WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Hermiston senior center to move downtown 7UDLOHU¿UH
Hermiston’s new senior
center will be located down-
town after the city coun-
cil voted Monday night to
change its preferred location.
The council had original-
ly voted to locate the planned
$2 million Harkenrider Cen-
ter on Northeast Fourth
Street behind Wal-Mart.
But when the owners of the
property declined a $200,000
offer for the land. City staff
asked the council to approve
Plan B to build the center
behind the Hermiston Public
Library.
The site would span the
parking lot behind the library,
the current stretch of Ridge-
way Avenue that loops around
behind the library, as well as
a one-acre parcel of Hermis-
ton School District property
where Armand Larive Middle
School once stood.
Perry Hawkins, a senior
center volunteer who serves
on the advisory board for the
project, took the city to task
during the public testimony
portion of Monday’s meet-
ing.
Hawkins accused the city
of taking over the project and
forcing the seniors to accept
the building layout, loca-
tion and Harkenrider name.
He said the Ridgeway site
wouldn’t allow for expan-
sion and that the process had
been hijacked by downtown
businesses. He also accused
Mayor David Drotzmann of
ignoring input from the se-
niors during a meeting about
the move.
Drotzmann denied the ac-
cusation, saying the message
he received from the seniors
was that the Harkenrider
name was acceptable. The
move, he said, was neces-
sary because the land the
senior center is on was sold
to the school district as part
of a deal to build a new fair
and rodeo grounds. When a
private fundraising effort by
the seniors to build a new
center came up short, the city
stepped in to help obtain the
money needed for a new fa-
cility
After his turn at the mi-
crophone, Hawkins took his
seat in the back row of the
council chambers, but as
public testimony continued
he repeated to those around
him that Drotzmann was a
liar. The mayor insisted that
Hawkins stop calling him
that, and Hawkins insisted
it was true. Drotzmann tried
to bring the meeting back to
order but Hawkins continued
his rant and Drotzmann told
him to quiet down or leave.
Hawkins said he was
done listening to the “bom-
bastic” talk from Drotzmann
and stood up, continuing to
exchange words with the
mayor as he left the building.
,W ZDVQ¶W WKH ¿UVW WLPH
residents involved with the
senior center have expressed
concerns with the city’s in-
volvement in the project or
its plans for future use.
The $2 million Commu-
nity Development Block
Grant the city obtained on
behalf of the senior center
board requires the building
be used solely for activities
IRUVHQLRUFLWL]HQVIRUWKH¿UVW
¿YH\HDUV%XWDIWHUWKDWWKH
city plans to use parts of the
building for classes and other
events.
In February during a
public forum at the senior
center, attendees expressed
concerns that seniors’ needs
were being pushed aside in
favor of the city’s vision for a
multi-use community center.
On Monday Virginia Bee-
be reiterated some of those
points, stating that seniors ar-
en’t interested in a multi-pur-
pose building but just need
a comfortable place to so-
cialize and share a meal. She
GLGQ¶WOLVWDQ\VSHFL¿FLVVXHV
with the Ridgeway site.
Willard Fordice, a mem-
ber of the senior center
who drives the bus for oth-
er members, did take issue
with the Ridgeway site, say-
ing there was no room for
expansion and that parking
DQGDFFHVVZRXOGEHGLI¿FXOW
downtown.
Those concerns are what
led the advisory board and
council to originally choose
the Aspen site on Fourth
Street, where the 3.23 acres
would have allowed for
more expansion and parking
than the two acres behind
the library. The third choice
would be to renovate the for-
mer Goodwill building on
Hermiston Avenue.
Two members of the se-
nior center advisory com-
mittee with ties to downtown
spoke in favor of the new
site on Ridgeway Avenue.
Mary Corp, who owns Kay
& Cs Art and Collectibles on
Main Street, and Sally An-
derson-Hansell, a Hermiston
lawyer, agreed that it was the
best available option now
that the Aspen site had fallen
through.
They had previously ad-
vocated for the Ridgeway
site when the council made
its initial decision in April,
arguing that placing the
building downtown, visible
from Highway 395, would
help revitalize Main Street.
At that time they presented
the council with a petition
from downtown business
owners but failed to con-
vince a majority of the coun-
cil to name the Ridgeway
VLWHDVWKHLU¿UVWFKRLFH
On Monday the council
voted 5-0 in favor of pursu-
ing the Ridgeway site, with
Jackie Myers, Lori Davis and
Clara Beas Fitzgerald absent.
2015:
asphalt of Northeast Second
Street near City Hall and
“planting” a tree in the mid-
dle of the street. The novelty
of the city’s temporary tree
stand amused readers and
drew nearly 9,000 people to
the story online.
