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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 2015)
COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 EOTEC continues moving forward By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center board made a formal recommendation Friday morning that the Uma- tilla County Fair board and Farm-City Pro Rodeo board keep their events at the cur- rent fairgrounds until 2017. The move came after a meeting with stakeholders on Sept. 16 in which the board and project manager Frew Development Group said they needed time to raise another $2.3 million if they were going to be able to keep from further scaling the project back. Umatilla County Com- missioners voted last week to recommend the fair not move next year to allow more time for work at the EOTEC site. Materials presented to the public about EOTEC, in- cluding the Frequently Asked Questions document on the city of Hermiston’s website, have characterized 2016 as year the project will begin hosting the fair and rodeo. But board members said Fri- day it had always been a pos- sibility that the move might not happen until 2017, which is why the county’s lease for the current fairgrounds didn’t expire until then. “We have until 2017, but we were trying to push the envelope,” county commis- sioner Larry Givens said. During Friday’s meeting, board members approved a request by Frew Develop- ment Group to amend the company’s contract to make it the general contractor. Gary Winsand of Frew Development Group said as- pects of the project haven’t gotten as many bids as hoped because people are unfamil- iar with the “design-build” process inherent to EOTEC, which overlaps design and construction steps instead of presenting contractors with a set-in-stone plan to bid on. The adjustment to Frew De- velopment’s contract allows the company to make cold calls to area contractors to solicit bids rather than being limited to just putting out a request for proposals. “We’re trying to speed up the process,” Winsand said. He said, in light of dis- cussions about raising more funding, design and construc- tion of lighting for the site had been broken into separate phases that can be completed as funding comes available. He also said Frew Devel- opment is studying the cost of building the barns out of cheaper materials in order to save money. He said the bid package for irrigation is on hold until tests determining water avail- ability on the site are complet- ed. Results from the test well that was being measured on Friday were promising. Winsand said contractors began to install the roof deck on the event center/exhibition hall building on Thursday. “Its been rolling on real well,” he said. Business manager Heath- er Cannell said someone from Frew Development is working on creating a more user-friendly website for EOTEC, which she hoped would be ¿nished by the end of next week. She said she is also moving forward with the event-scheduling software that will eventually be part of the website. Cannell said people have already contacted her and ex- pressed interest in hosting ev- erything from horse sales to local fundraisers at EOTEC in 2017. Rural crash injures one One person was injured Tuesday in a crash between a tractor and a pickup north of Stan¿eld on South Ed- wards Road. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but preliminary informa- tion indicated that the John Deere Tractor had pulled out of a ¿eld and was turning south onto Edwards Road, and it was struck by a north- bound Ford pickup. The driver of the pickup was taken by ambulance to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston. The pickup and the tractor were disabled in the crash. The accident is still under investigation. STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST 8PDWLOOD&RXQW\6KHULII·V'HSXW\-DPHV(QJOLVKLQYHVWGLUHFWVWUDIÀFDURXQGDGLVDEOHG-RKQ 'HHUHWUDFWRUWKDWZDVLQYROYHGLQDFUDVKZLWKD)RUGSLFNXS0RQGD\QRUWKRI6WDQÀHOG7KHGULYHU RIWKHSLFNXSZDVLQMXUHGDQGWDNHQE\DPEXODQFHWR*RRG6KHSKHUG0HGLFDO&HQWHULQ+HUPLVWRQ Hermiston likely to seek new school bond in 2017 New review committee expected to deliver recommendation within six months By SEAN HART Staff Writer With record enrollment and a steady increase project- ed, Hermiston School District is considering asking voters to approve a facilities bond in May 2017. After the Facility Master Planning Committee com- pleted a Comprehensive Master Plan in June 2015 outlining signi¿cant needs in the next 10 years, Deputy Superintendent Wade Smith discussed the next step in the process at the school board meeting Monday. He said the administration would recruit a diverse group of 14 community members to serve on a Citizens’ Review Committee along with two school board representatives. The group will review the Comprehensive Master Plan and the 2008 school bond out- comes to recommend a capi- tal planning program to meet district and community needs over the next 10 years, which is expected by March 2016. If the committee rec- ommends pursuing a bond, Smith said the district could begin initial community out- reach and solicit feedback from March to June and could then continue outreach and plan re¿nement until January 2017, when the school board ultimately begins considering whether to place the bond on the May 2017 ballot. Smith said alternatives, such as having two separate shifts of students at one school, were not attractive, long-term options for the district or the community. He also said if voters approve a bond by May 2017, the district may qualify for a new state grant program that would cover between $4 million and $8 million of the cost. “We are ripe for that up to $6 or $7 million,” he said. Other districts in the state competing for the $125 mil- lion in grant funding available may not be as far along in the process as Hermiston, he said. The Facility Master Planning Committee was established in 2013 and completed months of work before presenting the Comprehensive Master Plan in June 2015. The plan cites a Portland State University population study that predicts a likely increase of 800 students in the district by 2023. Based on that projection, 56 modular classrooms — serving almost 1,100 students — would be needed if additional perma- nent capacity is not added. Smith said, however, that projection was based on mid-range growth, but the district added more than 200 new students this year, which aligns with the study’s high- range estimate. If the current growth rate continues, the district would add 1,200 stu- dents by 2023, requiring 80 modulars to house 1,500 stu- dents. Maintaining the district’s oldest campuses will also require expansive repairs, according to the plan, with Rocky Heights Elementary built 53 years ago, Highland Hills Elementary School 35 and Sandstone Middle School 20. The plan states the old elementary