A6
COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Umatilla
County
buys old
VFW hall
Life above the clouds
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Cloud and fog Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, cover northwestern Umatilla County at the base of Weston Mountain.
COMMUNITY BRIEFING
Fritsch shines spotlight
on school board
PENDLETON — In recognition of
National School Board Month, Super-
intendent Chris Fritsch paid tribute to
the Pendleton School District Board
of Directors during its Jan. 4 meeting.
He highlighted the valuable role and
work that the board plays in the lives
of the district’s students and families.
The seven people serving on
the board are Lynn Lieuallen, Beth
Harrison, Julie Muller, Dale Freeman,
Mason Murphy, Patrick Gregg and
Preston Eagleheart.
“I hope you will join me in giving
thanks to the seven people who lead
and support our school district on
behalf of our community,” Fritsch
said in a statement at the meeting. “I
am certain that being a school board
member entails more than any of
these individuals bargained for when
they initially ran for the board.”
In addition, Fritsch said COVID-
19 has resulted in additional issues
for the district to deal with. He
commended the group for providing
strong leadership and a commitment
to excellence for the district.
“We are fortunate to have such
a dedicated group of people lead-
ing our school district,” Fritsch said.
“Our district is without a doubt better
because we have them on our team.”
Climate group serves
‘Food for Thought’
PENDLETON — A discussion
about agriculture’s impact on the
climate is the topic of the upcom-
ing Climate Conversation Program
hosted by the Eastern Oregon Climate
Change Coalition.
Dominique Bachelet, an ecologist
whose research has focused on the
impacts of global climate change, will
present “Food for Thought.” Bachelet,
who teaches a pair of online classes
about global change through Oregon
State University, said 20-40% of
human-caused greenhouse gas emis-
sions are due to agriculture, including
10% from waste.
Held virtually, the free program
is Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. Those
interested are invited to request the
Zoom login information by emailing
eastoregonclimatechange@gmail.
com.
Founded in 2017, the goal of EOC3
is to promote understanding and how
to deal with the impact of the chang-
ing climate. The group provides an
opportunity to share an open and
respectful climate change conver-
sation. For more information, email
eastoregonclimatechange@gmail.
com or search Facebook.
McMasters named
to honor roll
BISMARCK, North Dakota —
Ryan McMasters of Umatilla was
named to the Bismarck State College
President’s Honor Roll for the fall
2021 semester. He is an Echo High
School graduate.
To qualify for the list, students
must complete at least 12 semester
hours while earning at least a 3.5
GPA. Douglas J. Jensen, the school’s
president, said making the honor roll
while facing additional challenges of
living during a global pandemic is a
signifi cant accomplishment.
Bismarck State College is North
Dakota’s only polytechnic institution.
It specializes in technology and engi-
neering, applied and natural sciences,
as well as workforce training and
enrichment programs. For more infor-
mation visit www.bismarckstate.edu.
Macy Rosselle receives
academic honors
STILLWATER, Okla. — Macy
Rosselle of Adams was named to
the Oklahoma State University Pres-
ident’s Honor Roll for the fall 2021
semester. Students included in the
list must complete 12 or more hours
with a GPA of 4.0. A 2020 graduate
of Pendleton High School, Rosselle is
majoring in agriculture with a minor
in agricultural business at OSU’s
Ferguson College of Agriculture.
Established in 1890, OSU is a
modern land-grant university, which
focuses on agricultural and techni-
cal education in the United States.
The school has more than 34,000
students enrolled across its fi ve-cam-
pus system. For more information,
visit www.go.okstate.edu.
Pilot Rock holding
Covid-19, fl u
vaccination clinic
PILOT ROCK — Eastern Oregon
Center for Independent Living is hold-
ing a vaccination clinic Wednesday,
Jan. 19, 2-7 p.m. the Pilot Rock Fire
District, 415 N.E. Elm St.
Moderna, Pfi zer, and Johnson &
Johnson vaccinations will be available,
along with boosters. Vaccinations are
available for adults and children 5
years and up. Flu shots also are avail-
able when getting a COVID-19 vacci-
nation.
Individuals 12 years or older
receiving a COVID-19 vaccination or
booster will receive a $25 gift card. In
addition, and the event will provide
food boxes to the fi rst 30 people vacci-
nated.
For more information regarding the
clinic, contact Crescencia at 541-709-
7898.
If you need a ride to get a vaccina-
tion, contact Kassandra to schedule
transportation at 541-889-3119, ext.
109.
Arts center gets creative
with Day of Service
PENDLETON — With the recent
surge of COVID-19 cases, Pendleton
Center for the Arts is getting creative
with its annual work party. Each Janu-
ary, the arts center hosts the event as
part of the Martin Luther King Day Jr.
Day of Service
To minimize the spread of the
virus, instead of hosting one big work
day with a lot of people around — the
event typically attracts around 60
volunteers — the arts center is plan-
ning numerous small work sessions
Tuesday, Jan. 18, through Friday, Jan.
21 — the MLK Week of Service.
Individuals, couples or small
household groups are invited to sign
up to work on a designated task in an
area without others present. Roberta
Lavadour, executive director, said
projects will take a maximum of two
hours, with most taking much less
time. Tasks include such things as
dusting, painting or basic home repair.
Volunteers are encouraged to call
the arts center to share their time and
talents. For more information or to
register to help, contact director@
pendletonarts.org or 541-310-7413.
— EO Media Group
HERMISTON — The
fl agpoles are as empty as the
parking lot at the old Hermis-
ton Veterans of Foreign Wars
building, but this will not
long be the case, according
to Umatilla County Commis-
sioner John Shafer.
The county recently bought
the building at 45 W. Cherry
Ave., Hermiston, for $450,000,
and it is going to house
Umatilla County Community
Corrections.
Shafer said the sale is all
but complete, as the county
board approved the purchase.
The building has been
vacant in the wake of the
VFW Department of Oregon
shutting down the local post
there for “failure to establish
a meeting quorum or elect
the required offi cers” while
on suspension, according to
notices n the building.
The Hermiston VFW’s
loss, however, is Community
Corrections’s gain, as Shafer
said the community correc-
tions department is in dire
need. Currently housed at
the Staff ord Hansell Govern-
ment Center, 915 S.E. Colum-
bia Drive, Hermiston, County
Corrections has run out of
space, he said.
The offi ce, which is serv-
ing a growing area, is staff ed
by people who hardly have
room to function, Shafer said.
He said staff must vacate their
offi ces when group meetings
are held. Also, some staff are
operating in cramped condi-
tions; they are working in
offi ces that had been closets.
“We have employees who
are in hallways with laptops,”
Shafer said.
Without space for desktop
computers or desk phones,
they are using laptops and cell
phones to conduct business.
Shafer said the move is
“up in the air,” as he does not
know exactly when Commu-
nity Corrections will relocate.
“Once closing happens,
we’re going to have to do a
complete remodel of the new
building and go from there,”
he said.
Issues, including mate-
rial acquisition, will aff ect
the timeline for moving the
department.
“I’d like to be in there by
the end of the year,” he said.
Based upon initial inspec-
tions, Shafer said the build-
ing will be “taken down to the
studs.” He stated the building
is in good shape, but its layout
is not “what we need it to be.”
It is a big, open space, he said,
which will require walls for
security and privacy.
He said by leaving, UCCC
will make room in the Staf-
ford Hansell building for the
district attorney’s offi ce, the
fair offi ce or something else.
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