REGION
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
East Oregonian
Get ready to rumble
Pendleton test
blast Thursday is
part of $10.5M
water project
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Some
residents of Pendleton and
surrounding areas may feel
a shake Thursday afternoon,
May 26.
The city in a press
release announced Aggre-
gate Resource Drilling will
conduct a test blast between
2 p.m. and 4 p.m. that day at
the site of a new water reser-
voir and booster pump station
near the Eastern Oregon
Regional Airport. The test
blast is to demonstrate the
project will not produce
ground vibrations or air
blasts that exceed set limits.
For the test, crews will be
blasting and drilling 3-inch
diameter boreholes to depths
between 6 and 19 feet. The
blast will occur within the
limits of the reservoir excava-
tion, but it may be felt in other
areas of the city, according to
the announcement, and the
results of the blast will help
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
The Radisson Hotel remains under construction Sunday,
May 22, 2022, near the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport on
top of Airport Hill, Pendleton. The city announced there will
be a test blast between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. May 26 near the
airport as part of the $10.5 million project to improve water
pressure and storage on the west side of Pendleton.
crews determine additional
needs.
Another two to four blast-
ings will occur in June, and
the city will send notices
about those when specific
dates are determined.
The blasting is one of the
fi rst stages of construction for
the Airport Water Reservoir
and Booster Pump Station
Project, part of a $10.5
million project to improve
water pressure and storage
on the west side of Pendleton.
The controlled blasting and
rock excavation make way
for a new 2 million gallon
welded steel water reservoir.
“The new airport reser-
voir will provide additional
storage for the city’s grav-
ity water pressure zone, in
addition to serving as stor-
age for the airport pressure
zone,” according to the press
release.
Improvements at the site
include a new airport water
booster station on the reser-
voir site. The new booster
pump station will handle
4,500 gallons per minute,
allowing for industrial
growth opportunities under-
way at the airport industrial
parks.
The project is part of
the Water System Master
Plan the city adopted in
2015. When complete, the
project will replace 1940s
vintage storage reservoirs
and booster pump stations,
provide better water pres-
sure for the area and allow
for additional development at
the Eastern Oregon Regional
Airport.
The city council in
September 2021 approved
the project. According to
meeting minutes, the money
for the project comes from
the Federal Safe Drinking
Water Revolving Fund Loan
through Business Oregon.
The city previously secured
the loan and had about $12.7
million remaining for this
project, well supply devel-
opment and water line
upgrades.
Public Works Director
Bob Patterson at the time
said staff was hopeful the
work would wrap up in 12
months, but it may end up
taking 15 months.
MORROW COUNTY SCHOOLS
District, EOU partners for reading program
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
H EPPN ER — T he
Morrow County School
District is looking to continue
and expand its reading tutor-
ing program in the fall.
The district implemented
Ignite! Reading this spring.
Erin Stocker, Morrow County
School District executive
director of human resources,
boasts of the program, which
offers one-on-one tutoring
from Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity students, matching them
with students in Morrow
County. She said 30 of the
district’s students now are in
Ignite! and more should be
entered into it at the start of
the new school year.
That is, if data plays out the
way she said she expects.
Ignite! students study with
their tutors for 15 minutes a
day, every school day, meet-
ing online. Each session is
diff erent, she said, as tutoring
sessions are tailored to fi t each
student’s needs.
Stocker said she has not
seen the fi nal report on the
program’s success but has
witnessed tutoring sessions
and seen a lot of progress
for most of the students. In
sessions, she said, she has
seen enthusiastic young
people, who seem to want
to be present.
EOU student says
According to Stocker, even
tutoring fun, helpful
the busiest 6-year-olds, who
Martin Heredia is one of
tend to have diffi culty concen- the Eastern Oregon Univer-
trating on studies, are sitting sity students helping Morrow
down and focusing on Ignite! County students. An EOU
work. And the students who junior, he is pursuing a career
are making the least amount in teaching.
of progress are not frequently
He said he meets with
attending the rest of their students through Zoom,
school.
allowing him to
“It makes sense,”
communicate with
she said.
students from his
If students are not
home in La Grande to
present at school to
students in Morrow
do their Ignite! work,
County. He tutors two
they will not benefi t
fourth graders and
from it.
two second graders.
In addition to
The tutoring helps
Heredia
praising the program,
students, he said, and
Stocker also applauded it benefi ts him, too. He said the
Morrow County School Ignite! program gives him and
District employees for their other EOU students practice
eff orts.
teaching reading. Other EOU
“I have been extremely Ignite! tutors also have four
impressed with the admin- students each and concentrate
istrators at the three schools on their needs in one-on-one
that are implementing this,” sessions.
she said.
Heredia said he had a
According to Stocker, the week of special training prior
program “fell into our lap” just to starting with his students.
before spring break. MCSD He had to learn protocols
schools, then, had to “hit the and theory that allows tutors
ground running at the start of to maximize the education
spring.” She said schools had of short tutoring sessions, he
a lot of extra work, satisfying said.
the logistics of the program.
“We only get 15 minutes
“Everything in educa- a day with the kids, but that
tion now is heavy, but they goes such a long way, because
made it look like a light lift,” you are working one on one,”
Stocker said.
he said. “You can see exactly
what the kids are getting and
what the students are strug-
gling with,” he said. He said
tutors can give corrective
feedback right away.
Heredia said one of his
favorite things about the
program is employing certain
“engagement strategies.”
After a student does some-
thing well, he leads them in
various cheers.
“The kids love it, and I love
doing the cheer,” he said. “It
gets them out of their comfort
zone and makes them want to
do the lessons.”
Having fun, he guides them
from lesson to lesson, advanc-
ing them to increasingly diffi -
cult levels. And he said this
is working; his students are
making progress, as are other
Morrow County students.