schools also pose safety and security risks due to their outdated designs. The plan offers three ap- proaches to accommodate capacity needs. Each would build an additional elemen- tary school on Theater Lane property owned by the dis- trict, expand Hermiston High School and provide an addi- tion at Sandstone. The modest approach, with a $73.7 million price tag, would expand the high school to accommodate 2,000 students and add a four-class- room addition at the middle school. The moderate approach, at about $94 million, would replace either Rocky Heights or Highland Hills, provide an eight-classroom addition at Sandstone and expand the high school for 2,000 stu- dents. The $131 million com- prehensive approach would replace both Rocky Heights and Highland Hills, provide an eight-classroom Sandstone addition and expand the high school to accommodate 2,200 students. When the $69.9 million 2008 bond was approved by Attention Parents: Don’t Miss the Bus! Join us Thursday, October 15 from 6-8 pm at Pendleton Early Learning Center learning An early t supports tha program their role as in parents d’s first and il h their c luential most inf er. teach Sign-up Now! tion nt educa help e r a p r u Space is Limited! O to esigned class is d teach their Register at parents ages 0-5 www.readyforkindergarten.org children adiness school re . skills FREE Parent Class FREE Child Care FREE Books & Toys FREE Meal Questions? E-mail tcrfofpendleton@gmail.com Brought to you by The Children’s Reading Foundation of Pendleton voters, the district and partic- ipating committees anticipat- ed asking for another bond in ¿ve to seven years for the sec- ond phase, which includes the projects in the new plan. The previous bond replaced Ar- mand Larive Middle School, Sunset Elementary School and West Park Elementary School. Smith said, during the last bond, the facilities planning committee identi¿ed $110 million in needs, which was reduced to $80 million by a review committee and further reduced to $69.9 million after feedback from the community. School board member Ja- son Middleton, who started in 2008, said he remembered participating in some of the ¿nal aspects of the previous bond. He said it seemed soon to be pursuing another bond, but he wasn’t sure what oth- er options the district had to accommodate the growth it is experiencing. “There’s a lot of need out there,” he said. “We’re grow- ing very fast. If there’s no money to do anything, where do we put the kids we’re re- quired to take?” IN BRIEF Parks & Rec offers classes to learn dance basics In just six lessons, par- ticipants will learn the ba- sics to get the beat, learn the moves and have fun during dance classes of- fered through Hermiston Parks & Recreation. Three swing dances will be taught, country, hip-hop and rhythm and blues. Also, a basic social dance class will provide smooth and social dancing with lessons in the foxtrot, waltz and cha cha. April Dyntera will instruct both classes be- ginning Oct. 15 and con- tinuing each Thursday through Nov. 19. The Basic Social Dance ses- sion is from 6:15-7:15 p.m., and Just Swing It is from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The sessions meet in the basement at the Hermis- ton Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave. Open to ages 14 and up, the cost for the class is $30 for residents and $38 for non-residents. For more information, visit www.hermistonrec- reation.com. To register, call 541-667-5018 or stop by the recreation of- ¿ce, 180 N.E. Second St., Hermiston. Warming station to train volunteers in October The Hermiston Warm- ing Station will be conduct- ing trainings for people in- terested in volunteering at the overnight shelter. The trainings will take place from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 13, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 14, noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 16 and 4-6 p.m. Oct. 17 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 953 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. The warming station at the ARC building, 215 W. Orchard Ave., is open any night forecast with freezing temperatures or 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 severe weather Nov. 1 through March 31. Vol- unteers must be at least 18, and two are always on duty at any given time. Volunteers work one of three shifts: from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., from 12:30-4:30 a.m. or from 4:30-7 a.m. For more in- formation, call 541-720- 1146 or email warming- station@gmail.com. Foundation awards grant for walking path at BMCC The Good Shepherd Community Health Foun- dation recently awarded an $11,000 grant to build a walking path at the East- ern Oregon Higher Edu- cation Center on South- east Columbia Drive in Hermiston. The public pathway will allow students to ex- ercise without leaving campus and will be used for Blue Mountain Com- munity College health and physical education classes. “We’re very excited about this project as it’s been in development for about three years now,” BMCC Hermiston Asso- ciate Vice President Har- vey Franklin said. “This project will bene¿t the en- tire community and help with the quality of life in our area. We’re very appreciative of the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation for its generosity in helping us realize this pathway.” The grant funds the project’s ¿rst phase, which will develop 1,800 feet of 4-foot walking path, and will purchase two bench- es to be placed along the path. The second phase anticipates expanding the path to encompass neigh- boring properties, includ- ing the Oregon National Guard, Stafford Hansell Justice Center and the state of Oregon building on Southeast Columbia Drive. FIRST SafetyMan says “Always be Safe to Ensure an Active & Independent Lifestyle” The Truth Behind Senior Moments - C O N C L U D E D TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 3:30 PM Learn what’s normal and what is not when it comes to short-term memory loss. Learn the early signs of Alzheimer’s and other related dementias. We will discuss tips on brain health and keeping your memory sharp. Staying Active to Prevent Falls - C ONCLUDED TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 3:30 PM Staying active reduces your risk of a fall and improves your overall health and wellbeing. Learn what activities are best, how to improve your strength and balance and simple exercises to implement at home today. Don’t Let the Blues Get You Down TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 3:30 PM Learn how to identify and manage depression. Life’s changes can have adverse effects. Proper planning and coping skills can help ease these stressors. Making simple lifestyle changes can boost your mood and help alleviate many of your symptoms. 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
