REGION
Thursday, May 13, 2021
West Umatilla Mosquito Control
District starts control activities
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — The
West Umatilla Mosquito
Control District has started
implementing its 2021
mosquito control program,
according to a press release.
The district serves a
525-square-mile area in west-
ern Umatilla County, includ-
ing the towns of Hermiston,
Umatilla, Stanfi eld and Echo,
and will target areas of stand-
ing water where mosquito
larvae thrive. Large water
bodies will be sprayed with
a helicopter, while smaller
areas will be treated by hand.
To control adult mosquitoes,
the district plans to make
treatments using truck-
mounted, ultra-low volume
sprayers, which will be done
after sunset in areas of the
district that have large popu-
lations of adult mosquitoes.
MORE INFORMATION
Residents are encouraged to:
• Vaccinate horses for West Nile virus.
• Wear repellents while outdoors at dusk
and dawn when mosquitoes are most
active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants
when in mosquito-infested areas.
• Use mosquito repellents containing DEET,
Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, Picaridin or 2-un-
decanone, making sure to follow the label
directions on the container.
• Use EPA-registered residual insect sprays
on horses making sure to follow the label
In rural areas, the district
will begin aerial spraying
to control adult mosquitoes
when mosquito trap collec-
tions indicate the need for
large scale spraying. Aerial
spraying for adult mosqui-
toes will be done in the early
evening hours just after
sunset, the release said.
directions on the container.
• Make sure all screen doors and windows
are in good repair and fi t tightly.
• Eliminate all sources of standing water,
which act as a breeding ground for biting
mosquitoes. This includes fl ooded fi elds,
birdbaths, unused wading pools and swim-
ming pools, clogged gutters and old tires. If
it holds water for seven days, it can produce
mosquitoes.
• Stock mosquito fi sh in water troughs and
ornamental ponds. They are available for
free at the district offi ce.
Of the 45 species of
mosquitoes found in Oregon,
the district commonly sees 12
species of mosquitoes includ-
ing two that are possible
carriers of West Nile virus.
During the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, the
district is continuing to take
measures to keep the public
and its employees as safe
as possible, while achiev-
ing its goal of protecting the
public from mosquito-borne
disease.
If residents do not wish to
have their property sprayed,
call the district at 541-567-
5201 and ask to be placed on
the no-spray list.
HERMISTON
Council wants to RAPP with local restaurants
Program will
distribute $10 gift
cards to residents
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — A
customer’s next lunch tab
could be paid for, courtesy of
the city of Hermiston.
At a Monday, May 10,
meeting, the Hermiston City
Council unanimously voted
6-0 to direct city staff to work
with the Greater Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce on
developing the Restaurant
Assistance Pilot Program, or
RAPP.
Inspired by a similar
initiative the city did with
Hermiston Cinema and the
Desert Lanes bowling alley
over the summer, the program
would use $50,000 from the
latest COVID-19 federal
relief package to create gift
certificates redeemable at
Hermiston restaurants.
Assistant City Manager
Mark Morgan said the city
still needed to fi nalize the
details with the chamber,
but staff wanted to get the
program funded before the
end of the fi scal year in June.
According to a draft
outline of the plan, Herm-
iston would distribute $10
gift cards to city residents
through their utility accounts,
the chamber, Hermiston
Parks and Recreation and the
Hermiston Public Library.
Participating restaurants
would accept the gift cards
as payment, and then turn in
the cards to the chamber for
reimbursement. The program
is expected to run through the
end of the year.
Councilor Nancy Peterson
asked if the city was planning
on tracking purchases made
by the gift card to determine
whether the program was
eff ective, while Mayor Dave
Drotzmann asked if recipi-
ents could make some sort of
cash match before acquiring
the gift cards.
“They won’t just get a free
cheeseburger,” he said. “They
have a little skin in the game.”
Chamber CEO Kristina
Olivas said the goal was to
keep the program as simple
as possible to ensure wide
participation from the city’s
restaurants, whether they
were chamber members or
not.
Olivias said the eff ects of
the COVID-19 pandemic on
the local restaurant industry
have been uneven — many
of Hermiston’s most popu-
lar restaurants were able to
use increased revenue from
drive-thru and delivery to
make up for the shutdown
to indoor dining, while the
smaller “mom and pop”
restaurants were trying to
fi gure out how to stay open.
Councilor Roy Barron
was concerned about equity,
saying a number of smaller
restaurants, particularly
Latino-owned restaurants,
were neither members of the
chamber or the Hermiston
Latino Business Network
and typically struggled with
gaining access to assistance
programs.
Olivas said she was aware
of the issue and would work
toward marketing the pilot
program to the Latino busi-
ness community. But she
also added that the chamber
and city wouldn’t be able to
dictate which participating
restaurants consumers spent
their gift cards at.
