WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Stanfield market robbery suspect arrested
15 at about 3 p.m. at a Hermis- Court records show Rodriguez
ton restaurant where he worked. is serving two years of court
Police arrested a Hermiston Rodriguez cooperated with po- probation after pleading guilty
in August to second-de-
man for the Dec. 6 robbery of lice and went without in-
gree theft from Wal-Mart.
&HQWHU0DUNHWLQ6WDQ¿HOG$O- cident, Edmiston said.
Rodriguez was the
Umatilla County Cir-
fredo Lopez Rodriguez, 22, is in
only suspect in a robbery
the Umatilla County Jail, Pend- cuit Court records show
that happened Dec. 6 at
OHWRQ RQ FKDUJHV RI ¿UVWGH- Rodriguez pleaded not
2 a.m. at Center Market,
gree robbery, unlawful use of a guilty to charges Dec. 16,
6WDQ¿HOG 0DUNHW RZQHUV
weapon, coercion and failure to and Circuit Judge Dan
Gurbal Singh and Jas-
Hill set his bail at $75,000.
appear.
winder Kaur reported a
6WDQ¿HOGFLW\PDQDJHU Alfredo
Hermiston police Chief Ja-
VRQ (GPLVWRQ VDLG 6WDQ¿HOG¶V Blair Larsen previous- Rodriguez man came in, pointed a
gun at Kaur and demand-
ORQH RQGXW\ RI¿FHU SOXV SR- ly said the suspect was
lice from Hermiston and the “clearly visible” on surveillance ed she take all of the money out
local drug enforcement team, footage and police knew who he of the cash register and put it in
caught up to the suspect Dec. was. Umatilla County Circuit a bag. According to Kaur’s ac-
By PHIL WRIGHT
Staff Writer
count he hit her on the arm, then
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Edmiston said Hermiston
stepped up patrols through
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robbery. The small city near
Hermiston is down to just one
RI¿FHUZKLOHWKHSROLFHGHSDUW-
ment’s chief and lieutenant are
on paid leave and under inves-
tigation.
Edmiston also said he knew
the robbery was a traumatic ex-
perience for the victims and his
department would assist anoth-
er any time it could to help re-
solve crimes.
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This time out the tax rate is
Staff Writer
$1.75 per $1,000 of assessed
Voters in Hermiston and value, lower than the previous
6WDQ¿HOG ZLOO YRWH DJDLQ RQ proposal. Scott Stanton, chief
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¿UH GLVWULFWV WROG FRPPLVVLRQ-
districts.
6WDQ¿HOG YRWHUV LQ 1RYHP- ers that public safety on the
ber 2014 approved the plan for west side of Umatilla County is
a new district, but Hermiston at risk in the current formation.
“We don’t have enough peo-
voters did not.
Umatilla County Board of ple,” he said. “We don’t have
Commissioners last Wednesday enough funding to replace our
voted 3-0 to start the formation FDSLWDO QHHGV VXFK DV ¿UH HQ-
of Umatilla County Fire District gines, cardiac monitors and am-
No. 1 to replace the Hermiston bulances.”
Hermiston provides ambu-
DQG6WDQ¿HOGGLVWULFWV7KHSUR-
cess includes a public hearing lance service to four cities and
on the new district Jan. 20 at operates the regional hazardous
9 a.m. at the Umatilla County materials team for six counties.
The district will not run out of
Courthouse, Pendleton.
By PHIL WRIGHT
money, Stanton said, but cuts to
services could come as soon as
2017.
Stanton also told commis-
sioners the new permanent tax
rate would mean the larger dis-
trict would not have to go out
for bonds for capital or equip-
ment improvements.
Just like in 2014, voters
would need to pass measures to
dissolve both districts and then
approve a measure to form and
fund the new district. Residents
of the Hermiston Fire District
currently pay a tax rate of $1.20
per $1,000. Stanton explained
in an email that residents in the
city limits would not see any
tax increase, because of com-
pression. The city of Hermis-
ton, though, would lose money
ZKLOHWKH¿UHGLVWULFWZRXOGUH-
ceive about $900,000 in addi-
tional funds.
Citizens outside both cities
would see an increase of 55
cents, which amounts to $55 per
$100,000 in assessed value or
approximately $4.58 per month.
&LWL]HQV LQ 6WDQ¿HOG SD\
$2.06 per $1,000, so they would
see a small decrease.
“When all is said and done,”
Stanton said, “All citizens will
pay $1.75 per $1,000 towards
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VWLOOEHWKHFKHDSHVWUDWHIRU¿UH
departments our size through-
out the state.”
IN BRIEF
Tax program needs volunteers
With tax season right around the
corner, volunteers are needed for the
AARP Tax-aide program.
People will assist in providing free
tax preparation in Umatilla and Mor-
row counties. All necessary training
and equipment will be provided to
volunteers. Not all positions require
computer or tax knowledge.
The training is planned in January
and assistance is provided February
through April 14.
For more information or to regis-
ter for training materials, call Vivian
at 541-567-8054 or Joan at 541-567-
8034.
Morrow County Fair seeks
board members
The Morrow County Fair has two
vacant openings.
The board meets once a month, ro-
tating the meetings between Heppner
and Boardman.
For more information, call Ann
Jones at 541-676-9474.
Hospice offers grief materials
A library featuring grief-related
materials for adults, children, medical
professionals and pastors is available
at Vange John Memorial Hospice.
People can check-out books and
other publications for up to one month.
