REGION
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Milton-Freewater OKs warmer aquatic center pool
By SHEILA HAGAR
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
MILTON-FREEWATER
— It won’t happen when the
pool opens in June, probably,
and it might not come until
August. But the water in the
Joe Humbert Family Aquatic
Center, Milton-Freewater,
once again will fl ow warmer
at some point in this swim
season.
The city council on
April 11 voted unanimously
to spend $88,546 for two “Big
Bopper” pool heaters to raise
the temperature of the public
pool to a level more condu-
cive to comfort and safety.
The decision came after
a plea from a group of
concerned residents who
came before the council in
March to tell members how
the unheated water made
the pool too cold to enjoy
and that water temperatures
below 70 degrees could lead
to health issues, according to
the American Red Cross.
Before the vote, Coun-
cil President Steve Irving
thanked those in the audience
who had brought the matter
to the city.
“You have my support,”
Irving said. “You have my
attention.”
City officials had said
there wasn’t enough money
left over from 2018’s Parks
and Recreation levy of
Sheila Hagar/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
A Milton-Freewater city employee on April 8, 2022, works on the grounds of the Joe Humbert Family Aquatic Center. The Mil-
ton-Freewater City Council has voted to spend $88,546 for two “Big Bopper” pool heaters to raise the temperature of the public
pool to a level more conducive to comfort and safety.
$500,000 to buy heaters. The
city already has used some
$344,000 to make numerous
repair and improvements to
the 25-year-old facility, and
last year’s bid for the heaters
rang up at about $79,000.
Instead, the cit y
purchased a thermal cover in
2021 to put over the water at
night for heat retention. This
year, however, regular users
of the pool said that system
was inadequate for the water
warmth needed to improve
conditions.
In March, the council
directed city staff to look
for possible solutions. City
Manager Linda Hall on
April 11 delivered a double
dose of good news: Not only
could Mill Creek Mechani-
cal in Walla Walla do the job
for less money than her staff
originally feared, but avail-
able coronavirus relief funds
could fi ll the fi nancial gap
between levy leftovers and
heater costs.
The coronavirus dollars
have been held back for use in
city utilities improvements,
Hermiston looks to take over EOTEC roads
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Two
Umatilla county roads
running alongside the East-
ern Oregon Trade and Event
Center in Hermiston soon
will belong to the city of
Hermiston.
The Hermiston City
Council at its meeting
Monday, April 25, plans to
approve transferring East
Airport and South Ott roads
to the city. County and city
offi cials said the transfer is
part of Hermiston’s growth
and the fulfillment of an
agreement.
“When EOTEC was fi rst
developed, it was developed
as a partnership between
the city of Hermiston and
Umatilla County,” Umatilla
Count y Com missioner
Dan Dorran said. “When
the county transferred the
ownership of EOTEC to the
city, the road was part of the
process. The county was
liable for paving the road.”
He said East Airport
Road has been paved and
the bike path is in. All this
By Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
A stop sign stands at the intersection of East Airport and
South Ott roads, Hermiston. Umatilla County owns the
roads, which run along the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event
Center, but the Hermiston City Council at its meeting Mon-
day, April 25, 2022, looks to transfer the roads to the city.
work was completed in the
past month.
“The county has done its
side, and now the city needs
to take action,” Hermiston
City Manager Byron Smith
said.
The city’s part of the deal
will be claiming the roads
in the upcoming city coun-
cil meeting.
He said this development
will not change services for
anyone who lives on the
roads. Some of the homes
on the road are county,
others are city, and none of
this will change.
“ Nob o d y’s ge t t i ng
annexed or anything like
that,” he said.
The transfer is related
to the agreement between
Hermiston and Umatilla
County to develop the event
center, Smith said, but this
also “is kind of a separate
issue.”
The county and the city
have discussions often
about county roads, he
explained, and as the city
put, the city makes county
roads into city streets. He
said it’s part of the business
in a growing city.
T he cou nt y t r a n s-
ferred EOTEC to the city
in 2008, Smith said, and
he thinks things are going
“pretty well” with it. The
next council meeting also
will include an update on
EOTEC.
“Right now, what we’re
seeing is things are getting
better after COVID. People
are starting to book events,
and it’s looking good,” he
said.
Mark Morgan, assistant
city manager, said for most
people this sort of transfer
seems insignifi cant, but it
does make a diff erence.
“Whoever is legally
responsible for that road,
that’s where the ultimate
long-term maintenance is
assigned,” he said.