He said the 14 second grade
students in the program were
at least two grade levels below
when starting Ignite!, and they
were all able to pass their fi rst
progress monitoring assess-
ment.
“So, 14 students covered
25% of their school year in 18
days, and that’s less than 4.5
hours of instruction, which is
crazy,” he said.
Students who begin a
school year with Ignite!,
Heredia said, can close a
gap of two-and-half years to
one year.
HERMISTON
Horizon Project
initiative receives
$220,000 grant
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Hori-
zon Project Inc. recently
received a boost for its
independent living center
in Hermiston.
Horizon is the largest
single provider of residential
and employment support to
adults experiencing intel-
lectual and developmen-
tal disabilities in Umatilla
County. Kuni Foundation,
of Vancouver, Washing-
ton, awarded Horizon a
$220,000 grant for the Steps
to Empowerment Program
Center for Independent
Living. The award went to
a down payment on a new
building to increase capac-
ity.
“By purchasing this
building, we’re able to
expand in a way that’s trans-
formational,” Horizon CEO
Terri Silvis said. “We’re
trying to give people incre-
mental steps to be empow-
ered and independent to
reach whatever goals they
want.”
She said the initiative is
to help youths transitioning
from high school to adult-
hood live as independently
as possible.
“We prepare person-
based plans, then our staff
provide the help needed on
an individual basis,” Silvis
explained. “We’ll provide
integrated independent
living and group homes.
STEP centers promote the
skills required for indepen-
dent living.”
Kunie Foundation in
a press release stated this
grant follows a recent invest-
ment of $850,000 in Hori-
zon Project Inc. to support
and expand housing, part of
the foundation’s commit-
ment to strengthen oppor-
tunities for people with IDD
PENDLETON — The
Umatilla National Forest is
searching for members to
serve on two resource advi-
sory committees.
The organization is
looking for nominees to
serve on the Southeast
Washington or Columbia
County Resource Advisory
Committees — both groups
are key resource advisory
committees in the southeast
region of Washington.
Members of the commit-
tees work toward recom-
mending projects in order to
improve forest health, water-
sheds and roads and facili-
ties in the Umatilla National
Forest area.
Resource committee
members serve a four-year
term after being appointed
by the secretary of agricul-
ture. Members do not receive
compensation for their work,
but can be reimbursed for
travel to and from meetings.
Members are expected to
attend one to two meetings
per year, which last roughly
three to four hours on aver-
age. In order to participate,
interested members must
be a Washington resident
or live in the vicinity of
Asotin, Garfi eld or Colum-
bia counties. Each committee
includes 15 members and is
broken down into three cate-
gories.
Projects for the commit-
tees range from fi sh passage
restoration to construction of
walking trails. The commit-
tees often work with youth
Scramble for Scholarships
Friday, June 10th
1pm Shotgun Start
Big River Golf Course - Umatilla
Golfers of all skill levels are invited to participate in the 29th annual
Scramble for Scholarships Golf Tournament. Four person teams can sign up
together or individual pairings can be made by the tournament committee.
Your $100 entry fee covers green fees, a box lunch, BBQ Dinner, and
makes a charitable donation to the Foundation to use in awarding
scholarships to local students pursuing careers in a medical field.
Register atscrambleforscholarships.eventbrite.com or call
541-667-3409. Entry deadline is June 6th
Putting contest to win a pair of Blazers Tickets.
Great Prize Holes and Hole-in-One on #1 & #9 wins
$25,000 towards a new car sponsored by ROGERS TOYOTA
of HERMISTON
living in rural areas.
Silvis said Kuni Foun-
dation has been a generous
donor to the local nonprofi t
that operates 18 group
homes and other sites across
Umatilla County for people
with intellectual and devel-
opmental disabilities. A
three-year award from Kuni
allowed Horizon to buy
vacant property to expand
operations in Hermiston,
and Horizon plans to break
ground in the fall on a new
facility in Pendleton.
“They share our commit-
ment to integrating people
with intellectual and devel-
opmental disabilities into
housing,” Silvis said. “They
also helped fund our site
office on Main Street in
Hermiston and to upgrade
our Pendleton group
homes.”
Silvis said she hopes to
expand space and staff at
Hermiston’s STEP center
to accommodate tran-
sitioning youth, then to
build on that experience to
bring the program to Pend-
leton. Given demand in
Milton-Freewater, it could
be replicated there.
“The model can be
improved and enhanced
across the county,” Silvis
said.
She also explained when
people with intellectual
and developmental disabil-
ities have stable housing
support, it enables them to
build skills and invest in
their communities. Amid
a labor crisis, Horizon can
help people with IDD train
for jobs, which in turn can
help bolster the local work-
force and economy.
“We help support active,
integrated, meaningful
participants in the commu-
nity,” she said, “and that
enhances the community
for everyone.”
Please join us for a
Retirement Reception for
VIRGINIA CONRAD
LOCAL BRIEFING
Umatilla National
Forest in need of
committee members
A3
and volunteers in completing
projects.
Those interested in apply-
ing for the resource commit-
tees can fi ll out and submit a
survey at the Forest Service
website.
— EO Media Group
May 24th 4-7pm
Hosted at
Pendleton Book Company
125 S Main Street
Coffee and Cake provided
In lieu of gifts,
please donate to your
preferred charity
S T . A NTHONY C LINIC
O PEN E ARLY
S AME D AY A PPOINTMENTS
M ONDAY - T HURSDAY 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
F RIDAY 8 AM - 5:00 PM
O UR CARING PROVIDERS are
accepting new patients of
ALL AGES , and they will be
glad to help you get back
to feeling your best!
There's no need for you
to be an established
patient to make an
appointment.
For more information, or to schedule, call 541-966-0535, Option 4.