REGION
Saturday, July 16, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
UMATILLA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Power outages at dispatch center prompt call for upgrades
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PEN DLETON
—
Umatilla County has a
proposal to upgrade light-
ing in the sheriff office’s
dispatch center after a pair
of spring power outages. But
when the county will make
any improvements remains
a question.
The dispatch area is
part of the county’s Crim-
inal Justice Center, which
includes the jail. Karen Prim-
mer, sheriff ’s offi ce commu-
nications captain, explained
the justice center’s uninter-
ruptible power supply system
and generator serve the whole
facility.
“It’s all one system,” she
said. “Until July last year, the
UPS hadn’t been replaced
since the justice center was
built.”
That was in 1998.
“We replaced the UPS
batteries at least once,” Prim-
mer said. “We noticed fl uc-
tuations in symmetry. Even
with the replaced batteries,
the system had gone past the
end of its life.”
Replacing the UPS cost
more than $42,000, she added.
“An outage in the jail
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Umatilla County Sheriff ’s Offi ce Communications Capt. Karen Primmer on Thursday, July 14,
2022, explains the new technological advances for the county’s Emergency Operation Cen-
ter in Pendleton.
would also compromise staff
and inmate safety,” noted
Sterrin Ward, public aff airs
captain for the sheriff ’s offi ce.
Four personnel were in
the dispatch center during
the April 11 outage, which
happened between 5:30 and
6 p.m. And fi ve personnel
were in the room May 29
when the power went out
at 2:56 a.m., according to
records.
“A switch to the backup
generator went bad,” Prim-
mer explained. “Mainte-
nance ordered a replacement,
but with supply chain prob-
lems, its deliver y was
delayed. The May outage
occurred while the switch
was still broken.”
The dispatch center didn’t
lose 911 service or radio
BLUE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Faculty fi les grievances over layoff s
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College Faculty Asso-
ciation is individually
grieving the fi ve full-time
teachers the college laid
off in the June 6 retrench-
ment, according to its pres-
ident, Sascha McKeon, in
an email. She said fi ve part-
time positions also were lost
in the new budget.
“We fi led the grievances
because we believe the
college violated the provi-
sion in our contract related
to layoff s,” she wrote. “The
college president and the
board chair signed the
collective bargaining agree-
ment. So they should see
that our contract is followed
just like any contract they
have with any entity. It’s a
legally binding agreement.”
The college administra-
tion has argued the actions
are justifi ed due to decreas-
ing enrollment and to help
close a $2 million budget
gap. But McKeon said that
while the college laid off
faculty it also was posting
new positions with a total
expense of $250,000. She
said these were a direc-
tor of Student Success
registrar. It’s a reallocation
of duties, split with some
other offi ces. We’re taking
a better approach to serve
our students, so we can go
“WHERE WILL THE MONEY
COME FROM? STUDENTS’
TUITION? THE TAXPAYERS?
THEY’RE SUFFERING FROM
HIGH PRICES, TOO.”
— Mark Browning, BMCC President
out to recruit more.
and Services and a
director of Recruit-
W hy hire more
ment and Retention.
facult y without
M c K e o n
more students.”
contented the board
The annual
needs to address
salaries of the fi ve
these issues if there is
laid off instruc-
to be accountability.
Browning
tors ranged from
$80,341 to $97,511,
BMCC President
Mark Browning explained according to informa-
the board’s actions since tion from the college, and
approving the layoffs in enrollment declined from
June.
2,482 full-time equivalent
“There are not two new students in 2011-12 to 1,153
positions. No new (full- in 2021-22.
time equivalents),” he said.
The college has hired a
“One replacement was our labor law attorney to handle
the grievance process.
“BMCC has an attor-
ney but I felt, and the board
agreed, that we needed
representation by a special-
ist in that field,” Brown-
ing said. “In a legal matter,
that’s the best way to do
business. We could save
the taxpayers money if the
faculty union pulled back its
grievances.”
Cost of living increases
are back on the table, as a
result of the grievances.
“During the 17-day nego-
tiations ‘cease fi re’ in May,
the union offered to take
out cost of living increases,
but now they’re demanding
them again,” Browning said.
“I know there’s infl ation, but
they’re already getting an
average step up of 4.5%.”
No funding is specifi-
cally allocated within the
2022-23 fi scal year budget
for cost of living increases
for faculty or classifi ed staff ,
Browning noted.
“Where will the money
come from?” he asked.
“Students’ tuition? The
taxpayers? They’re suff er-
ing from high prices, too.”
during the outages, Prim-
mer said. But darkness was a
safety issue for staff . During
the April outage, a single
dispatch console remained
operational, she said.
The dispatch center has
six consoles, each with two
radios, one dedicated and
one backup, Primmer said.
The dedicated radios are
monitor-based, 700 Mhz
units from the Umatil-
la-Morrow Radio & Data
District. Neither the monitor
nor backup radios went down
during the outages.
