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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 COMMUNITY 7XUQHUVSODFHKLJKELGRIIRU¿UVWVWXGHQWEXLOWKRPH Building plans for second home submitted Monday with construction to begin in several weeks By SEAN HART Staff Writer A former Hermiston ed- ucator is set to be the ¿ rst to turn the key on the ¿ rst stu- dent-built home in Hermis- ton. Hermiston School Dis- trict Deputy Superintendent Wade Smith announced Tim and SCHOOLS L T u i r n n d e a r placed the highest bid of $330,033 for the Columbia Basin Student Homebuilder Pro- gram’s ¿ rst home at the Hermiston School Board meeting Monday. The Turners’ bid was well above the $268,500 re- serve price, and Smith said Tim Turner, a former teach- er for the district, had been excited to try to purchase the 2,050-square-foot home at 895 W. Angus Court. “He and his wife have been stopping by the house consistently for the last Boardman teen drowns in Columbia River A Morrow County teenager drowned Fri- day in the Columbia Riv- er, the second drowning death in the same stretch this summer. At 3:53 a.m., the Mor- row County Sheriff’s Of- Roberts fice received a 9-1-1 call reporting Gavin Ryce Roberts, 18, of Board- man, had drowned near the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in the McCormick Slough, ac- cording to a press re- lease. Roberts was a 2015 graduate of Riverside High School in Board- man. Multiple agencies re- sponded to the scene, including the sheriff’s office, Irrigon Fire De- partment and EMS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Uma- tilla Fire Department and Washington-based Skamania County Sher- iff’s Office Dive Res- cue Team. The agencies launched boats, and the dive rescue team recov- ered the body at about 11:13 a.m. The incident is under investigation. FILE PHOTO 7LPDQG/LQGD7XUQHU+HUPLVWRQSODFHGWKHKLJKELGRIIRUWKLVKRXVHWKHÀUVWVWX GHQWEXLOWKRPHIURPWKH&ROXPELD%DVLQ6WXGHQW+RPHEXLOGHU3URJUDPWKURXJKWKH+HUPLV WRQ6FKRRO'LVWULFW three or four months be- cause he’s been eager and very interested in purchas- ing the home because he’s seen the high quality that’s in there, and it just meets all of his needs,” Smith said. “It’s kind of neat to see him be the successful bidder.” Smith said the district is still working with the Turn- ers to ¿ nali]e the sale, but plans for the second stu- dent-built home were sub- mitted to the city building department Monday morn- ing. He said foundation work is planned to begin on the second home in several weeks, and by the begin- ning of the school year, the students will probably be framing the walls. In the program’s second year, Smith said more core students will be involved and will spend more time at the site each day. While somewhere around 75 to 100 students, including those taking horticulture and shop classes, partici- pated in some aspects of the ¿ rst home, 12 core students spent the most time at the site, which will likely be increased to 17 this year, he said. Instead of a two-hour time period at the site each day, he said the students will also be able to spend up to three and a half hours a day working on the home. “We wanted to start with a smaller group of stu- dents, more of an intimate group, so we could make sure we had a good un- derstanding of what we’re getting ourselves into (the first year),” he said. “... Our first home was kind of our dip the toe in the water, learn from some of our mistakes, glean some of the successes to make sure we replicate that.” Smith said the first year of the program was “amazingly success- ful.” He said the Oregon School Boards Associa- tion has even invited the district to present infor- mation about the program as a model for other dis- tricts to replicate at the annual convention in No- vember. “The kids did a great job with the learning curve for everyone build- ing a house for the first time, but the collabora- tion with the homebuild- er’s association, the city and the district, it really was quite seamless for the first year,” he said. “... It’s pretty neat for a first-year program to be so successful and to have it be a model for others to emulate if they want to start a program like this for their kids.” %R\DOHUWVIDPLO\WRKRPH¿UHHVFDSHXQLQMXUHG Family members say they got out just in time, thanks to warning from ‘hero’ By GARY L. WEST Herald Editor A 6-year-old Irrigon boy is being called a hero by his family for helping four other people, includ- ing two infants, escape a ¿ re that destroyed a mobile home Friday. “I was in the living room watching a movie, then I smelled smoke,” said the boy, Joel Koertje. He alerted his 20-year- old