REGION
Thursday, September 1, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Echo seeks $1.5M to help with Umatilla River flooding
By MARCO
GRAMACHO
East Oregonian
ECHO — The city of Echo
is requesting $1.5 million in
state and federal funds for
restoration work and protec-
tion of the southern part of
the town and northern part of
the shoreline caused by the
high waters in the Umatilla
River last June.
“If we don’t get protection
by the end of this year, and if
we get a normal high water
event, next spring we can have
significantly more damage,”
warned Echo City Adminis-
trator David Slaght. “And we
won’t have a way to stop it.”
He submitted two permits
to work on three areas devel-
oped by the engineering
company Anderson Perry &
Associates.
“Oregon Emergency
Management has champi-
oned our projects and took
them to the Emergency Board
in Salem when they meet in
late September to decide
on approving them or not,”
Slaght said. “If we get $1.5
million, we are planning to
return $475,000 to Umatilla
County that funded the emer-
Mackenzie Whaley/East Oregonian
The Umatilla River runs low through Echo on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. The small city is seeking
$1.5 million in state and federal money to help abate the river’s annual spring floods.
gency repairs last June, and
use the remainder to finalize
the first phase of the project.”
To combat rising water,
approximately 560 feet of
riprap was placed on the
shoreline. The rocky mate-
rial was put on the west bank
to protect homes. In the next
phase, large logs will be
placed under the rocks. This
will involve first pulling the
rocks up and placing the logs
at the riverbank and then
setting the rocks on top.
According to the city
administrator, this setup
will protect the habitat of
fish. Other structures, Slaght
added, may be constructed
on the river to divert flows.
These structures, and the log
setup, will be the first stage.
There are other actions to be
taken, though, he said.
The project also will
repair properties, shoreline
and river area to the north
of the bridge, the eastside of
the river and the south end of
Echo, Slaght said.
In addition to these goals,
the city administrator said the
project will increase plantings
in the area of the river. Differ-
ent plant species, including
willows and cottonwood, are
planned.
The second phase is
the construction of a levee
system. The engineers of
Anderson Perry are work-
ing on the project. Slaght said
there are federal funds for the
construction of levees.
“The team effort to protect
Echo city involves Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Rep.
Bobby Levy, Umatilla County
administration, local land-
owners, engineers, such as
Kyle Wagner, and Echo City
Council members,” he said.
According to engineers
working in the project, a
levee system is a long term
solution for the flooding.
“It takes a lot more money
and a lot of design to make
a functional levee to protect
the city,” explained Slaght.
Besides threatening resi-
dential areas in Echo, the
flooding and high water of the
Umatilla River has eroded
the signs of the archaeologi-
cal site of Fort Henrietta.
“Several artifacts were
damaged and new ones were
found by archeologists in the
area,” Slaght said.
Fort Henrietta Park is on
Main Street adjacent to the
Umatilla River and it is on
private property. One of the
few public access points to
the river in several miles is
in the park. The park was
named for the Fort Henrietta
Militia stockade which was
located across the river from
the park site in 1855-56.
The National Park Service
has listed the park as a
National Historic Trail Site
because it was a campsite
and river crossing for Oregon
Trail emigrants. The river
ford, known as the Lower
Crossing (Pendleton was
the site of the Upper Cross-
ing), was at the south end of
the park. The crossing also
was used later as a stage and
freight road.
The park includes several
historic displays, including
a covered wagon museum
and antique fire equipment
museum. The museums are
unmanned with push button
recorders that provide infor-
mation to visitors. The first
Umatilla County jail is in
the park as is a replica block-
house. Interpretive panels
provided by the National Park
Service and story boards with
information on Echo history
also are in the park.
From Brazil to the
District busy on first day of fall term Hermiston Herald
HERMISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
By MARCO
GRAMACHO
East Oregonian
H ER M IST ION —
Hermiston School District
had a busy morning on
the first day of school for
Monday, Aug. 29.
A reset of the electrical
panel initiated a lockdown
alarm at Armand Larive
Middle School. There were
traffic jams around the
streets close to the school
with mostly parents taking
their children to the classes.
“After I dropped my
daughter off at school
around 8 a.m., she texted
me saying that they were
in a lockdown,” said Audra
Workman, East Oregonian/
Hermiston Herald advertis-
ing assistant. “Thank God it
was just a false alarm.”
The Hermiston School
District on its Facebook
page at about 9:30 a.m.
explained what happened
and reported it was “all clear
to enter the building.”
At Her miston High
School the students were
excited to begin school.
Outside the building they
received their schedules in
tables according to their
year — freshman, soph-
omore, junior and senior.
The table for the freshman
year had the biggest line of
students.
“They don’t know the
school yet, even though we
had orientation last week,”
explained family engage-
ment specialist Maria
Durán. “But we understand
that it is a beginning for
them, and accept that some
of them are late for their first
class today.”
Inside the building,
students formed a line in
the administration room to
register for classes. In the
other room on the opposite
side, some of the students
were invited to change
clothes because they were
not under the dress code
of the high school, such as
showing their stomachs.
Adriana Coleman, 17, is
a senior, and was helping
the students on the tables
outside the high school
building.
“As a student leader, I
am setting an example for
the students at earlier stages
at school to come back to
normal after the pandemic
hit in 2020,” she said.
