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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016 LOCAL NEWS HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Lead found in water at four schools Faucets replaced, re-tests scheduled; new board member appointed By ALEXA LOUGEE Staff Writer Extensive water test- ing in Hermiston’s schools found 19 faucets with el- evated levels of lead, but none that were considered primary drinking sources. The Hermiston School District tested 853 sources of water throughout the dis- trict and found instances of lead in four schools: • Hermiston High School, the largest school in the dis- trict, had 13 sources of ele- vated lead, all of them sinks in science classrooms that are now used for math in- struction. • Highland Hills Elemen- tary had three sources, in- cluding two classroom sinks and a kitchen spray nozzle. • Sandstone Middle School had two kitchen dish-washing sinks with el- evated lead. • Armand Larive Middle School, one of the newest buildings in the district, had one hand-washing station in the kitchen where elevat- ed lead was found. All other schools, in- cluding the district’s oldest building — Rocky Heights Elementary School — came back with no elevated lead samples. The district has already taken measures to remedy elevated lead sources. Ac- cording to Mike Kay, the district’s executive director of operations, the irst step is to replace faucets and spray nozzles, which the district has already done. The sources are also tagged with large signs that direct people not to use them. Each elevated source has been retested and results are pending. The results will determine the next steps. If a new ixture still relects high levels of lead, the dis- trict will begin the process of replacing pipes. The district began test- ing July 5, after the Oregon Health Authority recom- mended all public schools and day care centers test their water for lead using accredited drinking water testing labs. The recom- mendations came after el- evated lead was found in drinking water throughout Portland public schools. Most recently, the Medford School District reported high lead levels at three el- ementary schools. The recommendation from OHA asked districts to test all water sites that could reasonably be used for drink- ing water. Hermiston School District facilities crew took that instruction a step fur- ther, including testing janitor closet mop faucets because coaches have been known to ill water coolers from there. They also tested outside hose faucets and bathroom sinks. Kay said they tested these secondary sites because “it was the right thing to do.” The district sent samples to Analytical Laboratory Group and Anatek Labora- tory Group, both accredited water testings companies. Kay estimates the dis- trict will have spent at least $13,000 on lead testing, but is optimistic the district will receive reimbursement from the state. Hermiston School Dis- trict gets its water from the city of Hermiston’s munic- ipal water system, which, according to public records, receives regular testing and Good Shepherd starts $11 million expansion By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Good Shepherd Health Care System broke ground Tuesday in Hermiston on an $11 million expansion proj- ect that will bring an estimat- ed 35 new jobs to the com- munity when it is inished. The expansion of the north wing of the campus will extend the Women’s Center from about 4,500 square feet to 11,000 square feet. It will also add a slate of new exam rooms, pro- vider ofices and room to grow. In addition to the new building space, the plaza will also see a redesign of its main boulevard through the campus, additional parking and move the hos- pital’s community gardens to a space that is three times as large as the one at the Hermiston Butte. “This project is going to add a lot of lexibility and room for future growth,” Good Shepherd President and CEO Dennis Burke told the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. Burke said construction costs were expected to be more than $9.5 million, with the purchase of new medical equipment bring- ing the total cost up to about $11 million. He said it was exciting to see another ex- pansion project go forward as Good Shepherd Health Care System continues to grow with the community. “It just doesn’t seem that many years ago that this was all sagebrush,” he said. The construction proj- ect is expected to last 14 months, with an opening in the fall of 2017. It will include 180 tons of steel, 1,300 cubic yards of con- crete, 72,000 bricks, 4,100 tons of asphalt and 35,000 worker hours to complete. Thane Eddington of PKA Architects said his company worked with Dr. Gary Trupp to de- sign rooms that were pa- tient-friendly. “There is more room for family members to be pres- ent and more room for pro- cedures,” he said. Nick Gonzales, senior project manager for Bouten Construction out of Spo- kane, said his company was honored to work on a proj- ect that would have such a positive impact on the com- munity through improved patient care. “This is what gets us out of bed: projects that mat- ter,” he said. After the groundbreak- ing ceremony, GSHCS spokesman Nick Bejarano said the redesigned boule- vard through the campus should help improve pedes- trian safety. The project is expected to wrap up about the same time as a sepa- rate Oregon Department of Transportation project to add trafic signals and more turn lanes to the nearby in- tersection of 11th Street and Elm Avenue, which should further improve trafic low in and out of the medical plaza. The project will also include a new parking lot with diagonal spaces and electric car charging sta- tions to alleviate crowding in the current lots. Flowers • Candles • Jewelry • Plants • Balloons & More! Put a smile on the heart with the power of flowers. HWY 395, HERMISTON 541-567-4305 Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am www.cottagefl owersonline.com PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY THE HERMISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT A sink that tested positive for elevated lead levels has been shut off and tagged. continually meets state and federal lead thresholds. Kay gave a presentation on the water results to the Hermiston Board of Educa- tion Monday night. Board chair Karen Sherman re- sponded favorably to the district’s efforts. “Thank you, Mike, to you and your staff, for going the extra mile in making sure that our kids are safe and our staff,” she said. “I appreciate all the hard work, I think the thick document shows a lot of time and energy that went into it. That’s the right way to do it, and we appreciate all your efforts.” The thick document she referred to was a three ring binder holding all the testing documentation for the dis- trict. On Friday, Kay received notice that the Oregon Health Authority would be requir- ing all school districts to test all water sources for lead. “I’m very pleased with our staff and being proactive to get ahead of this,” Kay said. OHA also will require that after the initial testing this year, districts must test a small portion of sites at every building each year. If one of those small samples comes back elevated, all sites at that building will have to under- go testing. The school district’s wa- ter was last believed to have been tested in 2002. Also at Monday night’s board meeting, members voted unanimously to appoint Bonnie Luisi to ill the board seat vacat- ed by Maria Duron, who left for a paid position with the district ofice. Luisi worked as a classi- ied employee for Herm- iston School District for 22 years before retiring and has served on vari- ous committees through- out the district. Her term will end June 30, 2017, at which point she may run for election to the board. “Country Scenes & Children’s Dreams” August 17-21, 2016 FAIR: www.morrowcountyoregon.com/fair Wednesday, Aug. 17 th Dr. Solar Magic Show Kid Fun Zone The Junebugs RODEO: www.morrowcountyoregon.com/fair/rodeo Thursday, Aug. 18 th Friday, Aug. 19 th Dr. Solar Magic Show Dr. Solar Magic Show Kid Fun Zone Old Time Fiddlers Ice Cream Social Talent Show FFA Floral Design Murray's Wine Tasting Featuring: Joe Lindsay Nate Bosford 4-H Food Contest 4-H/FFA Small Animal Showmanship Watermelon Contest Pet Show for the Public 4-H Fashion Show RDO Tractor Pull OTPR NPRA SLACK THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS! Kid Fun Zone OMSI 4-H/FFA Showmanship Master Showmanship OTPR/NPRA Rodeo After Rodeo Band: Jessie Leigh Saturday, Aug. 20 th Dr. Solar Magic Show Kid Fun Zone Parade FFA Awards Buyers Luncheon Livestock Auction OTPR/NPRA Rodeo After Rodeo Band: Jessie Leigh Sunday, Aug. 21 st All Exhibits Released Morrow County Rodeo www.facebook.com/oregontrailprorodeo www.facebook.com/morrowcountyfairheppneroregon