REGION
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Council backs BMCC indoor arena with $150,000
East Oregonian
The city of Pendleton is
officially an investor in the
Blue Mountain Community
College indoor arena project.
At a meeting Tuesday,
the Pendleton City Council
unanimously voted to grant
BMCC $150,000 for the
project, which is known as
FARM II.
College President Cam
Preus reiterated that the
arena would provide more
space for its agriculture
program and a perma-
nent home for its rodeo
program. To be located on
the Round-Up Grounds,
the arena could also host
sporting and entertainment
events during the cold-
weather months.
The $10-$12 million
project already has a $5
million commitment from
the state and $150,000
commitments from the Port
of Umatilla and Umatilla
County.
“We believe it’s a great
investment in our college,”
Preus said. “It’s a great
investment in our college
and our community.”
Almost every councilor
voiced support for the
project, but there was some
concern about where the
money would come from.
City Manager Robb Corbett
said the money would come
from a community devel-
opment fund created from
a previous property sale to
Keystone RV Co.
Councilor Scott Fairley
said he was uncomfortable
giving money to a $10-$12
million project that would
provide little revenue to the
city’s general fund. Fairley
estimated it would take 25
years for the city to recoup
its investment through tax
revenue and suggested
the city use urban renewal
district money instead.
With multiple coun-
Whoville comes to Hermiston
cilors uneasy taking money
from the development
fund,
Councilor
Paul
Chalmers suggested the
council make the $150,000
commitment but determine
the source of the funding
later.
The council eventually
agreed to spread out
payments over a period not
to exceed five years.
BRIEFLY
Students to present
‘Seussical the Musical’
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
Whimsical costumes, an elaborate
stage and fun music are all featured in
“Seussical the Musical” at Hermiston
High School.
Drama and music students are staging
the production, which opens Friday at 7
p.m. in the school’s fine arts auditorium,
600 S. First St. Other performances are
Saturday and Feb. 16-17, also at 7 p.m.,
and a matinée show Sunday, Feb. 18 at
2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8
for senior citizens and $5 for students.
Jordan Bemrose-Rust’s face was
animated as she stood swaying to the
music during a recent dress rehearsal.
The HHS choir director, who’s also in
charge of choreography, worked on a
small-scale version of the popular Dr.
Seuss-themed musical several years ago
while teaching in Ione. She convinced
drama director Beth Anderson —
although it didn’t take much convincing
— to take on the production.
“This has big dance numbers. I
wanted to go big,” Bemrose-Rust said.
“When you do choreography with 30
people, it’s a lot more grand.”
It’s been a team effort to produce
“Seussical” — HHS band teacher Sean
McClanahan is directing the orchestra
pit and Kathy Vore is the technical
director. And, the excitement is conta-
gious — from student performers to
parents and community members who
have stepped up in lending a hand.
Anderson said “Seussical” is the
most produced show across America
for good reason. She referred to the
music as “fantastically fun.”
“It’s just fun and upbeat,” said
Alyssa Perkins, who plays the part of
Photo contributed by Oregon State Police
Ever Moreno Lerma died Monday night in a fiery
single-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 near Hermiston.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
The cast of “Seussical” rehearses recently at Hermiston High School.
the Sour Kangaroo. “There are a lot of
bright colors. It’s going to be appealing
to all ages.”
The HHS junior credits Bemrose-
Rust with encouraging her to step out
of her comfort zone and onto the stage.
While Perkins has been involved in
choir during her high school years, this
is her first involvement with musical
theater.
Junior Kyle Ketchersid, too, is
stretching his talents. During last year’s
“Fiddler on the Roof” production, he
played bassoon in the orchestra pit.
Although he says he’s not necessarily
an obsessed fan of Dr. Seuss, Ketchersid
has taken on the persona of The Cat in
the Hat and The Grinch for the musical.
He said he’s enjoying the peppy and
upbeat nature of the performance.
In addition to 14 students, there are
four adults in the orchestra pit. Having
the seasoned performers, McClanahan
said, offers students an opportunity
to glean additional insight. And, they
contribute to the fullness of the sound.
“Also, with more parts it adds more
energy to the performance,” McCla-
nahan said.
Bemrose-Rust also sings praises for
Margaret Wetterling. The pianist, she
said, has played an integral role as an
accompanist — not only for “Seus-
sical,” but also choir concerts and past
musicals.
Brittany Sloan, a four-year veteran
of the HHS stage, said the energy has
been amazing. Sloan, who plays the
role of Mayzie LaBird, said the cast
has worked hard and is excited about
staging the production.
“It’s geared towards youngsters
but it’s still pretty fun for everyone,”
Ketchersid said.
Anderson agreed.
“I do not like green eggs and ham,”
she said quoting from the script. “How
could you go wrong?”
School board member Gomolski enters council race
in 2015 against a field of four
incumbents but did not win.
He said he was troubled by
Mark Gomolski has added the “non-inclusion of resi-
his name to the list of candi- dents” he was seeing as the
city council made
dates for Hermiston
major decisions like
City Council.
taking sole owner-
Gomolski,
a
ship of the Eastern
Hermiston School
Oregon Trade and
District
board
Event Center.
member, is running
“I dislike deci-
for Ward I. Coun-
sions being made
cilor Lori Davis,
without public input
who
currently
until after the deed
holds the seat, has
is done,” he said.
not announced yet Gomolski
He said if
whether she will
elected he would push for
run again.
