WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
COMMUNITY
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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
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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.”
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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
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a mobile home
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infants and a
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before the home
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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)