken
into
custody
and returned to
the state where Carlin
charges
are
pending.
Carlin had been in
the Umatilla County Jail
since Nov. 22, after he was
arrested at the Stanfield Pilot
truck stop. He is accused
of fleeing Lewiston, Idaho,
earlier that morning after
police he allege he murdered
his ex-wife and daughter
and seriously injured his
son-in law.
Umatilla County Deputy
District Attorney Craig
Russell said Carlin signed
his waiver of extradition.
He said he didn’t know
when Carlin would depart
for Idaho, but
authorities would
begin the process
immediately.
Russell said
Carlin did not say
anything
about
why he decided to
waive extradition,
and that the entire
hearing took about
five minutes.
“I was fully
prepared to go forward with
the hearing,” Russell said. “I
did not know he was going
to waive extradition until his
lawyer mentioned it.”
Carlin, a registered sex
offender in Idaho, said in his
initial November arraign-
ment that he did not want
to be sent back to Idaho
because there was no way he
would get a fair trial there.
BRIEFLY
Photo contributed by Emily Callender
Cassidy Welch, Kaci Graber and Abel Galvan,
Pendleton High School music students, were
selected for the 2018 Oregon Music Educator’s
Association All-State Choir.
PHS Music
students receive
all-state honors
EUGENE — Pendleton
High School music students
Cassidy Welch, Kaci
Graber and Abel Galvan
were recently selected for
the 2018 Oregon Music
Educator’s Association
All-State Choir.
Music teacher Emily
Callender said the students
went through a rigorous
and very competitive
audition and selection
process. The students will
be in Eugene this week to
rehearse and perform with
other outstanding young
Oregon musicians under
the direction of Amanda
Quist for soprano/alto
choir (Westminster Choir
College), and Joshua
Habermann for the tenor/
bass choir (Santa Fe Desert
Chorale, University of
North Texas).
The choir will perform
in a gala concert Sunday at
1 p.m. in Silva Concert Hall
at the Hult Center for the
Performing Arts in Eugene.
Tickets are $17.50 for
adults and $7.50 for youths.
Tickets can be purchased in
advance at www.hultcenter.
org.
NARFE welcomes
weather service
employee
PENDLETON — Mary
Wister of the National
Weather Service is the
guest speaker for this
month’s meeting of the
National Active and Retired
Federal Employees Chapter
2115.
The no-host meeting is
Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at
Shari’s Cafe & Pies, 319
S.E. Nye Ave., Pendleton.
All federal employees are
invited to attend.
For more information,
call Janet at 541-980-3268.
The organization’s website
is www.narfe.org.
Blood drive set
for Jan. 15
HERMISTON — The
regular monthly American
Red Cross blood drive at
Good Shepherd Medical
Center is Monday, Jan. 15
from noon to 6 p.m. at 610
N.W. 11th St., Hermiston.
While walk-ins are
welcome, it’s helpful for
volunteers if people make
an appointment, said
volunteer Patti Perkins. To
schedule a donation time
call 800-448-3543.
The Dec. 18 blood
drive resulted in 32 units
drawn from 40 donors.
The canteen was provided
by the Good Shepherd
Hospital Auxiliary.
Blood products are
always in high demand,
Perkins said. The need is
even greater now due to
the onslaught of winter
storms and wildfires, which
prevents some areas from
holding regular donation
drives.
For information on
how to get involved with
local blood drives, contact
Perkins at pzperchek@
charter.net. For more about
the Red Cross, visit www.
redcross.org.
COMING EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10
STANFIELD SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Stanfield Com-
munity Center, 225 W. Roosevelt,
Stanfield. Cost is $3.50 for seniors,
$6 for others. (541-449-1332)
PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12-1 p.m., Pendleton Se-
nior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St., Pend-
leton. Costs $3.50 or $6 for those un-
der 60. Pool, puzzles, crafts, snacks,
Second Time Around thrift store 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels,
call 541-276-1926. (541-276-7101)
ADULT BEGINNERS’ COM-
PUTERS, 3-4 p.m., Pendleton Pub-
lic Library meeting room, 502 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Registration
is required. Classes tailored to the
needs of the attendees. (541-966-
0380)
VEGAN/SUSTAINABLE LIV-
ING POTLUCK SUPPER, 7 p.m.,
location varies, Pendleton. Bring a
vegan dish and recipe. Gluten-free
friendly group. Call to RSVP and for
driving directions. (541-969-3057)
THURSDAY, JAN. 11
WALKING FOR WELLNESS,
8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendleton Recre-
ation Center gymnasium, 510 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Good mu-
sic, new friends and indoor walking
for health. Free. (541-276-8100)
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME,
10:15-11 a.m., Pendleton Public Li-
brary, 502 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pend-
leton. Stories and activities for young
children. (541-966-0380)
PRESCHOOL STORY AND
CRAFT TIME, 10:30 a.m., Mil-
ton-Freewater Public Library, 8 S.W.
Eighth Ave., Milton-Freewater. (Lili
Schmidt 541-938-8247)
HERMISTON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Our Lady of An-
gels Catholic Church parish hall, 565
W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston. Cost
is $4 for adults, free for children 10
and under, $4 for Meals on Wheels.
Extra 50 cents for utensils/dishes.
Bus service to parish hall by dona-
tion. (541-567-3582)
BOARDMAN SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Boardman Se-
nior Center, 100 Tatone St., Board-
man. Cost is $4 for seniors 55 and
over or $5 for adults. (541-481-3257)
PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12-1 p.m., Pendleton
Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St.,
Pendleton. Costs $3.50 or $6 for
those under 60. Pool, puzzles,
crafts, snacks, Second Time Around
thrift store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals
On Wheels, call 541-276-1926.
(541-276-7101)
SENSORY STORY TIME, 12:30
p.m., Boardman Public Library, 200
S. Main St., Boardman. For children
from birth to age 4. (541-481-2665)
U N D E R S TA N D B I B L E P R O P H E C Y
Indeed, the face of Western Europe has already been transformed through rapid
Islamic expansion, and the fear of terror and holy war pervade the American
psyche as multiple conflicts rage in the Middle East.
After a decade of careful study and scholarly legwork, international speaker Tim
Roosenberg unveils a staggering new study of Bible prophecy that demonstrates
that God’s Word is not silent regarding Islam and Christianity in these last days.
Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church
Tim Roosenberg
Speaker and Author
855 W. Highland Ave.
ALL FAITH GROUPS WELCOME
Saturday, January 13, 6:30 –8:00 pm “Islam and Christianity” Part I
Sunday, January 14, 6:30—8:00 pm “Islam and Christianity” Part II