REGION
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
HERMISTON
East Oregonian
Page 3A
MILTON-FREEWATER
Rules for containers, guest houses Soccer coach
unpacked at council meeting
becomes first
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The Hermiston city
council changed its mind
mid-meeting on one property
issue Monday and decided to
ask the public about another
before moving forward.
The council first rejected
a proposed update to acces-
sory dwelling regulations,
then after further discussion
gave the planning commis-
sion the go-ahead for start-
ing the public hearing pro-
cess. After hearing mixed
reviews on an idea to ban use
of metal shipping contain-
ers for storage in residential
zones, they asked city staff
to survey the public about it.
City councilor John Kir-
wan had commented at a
previous meeting that he was
seeing an increase of metal
shipping containers, often
referred to as Conex boxes,
being used as a storage shed
next to a house. He inquired
about regulations for such
use, and after finding out
there was none, councilors
asked city staff to consider
drafting some rules.
On Monday during a
work session city planner
Clint Spencer presented a
“first draft” recommendation
from the planning commis-
sion for feedback. The rules
would ban use of the contain-
ers in residential zones, leav-
ing an exemption for tempo-
rary uses up to 60 days in a
year or up to 120 days when
connected to a construction
project that has been issued a
building permit. In commer-
cial and industrial zones one
container per lot (in a com-
mercial zone) or per acre (for
industrial) could be used,
provided it was painted the
same color as the primary
building, rust-free, logo-free,
on a concrete or asphalt slab
and has been granted a build-
ing permit. In all zones, the
regulations would only apply
to new containers, not exist-
ing ones.
Councilors had mixed
feelings about the proposal.
Doug Smith said he didn’t
want to see a lot of the ship-
ping containers popping up
in residential neighborhoods,
but later during the coun-
cil’s regular meeting said he
thought the city should get
feedback on what seemed
like it could be a polarizing
issue.
Mayor David Drotzmann
said some shipping con-
tainers next to houses were
unsightly, but he wouldn’t
necessarily have a problem
with one in someone’s back
yard, painted a subtle color
and mostly out of sight. He
said he “understood the vis-
ibility issue” but wasn’t sure
he wanted to see the city take
away an affordable storage
option for people.
“I’m struggling with it a
little bit,” he said. “I don’t
like the way they look, but
I don’t like the way some of
my neighbors’ houses look
either.”
Comments from the pub-
lic were mixed too. Jackie
Linton said she thought ship-
ping containers would look
out of place in her Beebe
Avenue
neighborhood,
which looks residential but
is actually zoned commer-
Hispanic
city councilor
City Manager Linda Hall
shared some warm words
Rather than create a His- about Garcia.
panic advisory council or
“If you are not famil-
liaison, the Milton-Freewa- iar with Mr. Garcia, at least
ter City Council
by name, you’ve
appointed its first
evidently been
living
under-
Latino city coun-
neath a rock
cilor at a meeting
for the last sev-
Monday.
eral years,” she
Jose Garcia, a
said. “He’s a
custodian at Free-
water
Elemen-
renowned soc-
tary School and a
cer coach and a
local soccer coach,
great leader of
was the only per- Garcia
young men, in
son to apply for the
my opinion.”
Despite Hispanics and
vacant Ward 3 seat after for-
mer Councilor Jeff Anliker Latinos comprising nearly
half of Milton-Freewa-
resigned in April.
Introducing himself to the ter’s population, the coun-
council, Garcia said he had cil was entirely made up of
originally hoped someone white men prior to Garcia’s
else from the Latino com- appointment.
munity would step up to join
Councilor Steve Irving
the council. He coaches the said Garcia would fill
McLoughlin High School an important role on the
and Central Middle School council.
“We need that outreach
boys soccer teams, and also
runs soccer activities during and connection,” he said.
The council had made
the winter and summer.
While soccer is a year- establishing a Hispanic
round job for him, Gar- advisory committee or liai-
cia said he wanted to set an son a goal, but with Garcia’s
example for the children he appointment, Hall said that
mentors and found time to goal was now met.
Hall said Garcia would
dedicate to the council.
“I’ve lived here my be sworn in at the council’s
whole life and I’m proud of July 9 meeting. His term
will run through 2020.
it,” he said.
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Daniel Wattenburger
City planner Clint Spencer said this metal shipping container used for storage at the
Chevron station on the corner of Highway 395 and Gladys Avenue would comply with
the proposed ordinance regulating such containers.
Hermiston passes 2018-2019 budget
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The Hermiston City Council adopted
the city’s 2018-2019 budget on Monday
night.
At $54.94 million, it is about $4.7
million smaller than the current year,
due mostly to capital projects such as the
Harkenrider Center wrapping up.
“(The budget) includes a number of
the city council’s goals,” City Manager
Byron Smith said, referencing livability,
housing and workforce development.
The budget includes a 3 percent raise
for city staff and includes some new per-
sonnel, including a parks foreman to han-
dle day-to-day operation of parks. That
will free up the parks and recreation
director to focus on long-term projects,
including a feasibility study for a new
indoor aquatic center or wellness center
and a parks master plan. A storm water
manager and part-time clerical positions
at the Hermiston Community Center and
Harkenrider Center were also added.
