WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
COMMUNITY
Resuse authority discusses new
timeline on acquiring depot land
economic
development
opportunities and told him
The U.S. Army keeps that they wanted to do
moving the line on when it what they could to help get
will be ready to transfer the things moving.
former Umatilla Chemical
The most recent time-
Depot land back to local line Smith was given by
control but the Columbia the Army would have water
Development
Authority ULJKWV QHJRWLDWLRQV ¿QLVKHG
is doing what it can to be by Oct. 1 and the cultural
ready.
survey complete by Feb.
The authority met Thurs- 10, 2016. The Army would
day, July 30, and discussed
c o m -
the current timeline the
mence a
LAND
Army has set, which would
30-day
VHH¿QDOFRQYH\DQFHRIWKH
public
land to the authority on comment period on the re-
Nov. 1, 2016. The author- quired Finding of Suitabil-
ity had originally planned ity to Transfer on May 18,
to receive the land in early DQG¿QDOGUDIWVRIWKH
2015.
land deed, memorandum
Executive director Greg of understanding and Eco-
Smith told the board that nomic Development Con-
there are three outstand- veyance would be ready for
ing issues that are holding a signature on Nov. 1, 2016.
up the Economic Devel-
Board member Gary
opment Conveyance. The Neal, who represents the
necessary water rights to Port of Morrow, said put-
develop the land must be ting political pressure on
transferred to the author- the situation may help
ity, survey work must be some, but what will be
wrapped up and cultural most helpful in trying to
and environmental studies move the timeline up is
must be completed.
to make sure nothing is
He said he recently trav- standing in the way of
eled to Washington, D.C. completing the cultural
for an Association of De- and environmental studies
fense Communities con- as quickly as possible.
ference and emphasized
“Those are going to
WR $UP\ RI¿FLDOV WKDW WKH be the key factors on this
delays were negatively im- thing,” he said. “We have to
pacting the Columbia De- make sure they don’t slide.”
velopment Authority.
In the meantime the lo-
“I shared that we had cal reuse authority is do-
several economic devel- ing what it can to move
opment opportunities out things along, including hir-
there and that those are ing Smith to replace for-
being hamstrung,” Smith mer director Don Chance,
said.
who retired this summer.
He said the people he 6PLWK VDLG $UP\ RI¿FLDOV
spoke with were concerned couldn’t say enough good
about the potential loss of things about Chance and
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
District registers
students this week
HERMISTON HERALD
Hermiston School Dis-
trict student registration for
the upcoming school year
is taking place through Fri-
day.
Previously enrolled ele-
mentary and middle school
students returning to the
district are not required
to register at the school
unless
fam-
SCHOOL the
ily has
moved
over the summer. Parents
or guardians whose contact
information has changed
should contact the school’s
IURQWRI¿FHZLWKXSGDWHV
Elementary
students
new to the district, or new
to a building, should register
at the individual buildings.
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available from 8-11:30 a.m.
Registration for new mid-
dle school students will take
place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the respective middle school
buildings.
Registration for Herm-
iston High School students
takes place from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. or 4-7 p.m. each day of
the week depending on grade
level. Registration for fresh-
man and senior took place
earlier this week. Registra-
tion for juniors is today and
for sophomores on Thursday.
High school students new to
the district should register
between 8 a.m. and noon
Aug. 7.
Parents or guardians en-
rolling new students should
provide a record of the stu-
GHQW¶V ELUWK ELUWK FHUWL¿
FDWHEDSWLVPDOFHUWL¿FDWHRU
passport), proof of residence
and physical address, health
records and previous report
cards or transcripts.
Fees for middle and
high school students can be
paid during registration by
credit card, check or cash.
The payments can also be
made through InTouch
online at www.hermiston.
k12.or.us/onlinepayments.
Parents or guardians
who require different reg-
istration times should con-
tact the buildings directly
to schedule an appoint-
ment. Spanish translation
services are available.
For more information,
contact the schools: Herm-
iston High School, 541-
667-6100; Armand Larive
Middle School, 541-667-
6200; Sandstone Middle
School,
541-667-6300;
Desert View Elementary,
541-667-6900; Highland
Hills Elementary, 541-667-
6500; Rocky Heights El-
ementary, 541-667-6600;
Sunset Elementary, 541-
667-6700; West Park Ele-
mentary, 541-667-6800.
