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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2020)
REGION Thursday, February 13, 2020 East Oregonian BRIEFLY Truck crash on Interstate 84 United Way taking fi nancial donations for fl ood victims Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Frankie’s Towing works to recover a semitruck near Milepost 206 along Interstate 84 west of Pendleton on Wednesday afternoon. According to Joe S. Merritt, owner of Frankie’s Towing, the truck had been traveling in the eastbound lanes of the interstate when it crossed the median and westbound lanes before coming to a rest at the bottom of the hill on the westbound side of the highway. Merritt said that the towing company had surveyed the scene around the time of the crash Tuesday night before returning Wednesday morning to recover the vehicle. M-F voters to decide option tax Funding would continue taxi, free bus services for fi ve years By ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian M I LTON-F R EEWA- TER — Milton-Freewater voters will get the choice to maintain the city’s afford- able transportation ser- vices in May after the city council voted unanimously Monday to put an option tax on the ballot to fund its cheap taxi and free bus ser- vices for the next fi ve years. According to City Man- ager Linda Hall, the city saw just how valuable those services were during last week’s fl oods. When rising Walla Walla River waters threat- ened the city’s levee, all residents east of Highway 11 and South Main Street were evacuated. For those in the evacuation zone that were disabled or had other diffi culties leaving, a city bus from the program was there to transport them for free. “For a small, rural city of our size, those services are so valuable,” Hall said. The program, which has been in place since 1971, usually provides seniors 60 years or older and people with disabilities of any age with a cheap door-to-door medical appointments, gro- cery stores and more. The tax is projected to raise $60,000, or less than 19%, of the more than $310,000 it costs to oper- ate the programs each year. The tax is set to remain at the same rate it has since 1971 of 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. At that rate, someone with “FOR A SMALL, RURAL CITY OF OUR SIZE, THOSE SERVICES ARE SO VALUABLE” — Linda Hall, Milton-Freewater City Manager taxi for just $1 per ride. Since the early 2000s, the program has also provided a free bus that makes three round trips to Walla Walla, Washington, and back each weekday. According to documents provided by the city, the programs have provided an average of over 10,000 rides per year. Many of those rides are used for essential trips to work, a home assessed at $75,000 would pay $27.75 per year for the program. Hall said the costs of operating the transporta- tion programs have gone up 400% since being imple- mented in 1971, and so the remaining costs after tax revenue is paid for by a combination of county, state and federal grants. “It takes a lot to keep these programs running,” she said. Also on Monday, the council approved a con- tract with Anderson Perry & Associates for the design and engineering of side- walk and road improve- ments in the city. The city is planning to use its funding to make improvements to a side- walk on North Eliza- beth Street and Northeast Dahlia Street, the South- west Eighth Avenue side- walk and overlay, along with the overlay at Chest- nut Street, 12th Avenue and Walnut Street. Hall said the project was earmarked for $3 million in Oregon’s 2017 transporta- tion bill, which allocated a total of $5.3 billion around the state, thanks to the sup- port of Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner. The costs of the agree- ment with Anderson Perry & Associates cannot exceed $130,000, Hall said, and the projects must be completed before August 2027 in order for the city to receive the state’s funding. Hermiston district rolls forward on bond projects District to begin design phase for bond projects By JESSICA POLLARD East Oregonian HERMISTON — Months after district voters approved the $82.7 million school bond, the Hermis- ton School District is mov- ing forward on bringing the bond projects to fruition. “We will start work- ing with our architect now to enter the design phase,” Superintendent Tricia Mooney said. “That’s the next big part.” At a meeting Monday night, along with select- ing the Bend-based BBT Architects to design the bond projects, the Hermis- ton School Board appointed 10 community members to the Bond Oversight Com- mittee, including Cpt. Scott Clark, of the Hermiston Police Department. “We appreciate our relationship with the dis- trict and I appreciate Cpt. Clark’s desire to sit on a committee that by charge, is established to ensure transparency,” Police Chief Jason Edmiston said in a recent post on the police department’s Facebook page. Other members include Thomas Ditton, Larry Lankford, Ben Sargent, John Timmons, Dor- cie Tracy, former school board member David Smith, Hermiston Educa- tion Foundation co-chair George Clough and cur- rent HEF member Kristy Pierson “Their charge is to ensure that the district is held accountable and trans- parent in the use of the 2019 bond funds that the voters approved in November,” the school district said in a press release. In March, the completion of bond sales will allow the district to access the proj- ect money. Mooney said the district is still unsure when groundbreaking might start on the construction, which will include completion of a new elementary school on Theater Lane. The new school would cause a redefi nition of the Highland Hills Elemen- tary School boundary, a move the district believes will help alleviate crowd- ing caused by population growth. And while the district has seen a slight decline in enrollment this school year, January saw an upswing in the number of students coming to Herm- iston schools. According to the most recent enrollment report, the district saw a 90-stu- dent drop in December. January saw a 73-student boost, and enrollment at the end of the month stood at 5,724, which is 21 fewer students than the same time last year. “Our kids are coming back, and enrollment is more in line with our pro- jections,” Mooney said. Mooney added that the reason for the drop in December was partly because nearly 60 stu- dents took extended vaca- tions from school, and were automatically unenrolled. (888) 651-5669 ! We’re paid by our partner communities HERMISTON CHAMBER SURVEY Business owners can take the fl ood damage survey at: http://survey. constantcontact.com/ survey/a07egwrpvlak6g- zepmw/a011ak6jn0f5z/ greeting Apply for services, get resources on Thursday PENDLETON — Resi- dents impacted by fl ooding last week will have access