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PAGE A3
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
SPORTS PAGE A6
YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
HVES rates District to lease former Red Apple
Moving staff will
“That’s a challenge. Obviously you can’t
may
temporarily ease
squeeze 150 kids into two classrooms.”
increase space limitations
Average bill would
go up by about $11
each month
BY SEAN HART
HERMISTON HERALD
Although the energy
rates will still be among the
lowest in the state, Herm-
iston Energy Services cus-
tomers will likely see an
increase in their power bill
in May.
HES
Superintendent
Nate Rivera presented a re-
port to the Hermiston City
Council during a work ses-
sion Monday and said the
municipal electric company
must raise rates to keep up
with rising costs for whole-
sale electricity.
He recommended an
overall 10.95 percent in-
crease on electric bills be-
ginning May 1 and another
increase of approximately
9.5 percent beginning May
1, 2016.
Rivera said average
residential members who
use 1,500 kilowatt hours
per month currently pay
$101.45 and, under the pro-
vor of the lease agreement rather
than purchasing four additional
modular units, which would cost
more than $1 million, to solve
space concerns for the 2015-16
school year. Smith said, currently,
— Wade Smith
the high school only has two un-
District
Deputy
Superintendent
used classrooms available, but 150
BY JESSICA KELLER
more students are expected next
HERMISTON HERALD
year.
7KH +HUPLVWRQ 6FKRRO 'LV- Deputy Superintendent Wade
³7KDW¶V D FKDOOHQJH´ 6PLWK
Smith said the 20-year lease
trict will temporarily solve space Smith said after the meeting that will temporarily free up needed said. “Obviously you can’t squeeze
concerns anticipated next year by KHLVFRQ¿GHQWWKHGLVWULFWZLOOVXF- space to accommodate students 150 kids into two classrooms.”
moving administrative and sup- cessfully negotiate the lease terms at Hermiston High School and the
By leasing the building, howev-
port staff to a former grocery store with Double H LLC. According Innovative Learning Center and er, the school district can move its
building in Hermiston.
to the lease parameters, the dis- move district support staff and technology department out of the
7KHGLVWULFWLQWHQGVWROHDVHWKH trict will lease the building, which administration, currently spread high school, freeing up approxi-
building, near the corner of 11th was formerly El Gran Chaparral throughout the district, into one mately three and a half classrooms,
Street and Orchard Avenue, af- and Bob’s Red Apple, for an ini- building, which the district has the including one former computer lab
ter the Hermiston School Board tial amount of no more than $1.05 RSWLRQ WR EX\ HYHU\ ¿YH \HDUV RI and a storage room, to serve the
signed off on the proposal at a per square foot, or approximately the lease agreement.
SEE SPACE/A10
regular meeting Monday. District $300,000 per year.
7KH 6FKRRO %RDUG RSWHG LQ ID-
SEE RATES/A10
IMPROVING
TODAY’S WEATHER
SAFETY
Mostly Sunny
High: 56º Low: 38º
OUTLOOK
• THURSDAY
Morning clouds
High: 55º Low: 36º
• FRIDAY
Chance of rain
High: 49º Low: 30º
MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO
Rock\ HeiJhts (lementar\ School SictXred and HiJhland Hills (lementar\ School each have more than doors that Sose a siJniÀcant saIet\ concern
because intruders can potentially access the buildings at multiple points.
A complete weather forecast is
featured on page A2.
Aging elementary
schools pose risks
BY MAEGAN MURRAY
HERMISTON HERALD
Find the Hermiston Herald on
Facebook and Twitter
and join the conversation.
While the Hermiston
School District has im-
proved security infra-
structure and protocols in
recent years, two elemen-
tary schools in the district
still pose safety risks that
Hermiston Police Chief Ja-
son Edmiston describes as
a “logistical nightmare.”