The most expensive capital proj-
ect the city plans to tackle in the com-
ing fiscal year is a new one-million-gal-
lon water tower on the corner of Punkin
Center and Northeast 10th Street, accom-
panied by upgrades to water infrastruc-
ture in the area. The $4.5 million proj-
ect is expected to cut down on the cost
for housing development in the northeast
part of town.
The city also plans to build the West
Highland Trail Extension this fall, con-
necting Riverfront Park and Southwest
11th Street via a pedestrian trail running
parallel to Highland Avenue. The council
awarded the bid for that project Monday
to Humbert Asphalt, which was the low
bid at $343,225.
On Monday the council also amended
its employee handbook, and passed a res-
olution changing the language of its code
pertaining to telecommunications com-
panies using the public right of way.
Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan
said the city had changed its code last fall
to require companies to pay franchise
fees on revenue from cable internet ser-
vice, but Charter Communications had
been unhappy with the wording and had
been negotiating with the city on clarifi-
cations that would help limit the prece-
dence-setting for other jurisdictions out-
side the state. The company has not been
paying those fees during negotiations but
has promised to start now that the matter
is resolved.
Ione man tried to withdraw
plea in sex crimes case
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
cial, but she didn’t have a
problem with them in more
rural neighborhoods with
larger lots. Rhonda Sallee
and Randy Smith questioned
why the city needed such an
ordinance at all.
Councilors directed city
staff to survey Hermis-
ton residents and bring the
feedback to a future council
meeting.
Guest house rules
The council also dis-
cussed another set of rec-
ommendations from the
planning commission Mon-
day, for accessory dwell-
ing units. Spencer said those
could include guest houses,
basement apartments, apart-
ments over garages and other
“mother-in-law” apartments.
“If you’re a fan of Happy
Days, where Fonzi lived was
an ADU,” he said.
Spencer said the state leg-
islature passed new laws for
ADUs that take effect July 1,
including a requirement that
new ADUs have permits.
Spencer said Hermiston has
always allowed accessory
dwelling units only if no rent
was charged for them, but
the new law forces the city to
allow people to charge rent
for guest houses, basement
apartments and other ADUs
on their property. He said it
was “frustrating” that the
state had arbitrarily changed
the character of Hermiston’s
zoning code by turning all of
its single-family residential
zones into multi-family res-
idential areas.
To address the changes,
the planning commission
spent three months craft-
ing amendments to the city’s
code. The new requirements
state that accessory dwelling
units must meet all building
codes, include a bathroom
and kitchen, be accessible
from a separate entrance
than the main dwelling and
come with one to two addi-
tional paved offstreet park-
ing spaces depending on
the number of bedrooms.
The dwellings will be sub-
ject to a permit and permit
fee, and will be charged the
utility rate for multi-family
dwellings.
City councilor Jackie
Myers wanted to see addi-
tional rules about the ADU
having to match the primary
dwelling and setting aes-
thetic standards, and other
councilors agreed, but Spen-
cer said the advice of legal
counsel was that wouldn’t
hold up as a “reasonable”
standard under the law
because the city doesn’t have
rules for what colors people
can paint their primary resi-
dence, for example.
Myers said she wished the
city could tell people that.
When it came time for a
vote, only councilors Doug
Primmer and Lori Davis
voted in favor of having the
city start the public hear-
ing and notice process to
turn the regulations into law.
But afterward Drotzmann
expressed the feeling that
the regulations were likely
as extensive as the plan-
ning commission was able
to make them, and Spencer
confirmed that there wasn’t
much more the commis-
sion could add after legal
counsel had directed them
to take out multiple design
standards that had originally
been included. He also said
that the state law takes effect
on July 1 no matter what the
city passes to “put siderails”
on the issue, and that it could
always be revised later.
That persuaded Myers,
Gutierrez, Smith and Hardin,
who voted with Primmer and
Davis this time after Myers
made another motion to once
again consider moving for-
ward with the public process
to adopt the new standards.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
Corey Scott Baker of Ione
tried to back out of his plea
of no contest to an attempted
sex crime two weeks after he
made it.
The Morrow County Dis-
trict Attorney’s Office in
March 2017 charged Baker,
41, with one count each of
first-degree rape and sex-
ual abuse of a girl younger
than 14. He took a deal and
on April 26 pleaded no con-
test to attempted first-degree
sexual abuse.
“I called my lawyer a few
days after the change of plea
and told him it felt wrong
and I wanted to withdraw
my plea,” Baker asserted,
according to the motion his
attorney filed May 18 to
withdraw the plea. “I did
not do what I am accused of
doing.”
Baker in the motion also
stated he made the deal out
of fear a jury would con-
vict him in spite of his inno-
cence. He claimed he suffers
from “stress induced amne-
sia as a result of a traumatic
brain injury I received in
Iraq” and “I cannot say that I
understood what I was doing
when I changed my plea.”
Circuit Judge Christopher
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Brauer on May 21 denied
the request.
Baker’s
next
court
appearance was Thursday
for sentencing. Brauer fined
Baker $2,000 and gave him
three years of probation
with an array of conditions,
including registering as a
sex offender and completing
sex offender therapy. Baker
also must serve 10 days in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton, beginning no
later than 3 p.m. on June 20.
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