REGION
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
East Oregonian
A3
Marshall Tucker Band serenades bikers
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
The Marshall Tucker Band, which released its first album in 1973, sang its unique brand of Southern rock Saturday as part of the Pendleton Bike Week at the Pendleton Convention Center.
Hermiston Athletic Club preparing to rise from the ashes
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Three
years after a fire gutted the
Columbia Court Club, a new
athletic facility is taking shape
there.
The Hermiston Athletic
Club will open this fall at
80903 N. Highway 395 after
an extensive remodel that is
completely changing the look
and layout of the building.
“Anyone who has been
in here before is not going to
recognize it,” HAC manager
Rodger Adams said.
There is still a lot of work
to be done — the front wall
of the building is currently
missing and the roof is slated
to be torn off next — but
Adams said they’re shooting
for an opening date at the
end of September. The bas-
ketball court at the back of
the building is already open
and being used for youth
basketball clinics.
ONLINE
For more information,
visit www.hermistonath-
leticclub.com.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Hermiston Athletic Club will soon fill the site of the former Columbia Court Club at 80903 N
Highway 395 in Hermiston.
Adams said the Hermiston
Athletic Club will have stan-
dard gym equipment, such
as free weights and tread-
mills, plus hydromassage, a
shooting machine and other
offerings. The new layout
will include space for rack-
etball, an indoor track, bas-
ketball and volleyball courts
and a dedicated area for youth
sports training. The building
Doug Drake
BRIEFLY
Burglars lure out
Athena resdient
with church talk
ATHENA — The Uma-
tilla County Sheriff’s Office
wants residents to be aware of
a method used to burglarize a
home in Athena while the res-
ident was at the dwelling.
A woman around 7:30 a.m.
Sunday contacted a resident
on High Street and asked
him to step onto his back
deck to talk about church.
While the victim was outside
talking, according to the sher-
iff’s office, another individ-
ual entered the residence and
burglarized the home. The
woman then left on foot, and
the burglary included the theft
of a .40 caliber handgun.
The
sheriff’s
office
reported the woman was
white, 30-40 years old, had
shoulder length brown hair
and wore an orange and white
shirt and jeans. After the bur-
glary, another resident in the
area reported seeing a woman
matching the description get
into a white Jeep Wrangler
four-door with half doors and
no top.
The investigation contin-
ues. In addition to residents
being aware of the method of
this crime, especially elderly
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who live alone, the sheriff’s
office also asked anyone to
report any suspicious activ-
ity and for anyone with addi-
tional information to call the
24-hour dispatch center at
541-966-3651.
Propane leak
contained at Port
of Morrow
BOARDMAN — A pro-
pane leak outside of the Port
of Morrow was contained
Monday morning.
Lawn maintenance, said
economic development direc-
tor Lisa Mittlesdorf, struck a
small propane tank that feeds
a backup generator on the side
of the building.
After 8:30 a.m., the build-
ings on site were evacuated.
Mittlesdorf said the leak
was contained with help
from the Boardman Fire Dis-
trict, Umatilla County Sher-
iff’s Office and the Board-
man Police Department by
9:24 a.m.
Fire crews respond
to new ignitions
PENDLETON — Fire
crews on the Heppner Ranger
District of the Umatilla
National Forest responded to
new smoke reports following
passing thunderstorms early
Monday.
Significant lightning activ-
ity occurred across the Hep-
pner Ranger District, with
approximately five new
incidents on the Umatilla
National Forest reported to
the John Day Interagency
Dispatch Center. The major-
ity of the fires are staffed and
remain small, less than 1 acre
in size. More smoke reports
are expected throughout the
next few days.
The largest of these fires,
the Cabin Creek Fire, is
approximately 5 acres in size
and is located about 1½ miles
north of Rocky Flat. The fire
was reported at 10:40 a.m.
and is burning in grass, brush
and timber. Firefighters uti-
lized aerial resources today
to support suppression efforts,
including a single engine air
tanker and air attack. Current
resources on scene include
three Umatilla National For-
est engines and one Umatilla
National Forest hand crew.
With
increased
dry
weather, fire officials want
to remind everyone that
the current fire danger rat-
ing remains at moderate. No
public use restrictions are in
effect on the forest.
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
THURSDAY
JULY 25 TH
Pendleton
Red Lion Inn.
will also feature more parking
than the old club, with a more
open and accessible floor plan.
They will offer activities
ranging from a “full lineup”
of fitness classes to nutrition
counseling to adult basketball
leagues. Adams said they’re
working to build relationships
with area school districts so
that the facility will be an
option for youth sports train-
ing and clinics.
The property is under new
ownership, after the old court
club’s owner Steve Watkinds
sold the business in 2018.
The fire that tore through
the inside of the building in
June 2016 was ruled acciden-
tal, caused by an electrical
short on the upper floor. Wat-
kinds had originally hoped to
reopen the business himself,
but after two years of back-
and-forth with the insurance
company said he had decided
to let “the younger genera-
tion” take a crack at resurrect-
ing the damaged building.
New owner Orien Fiander
said in an email that reopen-
ing an athletic facility there
will fill a need in Hermis-
ton, which is “an exception-
ally hard-working community
who support local sports and
are big into family.”
“The Hermiston commu-
nity is absolutely great,” he
said. “I just love the town.”
Adams said Fiander has
more than 20 years of expe-
rience in the fitness indus-
try. Adams grew up in the
area and moved away for
about 15 years to manage
two gyms in the St. George,
Utah, area before deciding he
wanted to return to the Pacific
Northwest.
Adams said pre-sales for
memberships will start in
August, which is when he’ll
start looking at staffing too.
He said they are still working
on price points but will offer
“pretty standard” member-
ship options.
Grateful Farmer
“I knew every first responder. I’m so thankful
to be a part of this wonderful community.”
Severely injured and many miles from the
medical attention he so desperately needed,
Doug had faith. MCHD EMS and LifeFlight work
together year-round to get people in a medical
crisis stabilized and where they need to be.
Read Doug’s care receiver
story at HealthyMC.org
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