A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015
FROM PAGE A1
HOUSE:
Hermiston High School teacher Curt Berger said the stu-
dent-built home that people can tour Monday has a number of
‘wow factors,’ including this chandelier.
The back side of the student-built home on Angus Court in
Hermiston. The Hermiston School District will sell the house
through a bidding process that opens Tuesday to raise funds
for the next home-construction project slated for next year.
the house unique in that it
was built by students, the
look and the amenities of
the house are also spe-
cial. He said the students
wanted the house to have
a different look and feel
one-of-a-kind to whomev-
er buys it, and designed it
with that in mind.
“We’ve got in wow fac-
tors everywhere, on pur-
pose,” Berger said, add-
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the custom tile design in
the foyer, the house has
many features that will
appeal to people.
Hermiston High School
junior Rebecca Carr, one
of three girls in the pro-
gram, said she enjoyed
the design aspect of the
project, and was placed in
charge of many of those
elements, including the
tile and carpet color.
“I spent probably a
good 12 hours picking out
colors for the outside and
the interior of the house,
picking out colors that
make things pop all that
much more,” she said.
Carr said she started
taking on responsibility
for the design after she
stopped Berger from mak-
ing an unfortunate choice
in windows for the back
side of the house. Before
she stepped him and told
him he should install a rain
window, instead, she said
he was set on putting in a
1990s faux brick window
that she said was ugly.
“I was like, ‘You can-
not put this in this house.
This is a nice house,’ ”
Carr said.
While she said she has
a talent for design, Carr
said she now knows home
construction isn’t for her,
although the homebuild-
ing program opens up
many career options for
students.
“With this program,
you can go almost any-
where,” she said. “The sky
is the limit.”
HHS junior Elizabeth
Herrera, who has been in-
volved with the project the
longest, having designed
the logo for the house last
spring and doing founda-
tion work this past sum-
mer, agrees.
She has participated in
each of the different as-
pects of the home’s con-
struction and has received
a lot of approval from the
tradesmen with whom
she worked. She even re-
ceived a couple of intern-
ship offers. She said one
day she wants to own her
own home-construction
business and design the
homes herself.
Herrera said she likes
the diversity involved in
home construction, saying
if somebody doesn’t like
one job or project, there
are others they can do in-
stead. She thinks any stu-
dent who is interested in
construction should par-
ticipate in the program.”
“I
think
teenagers
would like this job be-
cause what you are do-
ing this week is not what
you’re going to be doing
next week,” she said. “It’s
an awesome class, a tiring,
but awesome, class.”
For more information
on the student-built home
for sale or the homebuild-
er program, go to www.
columbiabasinstudenth-
omes.org.
variety of other items that
were not previously possi-
ble. She said the police de-
continued from page A1
partment will be able to pur-
the city plans to hire anoth- chase two more car cameras
HUSROLFHRI¿FHUDQGDSXEOLF and six body cameras that
works employee and fund a WKHRI¿FHUVZLOOVKDUH
UMATILLA:
Ince said one of the
larger new expenditures
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of four annual $44,000 in-
stallments the city will pay
to the Port of Umatilla for
the purchase of 15.4 acres
of land west of Bud Draper
Road. The land sale agree-
ment earlier this year ended
a zoning dispute between
the entities.
Other expenditures in-
clude $200,000 budgeted
from the water reserve to
perform necessary mainte-
nance on a water reservoir,
and $200,000 is budgeted
from the street fund for
grinding and asphalt over-
lays in McNary. As well,
although the city’s employ-
ee handbook stated college
assistance was available,
Ince said it had never been
included in the budget until
$10,000 was set aside for
that purpose this year.
EOTEC:
contributions from both
the city and the county. A
Tourism Promotion Assess-
ment that charges hotels
and motels $1 per room
rented per night, as well as
50 cents for RV spaces, in
Hermiston, Umatilla and
Echo also provides funding
earmarked for marketing.
The total construction is
anticipated to cost $12.38
million.
At the Authority Board
meeting preceding the
budget meeting, project
manager Gary Winsand,
Frew Development Group,
said the site preparation is
“moving along.” He said
the sewer lines were com-
pleted Thursday, and the
water lines would be going
in soon. He said two wells,
one for monitoring and one
for production, have been
drilled. The underground
utilities should be complet-
ed by June 19, he said, and
the grading should be com-
pleted by July 15. Winsand
said event center construc-
tion is expected to begin
July 13.
Heather Cannell, who
was hired as the business
development manager, said
an EOTEC Facebook page
has been created, and she
is currently working on a
logo that looks “a little less
commercial, a little more
country.”
Authority Board mem-
ber Dan Dorran said three
local “legacy families”
have expressed interest
in providing sponsorship
funding to EOTEC, as well
as two anonymous parties.
He said Cannell has been
working on a way to set up
a program for “founding
partners.”
“It’s really kind of hum-
bling how quick those type
of requests come once
we have a shovel in the
ground,” he said. “It really
is coming to fruition. ... It’s
really nice to see the legacy
families of the area really
buy into this.”
continued from page A1
quality home.
“This is a very nice,
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house,” he said.
He said the students
worked this school year
with tradesmen associated
with the Northeast Oregon
Home Builders Associa-
tion to complete the home.
They have been active in
every step of the construc-
tion process, although pro-
fessionals were responsible
for certain aspects, such as
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electrical work.
“This is the result of a
lot of effort and a lot of co-
ordination with people all
throughout the communi-
ty,” Berger said.
Following Monday’s
open house, which takes
place from 1 p.m. to
6:30 p.m., the Hermiston
School District will put
the house up for sale Tues-
day by opening a bidding
process. The proceeds
from the sale will support
the student homebuilder
program and the construc-
tion of the second of 11
houses planned.
Berger said, not only is
JESSICA KELLER PHOTO
JESSICA KELLER PHOTO
It depends on what happens
in this legislative session,
and, right now, it’s just too
continued from page A1
early to tell.”
“I’m very pleased with
The primary funding
how we’re proceeding with sources for the joint venture
getting ready for the oper- between the city of Herm-
ations of the event center iston and Umatilla County
as we move into the ’15- include a $6.4-million state
’16 year,” he said. “We’ve of Oregon lottery grant, $3
made a lot of progress on million from the county
RXU ¿VFDO SODQQLQJ :H¶YH from the sale of the current
got a lot of support with our fairgrounds, $450,000 from
citizen members. Every- the county’s Fair Improve-
thing’s looking good. The ment Fund, $441,000 from
one thing we’re still look- the United States govern-
ing to is completion of our ment to replace Thompson
capital funding package ... Hall and $25,000 annual