IMPROVING APPEAL PREP SOFTBALL CITY BUDGETS MONEY FOR FACADE, SIDEWALK UPGRADES GONZALES A POWERHOUSE FOR ECHO PAGE A3 SPORTS PAGE A9 SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015 YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER HERMISTONHERALD.COM EOTEC project moving forward Severe fi re season a possibility Committee approves budget BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD Hermiston Fire District burn ban begins Monday BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD Sunday is the last day for open burning in the +HUPLVWRQ)LUH'LVWULFWEXW &KLHI6FRWW6WDQWRQUHFRP PHQGV SHRSOH GR VR ZLWK FDXWLRQ ³:H MXVW DVN SHRSOH WR be very careful when they DUH ¿QLVKLQJ XS EXUQLQJ´ KH VDLG ³+DYH LW RXW HDU ly, have a hose and shovel nearby, watch the winds and follow our burn poli- FLHV´ 'XULQJ WKH PRQWK RI May, the district allows people to burn yard debris, LQFOXGLQJ OLPEV WZLJV DQG cut tree shrubbery, exclud- ing tree leaves, grass clip- pings and other slow burn- LQJ YHJHWDEOH PDWHULDO 1R EXUQLQJ LV DOORZHG IURP -XQHWR6HSW 6WDQWRQ VDLG VXPPHU LV the busiest season for the GLVWULFWZLWKJUDVV¿UHVLQ FUHDVLQJ WKH GHSDUWPHQW¶V ORDG+HVDLGWKHUHFHQWUDLQ has actually increased the SRWHQWLDO IRU ODUJHU ¿UHV DV the grass grows, adding po- WHQWLDO IXHO 3HRSOH VKRXOG With the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center set to open next year, oper- ating expenses are included in the budget IRUWKH¿UVWWLPH 2Q )ULGD\ WKH (27(& %XGJHW &RP PLWWHHDSSURYHGDSURSRVHGEXGJHWIRUWKH ¿VFDO \HDU EHJLQQLQJ LQ -XO\ 7KH EXGJHW includes categories for things such as sal- DULHV PDLQWHQDQFH DQG RI¿FH HTXLSPHQW necessary to run the facility currently un- GHU FRQVWUXFWLRQ QHDU WKH +HUPLVWRQ DLU SRUW 7KH EXGJHW DOORFDWHV PLOOLRQ WR IDFLOLW\ FRQVWUXFWLRQ WRRSHUDWLRQVDQGWRPDUNHWLQJ (27(& $XWKRULW\ %RDUG &KDLUPDQ (G %URRNVKLHU VDLG HYHU\RQH LQYROYHG LV ZRUNLQJ WRJHWKHU ZHOO WR VHH WKH SURMHFW WKURXJKWRFRPSOHWLRQ This is the site plan for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center currently under construction near the Hermiston airport. The site is scheduled to host the 2016 Umatilla County Fair and Farm-City Pro 5odeo. The À rst phase of facilities ex- pected to be completed by next May include the event center, the rodeo arena and the livestock barns. The EOTEC Budget Committee approved the 2015-16 À scal year budget Friday. WRAPPING UP SEE EOTEC/A16 SEE FIRE/A2 TODAY’S WEATHER Mostly sunny High: 90º Low: 59º OUTLOOK • SUNDAY Partly cloudy High: 91º Low: 61º • MONDAY Partly cloudy High: 84º Low: 54º A complete weather forecast is featured on page A2. JESSICA KELLER PHOTO Find the Hermiston Herald on Facebook and Twitter and join the conversation. Hermiston High School junior Elizabeth Herrera washes the decorative rock included in the exterior design of the new student-built home next to Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston Thursday. People can tour the nearly complete house, 895 W. Angus Court, from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday. FOR LOCAL BREAKING NEWS Students with homebuilder program eager to show off house Monday www.HermistonHerald.com WLPH IRU 0RQGD\¶V RSHQ KRXVH HERMISTON HERALD 7KH WKUHHEHGURRP :RUNRQWKH¿UVW+HUP WZREDWKURRP KRPH RQ LVWRQ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW VWX Angus Court, next to GHQWEXLOWKRPHLVGUDZLQJ $UPDQG /DULYH 0LGGOH to a close, with students 6FKRRO LV WKH ¿UVW KRXVH DQG WKHLU WUDGHVPHQ FRXQ VWXGHQWV IURP +HUPLVWRQ WHUSDUWVZRUNLQJIHYHULVKO\ 8PDWLOOD DQG 6WDQ¿HOG WR ZUDS XS PRVW ZRUN LQ have built through the BY JESSICA KELLER &ROXPELD %DVLQ 6WXGHQW +RPHEXLOGHU3URJUDP 3URJUDP FRRUGLQD WRU DQG +HUPLVWRQ +LJK School career and techni- FDO VNLOOV LQVWUXFWRU &XUW Berger said he is proud of WKHZRUNWKHVWXGHQWVLQ WKLV \HDU¶V SURJUDP KDYH done, and people will be LPSUHVVHG ZKHQ WKH\ VHH it that high school students were responsible for such a SEE HOUSE/A16 JESSICA KELLER PHOTO The exterior of the student-built home that the Hermiston School District will sell through a bidding process beginning Tuesday. 'DWDFHQWHUHOHFWULFLW\IHHVSD\RIIIRU8PDWLOOD LQJIURPDQLQFUHDVHLQWKHEHJLQ QLQJIXQGEDODQFH “This is the healthiest budget UHYHQXH IURP WKHP QH[W \HDU DV I have seen since I have started WLHUHG WHPSRUDU\ WD[ DEDWHPHQWV KHUH´VKHVDLG³)RUWKH¿UVWWLPH QRZ ZH KDYH VRPH ZLJJOH URRP EHJLQWRH[SLUH 6KHVDLGWKHFLW\LVVHHLQJVPDOO WR GR VRPH QHZ SURMHFWV %HIRUH HULQFUHDVHVLQUHYHQXHIURPDYD ZHZHUHNLQGRIFUXQFKLQJWRSOD\ ULHW\RIRWKHUVRXUFHVDVZHOO*HQ FDWFKXSDQGQRZZH¶UHQRWLQWKDW eral fund revenue is budgeted to SRVLWLRQ´ :LWK PRUH UHYHQXH ,QFH VDLG LQFUHDVHPRUHWKDQIURP WKHFXUUHQW¿VFDO\HDUWRDERXW SEE UMATILLA/A16 PLOOLRQZLWKDERXWFRP City plans to hire new police offi cer, public works employee in next fi scal year BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD Hermiston Herald $1.00 © 2015 EO Media Group (YHQWKRXJKWKHFLW\RI8PDWLO la will not begin collecting prop- erty taxes on the data centers built there until next year, the develop- PHQWVDUHDOUHDG\SD\LQJRII In electricity franchise fees alone, the city anticipates $608,576 LQ UHYHQXH LQ WKH XSFRPLQJ ¿VFDO \HDU FRPSDUHG WR WKH EXGJHWHG LQ DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH EXGJHW WKH 8PDWLOOD &LW\ Council will consider for adoption 7XHVGD\ )LQDQFH 'LUHFWRU 0HOLVVD ,QFH said the data centers were respon- sible for the increase, and the city will see increased property tax