Superintendent
Fred
Maiocco said, thanks to
funding provided from the
2008 bond measure, the
district has installed cam-
eras, increased fencing
and, at the older schools,
FOR LOCAL
BREAKING NEWS
www.HermistonHerald.com
MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO
Hermiston 3olice &hieI -ason (dmiston said the multiple ac-
cess points into Highland Hills Elementary School, pictured,
and Rocky Heights Elementary School, would make respond-
ing to a report oI an intruder a tactical nightmare to address.
additional barriers that pre-
vent people from driving
their vehicle directly onto
the school campuses, in
the last several years. For
some of the schools, spe-
FL¿FDOO\ 5RFN\ +HLJKWV
and Highland Hills ele-
mentary schools, however,
those measures just aren’t
enough, he said.
“Rocky Heights (El-
ementary School) sits at
an improved status from
where it was previously,
that is true,” Maiocco said.
³7KHVDPHLVWUXHDW+LJK-
land Hills. While we have
spent some money in some
of these older facilities, we
know we can’t continue to
tolerate conditions that are
going to make it unsafe for
students. As mentioned by
Jason Edmiston, having
schools that have many
exterior doors and exterior
hallways is absolutely un-
safe.”
During a Hermiston
School Board meeting
earlier this year, Edmis-
ton shared his largest con-
cerns about Rocky Heights
and Highland Hills in his
¿QGLQJV IURP D EXLOGLQJV
evaluation report about
the safety and securi-
ty of Hermiston schools.
He said, because of how
those two schools are built,
both buildings pose safety
threats that are concerning,
at best.
“From a purely tactical
standpoint, if there was
any incident involving the
police, it is logistically a
nightmare to try and corral
any type of a situation,”
Edmiston said.
Edmiston said the prob-
SEE SAFETY/A2
75&,LQPDWHVWRWUDLQGRJVLQQHZSURJUDP
Rivers Correctional Insti-
tution inmates will train
local stray and surrendered
dogs so they are more mar-
ketable for adoption.
For the program, 18
inmates who have been
screened and interviewed
BY MAEGAN MURRAY
E\75&,VWDIIZLOOWUDLQVL[
HERMISTON HERALD
dogs from Pet Rescue for
Beginning next month, eight to 10 weeks begin-
dogs who may have had QLQJLQ0DUFK7UDF\+LOO
a “ruff” go of things will a dog trainer with 4 Paws
be given a second chance DogWorks, has volun-
from an unlikely group also teered to teach the inmates
getting a second chance to how to train the animals.
do some good.
Hill will also work with the
)RU WKH ¿UVW WLPH 7ZR inmates one-on-one as they
Animals will later
be placed
for adoption
Hermiston Herald $1.00
© 2014 EO Media Group
interact with the dogs.
75&,
FRUUHFWLRQDO
counselor Dessa Myrick
said many of the institu-
tions that have started a
dog-training program have
seen tremendous success.
She said participating in
the program gives inmates
an incentive to behave and
meet expectations.
“A lot of (the inmates)
were excited and wanted
to do it, but they can’t be-
cause they don’t meet the
FULWHULD´ VKH VDLG ³7KLV
provides an incentive.”
Myrick
said
the
dog-training program also
improves the inmates so-
cialization skills as well as
the dogs’ chances of being
adopted.
“Petting dogs has been
shown to lower blood pres-
sure,” Myrick said. “It can
help people, including in-
mates, cope with stress,
anxiety. Inmates can also
feel like they are providing
a dog with a second chance
while also getting a second
chance to do some good.”
75&,¶V
GRJWUDLQLQJ
program will be conduct-
ed by medium-security in-
mates, as opposed to those
in minimum security, be-
FDXVHSULVRQRI¿FLDOVZDQW-
ed to increase the programs
available to those inmates,
Myrick said.
Myrick said, once the
inmates are chosen for
the program, three will be
assigned to a single dog,
and they will rotate duties
as main handler, alternate
handler and back-up or
“babysitter.”
Hill will provide the in-
mates with classroom in-
SEE DOGS/A10
