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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2019)
NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, March 27, 2019 A7 Wallowa County, Eastern Oregon at risk for spring fl ooding By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain With spring fi nally sprung, Wallowa County’s above-average snowpack is beginning to melt. The new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- istration (NOAA) Spring weather report warns that much of eastern Oregon, including Wallowa County, faces some minor risk of fl ooding as the weather warms. The outlook indicates warmer than usual tem- peratures across the Pacifi c Northwest and into the Northern Rockies. That’s coupled with a forecast of average precipitation. As we all know, warmer temperatures, coupled with normal spring rainfall, could bring streams above their banks, especially if rainfall accompanies a sudden warm-up. The NOAA’s weather prognosticators indicated that Wallowa County and adjoining regions have a greater than 50 percent chance of minor fl ooding. The agency defi nes minor fl ooding as “minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat such as road inundation.” So, absent a major rain-on-snow event, Wal- lowa County should weather the spring snowmelt without a lot of inconvenience. Or so it seems if NOAA’s predictions come true. Transportation funding to improve public transit in Wallowa County By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Eastern Oregon is reap- ing the benefi ts of the state’s payroll tax for public transit. Umatilla County, Mor- row County and the Con- federated Tribes of the Uma- tilla Indian Reservation were among the fi rst 18 tran- sit providers whose appli- cations were approved to receive Statewide Transpor- tation Improvement Fund money. Union, Wallowa, Baker, Grant and Harney counties were also on the list. The funds come from a one-tenth of 1 percent pay- roll tax instituted as part of the legislature’s 2017 trans- portation package. The money is to be dedicated to public transit improve- ments, from adding routes to upgrading bus fl eets. Bob Waldher, director of Umatilla County’s depart- ment of land use planning, said Umatilla County is eli- gible to pull in nearly $1 mil- lion per year. As a result of its fi rst application, the county will receive $398,000 in 2019, $692,000 in 2020, and $794,000 in 2021 to fund 11 projects recommended by the county’s STIF advi- sory board. The seven-per- son board currently has one opening. “In Umatilla County, the funding will help fund proj- ects that improve and expand public transit for seniors and the disabled, low-income families, and the county’s growing workforce popu- lation,” Waldher said in an email. Some of the money will go toward creating a new Hermiston to Boardman route by Kayak Public Tran- sit that would connect cities in western Umatilla County with employment at the Port of Morrow. Another project listed in the application will provide half-price taxi rides within the Hermiston, Stanfi eld, Umatilla and Echo area for people traveling between their home and their place of employment. Milton-Freewater will also subsidize taxi rides for people traveling from their home to their workplace, in addition to using some of the STIF dollars to expand their bus service to Saturdays. Pendleton will use some of the funds to expand its dial-a-ride service to a devi- ated fi xed-route bus sys- tem serving the general population. Anita Pranger, Mor- row County transportation coordinator, said Morrow County expects to see about $104,000 in 2019 and about $221,000 in 2020. She said the funding will help create a fi xed-route bus system in the county for the fi rst time. She envisions starting out with the Board- man-to-Hermiston route in partnership with Kayak Public Transit and Umatilla County, and then eventually expanding to Heppner and maybe even Arlington. As part of that, the money could help pay for bus stops, signs, education campaigns, a full- time dispatcher, mobile data transmitters on buses and other upgrades. “There are things in Mor- row County we are going to grow for the fi rst time,” she said. Prager said the new STIF funds coming into Mor- row County and other parts of Eastern Oregon will help rural areas better serve their residents who can’t afford a vehicle or can’t drive for other reasons. The $50,000 awarded to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reser- vation will help with admin- istrative costs for Kayak Public Transit to tackle the Boardman-to-Hermiston route. Money awarded to the counties will also be fun- neled back to Kayak to pur- chase two new buses for the route. JD Tovey, tribal plan- ning director, said it usu- ally takes roughly 18 months for new buses to arrive after they are ordered, so the new route won’t be up and run- ning right away. During the wait the project’s partners will have time to plan routes, stops and schedules so that they will best serve riders. According to the Oregon Transportation Committee, the 18 applications approved last week will help sup- port 207 million new trips on public transit during the 2019-21 biennium. EO Media Group, File A Kayak Public Transit bus picks up passengers in Pendleton in this fi le photo. Beginning July 1, Oregonians will notice a new deduction of $1 per $1,000 from their paychecks to generate revenue for public transportation. Running low on Firewood? Introducing Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Adam Heisinger Done hiking through the snow to bring in a load of wood? Then Strawberry Mountain Wood Fuel Bricks* are for you! • Doctor of Osteopathy, Des Moines University, Iowa • Internship and Residency completed in orthopedic surgery at Affinity Medical Center, Ohio; Fellowship in sports medicine completed at Orthopedic Research of Virginia, Richmond • Served four years as flight surgeon, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina Save $20 Dr. Heisinger will be seeing patients at Wallowa Memorial Hospital regularly for clinic visits and surgery. Ask your physician for a referral today. a ton • 100% Wood Fiber Clean • 9% Moisture Content • No Additives or Wax • Bricks produce in excess of 24,000 *This product may be used in wood stoves, BTU’s each fireplaces, patio heaters and campfires. M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM We treat you like family 601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org Sale Ends 4/30/19 Wallowa Memorial Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and provider. 209 NW First St., Enterprise • 541-426-4567 SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINES for weekly advertising is 5pm Friday for the following week. Ad copy is due on Monday at 10am. Ads must be approved by Tuesday at 12pm. An Introduction to Dressage for Anyone Offered each Saturday of April at the Fairgrounds 1 to 2 pm $15 $50 Contact Jennifer Cooney today for all your advertising needs! jcooney@wallowa.com 541-805-9630 each session all 4 Saturdays Instruction will be provided by members of FOR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION CALL GAIL MURPHEY • 541-263-1685