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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2018)
REGION Wednesday, November 7, 2018 East Oregonian MILTON-FREEWATER Last-minute appeal Teen dies from gunshot wound By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Glenn Green, of Pilot Rock, holds a sign encouraging Republicans to vote while sitting in the back of his truck on Dorion Avenue on Tuesday night in Pendleton. Green said he was motivated to encourage Republicans to vote because he does not want his children and grandchildren to live in a country run by Democrats. PENDLETON Council narrowly rejects airport hotel lease, discusses housing By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Pendleton City Coun- cil voted 4-3 on Tuesday to reject a 50-year lease for a 74-room, $11.5 million air- port hotel, even as some additional conditions were added before the final vote. The council breezed through the open portion of their meeting in 24 minutes before filing into the jury room for a 90-minute execu- tive session that included dis- cussion of the hotel, which is being proposed by a subsid- iary of Vancouver, Washing- ton, company Makad Corp. Instead of a monthly flat fee, the lease proposed that the hotel would pay Pendle- ton a percentage of its gross revenue as rent, eventually ramping up to 2 percent per year. Before the meeting, Makad Corp. agreed to extend the revenue per- centage setup through the life of the lease and build a new parking lot to replace the long-term parking lot on which the hotel would be built. And right before the coun- cil took a vote, Councilor Becky Marks made a motion to approve the lease contin- gent upon Makad Corp. pro- viding a security bond, secur- ing financing, and obtaining a franchise agreement with a hotel chain. Even with all the amend- ments to the deal, councilors Paul Chalmers, Scott Fair- ley, Dale Primmer and Neil Brown voted against the lease. Councilor Jake Cam- bier was absent. A brief period of confu- sion ensued as the council tried to figure out how the city would proceed. “At this point, I have no idea what is going to satisfy the council,” City Manager Robb Corbett said. Fairley and Brown said they were generally opposed to the concept of a hotel at the airport and were unlikely to support it regardless. The other opposing councilors indicated they were amena- ble, but only if the lease was further amended. Brown asked City Attor- ney Nancy Kerns if the city was legally liable for back- ing out of negotiations, but she declined to speak about it in open session. Although the city touts Makad Corp.’s involve- ment in developing the River Lodge and Grill in Board- man, the company’s other projects at the Port of Mor- row weren’t as fruitful. Planned manure and eth- anol plants were never built, while a power plant got tied up in a lawsuit before it was sold off. Makad Corp.’s other Pendleton project, a data cen- ter on the Airport Road exten- sion, has yet to break ground since the council approved a 30-year lease in 2015. The council also dis- cussed the Pendleton Heights housing development behind closed doors, but did not take any action when mem- bers returned to council chambers. “At this point, I have no idea what is going to satisfy the council” — Robb Corbett, city manager HERMISTON School board picks new member By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian The Hermiston School Board selected a new member at its Monday night meeting. Brent Pitney was sworn in, and immediately joined the rest of the board for an executive session to dis- cuss Superintendent Tricia Mooney’s contract. Pitney was selected from a pool of five candi- dates, all of whom applied for the spot vacated last month by longtime board member Jason Middleton. Pitney, a lifelong Herm- iston resident, works for Knerr Construction and has two children at Herm- iston High School. He said he was excited to be selected, and decided to apply for the position because he wanted to give back. “I’ve been in Hermiston 41 years, and I have kids in the system,” he said. “I want to be part of the school and help out.” He said he would fill whatever role the board needed him to, but said he hopes especially to be an asset when it comes to passing the next school bond. At an interview last month, Pitney answered several questions from the board. He stated that he did not know the exact roles and responsibilities of a school board member in the community, but would learn if appointed. Each board mem- ber is “adopted” by one of the district’s schools, and attends events there throughout the year. Pit- ney said he will likely be taking over that role for Highland Hills Elementary School. “I already do that with work,” he said. “I’ll try to be positive, be a voice.” Board members voted 5-1 to appoint Pitney to the seat, with only board mem- ber Mark Gomolski voting against. Gomolski nom- inated Mike