OFF PAGE ONE
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
A11
Skate Park: ‘We’re really
trying to help this group of
boys take some ownership’
Continued from Page A1
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Lostine City Recorder Toni Clary addresses the Lostine
City Council in the gazebo of Neal Park behind City Hall
in August. The City Council agreed Wednesday, March 4,
2021, to a contract to lease a portion of the park to the U.S.
Postal Service for a new post offi ce.
Lostine fi nalizes contract
for new post offi ce
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
LOSTINE — A fi nal con-
tract for a new Lostine Post
Offi ce has been signed and
plans are underway to move
from its current location on
Highway 82 across from City
Hall, city Recorder Toni Clary
said in an email Thursday,
March 4.
The City Council met the
previous evening to fi nalize
the contract.
Mayor Dusty Tippett said
Monday, March 8, that the
fi nal aspect of the contract was
negotiating the rates for the
electrical power. He said that
was completed March 4 and a
Pacifi c Power and Light power
pole can now be installed.
He said no water or sep-
tic utilities will be needed for
the approximately 70-by-50-
foot modular building that
will be located on the south-
eastern corner of Neal Park
behind City Hall and on Eliz-
abeth Street. Tippett said it is
expected to break ground for
the building in April.
“I wouldn’t expect it’ll take
super long,” the mayor said
of anticipated construction
time.
The lease for the cur-
rent post offi ce expires in
August. The current facil-
ity is in a portion of a
home and the homeowners
declined to renew the lease
because they wish to regain
use of that portion of their
building.
The city is renting space
to the U.S. Postal Ser-
vice for fi ve years, with
renewable options after
that. Construction will be
required to leave a large
tree in the park untouched,
Tippett said. The city will
be responsible for snow
removal in parking area.
“Any money that comes
in we’ll try to use for park
improvement,” he said.
“We’re hopeful it will
increase usage of park —
people can come and get
their mail while their kids
play on the swings and
stuff.”
In other business
Wednesday, the council
swore in Rick Boyd to fi ll
the vacant council seat No.
3.
Continued from Page A1
March 11, to schedule any
eligible person (Phase 1a,
Phase 1b groups 1-6) who
is interested in receiving the
Johnson & Johnson COVID-
19 vaccine,” Pace said in an
email Monday. “There is
an incredibly limited sup-
ply (100 doses) on hand and
appointments will be made
according to availability. We
do not know if or when we
will receive additional ship-
ments of the Johnson & John-
son vaccine.”
So far, the hospital has
vaccinated 1,497 individuals
with one dose of the Moderna
vaccine, and now 1,007 peo-
ple have received both doses.
The news of the third vac-
cine came during the same
week Wallowa County had
a fi fth death attributed to
COVID-19, according to the
Oregon Health Authority.
The OHA on Thursday
morning, March 4, reported
the death of a 47-year-old
man from the county. The
individual died on March 2
at Portland’s Legacy Eman-
uel Medical Center, accord-
ing to the report — more than
a month after testing positive
for COVID-19 on Jan. 25 —
and the man had underlying
conditions.
The county also had sin-
gle cases reported Thursday
and Friday, which raised its
total since the start of the pan-
demic a year ago to 144.
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STAY
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YE
NE
W
Continued from Page A1
• Heard from Council
President Jenni Word that
the Police Committee is on
the fi nal steps of complet-
ing the pre-employment pro-
cess for police chief. Wal-
lowa County Sheriff’s Deputy
Kevin McQuead was offered
the position in February pend-
ing successful completion of
the pre-employment checks.
• Approved a formal rec-
ommendation by the Plan-
ning Commission to approve
the new Design and Develop-
ment Standards for the city.
Anderson Perry prepared the
standards. After the council’s
vote, the standards went into
effect immediately.
• Approved Resolution
No. 660 to adopt a water
and sewer line installed by a
resident.
• During a work session
prior to the meeting, Dr. Eliz-
abeth Powers, of Wallowa
Memorial Hospital, presented
information on testing waste-
water for COVID-19 tracing.
The next City Coun-
cil meeting will be Mon-
day, April 12. A work session
begins at 6 p.m., with the reg-
ular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
COVID-19: New vaccine
in very limited supply
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Ron Pickens, a teacher at the Wallowa County Alternative
Education Program, center, and student Theo Noble measure
off the distance needed to install a proposed half-pipe at the
Enterprise skate park. From left, are students Cash McQuown,
Christian Morris and Mason Griffi n.
AR
Council:
“I’m going to try to do it,
but there’s no guarantees” as
to succeeding without injury,
senior Theo Noble said.
Griffi n, the other expe-
rienced skater, agreed he’s
eager to try the half-pipe.
“Yeah, just like Theo said
— no guarantees,” he said.
Cash McQuown and
Christian Morris, neither of
whom has experience on a
skateboard, said they are both
eager to learn. The addition
of the half-pipe is a major
reason they are motivated,
they said.
Maria Weer, lead teacher
at the 17-student alternative
school, eagerly supports what
the youths are doing.
“This year, my senior boys
really felt passionate about
improving the skate park and
making it more accessible,”
she said. “We’re really try-
ing to help this group of boys
take some ownership.”
H A
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