REGION
Saturday, June 1, 2019
The American Dream
Rocky Heights El-
ementary
School
third-graders
dressed as fi gures
from American his-
tory sing a group
number during their
Friday morning per-
formance of “The
American Dream,” a
musical play chart-
ing the history of the
United States.
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
East Oregonian
A3
$85.9 million
budget up for
council approval
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
Pendleton City Council will
consider adopting an $85.9
million budget for the 2019-
20 fi scal year after it received
minimal changes in the bud-
get committee process.
The budget includes a
$17.5 million general fund,
which pays for services like
police, fi re, and parks. The
police department will be
buying new vehicles and
equipment this year, includ-
ing body cameras.
Other highlights include
the airport fund more than
doubling to $12.1 million to
accommodate a runway pav-
ing project, and an increased
$1.2 million road mainte-
nance budget, which was
achieved through some cuts
to the general fund.
At the same meeting, the
council is slated to approve
a $6.6 million bid from Cen-
tral Washington Asphalt and
Precision Approach Engi-
neering to design and build
the airport runway.
Most of the project budget
will be covered by the Fed-
eral Aviation Administra-
tion while the city will pro-
vide a $177,586 match using
passenger facility charges
collected on Boutique Air
fl ights.
The council will meet at
7 p.m. at the council cham-
bers in city hall, 500 S.W.
Dorion Ave.
Commission mulls more changes Oregon employers
struggle to fi ll jobs
for upper story grant program
money for projects in the
urban renewal district.
In the past few years,
the
commission
has
focused much of its
energy on trying to con-
vince downtown building
owners to develop their
vacant or underdeveloped
second stories.
The commission set a
$200,000 cap for grants
earlier this year, but with
the exception of local
developer Al Plute, inter-
est remains quiet.
Denight said the com-
mission didn’t just want
to explore the benefi ts of
a cap versus no cap, but
also rethink the formula
for determining how
much the commission
grants to applicants.
At a commission meet-
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON
—
Charles Denight said it
would be inaccurate to
say that the Pendleton
Development Commis-
sion’s Upper Story Grant
program slowed down
after the commission
instituted a cap in Febru-
ary because the grant pro-
gram was never busy to
begin with.
Denight, the commis-
sion’s associate director,
said the commission is
continuing to tinker with
the rules of the grant to
spur more business while
remaining equitable.
Grants and loans are
the primary way the
commission distributes
ing Tuesday, Steve Camp-
bell, a banker and a mem-
ber of the commission’s
advisory committee, pro-
posed a potential method
that would factor in how
lenders consider develop-
ment loan applicants.
He presented a sce-
nario where a developer
was trying to obtain a loan
for a $1.7 million, 12-unit
apartment complex.
After factoring in
income with a 5%
vacancy rate, net operat-
ing income after things
like operating costs,
taxes, and insurance are
subtracted, and a debt
coverage ratio, Campbell
calculated that it would
take $856,612 in equity
to obtain a $888,544 loan
from the bank.
Assuming that the
commission and the
building owner split the
equity costs equally, the
commission would grant
the owner $428,306 for
the project.
Denight said the com-
mission is also discussing
hiring a representative
for building owners who
otherwise don’t have any
experience in real estate
development,
which
could remove another
barrier toward upper
story developments.
Denight said he’s been
tasked with coming up
with a recommendation
for the upper story grant
program.
The next commission
meeting is scheduled for
June 18.
East Oregonian
While some Hermiston
residents are fi nding them-
selves newly unemployed,
the good news is there are
jobs available in Oregon.
According to the state
employment offi ce, private
employers in Oregon had
58,000 job vacancies at any
given time during 2018.
Employers reported about
29% of those jobs saw zero or
too few applicants to fi ll, and
about 57% of the jobs were
identifi ed as “diffi cult to fi ll”
due to factors such as the
job’s hours or qualifi cations.
According to the employ-
ment department’s report,
the largest number of diffi -
cult-to-fi ll vacancies were
personal care aids, followed
by truck drivers. By indus-
try, the largest vacancies
were in health care and con-
struction. According to the
agency, companies “reported
challenges fi lling essentially
all job vacancies for for-
est and conservation work-
ers, plumbers, construction
supervisors, printing press
operators, and intercity and
transit bus drivers.”
Less than half of the
vacancies
reported
in
2018 required an educa-
tion beyond a high school
diploma. Forty-three per-
cent of the positions paid less
than $15 an hour. In Eastern
Oregon the average wage for
job vacancies was $14.81 an
hour.
The report was put
together through a survey of
13,800 private employers in
Oregon.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Hermiston School
District shuffl es
administrators
trict’s leadership strengths
and current needs to fi ll
posts internally.”
Staff changes will take
effect on July 1.
HERMISTON — Rocky
Heights Elementary School
principal Jerad Farley will
fi ll the role of Sunset Ele-
mentary School princi-
pal next year after Christie
Petersen announced her
resignation, citing a move
to Hillsboro for personal
reasons.
Farley will bring with
him current RHES dean of
students Becky Bacon, who
will swap places with cur-
rent Sunset dean of students
Anthony Voelker.
Armand Larive Middle
School assistant principal
and former Rocky Heights
teacher Stefani Wyant will
be promoted to Rocky
Heights principal.
The
vacant
assis-
tant principal position at
Armand Larive will be
fi lled by Hermiston High
School science teacher Juan
Rodriguez.