Todryk for the spot. Three others also applied for the position: Kris Lerten, Mark Millard and Trish Rossell. The board also voted unanimously against an amendment to a state school board bylaw, which would preserve one vot- ing position on the Oregon School Boards Association board of directors and leg- islative policy committee for a member of the OSBA Members of Color Cau- cus. The resolution, which will be voted on by school boards that are mem- bers of OSBA, and uses a weighted system based on student enrollment, stated that the Members of Color Caucus has been sup- ported by the OSBA board of directors since 2016, and has elected officers, regional and at-large repre- Free Signs Available When the copy was submitted for today’s ad there was no way of knowing the election results. But, win or lose, we’ve been involved with this election for eight months and I want to thank my wife, my family, and everyone who has been involved in this adventure. The one thing I do know is that I have signs in every corner of Umatilla County. Creative Signs tell me that these signs are made of the highest quality materials and could be used for insulation, roofi ng, patching holes, as souvenirs, or for a variety of other uses. The Bird rescue people are interested in using some of them to keep birds from pecking one another. Some people even re-purpose them for garage sales and include the metal holders. There are probably endless uses but none include putting them back in our garage or in the barn at the ranch. Every single one of my signs is up for grabs! Rush out today and claim yours and feel free to take as many as you want. George Murdock – Umatilla County Commissioner Page 3A sentatives, and bylaws. Board vice-chair Josh Goller made a state- ment about the proposed amendment. “I don’t believe this is appropriate,” he said. “I believe it is divisive.” He said he felt it set an unteneble precendent for OSBA, and that it may encourage other groups to distinguish themselves and ask for specialized treat- ment. He said that anyone has the opportunity to run for a position on the school board, regardless of race. The motion failed 6-0. A Milton-Freewater high school student died Tuesday from a gunshot wound. Police Chief Doug Boedigheimer said in an email the shooting occurred Sunday at about 5:15 p.m. An investigation indicated the 15-year-old victim shot himself accidentally. Boedigheimer stated he would not reveal the boy’s name “out of deference and respect for his grieving family.” The shooting did not take place at the boy’s home. He received treat- ment at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla, and then an air ambulance flew him from the medical cen- ter to another hospital. Boedigheimer did not report the name of the sec- ond hospital, but stated the teen died at that loca- tion on Tuesday from his injury. The chief called the death “very tragic” and confirmed the police inves- tigation is complete. “Unless something else in the way of tangible, investigable information comes forward to us,” he stated, “we’re deeming it as originally indicated, an unfortunate accident.” Milton-Freewater Uni- fied School District Super- intendent Rob Clark said rumors started circulat- ing Monday morning at McLoughlin High School that a student died. He made calls to track down more information, he said, and around 10:40 a.m. heard from Boedigheimer who confirmed the student suffered an accidental gun- shot wound. From there the school made counsel- ors available to high school students in the library. The Milton-Freewater School District is a mem- ber of the InterMountain Education Service District, which provides a crisis team to help students. ESD communications director Michele Madril said Mil- ton-Freewater school and InterMountain officials discussed that option, but the school is handling the counseling. Clark said this is a short week for the high school due to parent/teacher con- ferences, but the extra counseling probably would be available for students through Wednesday. Ham radio operators going to participate in emergency test East Oregonian The Oregon ARES (Amateur Radio Emer- gency Service) announced that a Simulated Emer- gency Test is set for Thurs- day, Nov. 8 Don Drayton of the Hermiston Amateur Radio Club said the Oregon ARES indicated it’s one of the most challenging tests to date. Ham radio opera- tors from across the state will join the Oregon Office of Emergency Manage- ment in participating in a drill that begins with a fictitious bird-flu virus that spreads like wildfire. The scenario in the 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. exercise is designed for ARES volunteers to use their ingenuity and train- ing to find ways to restore emergency communica- tions. Anyone who hap- pens to hear commu- nications regarding the simulation is reminded that it is only a test. 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