Agriculture &
Youth Night Calf
Dressing Event *
Thurs., Aug. 13, 2015 • 7:30pm
*Teams consisting of two FFA members from throughout
the county compete in the "calf dressing" competition for
bragging rights amongst FFA Chapters.
Winning chapter will receive $1000,
courtesy of Elmer's Irrigation, Inc.!
Support
FFA & 4-H
Animal Sale
Saturday,
Aug. 15, 2015
Sponsored
By
ELMER’S
IRRIGATION, INC.
“The Best Little Irrigation Company in the Northwest”
80527 Hwy 395 N. • Hermiston • 541-567-5572
Event dates were incorrectly posted in the Umatilla County Fair
Exhibitor’s Guide, these are the correct dates for the events
told Smith that an appli-
cation he submitted was
so well written that it was
going to be used as a tem-
plate for other communi-
ties around the country.
Moving forward, Smith
told the authority it was
time to start revving up the
marketing and outreach
arm of the project in prepa-
ration for next year when
WKHGHSRWODQGZLOORI¿FLDO
ly belong to the Columbia
Development Authority.
To start suggested creating
a more user-friendly web-
site, joining area Chamber
of Commerces and creat-
ing an email database to
which updates and news-
letters can be sent.
The board supported
his ideas, and also voted
to approve the grant narra-
tive and budget summary
the CDA staff had put to-
gether. Smith said the good
news is the authority can
continue to receive grant
money for completing the
transition to ownership of
the depot land even though
it was originally supposed
to have the land by now.
The Columbia Devel-
opment Authority also lis-
tened to a presentation from
J.R. Cook and Craig Reed-
er of the Northeast Oregon
Water Association about
an opportunity to boost the
amount of water available
for use in the area by plac-
ing an aquifer recharge ba-
sin on the depot land.
The project would take
up about 10 acres of space
somewhere on the depot
land. Reeder said the ba-
sin would make it less
cost-prohibitive to pump
Columbia River water back
into distressed basalt aqui-
fers, making more ground-
water available for use by
Westland Irrigation’s ap-
proximately 250 users.
“This is going to impact
and extend the season for a
majority of Westland Irri-
gation users,” he said.
Cook said the project
would also improve the wa-
ter picture for the depot land.
The authority board vot-
ed unanimously (with an
abstention by Gary Neal)
to submit an application
for a grant to cover the
costs of a feasibility study
for the recharge basin.
BMCC raises price for college
credits for high school students
“We put our funding as
low as we thought we could
College credits for local to recover our costs,” he said.
high school students will cost “It wouldn’t surprise me if
three times more in the com- enrollment went down a lit-
ing year than previous years.
tle bit. On the other hand, it’s
Blue Mountain Commu- still the best deal you can get
nity College Vice President for college credits.”
Hermiston School Dis-
of Instruction Jim Whittaker
said the school is raising the trict Deputy Superintendent
price from $10 to $31 per Wade Smith said the fee in-
credit because of the loss of crease would have a “signif-
icant impact” on the district,
state funding.
To help establish the pro- which pays the cost of tuition
gram called Eastern Prom- for students who qualify for
ise, Whittaker said tempo- free or reduced-price meals.
According to BMCC,
rary funding was provided
to the collaboration between Hermiston students earned
Eastern Oregon University, 6,463 credits last school year.
Treasure Valley Community Smith said more than half of
College, the InterMountain the students in the district
Education Service District qualify for reduced-price
and school districts in East- meals, so he estimated the
ern Oregon. He said college district would cover about
RI¿FLDOV NQHZ WKH IXQGLQJ half of the college credits.
would be discontinued but At $31 per credit, that would
were unaware it would hap- cost the district more than
pen this year until the end of $100,000.
Smith said the district may
the legislative session.
The cost will be low- have to consider reducing the
er than the $94 per credit credits it funds, which could
charged for classes at the reduce student participation.
Every high school in
college. Whittaker said the
new price was based on his Umatilla and Morrow coun-
calculations that it costs the ties has participated in the
college about one-third as program, Whittaker said,
much to administer the ear- with 2,410 students earning
ly college credits for high 21,424 credits last school
year.
school classes.
By SEAN HART
Staff writer