4). A police pursuit that be-
gan in Morrow County ended
on the outskirts of Hermiston,
but not before the driver, who
was wanted on outstanding
warrants, posted a video to
Facebook that she shot while
deputies were trying to get
her to pull over and stop. The
edited version of the video
(to remove the profanity)
was viewed more than 4,300
times and the story was read
on
HermistonHerald.com
more than 8,600 times.
5). One of the tragic stories
of the sweltering-hot early
summer was about 2015 Riv-
erside High School graduate
Gavin Roberts, who was the
second drowning victim of
the summer on the Columbia
River in Morrow County. The
initial story had more than
6,220 views.
6). A Hermiston High
School student’s senior pic-
tures propelled him to In-
ternet fame after he posted
them to the social media
sharing site Twitter with a
simple note: “So I took my
senior pictures at 7-Eleven”.
To date, that post has been
reposted more than 38,000
times and liked more than
63,600 times. Not bad for a
guy who goes to school in
a town with 17,000 people.
His story got featured on
various websites, including
the Hermiston Herald’s, of
course. Our story was not
quite as popular as Stefano
Peiris’ photos though. It was
read about 4,500 times.
7). A homicide that still re-
mains unsolved from March
comes in at No. 7. Alonso
Madrigal, 23, of Umatilla was
shot and killed near the 11th
Street Market, not far from
Good Shepherd Medical
Center in Hermiston. It was
WKH¿UVWKRPLFLGHLQ+HUPLV-
ton since January of 2012, but
the third shooting in the area
of the year. In January anoth-
er young man from Umatilla
ZDVVKRWGXULQJD¿JKWDWWKH
Foxwood Apartments, also
on 11th Street. In February
another young man in his ear-
ly 20s was shot in Umatilla.
The story about the March
shooting received more than
4,200 views.
8). The follow up to a
crime just this month, this one
the arrest of a suspect in the
continued from Page A1
viewed most often online. So,
here are the stories that were
the most read on our website
in 2015.
1 and 2). The top 2 most
read stories this year were
both related to a Hermiston
School District teacher and
coach who was placed on
administrative leave while he
was being investigated by the
Teachers Standards and Prac-
tices Board. Jake McElligott,
a middle school teacher, lost
his job as coach of the Herm-
iston boys basketball team
in August. The most-read
story of the year on Hermis-
tonHerald.com was the story
announcing that he was on
leave and would no longer
be the basketball coach. The
second-most read followed
a couple of days later, with
background from a police
report the Morrow Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Department did
when McElligott was teach-
ing and coaching in Irrigon,
which appear to have been
the trigger for the state inves-
tigation. Both stories have
been viewed about 9,000
times each online.
3). On a lighter note, the
next story on our list was
about the city of Hermiston’s
holiday festivities, which in-
cluded cutting a hole in the
displaces couple
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
$ ¿UH DW WKH 6WDJH
Gulch RV Park in Stan-
¿HOG GHVWUR\HG RQH 59
and damaged two others
Monday evening.
Dean Marcum of the
6WDQ¿HOG )LUH 'LVWULFW
said personnel on duty
received a report of an ex-
plosion at the park at 8:10
p.m. and arrived shortly
WKHUHDIWHU WR ¿QG D IXOO\
engulfed RV.
The trailers on either
VLGH VXVWDLQHG VLJQL¿FDQW
damage, he said, but were
probably still “livable.”
Marcum said the man
and woman who lived in
the fully engulfed trailer es-
caped, but the woman had
second degree burns on her
arm that were treated on
scene. The occupants from
all three trailers were put
up in a hotel for the night
and Marcum said they were
put in touch with the Red
Cross. Marcum didn’t iden-
tify any of the residents.
7KH FDXVH RI WKH ¿UH
is under investigation by
+HUPLVWRQ6WDQ¿HOG ¿UH
marshal Tom Bohm, but
Marcum said the suspect-
ed cause was a gas leak.
Darlene
Mosque-
armed robbery of the Center
0DUNHW LQ 6WDQ¿HOG KDV DO-
ready been read more than
3,900 times, to earn the eighth
spot on our list.
9). In April, the death of a
¿UVWJUDGHWHDFKHUDW0F1DU\
Heights Elementary School
in a car crash shook the com-
munities of Umatilla, where
she worked, and Hermiston,
where she lived. Elisabet
Flores died in a weekend car
crash when her car ran off
the Westland Road and hit a
chain-link fence. The top rail
of the fence struck Flores,
who later died at Good Shep-
herd Medical Center. Her
husband and 13-year-old
da, who lives across the
street, said she was home
Monday night when she
heard a loud explosion
and looked out to see her
neighbor standing in the
doorway of her burning
RV before turning back
inside, presumably to get
her husband.