to services regarding housing, unemployment and cleanup at the Pendleton Convention Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel. The INOGEN ONE portable oxygen concentrator is designed to provide unparalleled freedom for oxygen therapy users. It’s small, lightweight, clinically proven for stationary and portable use, during the day and at night, and can go virtually anywhere — even on most airlines. Inogen accepts Medicare and many private insurances! Reclaim Your Freedom And Independence NOW! Forest Service waives fees for President’s Day PENDLETON — The USDA Forest Service will waive fees at day-use rec- reation sites in Oregon and Washington on Feb. 17 in honor of President’s Day. “National forests offer visitors countless opportu- nities for outdoor recreation — adventure, solitude, or simply a chance to get out- side and spend time with family and friends,” said Glenn Casamassa, Pacifi c Northwest regional forester. “Whatever your interest, we hope this fee-free day encourages you to visit and enjoy all that your public lands have to offer.” The fee waiver includes many trailheads, picnic areas, boat launches, and visitor centers. Fees for camping, cabin rentals, her- itage expeditions, or other permits still apply. Fees will continue to be charged at recreation sites operated by concessionaires unless the individual manager chooses to participate. The Forest Service man- ages 24 million acres of national forest lands in the Pacifi c Northwest and over 3,000 world-class outdoor recreation areas, facilities, and programs. No fees are charged at any time on 98% of national forests and grass- lands, and approximately two-thirds of developed rec- reation sites in national for- ests and grasslands can be used for free. — EO Media Group 2/13 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie Showing Wednesday @ 12p Rear Window Birds of Prey (R) 4:50p 7:20p 9:50p The Rhythm Section (R) 4:10p 9:30p Little Women (PG) 6:40p Bad Boys for Life (R) 4:20p 7:00p 9:40p Dolittle (PG) 4:30p 6:50p 9:20p * Matinee Pricing © 2020 Inogen, Inc. All rights reserved. MKT-P0108 wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 PACIFIC NORTHWEST Save with Frontier Internet Bundles Pay one price for two great services: high-speed Internet Serious speed! Simply Broadband Max 19 99 Per Month With Qualifying Phone Service 6 Mbps + Free Wi-Fi Router + 1 Year Price Lock Call today and pay less n PNDC CLASSIFIED - Daily Newspapers 67 29 newspapers - 1,187,980 circulation Number of words: 25 l Extra word cost: $10 Cost: $540 (Runs 3 consecutive days including wkds.) 97 Per Month n PNDN 2x2 DISPLAY - Daily Newspapers 12 Mbps + Free Wi-Fi Router + 2 Year Price Lock Protect Your Identity, Devices & Files 855-972-6641 ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO, MONTANA REACH 3 million Pacific Northwesterners with just One Call! and a full-featured home phone Bundle and save today BROADBAND ULTRA + PHONE + SECURE There’s no cost to you! HERMISTON — The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce is hoping to assess damages to busi- nesses in Stanfi eld, Echo and Hermiston in the aftermath of last week’s fl ooding. The chamber released a four-question survey Tues- day, which asks employ- ers if their businesses were damaged in the fl oods, and if the damage resulted in a lack of work for employees. “We also want to con- nect business owners and employees to resources during this time,” stated a recent release from the chamber of commerce. “Responses help us under- stand where business has been affected on the west side of Umatilla County.” One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel 1-855-839-0752 Call today to connect with a A Place for Mom has helped over a million families find senior living solutions that meet their unique needs. Flood damage survey available for west-side businesses Call Inogen Today To Request Your FREE Info Kit www.EastOregonian.com INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE UMATILLA COUNTY — United Way of the Blue Mountains has allocated $10,000 to Umatilla County and is accepting additional donations to distribute for relief and recovery efforts throughout the region, according to a press release. “At United Way of the Blue Mountains, we under- stand that recovery is a long- term endeavor, and needs endure long after disasters are no longer front page news,” the release said. “To that end, we are commit- ted to raising funds that will support our neighbors for the duration of these efforts.” According to the release, 100% of donations desig- nated for fl ood relief will be allocated for immedi- ate response efforts, long- term recovery, fi lling unmet needs, providing grants to community partners and nonprofi t organizations and supporting other relief efforts as determined by the organization’s board of directors. “This is the most effi cient way to help your neighbors: work with front-line orga- nizations who specialize in disaster response and those who will be there for the community over the long haul,” the release said. United Way of the Blue Mountains also donated $20,000 to Walla Walla and Columbia counties. Center on Thursday. The Red Cross Cascades Region, Worksource East- ern Oregon and CAPECO are partnering to provide a resource center for those impacted by the fl oods. It will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday. “We’ll hopefully reach as many people as we can in eight hours,” said Chad from the Red Cross. “This an opportunity for people to start their recovery.” Services available Thurs- day include the opportunity to fi le for unemployment, help fi nding housing, access to cleanup supplies, aid with document replacement, insurance information and free clothing. Those who attend are asked to bring proof of res- idence, which could include an up-to-date ID card or driver’s license, recent mail or a rental lease. People in need of trans- portation to the event are encouraged to call Let’er Bus Transit at 541-276- 6476, Those seeking more information about unem- ployment can call Work- source Eastern Oregon at 541-963-7111. Gretel & Hansel (PG13) 5:40p 7:50p 10:00p VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: SENIOR LIVING ADVISOR A3 27 newspapers - 1,016,864 circulation Size: 2x2 (3.25”x2”) Cost: 1x 2x2: $1,050 You can’t get BS from a buffalo. *Internet access service and charges not included. Frontier does not warrant that the service will be error-free or uninterrupted. Nest products: Additional $9 shipping fee per Nest device. Nest products must be purchased with new Internet service or eligible Frontier Secure services. Taxes, governmental and Frontier-imposed surcharges, minimum system requirements and other terms and conditions apply. 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