East Oregonian
LOCAL BRIEFING
McKay to take
over as Heppner
District Ranger
Pendleton project
set for fi nal
legislative vote
PENDLETON — The
Heppner District of the
Umatilla National Forest will
soon have a new ranger.
Doug McKay will take
over the position, according
to a press release, toward the
end of June. McKay currently
se r ves a s
a d ist r ict
ranger on the
Winter Rim
Zone, which
includes both
the Paisley
and Silver
McKay
Lake ranger
districts, of
the Fremont-Winema National
Forest in Southern Oregon.
“I am extremely excited
to be a part of the Umatilla
National Forest and the local
community,” he said. “I look
forward to meeting the district
and forest staff and working
collaboratively with the public
and our partners through-
out the area in the very near
future.”
McKay replaces Bran-
don Houck, who has taken
a district ranger position on
the Bighorn National Forest.
McKay brings a variety of
experience to the Umatilla
National Forest, including a
strong natural resources and
fi re management background
and experience working with a
variety of tribal governments,
county commissioners, part-
ners, public stakeholders and
other federal agencies.
McKay has worked as the
Winter Rim Zone district
ranger on the Fremont-
Winema National Forest since
2015. McKay is responsible for
leading a large and geograph-
ically dispersed organization,
managing a complex land-
scape, leading fi re manage-
ment efforts to protect
communities, and working
closely with a variety of exter-
nal stakeholders.
SALEM — Pendle-
ton would join Bend and
Redmond in an affordable
housing pilot program under
a bill now one step from
legislative approval.
The Senate Committee on
Natural Resources and Wild-
fire Recovery on Monday,
May 10, voted 4-1 to send
House Bill 2160 to the full
Senate for fi nal approval. It’s
expected to win overwhelm-
ing approval sometime in the
next few weeks.
The legislation would
add Pendleton to a state pilot
program that allows cities
to experiment with aff ord-
able housing projects beyond
their Urban Growth Bound-
ary. Advocates say the pilot
projects could be a model for
widespread use around the
state in the future.
HB 2160, sponsored by
Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo,
would green light Land
Conservation and Develop-
ment Commission approval
for an eventual plan to build
on up to 50 acres outside of
Pendleton’s current develop-
ment limits.
The bill passed the House
unanimously last month.
Bend was the first city
to receive approval for a
project outside of the UGB,
which usually requires a
longer, more rigorous review
process. Redmond joined the
program as the second project
and, if approved, Pendleton
would become the third.
State and local planning
officials have touted the
program as a way to see if
limited projects outside of
city’s normal development
footprint can ease the high
price of housing in the state.
Gov. Kate Brown has
supported the projects and is
expected to sign the bill if and
when it gets to her desk.
— EO Media Group
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An Update for the Residents of Morrow County
We, as the Board of Directors of Morrow County Health District, wish to emphasize
that every decision made as a governing board is with the understanding that our
primary duty is to work diligently to safeguard the continued delivery of quality
healthcare for every resident of our county. Though change can be perceived as
an adverse event, we at Morrow County Health District are resilient, and we view
change as an opportunity to make us stronger, better, and the place where the
communities we serve can always rely on for their health and wellness needs.
With this in mind, the Board of Directors of Morrow County Health District has
made a change to the executive leadership team overseeing operations of Pioneer
Memorial Hospital, the county’s primary care clinics, and EMS, as well as our Home
Health and Hospices services. Effective May 7, 2021, Mr. Ryan Fowler is no longer
employed by the District, and we have replaced him with Mr. Victor VanderDoes.
For some, Victor’s name may be familiar as he served as CEO for MCHD for over a
decade before retiring in 2009. We are grateful that Victor has agreed to return to
Heppner to serve as Interim CEO during our search for a permanent replacement
for our outstanding organization.
The Board wishes to thank the MCHD executive team, including Dr. Dan Hambleton,
Chief Medical Officer, Nicole Mahoney, Chief Financial Officer, Kathleen Greenup,
Chief Nursing Officer, Kris Jones, Chief Operating Officer, and Patti Allstott, Human
Resources Director, for their continued service and leadership. Together, they will
work with Victor to ensure MCHD continues to uphold the pillars of our Promise
of Excellence, pursue the objectives of Healthier Morrow County, and keep the
organization moving in the right and best direction.
During this National Hospital Week 2021, please join us in thanking every caregiver
working at MCHD. They continue to do and be their best because of you.
We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to provide the residents of Morrow County
with excellent care and service and strive to be your first choice today and always.
Sincerely,
Morrow County Health District Board of Directors
John Murray, Chairman
Carri Grieb
Aaron Palmquist
Marie Shimer
Working Together to be a Healthier Community Today and
A3
There is nothing
wrong with change,
if it is in the right
direction.”
- Winston Churchill
564 E. Pioneer Drive
Heppner, OR 97836
541-676-9133
HealthyMC.org