Three to four dispatch-
ers staff the 911 center on a
normal shift.
“Dispatchers stayed there
during the outages,” Prim-
mer reported. “We did not
abandon the center. We
answered 911 calls. We used
cellphones for light, but now
have fl ashlights.”
Umatilla County and
Morrow County dispatch
centers are each other’s
backup.
The center in 2021 took
34,002 calls for 911 and
111,053 calls for service.
From Jan 1 to July 13 this
year, it took 16,192 calls for
911 and 59,212 service calls.
Mark Tanner, Umatilla
County maintenance direc-
tor, recommended install-
ing emergency lighting
for the dispatch area at the
justice center, at the board
of commissioners meet-
ing July 6. He presented a
proposal of $11,669 from
Pendleton Electric Co. to
upgrade lighting.
Tanner proposed install-
ing six battery backup
bug-eye egress exit lights
and power extension from
the lighting circuit prior
to the 911 area switches.
The proposal also included
installing 22 Fulham Hotspot
H-shaped, 6-watt magnetic
backup lights, with driver
and battery for existing para-
bolic and standard three-
lamp troff er fi xtures.
The board discussed
whether to adopt Tanner’s
proposal or to fund a more
comprehensive upgrade for
the entire justice center facil-
ity.
County Commissioner
and board Chair John Shafer
said Tanner is going to check
with the fi re marshal to fi nd
out if the building is up to
code.
“We don’t know when the
fi nal for the dispatch will be
on the agenda,” Shafer said.
PENDLETON
Development commission
considers changing grant
application review process
The grant review commit-
tee was formerly called the
Facade Restoration Commit-
PENDLETON — The tee, with up to nine members.
Pendleton Development There also are a general PDC
Commission is considering Advisory Committee and a
changes to its grant applica- Jump Start Committee.
tion review process.
Kate Dimon, g rant
Three of the four citizen review committee chair,
members of its Grant Review with members Velda Arnaud
Advisory Committee resigned and Bill Taylor resigned in
recently. A full committee protest, alleging the PDC did
not follow its own
would have seven
members.
rules and procedures.
“Now grant appli-
Member Tonya Nich-
cations go to the
ols remained.
The committee
committee twice a
reviews grants on the
year,” City Manager
second Tuesday of
Robb Corbett said.
each month. Appli-
“It’s done by the
PDC’s cycle. But now
Corbett
cations are due the
available funds are
last Monday of the
low, so there’s a conversa- preceding month.
tion among PDC members to
The standards for a Reju-
venation Grant to restore an
decide what to do.”
The city council estab- entire building are the same
lished the nine-member as for the Upper Story and
PDC in 1981 to act as the Facade Restoration programs.
Urban Renewal Agency. Historic building renovations
PDC members are the city or restorations must follow
council and mayor.
certain standards.
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
LOCAL BRIEFING
Boardman city
councilors under
investigation
BOARDMAN — Six of
seven Boardman city council
members are under investiga-
tion by the Oregon Govern-
ment Ethics Commission for
violations of executive session
provisions of Public Meetings
law. The commission voted
to conduct the investigation
pursuant to a complaint by
Boardman businessman Jona-
than Tallman on July 8.
“City hall is not following
all procedures and protocols,”
Tallman charged. “Councilors
need to be held accountable.”
Ethics commission staff
are investigating the matter
and will prepare a report for
consideration in a public meet-
ing for Dec. 16, according to a
letter Tallman provided from
Ronald Bersin, OGEC execu-
tive director.
Council members under
investigation are Paul
Beagle, Roy Drago, Paul
Keefer, Katy Norton, Leslie
www.EastOregonian.com
Pierson and Brenda Profi tt.
Karen Pettigrew, Board-
man city manager, did not
respond to a request for
comments by publication time.
— EO Media Group
HAPPY
90
th
BIRTHDAY!
Help Jim Stanton
Turn 90!
Thank You 2022 Sponsors & Guardians
Bronze Guardians
Wheatland Insurance Center, Inc • Doug’s Septic Service, Inc • R-D Johns Farm Inc.
Guardians
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Joanne King Beauty Shop • Lee & Sue Friese • Zimmerman’s Autobody & Glass
Bill Ezell Construction LLC • C & C Tarps, LLC • Clan McEwen, Athena
Coldwell Banker Farley Company
Sponsors
Pacific Power Co • Dorothy & Ken Bjorklund • Athena-Weston Lions Club • City of Athena
Weston-McEwen School District • Humbert Refuse Family
Grants
AWERE • Umatilla County Cultural Coalition • Athena Civic Memorial
Athena Caledonian Games gratefully acknowledges our Guardians and Sponsors, whose support
is vital to our mission of preserving the precious tradition of Athena and the Caledonian Games.
Thank you to our industrious, loyal volunteers, who greet you, work and represent
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