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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2016)
Hermiston TRACK Herald ld HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016 Bulldogs place strong fi nishers in Eugene $1.00 SPORTS Page 9 ABOUT TOWN N IO T A T S B U S W E N S D N E M M O C E R S E IC V R E S Y G R E EN STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Electrical equipment at a substation near the Umatilla Electric Cooperative offi ce on West Elm Avenue helps supply power to Umatilla Electric and Hermiston Energy Service. HES wants to build a a new substation in the city to improve the reliability of electrical service and reduce downtime when power outages occur. NEW FACILITY COULD IMPROVE POWER RELIABILITY IN THE CITY By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer H ermiston Energy Services is recommending a rate increase and bond refi nance to pay for projects that should decrease the number of power outages in Hermiston. HES superintendent Nate Rivera told the city council Monday night that the city’s electric utility was in need of sev- eral upgrades, including a new substa- tion and smart meters. After two power outages so far this month, city councilors were inclined to agree. “I think people are willing to pay for less outages,” John Kirwan said. The fi rst major project would be a new substation called Hermiston East, which would cover territory east of Highway 395 that is currently covered by the Butte and Feedville substations. The project would include a new trans- former and new feeders, taking the load off of some of Hermiston’s other feeders that are at more than 90 percent capacity during peak load times. Rivera said the new substation would reduce outages and would also free up capacity for people to be switched from one substation to another while crews were working to restore power. “This would minimize the size of the outage and get people back up faster,” he said. The project would cost an estimated $985,000 and be completed during the 2016-2017 fi scal year. Rivera also rec- ommended other maintenance projects, including pole replacements, a switch to LED street lights, sectionalizing the sys- tem to reduce the spread of outages and a more proactive tree trimming program. “Typically the outages we see are wind and tree related, so the more ag- gressive we can be about that, the bet- ter,” Rivera said. He also recommended the adoption See POWER, A14 STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST An analog electrical meter measures power use on a local business for Hermiston Energy Services. HES wants to add new smart meters that will show when power outages occur and can also show utility customers when their peak power usage times occur. Survey indicates 63 percent support for school bond A survey by Hermis- ton School District indi- cates a majority of res- idents are in support of the district going out for a $104 million bond next year. The survey showed 63 percent of respondents rated the bond idea favor- ably after being told that it would include substan- tial security upgrades and reduce overcrowding in schools. More than half of them voted in at least three of the four past elections. The results also showed that most com- munity members agreed that the most urgent pri- orities for the district were replacement of Rocky Heights and High- land Hills elementary schools, construction of an additional elementary school and expansion of Hermiston High School. When asked to choose between a $104 million package or an $84 mil- lion one that would not replace Highland Hills, 37 percent preferred the $104 million bond while 26 percent preferred the $84 million. The rest pre- ferred no bond or another option. Dr. Fred Maiocco, su- perintendent, said in a statement that the district would continue to share more about the district’s challenges with growing enrollment throughout the summer and fall. “This initial survey re- sult is very favorable and indicates the community recognizes the challeng- es that come with student enrollment growth,” he said. Hermiston’s second student-built home up for sale STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Electrical equipment is stored on the Umatilla Electric Cooperative yard on West Elm Avenue in Hermiston. Electrical lines lead into and out of the substation on Elm Avenue near the intersection with Northwest 7th Street in Hermiston. Hermiston Energy Services wants to add a new substation in the city. Smoke causes motorcycle crashes on I-82 By JADE McDOWELL and PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITERS STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL Motorcycle debris lie scattered across the road in the aftermath of a crash on Interstate 82 Monday morning. A large, fast-moving brush fi re swept across the Umatilla Chemical Depot west of Hermiston Monday morning, burning two buildings and causing a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 82 that injured four people and closed the freeway. Fire departments from around the region responded and worked into the afternoon to knock down the fi re, which burned over the top of the hundreds of cement igloos that once held munitions. Two buildings also were destroyed in the blaze. Smoke from the fi re limited visibil- ity, causing a crash involving four mo- torcycles, a Mini Cooper, an SUV and See FIRE, A14 Hermiston’s second student-built home is up for sale. The home was built by Hermiston, Umatilla and Stanfi eld high school stu- dents — mentored by lo- cal industry professionals — as part of the Colum- bia Basin Student Home- builders Program. It is being shown by Natallee Turner of Uni- versal Realty. Appoint- ments for viewing can be scheduled by contact- ing Turner at 541-922- 8861. The 2,295-square- foot house is known as Fieldstone #2 and is lo- cated on the West Angus Court cul-de-sac behind Armand Larive Middle School. It includes three bedrooms and two bath- rooms, plus an offi ce/den that could be converted into a fourth bedroom. It exceeds Energy Trust of Oregon standards for energy effi ciency. For a full list of the house’s amenities, visit hermiston.k12.or.us. Members of the public who are curious about the home but not necessarily interested in purchasing it are invited to an open house June 3 from 1-6 p.m. where the student builders will be available for questions.