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.
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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
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Dr. Solar Magic Show Dr. Solar Magic Show
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Ice Cream Social
Talent Show
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Featuring:
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Showmanship
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OTPR/NPRA Rodeo
After Rodeo Band:
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Parade
FFA Awards
Buyers Luncheon
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