sister Shaughnessi El- lison and her friend, Reba Carter. Carter said she had just ¿ nished a shower and was starting to dress when Joel told them he FIRE could smell smoke. She turned around, looked out the window and could see À ames. Ellison and Carter grabbed Joel and Ellison’s two 5-month-old infants and headed out the door. Carter didn’t even have time to put on a shirt, she said. “Myw 6-year-old broth- er saved us,” Ellison said. “Any later and we’d have been screwed.” Ellison said they had just got out of the house and to the yard gate when a propane tank exploded. “It went so quick, so quick,” she said. Ellison reported the ¿ re after the family got safely out of the home. The ¿ re was called in at 3:51 p.m. The family, including their parents Cory Koert- je and Kathi Hamner, had just ¿ nished moving into the three-bedroom trailer that day. “We brought the last load in this morning,” Cory Koertje said, while looking at the smoldering shell of the home. Cory Koertje and Hamner were on their way to Boardman to go to work when the ¿ re broke out. They were looking for- ward to living in the larger home with a fenced yard. “It was perfect,” Hamner said. But she looked on the bright side. “Everybody got out. Ev- erything can be replaced,” Hamner said. Irrigon Fire Chief Lar- ry Burns said at the scene it was too early to iden- tify the cause of the ¿ re. He said a state deputy ¿ re marshal based out of Pend- leton was en route to try to determine the cause. Seven ¿ re¿ ghters from Irrigon re- sponded to extinguish the bla]e along with ¿ ve from Boardman who responded for mutual aid. The mobile home was a total loss. McKay Creek Estates presents: SAFETY Join us as we host a lecture series to increase safety awareness on fall prevention, common home injuries and provide solutions to keep you and your loved one safe! S FIRST STAFF PHOTOS BY GARY L. WEST 6KDXJKQHVVL(OOLVRQRI,UULJRQULJKWWHOOV&RU\.RHUWMHKRZVKHKHUWZRFKLOGUHQKHUEURWKHU DQGDIULHQGZHUHDEOHWRHVFDSHWKHIDPLO\·VKRPHZKLFKEXUQHGWRWKHJURXQGRQ)ULGD\ .RHUWMHLVKROGLQJRQHRI(OOLVRQ·VVRQVZKLOHWKH\VWDQGQH[WWR(OOLVRQ·VFDU(OOLVRQVDLGWKH NH\VWRWKHFDUZHUHVWLOOLQVLGHWKHKRPH+HDWIURPWKHÀUHPHOWHGWKHSODVWLFOLFHQVHSODWH IUDPHRQWKHIURQWRIWKHFDU $ÀUHÀJKWHU ZRUNVWR H[WLQJXLVKKRW VSRWVIURPDÀUH WKDWGHVWUR\HG a mobile home )UiGa\ iQ ,UUiJoQ )iYe SeoSle iQFlXGiQJ WZo infants and a \eaUold bo\ esFaSed shoUtl\ before the home Zas enJXlfed in Á ame AUGUST 11-15, 2015 Tues. Aug. 11 • 9pm Wed. Aug. 12 • 9pm JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY DUSTIN LYNCH SafetyMan says Thurs. Aug. 13 7pm “Always be Safe to Ensure an Active & Independent Lifestyle” ANTIFAZ Healthy Back Habits for Caregivers - C O N C L U D E D 9pm TUESDAY, MAY 26, 3:30PM Many adults spend a considerable portion of their week caring for aging parents, relatives, friends, or other adults. According to the results of a recent study, the stresses and strains of providing care to an ill loved one may take a considerable toll on the mental and physical health of care- givers — including their back and spine health. Learn healthy back habits to keep you safe. MAR-K DE TIERRA CALIENTE Elder-Friendly Living: Modifying Your Home for Safety TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 3:30 PM - C ONCLUDED No matter when the older person’s home was built and regardless of whether it is modern or traditional in style, it likely was designed for young adults and their families. As adults age their homes also grow older, but most are not updated to accommodate the resident’s changing needs. Home adaptation or modification can provide friendlier elder living so older occupants may continue to life safely in the comfort of their home. Fri. Aug. 14 • 9pm Know Your Numbers TUESDAY, JULY 28, 3:30 PM Are you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases? Learn about the numbers and what they mean for various screenings to stay in control of your health. We will talk about cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) numbers and more. HINDER Sat. Aug. 15 • 9pm In the Watering Hole: LIVE MUSIC: Tues & Wed - Brady Goss; Fri & Sat - Blue Tattoo RESERVED TICKETS ON SALE NOW! (does not include $12 admission) For more information or to RSVP, call us at (541) 276-1987 or visit us today! McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Place Pendleton, Oregon 97801 www.PrestigeCare.com WARRANT Call or stop by the Fair office 515 W. Orchard, Hermiston 800-700-FAIR (3247) • www.umatillacounty.net/fair Visa & Mastercard gladly accepted CARNIVAL WRISTBANDS $23 (until August 10) Reserve Concert Seating: $12 $30 after fair starts (does not include fair admission)