Adriana is a basketball
Veteran journalist
Marco Gramacho
joins EO news staff
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Hermiston High School students arrive on the first day of school Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as
they pick up their new schedules and navigate their way to classrooms.
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Students navigate their way through the halls on the first day
of school Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, at Hermiston High School.
player at school and is look-
ing forward to seeing more
students engaging with
extra-curricular activities
and seeing the community
attending games.
“I’m a captain in the team
and everybody calls me
‘Dri,’” she said, “and I plan
to stay in Oregon and major
in marketing at college.”
The district reported
5,482 students registered for
the school year.
Think Big Space
in progress
He r m i s t o n S c h o ol
District also is a couple of
months away from open-
ing its first Think Big
Space in partnership with
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College and Amazon
Web Services. The space
at Hermiston High will
provide enhanced class-
rooms for students in grades
three to post high school
FEEL THE SPEED,
EVEN AT PEAK TIMES.
to participate in interac-
tive learning experiences,
grounded in STEAM.
Umatilla High School,
the SAGE Center in Board-
man and the Umatilla Indian
Reservation near Pendleton
also have the AWS spaces
that promote science, tech-
nology, engineering, arts
and math.
“At first we will promote
activities to elementary and
high school students, but we
are going to include middle
schoolers soon after,”
explained Katie Corral,
science instructional lead
teacher for the district.
“This way we plan to inte-
grate knowledge from an
early age.”
The space still is receiv-
ing equipment and will have
22 state-of-the-art comput-
ers in the computer lab to
increase the students’ tech-
nology literacy in the areas
of coding, robotics, machine
learning and internet-con-
nected devices. The space
also includes 3D printers,
full color plotters to print
posters and laser engravers.
John Fisher, Hermis-
ton High’s engineering and
robotics teacher, said he
was excited to give a tour to
seven high school students
who will volunteer as moni-
tors in the space.
“One of the most exciting
projects is the AWS Deep-
Racer,” Fisher said.
This autonomous 1/18th
scale race car is designed to
test reinforcement learning
models by racing on a phys-
ical track. Using cameras to
view the track and a rein-
forcement model to control
throttle and steering, the car
shows how a model trained
in a simulated environment
can be transferred to the
real-world environment.
One of the monitors,
senior Jaxson Gribskev, 17,
was designing rooms for an
engineering class in one of
the desk tops in the Think
Big computer lab.
“I’m planning to study
mechanical engineering
after I finish high school,”
he said.
Senior Laylah Lucas, also
17, is a graphic designer and
has been creating products
for the high school in the last
few years.
“What I love here the
most is to be able to be in
control of what I create,”
she said.
The school is opening the
Think Big Space on Oct. 25.
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Gramacho lives in Pasco
and works in Hermiston,
which he said has similarities
to his hometown.
“My father’s origins are
By YASSER MARTE
from the countryside of Brazil.
East Oregonian
I grew up going to my grand-
parent’s farm,” Gramacho
HERMISTON — The recalled. “Although this is a
Hermiston Herald has added completely different coun-
a new member to its team.
try, I feel that the country’s
Marco Gramacho, 47, of soul is similar. It’s a familiar-
Pasco by way of Brazil, joined ity that reminds me of when
the Herald on Aug. 16. He I was a kid. It’s personal in a
already has covered a number way that pleases me being in a
of significant events and is small town and covering these
delving into larger stories in stories.”
Hermiston and the surround-
Gramacho said seeing and
ing area.
understanding the differences
“I’m kicking back to my between a developed versus
origins, which is exactly how undeveloped country has had
I started my career, a general an effect on his worldview,
reporter,” Gramacho said. such as understanding the
“But now I have way
economic struggles
more experience.”
in the United States
Gramacho was
in comparison to the
hardships of Brazil.
a journalist in his
“It’s very different.
hometown of Salva-
dor, Brazil, and at
I’m learning a lot, it’s
fascinating,” he said.
times had to cover
stories in the cities of
Hermiston Herald
Sao Paulo and Rio.
Gramacho
editor and senior
During his career, he
reporter Erick Peter-
would report on a wide range son remains out while attend-
of subjects, including general ing to a health issue. The
news, politics, technology and Herald and East Oregonian are
fashion.
part of the EO Media Group.
Although he began his As a reporter for the Herald,
writing career in newspapers Gramacho also is part of the
and magazines, his journey EO news team.
“Marco brings a real
into journalism took a few
turns along the way.
passion for journalism,” EO
He moved to the United Regional Editorial Director
States after getting accepted Andrew Cutler said. “I think
to the University of Florida he has a unique background in
where he pursued a Ph.D. in newspapers, and I think it will
art history and delved into serve Hermiston very well and
the spiritual world of Aztec he will do a fantastic job.”
and Mayan culture. With his
As Gramacho takes on
knowledge, he got accepted reporting local news, he
into Washington State immerses himself in getting
University, where he finished to know and understand the
his degree in cultural studies community of Hermiston.
and social thought education,
“That’s the nature of jour-
which focused on the issues nalism, every day we travel to
of culture and power in the different things. I research as
contemporary and historical much as I can before an inter-
contexts of education.
view, and when meeting differ-
“As a journalist in Brazil, ent sources everybody’s been
with more than 20 years of nice,” Gramacho said. “I’m
experience working with looking forward to getting to
newspapers and magazines, know more of the community.”
I wanted to share a differ-
ent understanding of read-
ing and writing of the world,”
Gramacho said. “Through that
program, I found my path.”
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