“I
called
9-1-1,”
Mosqueda said. “I kept
telling them that they were
still in the house. I couldn’t
see either one of them.”
After they exited the
RV, Mosqueda told them
the dispatcher said to
move everyone away.
She said she was afraid
WKH¿UHZRXOGVSUHDGEH-
cause it was bringing up
memories of two years
ago when her own fami-
ly’s trailer burned down at
Vista Court in Hermiston
a week before Christmas.
“I was yelling at every-
one to move their cars be-
cause I was afraid the gas
WDQNV ZRXOG FDWFK RQ ¿UH
and the whole trailer park
would go up,” she said.
Mosqueda said she
didn’t know the couple’s
name, or of any efforts be-
ing made to set up an ac-
count or donation drop-off
for the couple.
son were also in the car, but
weren’t injured in the crash.
The story was read 3,627
times.
10). In July, the ear-
ly morning execution of a
search warrant on East Hurl-
burt Avenue in Hermiston
by the Oregon State Police
SWAT team drew a lot of at-
tention and questions in the
neighborhood, but didn’t net
the felon police were looking
for in the drug raid. Howev-
er, Jose Edgar Salvador Cer-
vantes was contacted during
D WUDI¿F VWRS VHYHUDO KRXUV
later and arrested. The story
was viewed more than 3,470
times.
Providing the Most Advanced Digital
Hearing Technology
A family run business for over 50
Years
541-276-3155
1-800-678-3155
29 SW Dorion
Pendleton
236 E Newport
Hermiston
www.ruhearing.com
%
0 on 9 Models
APR for
60 Mos.
2015 RAV4
R
'16 Corolla, '16 Camry Gas,
'16 Camry Hybrid, '15 Prius Liftback,
'15 Prius C, '15 Avalon Gas,
'15 Avalon Hybrid, '15 Sienna,
'15 RAV4
Keep a level head in an
up-and-down market.
Amid recent market volatility, we’ve seen some
upswings and downturns. But when the market
reacts one way, it doesn’t mean you should, too.
The actions you take today can significantly impact
your financial future. So before you alter your
investment strategy, schedule a financial review.
We can help you stay focused despite the market’s
recent disappointments and find opportunities for
the long term.
2015 SIENNA
OR
2015 COROLLA
2016 TUNDRA
Up to
U
$3000
Cash Back
Call today to schedule your financial review.
OR
Special Leases!
Bob Blanc
Mac H Levy
Ben Buchert
304 S Main St
Pendleton, OR
97801
541-276-6257
244 SW Dorion Ave.
Pendleton, OR
97801
541-278-1600
348 SW First St.
Pendleton, OR
97801
541-278-1200
Pam Stocker
Kacie Levy, CFP®
Casey Hunt
ToyotaOfHermiston.com
245 E Main Suite B
Hermiston, OR
97838
541-564-9734
204 E Main St.
Hermiston, OR
97838
541-567-0390
304 S Main St
Pendleton, OR
97801
541-276-6257
(541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308
ETY-4822B-A
Every new Toyota comes with
www.edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
Mon-Fri 8:30a-6:30p • Sat 9:00a-6:00p • Sun 10:30a - 5:30p
0% APR for 60 months available to eligible customers who finance a new, unused, or unlicensed 2016 Corolla, 2016 Camry, 2016 Camry
Hybrid, 2015 Prius Liftback, 2015 Prius C, 2015 Avalon Gas, 2015 Avalon Hybrid, 2015 Sienna and 2015 RAV4 from Toyota Motor Sales,
USA, Inc. (TMS) and Toyota Financial Services (TFS) 12/1/15 - 1/4/16. Offer may or may not include a dealer documentation fee. Vehicle
ID numbers available upon request. Specific vehicles are subject to availability. You must take retail delivery from dealer stock. Special
APR may not be combined with any other Customer Cash Rebates, Bonus Cash Rebates, or Lease Offers. Finance programs available
on credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify for financing from Toyota Financial Services through participating dealers. Monthly payment
for every $1,000 financed is 0% - 60 months = $16.67. See your Toyota dealer for actual pricing, annual percentage rate (APR), monthly
payment, and other terms and special offers. Pricing and terms of any finance or lease transaction will be agreed upon by you and your
dealer. Special offers are subject to change or termination at any time. Up to $3,000 Customer Cash Back available on a New 2015
Avalon 12/1/15 - 1/4/16. Cannot be combined and is subject to availability. Offer may or may not include a dealer documentation fee.
Cash back from Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. Varies by region. Does not include College Grad or Military Rebate. ToyotaCare covers
normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25K miles, whichever comes first. The new vehicle cannot be part of a rental or
commercial fleet, or a livery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyota dealer for plan details. Valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska.
Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids, except emergency fuel delivery.