“An
administrator’s
vacancy usually leaves a big
void, but thankfully, Hermis-
ton School District is blessed
with a strong administrative
team,” superintendent Tricia
Mooney said in a statement.
“I was able to look at the dis-
CTUIR and
partners to dedicate
Wanapa Road
UMATILLA —A collab-
oration between several dif-
ferent governmental entities
named Umatilla is culminat-
ing in a road dedication.
On Tuesday, the Confed-
erated Tribes of the Uma-
tilla Indian Reservation, the
city of Umatilla, the Port of
Umatilla, and the Oregon
Department of Corrections
will celebrate the opening of
Wanapa Road with a dedica-
tion ceremony.
Wanapa Road starts at
Beach Access Road in Uma-
tilla and extends 1 mile east,
connecting three previ-
ously landlocked properties
owned by the port, Tribes,
and Two Rivers Correctional
Institution.
Bill Tovey, the CTUIR
director of community and
economic
development,
recounted in a press release
the challenges the working
group dealt with after the
Oregon Legislature appro-
priated $3.5 million for the
project in 2013.
“We have a list of about
twenty federal, state, local,
and tribal agencies and
departments that we had
to coordinate with at vari-
ous times throughout proj-
ect planning and construc-
tion,” he said. “There were
a couple delays but we’ve
had great support at the local
level and are really pleased
with the result. Hopefully
this infrastructure invest-
ment will attract new indus-
try and new jobs to the area.”
Each organization con-
tributed something to the
project and will get a benefi t
in return.
The CTUIR provided
project management staff for
the development of the road,
which will now open access
to the 120-acre Wanapa
Industrial Site, which the
Tribes are marketing for
industrial uses like data cen-
ters, manufacturing, and
food processing.
The road also runs along
seven, 20-acre lots and
larger 160-acre lots owned
by the Port of Umatilla,
which installed electrical
vaults and utility stub-outs
to serve those properties.
TRCI provided the land
the road was built on, and
the road will open access
“Scramble for Scholarships”
Friday, June 7th
1pm Shotgun Start
Big River Golf Course - Umatilla
Golfers of all skill levels are invited to participate in the 26th annual “Scramble
for Scholarships” golf tournament. Four person teams can sign up together
or individual pairings can be made by the tournament committee. Your $70
entry fee covers green fees, a box lunch, and BBQ dinner, and makes a
charitable donation to the foundation to use in awarding scholarships
for local health care students.
Register at scrambleforscholarships.eventbrite.com
or by calling 541-667-3405. Entry deadline is June 5th.
Great prize holes and Hole-in-one on #1 & #9
WINS A NEW CAR sponsored by Tom Denchel Ford
and Hermiston Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram!
to 150 acres of undeveloped
land owned by the DOC. The
department could use the
land for prison expansion or
a development opportunity.
The city will own and
maintain the road, and used
a land-use exception to pro-
vide sewer. The city antic-
ipates that the industrial
development could result in
more jobs and an increased
tax base.
The
ceremony
will
be north of United Grain
Corp.’s Umatilla offi ce, 775
Beach Access Road, on
Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Foster child citizen
review board seeks
volunteers
PENDLETON — Just
one day a month can make a
difference in a foster child’s
life. This is the message
the Citizen Review Board
(CRB) hopes potential vol-
unteers will take to heart as
they seek community mem-
bers to serve as volunteers.
Each child in foster
care must have their case
reviewed every six months
by a judge or by the Citi-
zen Review Board, a panel
of local citizens to ensure
the foster child is receiving
adequate care. The panel is
made up of three to seven
members of the community
who should represent the
population of their county.
There are two boards in
Umatilla County: Pendleton
(east Umatilla County) and
Hermiston (west Umatilla
County/Morrow County).
Volunteers are needed from
each community.
Members of the CRB are
given case fi les 10 days in
advance. They then serve on
a board for one day a month
and review foster care cases
with everyone involved in
the case: Department of
Human Services, Tribes (if
applicable), parents, attor-
neys, Court Appointed Spe-
cial Advocates (CASA), fos-
ter parents, and often the
children themselves.
For
more
informa-
tion, please contact John
Nichols at 541.233.8142 or
john.a.nichols@ojd.state.
or.us.
More information is
available online at https://
www.cour ts.oregon.gov/
programs/crb/
5/31 - 6/2
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
Showing Wednesday at 12PM
LOGAN’S RUN
Godzilla: King of the
Monsters (PG13)
2D 12:40p* 3:40p* 6:50
9:50p
Rocketman (R)
1:40p* 4:20p 7:00p 9:40p
Aladdin (PG)
1:00p* 3:50p* 6:40p 9:30p
John Wick: Chapter 3
Parabellum (R)
12:30p* 3:20p* 7:10p 10:00p
Avengers: Endgame (PG13)
11:40a* 3:30p* 6:10p 9:50p
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (PG)
Thursday, June 6th • 7:10p
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
6/3
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
Showing Wednesday at 12PM
LOGAN’S RUN
Godzilla: King of the
Monsters (PG13)
2D 3:40p* 6:50
9:50p
Rocketman (R)
4:20p 7:00p 9:40p
Aladdin (PG)
3:50p* 6:40p 9:30p
John Wick: Chapter 3
Parabellum (R)
3:20p* 7:10p 10:00p
Avengers: Endgame (PG13)
3:30p* 6:10p 9:50p
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (PG)
Thursday, June 6th • 7:10p
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216