When the streets need
work, the city will have
to pay for it from money
it receives from state
gas tax revenue.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Pendleton police
report staffi ng
changes
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton Police Department this
month reported two long-
time offi cers have departed
and two newer offi cers have
joined the force.
Cpl. Ryan Lehnert retired
from the department on
April 5 after a career spanning
almost 30 years, according to
an announcement the depart-
ment posted on its Facebook
page. The department stated
it would miss Lehnert for “his
positive attitude, his way of
looking out for everyone he
comes across and his honor
and integrity in serving the
citizens of Pendleton.”
On April 11, the depart-
ment reported it lost another
veteran when Sgt. Jon
Lehman decided after more
than 10 years in law enforce-
ment to try his hand at some-
thing new. The department
didn’t specify what that was
but wished Lehman well.
Between the two depar-
tures, however, Pendleton
police reported hiring its
two newest offi cers.
2022
I
Offi cer Alex Jensen comes
to Pendleton from Stanfi eld
Police Department “and will
be on the road in no time,”
according to the department,
while officer Adam Nell
gets to spend “16 fun-fi lled
weeks” in the basic police
course at the Oregon Public
Safety Academy in Salem
beginning later this summer.
— EO Media group
but some of those can be
released without bankrupt-
ing that fund, Hall said.
The decision does leave
less money for other projects,
including backfi lling general
fund losses from pandem-
ic-related costs and loss of
revenue, she noted.
Milton-Freewater will pay
a down payment of 55%, or
$48,750, with the remainder
due in 2023.
Public Works Superin-
tendent Brian Steadman said
the order immediately will
go to Mill Creek Mechanical,
which has bid on this project
several times. However, it’s
anticipated it will take about
four months for the pumps
to be built, delivered and
installed, Steadman said.
Resident Markie McRae,
who fi rst brought the pool
issue to the council in Febru-
ary, said on April 12 she is
pleased and surprised the
council moved so quickly on
the issue.
McRae said she fully
supports using pandemic
relief money for the cause.
“Swimming is a physi-
cal and mental release. And
there has been concern about
mental health in our children,
coming out of the pandemic
after staying home for two
years.”
In working on this issue,
McRae said she was gratifi ed
when others joined in. She
has discovered how much
happens at city council meet-
ings, she added.
“It’s well worth the eff ort
to go. It’s been a very positive
experience for me.”
The next Milton-Freewa-
ter City Council meets next
at 7 p.m., May 9, in the Albee
Room of the public library, 8
S.W. Eighth Ave.
Shoni Schimmel
faces federal
assault charges
East Oregonian
PORTLAND — WNBA
player Shoni Schimmel, 29,
of Pendleton, is facing federal
assault charges that could put
her in prison for 15 years.
U.S. Attorney’s Office
in Oregon in a press release
reported a federal court
unsealed an indictment
Friday, April 15, charging
former Schimmel with
assault by strangulation of an
intimate dating partner and
assault resulting in substan-
tial bodily injury on the
Umatilla Indian Reservation.
According to the indict-
ment, on June 13, 2021,
Schimmel allegedly stran-
gled her partner on the reser-
vation. Schimmel further
assaulted her partner causing
substantial bodily injury.
Federal authorities on
April 15 arrested Schimmel,
who also made her initial
appearance in federal court,
where during an arraign-
ment she pleaded not guilty.
The court released her and
scheduled a two-day jury trial
scheduled for June 14.
If convicted, according to
the press release, Schimmel
faces a maximum sentence
of 15 years in federal prison,
three years’ supervised
release and a fi ne of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik
Asphaug of the District of
Oregon made the announce-
ment.
The FBI and the Umatilla
Tribal Police Department
investigate the case. Assis-
tant U.S. Attorney Ashley
R. Cadotte is prosecuting the
case.
An indictment is only an
accusation of a crime, and a
defendant is presumed inno-
cent unless and until proven
guilty.
Domestic violence is a
serious crime that includes
both physical and emotional
abuse. It is frequently hidden
from public view. Many
survivors suff er in silence,
afraid to seek help or not
knowing where to turn. The
traumatic eff ects of domestic
violence also extend beyond
the abused person, impacting
family members and commu-
nities.
If you or someone you
know are in immediate
danger, please call 911.
If you need assistance or
know someone who needs
help, please contact the
National Domestic Violence
Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE
(7233). Many communities
throughout the country have
developed support networks
to assist survivors in the
process of recovery.
The StrongHearts Native
Helpline offers culturally
specifi c support and advo-
cacy for American Indian
and Alaska Native survi-
vors of domestic violence.
Call 1-844-762-8483 or visit
www.strongheartshelpline.
org for more information.
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