Gomolski ran for an more public involvement
at-large seat on the council with city decisions. He
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
said he also had concerns
about EOTEC he wanted to
address.
Currently the school board
and city council both meet
on the second and fourth
Monday of the month, forcing
people to choose between the
two meetings. Gomolski said
if elected and serving in both
capacities he thought it would
be a good opportunity for one
body or the other to change
their meeting dates so that
citizens could attend both if
they wanted.
“I think a lot of people
would like to go to both,” he
said.
Gomolski said he was also
troubled by youth suicides in
the community and would like
to see both the school district
and the city tackle that issue.
He won his seat on the
Hermiston School Board as
a write-in candidate in May
2017 with 14 votes.
Gomolski
retired
to
Hermiston from Chicago in
2015 and soon after was the
manager of Umatilla County
Commissioner Bill Elfering’s
2016 re-election campaign.
The deadline to file for city
council is March 6 at 5 p.m.
and the election is May 15.
Incumbent Doug Smith and
newcomer Shean Fitzgerald
have also filed.
DEPOT: The former depot contains areas of historical significance
Continued from 1A
create a four to seven-month
delay.
Tom Lederle of the
Army’s BRAC office was
more optimistic, saying he
thought they could work on
the RCRA permit at the same
time as other outstanding
issues with the transfer and
it would not create a long
delay.
“We were very surprised
when the EPA made this
demand at the 11 and a half
hour,” he said.
Michele Lanigan, also of
BRAC, said they had made
a plan for permits with the
state three years ago and the
EPA had been on board with
it, but a recent personnel
change in the EPA’s Region
10 had seemed to prompt the
change in direction.
Lederle said sometimes
people look at something like
the depot transfer and decide
it’s so important it needs
more public process.
“There’s been a public
process for 29 years. Don’t
tell me it needs more,” Gary
Neal replied. “How many
more years does it need?”
“Probably 100 years, at the
rate we’re going,” someone
on the call remarked.
Smith said he planned to
take a trip to Washington,
D.C. on March 11 to lobby
on behalf of the CDA, and
he would work to find the
“highest person in the EPA I
can get” to meet with and ask
for help in speeding along the
process.
The CDA has also been
facing delays over the
programmatic
agreement,
which deals with cultural and
historical preservation. The
former depot contains areas
of historical significance,
such as a piece of the Oregon
Trail, as well as areas of
religious and cultural signif-
icance to the tribes. Smith
said he was trying to find a
“fair and reasonable” way
to balance those concerns
with maintaining the CDA’s
ability to develop portions of
the depot for industrial use as
agreed upon years ago.
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“I think there is a compro-
mise that can be reached, but
it really requires everyone to
come to the middle,” he said.
“If we dig in our heels I think
we’re going to come to an
impasse.”
The Oregon Military
Department’s 7,500 acre
portion of the 19,728-acre
depot was transferred to the
department in November
for creation of an Oregon
National Guard training
facility, but the remainder
of the land is still under the
Army until the transfer to the
CDA takes place.
Boardman man
killed in crash on
Interstate 84
A Boardman man
died Monday night in a
fiery single-vehicle crash
on Interstate 84 near
Hermiston.
Ever Moreno Lerma,
48, was driving eastbound
on I84 at about 8:40
p.m., according to a press
release from Oregon
State Police, when he
rolled his 2004 Chevrolet
Trailblazer near Milepost
181 between the Westland
Road and Highway 207
exits.
When emergency
crews arrived they found
the vehicle engulfed in
flames. Moreno Lerma
had been ejected from the
vehicle and died at the
scene.
One lane of the
freeway was closed for
about three hours during
the investigation. Speed
is believed to have
contributed to the crash,
and Moreno Lerma was
not wearing a seatbelt.
It is not known why the
vehicle left the roadway.
Excavator on
semi damaged
I-84 overpass
BOARDMAN —
Oregon State Police
reported a semi-tractor
hauling an excavator
caused the damaged
Monday morning that led
to the shutdown of the
Interstate 84 overpass at
Boardman.
The arm of the exca-
vator collided with the
underside of the overpass,
state police reported,
breaking off concrete
that fell and caused
“significant damage” to a
white Ford F450 pickup
following closely behind
the semi.
State police cited the
semi driver, David Glenn
Bradley, 48, of Boardman,
for exceeding maximum
width, exceeding
maximum height and
improperly securing the
excavator.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation
is allowing traffic to use
one lane of the overpass
while crews make repairs.
The work could take up
to two weeks, and ODOT
estimated driving delays at
less than 20 minutes.
Relay for Life
announces
planning meeting
PENDLETON
— Gearing up for its
second year as the Relay
for Life of Umatilla
County, organizers have
announced meetings to
discuss plans for the 2018
event.
In an effort to
maximize resources, the
American Cancer Society
combined the Hermiston
and Pendleton events
into one larger event last
year. Plans for a single
Umatilla County event are
underway again this year.
Carol Preston, event
lead, invites people to
get involved with the
fundraiser. Money is used
to fund cancer research
and provide assistance
with patient care
programs.
The upcoming planning
meeting is Thursday at 6
p.m. in the medical office
of Dr. Patricia Winn,
3001 St. Anthony Way,
Suite 135, in Pendleton.
Meetings continue the
second Thursday of each
month.
The Relay for Life
of Umatilla County is
Saturday, June 16 from
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Roy
Raley Park in Pendleton.
For more information,
contact Preston at
relaypendleton@yahoo.
com or 541-379-6294.
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire
reports, and press
releases. Email press
releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
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