7KH KRVSLFH RI¿FH LV RSHQ 0RQGD\
though Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at
645 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston.
For more information, call 541-
667-3543.
EOTEC board seeks $2 million in community donations
$250,000 or more.
The $2 million the com-
The fundraising commit- mittee is seeking is in ad-
tee for the Eastern Oregon dition to $11.8 million the
Trade and Event Center board already had in its
needs to raise $2 million coffers, $600,000 recent-
in private donations in the ly pledged by the city of
QH[W IRXU PRQWKV WR ¿QLVK Hermiston, $600,000 from
the $16 million project on Umatilla County, $450,000
from the fair’s “mov-
schedule.
That goal — and a plan ing fund” and $1 million
for reaching it by April pledged by hoteliers via an
1 — was approved by the increase to the bed tax.
In order to allow donors
EOTEC board at the end of
a public meeting Dec. 16. to spread out their dona-
tions across as
Falling short
PDQ\ DV ¿YH
of the goal will
years
while
mean cutting
More inside
still allowing
planned
fea-
the
EOTEC
tures from the
See more on EOTEC on
board to meet
EOTEC proj-
Page A6, including a guest
commentary from Hermiston
its planned July
ect.
mayor and EOTEC fundraising
2017 comple-
“I’ll
just
committee member David
tion date, the
be frank with
Drotzmann.
committee had
you, we need
planned to take
your resourc-
out a loan equal
es,” Hermiston
Mayor David Drotzmann to the amount of promised
told community members contributions, using the
EOTEC property as collat-
in attendance.
Drotzmann sits on the eral. The loan would have
fundraising committee with been paid back using the
Hermiston Energy Services promised donations as they
director Nate Rivera, ac- came in.
But that plan hit a snag
countant Dennis Barnett
and Threemile Canyon last week during the Uma-
Farms manager Greg Har- tilla County Commission-
ers meeting. The inter-
ris.
If the committee rais- governmental agreement
es $625,000, the third of forming EOTEC requires
three planned livestock the board to get permission
barns will be built. If an- from the county and the
other $600,000 is brought city of Hermiston before
in, it will pay for 2,000 per- HQWHULQJ LQWR DQ\ ¿QDQFH
manent seats in the rodeo agreements. The city ap-
arena. The next $700,000 proved the plan Dec. 14,
brought in will build per- but on Dec. 16 county attor-
manent pens, panels and ney Doug Olsen informed
VWDOOV 7KH ¿QDO the commissioners that Or-
will go to extending water egon’s constitution makes
and electricity to the “ex- it illegal for a county to use
tended stay” area where ex-
hibitors can park RVs.
Drotzmann said if the
money isn’t raised, the
Umatilla County Fair and
Farm-City Pro Rodeo will
have to rent temporary
pens, seats and other items
each year.
“What it does is it hurts
operation and maintenance
costs,” he said.
He said the committee
is happy to take any dona-
tion, no matter how small.
Drotzmann even said there
are volunteer opportunities
available, such as laying
out sod or unloading chairs,
for those who want to help
but cannot give monetarily.
For those planning larger
donations, the committee
unveiled a sponsorship
plan.
The plan includes eight
levels of fundraising, start-
ing with recognition in
the 2017 fair and rodeo
programs for a $100 do-
nation and ending with a
custom-engraved bronze
plaque on a sponsor recog-
nition wall for a donation of
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
land as collateral for a loan
of that size.
“EOTEC only has the
authority that both the
county and the city have,”
he said in response to a
comment by EOTEC board
chair Ed Brookshier that
the land was in EOTEC’s
name and not the county’s.
“So if the county does not
have the authority, then
EOTEC doesn’t have the
authority.”
After the meeting Olsen
said the county could sign
off on using something
other than land as collater-
al, and that more research
would be done to look at
other options.
After the EOTEC meet-
ing in Hermiston, Rivera
said Olsen’s news was a
surprise, but the commit-
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FRXOG¿QGDZD\WR¿QDQFH
donors’ long-term contri-
butions.
During last week’s eve-
ning meeting, board mem-
bers also took questions
from the audience.
In response to a ques-
tion about what would hap-
pen to a program that had
allowed people to purchase
engraved bricks to support
the project, Dan Dorran
said the bricks that had
already been purchased
would be displayed, but
the program was being
pushed to the back burner
to focus on the new fund-
raising effort.
In answer to a question
about the opportunity for
concerts, Dorran said EO-
TEC could host them in
several spots. The Umatil-
la County Fair’s outdoor
stage would be moved over
to the new fairgrounds,
the indoor event center
would feature a stage and
room for 800 seats, the ro-
deo arena could seat up to
10,000 people if enough
bleachers were brought
in and the acres of green
space that will be used
for parking during the fair
could accommodate out-
door concerts as well.
In answer to a question
about irrigation, Brookshi-
er said EOTEC currently
has one well completed
DQG KDV LGHQWL¿HG WKH OR-
cation of a second well.
Those two wells won’t be
enough to support the en-
tire project, he said, but the
board is in talks with the
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irrigation districts about
the possibility of leasing
additional water rights.
Questions offered up
by the community on
Wednesday night will be
added to an already-com-
piled list of Frequently
Asked Questions found on
www.eotechermiston.com.
Rivera said as community
members continue to sub-
mit questions during the
fundraising process they
will be added to the web-
site, which also includes
the full list of sponsorship
information and a PayPal
link where people can do-
nate directly.
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