Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 Irrigon man dies in Boardman shooting Hermiston Herald One man died Sun- day night in a shooting in Boardman. Morrow Coun- ty District Attorney Justin Nelson said in a written statement that the Morrow and Umatilla counties ma- jor crime team is seeking “a juvenile person of interest in the case.” Police responded around 9 p.m. to Wilson Road Mo- bile Home Park, 600 Wil- son Road, Boardman, to a report of a male with gun- shot wound. Oficers found Evencio Salas Birrueta, 28, of Irrigon, was the victim, and immediately began lifesaving measures. The efforts were unsuccessful, according to Nelson, and Birrueta died at the scene. Nelson also reported the major crime team is us- ing witness interviews and crime scene analysis to ind a juvenile person of inter- est. According to the state- ment, “Law enforcement currently does not believe there is a danger to the pub- lic.” “No other additional (in- formation) will be released at this time,” according to Nelson’s statement. “Fur- ther information will be re- leased once it is determined not to adversely affect the investigation.” Nelson also urged any- one with information con- cerning this case to con- tact the Boardman Police Department at 541-481- 6071. Transportation priorities have $14 million price tag By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer A League of Oregon Cities survey has found more than $3.7 billion in transportation needs in cities across the state, including more than $14 million in Hermiston projects. The report, released in August, compiled survey responses from 120 cities listing their top five prior- ities for highway projects and top five non-highway transportation priorities. It also examined those cit- ies’ maintenance budgets and found that responding cities were $217 million short of the federal per- mile recommendation for highway spending. As a region, Eastern Oregon cities had the least maintenance money in their budget, averaging $2,694 per lane mile — more than $18,000 below the level recommended by the Federal Highway Administration. Hermis- ton was above the East- ern Oregon average at $6,798 per lane mile in 2014-2015. The city is re- sponsible for maintaining 73 miles of road, or 178 “lane miles” when adding up each lane separately. As for major projects, among Hermiston’s top non-highway priorities is widening 10th Street be- tween Elm Avenue and Punkin Center. City staff described the upgrade as one of its biggest safety concerns in light of a planned Herm- iston School District bond that, if passed, would re- sult in a new elementa- ry school along Theater Lane and 10th Street in 2018. “Theater Lane will be the main access point for the school, and will require the School Dis- trict to construct approxi- mately a half-mile of new street,” according to the survey response. “How- ever, in real life, many parents and students will be forced to come to the school northbound along 10th street.” Combined with new housing developments east of town, Sandstone Middle School students walking along 10th Street to school and major con- gestion at Elm and 395, the proposed elementary school makes widening 10th Street an urgent pri- ority for the city, at a cost of $5.82 million. “There is simply no way that the city of Hermiston can currently pay for a project of that scale,” the report said. In light of the expected traffic increase on The- ater Lane connected to the proposed school, the city also listed adding turn pockets to the inter- section of Theater Lane and Highway 395 as one of its top highway prior- ities. The rest of its top ive highway priorities are a signal at Highway 207 and Elm Avenue (already in the works in partnership with ODOT), a signal at High- way 207 and Orchard Ave- nue, more lanes at the inter- section of Elm and Highway 395 and a trafic signal at the intersection of Highway 395 and Kelli Boulevard near HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Airport Road. The city’s other top non-highway priorities are the re-alignment of Harp- er Road and Geer Road near Agape House, wid- ening North First Place, redesigning the intersec- tion of First Place and Highland Avenue near the high school and installing a roundabout at the inter- section of Main Street, Seventh Street and Diago- nal Road downtown. Other cities in Umatil- la and Morrow counties that submitted answers to the survey are Board- man, Irrigon, Heppner, Milton-Freewater and Ukiah. The full report, along with other League of Oregon Cities data, can be found online at www. orcities.org/MemberSer- vices/Research. The transportation re- port is a timely one given the state legislature’s goal of putting together a com- prehensive transportation funding package during the 2017 session that will dole out millions of dollars for various trans- portation infrastructure projects across the state. Legislators listened to city and county officials testify about some of Eastern Oregon’s needs during a Joint Interim Committee on Transpor- tation Preservation and Modernization meeting in Hermiston in June. Guardian Angel Homes opens second memory care facility Hermiston Herald Guardian Angel Homes has room for 16 more res- idents after cutting the rib- bon on a second memory care home. The Ranch House joins the Tuscan House — which opened in April — as a se- cure but home-like living facility for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The home at 540 N.W. 12th St. in Hermiston in- cludes 16 private bedrooms and bathrooms, a spacious living and dining room area, a kitchen staffed by a professional chef and a fenced-in courtyard resi- dents can use at any time. The facility will offer nurs- es, round-the-clock assis- tance and a variety of ac- tivities for the residents. The facility is owned by the Frantz family, which has built and operates sev- eral memory care facilities around the Paciic North- west after Marty Frantz’s own father suffered a stroke and severe demen- tia in 1997. Jennifer Baus Samos- ka, Frantz’s daughter, de- scribed the two memory care homes and assisted living facility a “beauti- ful campus” able to ac- commodate a wide range of needs, from a more in- dependent lifestyle at the assisted living facility to more intensive care for Alzheimer’s patients at risk of wandering away from unsecured facili- ties. For information about openings at the facilities, including the new Ranch House, call Guardian An- gel Homes at 541-564- 9070 or visit their website at www.guardianangel- homes.com. than twice as high. The city commissioned a report by Anderson Perry & Associates to examine its methodology for set- ting system development charges. Cities common- ly impose system devel- opment charges on new homes or businesses to help cover the cost of expanding infrastructure such as water lines to accommodate new development. In Stanield, developers have been paying $5,399 per “equivalent residential unit.” The report by Anderson Per- ry & Associates calculates a need of $13,190 per unit. The city council, however, took the public works com- mittee’s recommendation to impose a rate of $5,400. “We didn’t want to be the most expensive city in East- ern Oregon,” City Manager Blair Larsen said. The city is changing how the money is used. Before, system development charges went only to water and wastewater upgrades. Now a percentage of the revenue is also earmarked for transpor- tation improvements. Some money will also go toward park improvements. Armand Larive teacher wins grant IN BRIEF Stanfield hosts meeting on codes Stanield residents are in- vited to a community meet- ing on Tuesday, Sept. 20. The meeting will include a joint work session with the city council and city plan- ning commission to discuss updates to the city’s down- town code. The city council hopes to adopt new guidelines for downtown businesses by the end of the year. The project’s four goals are to remove bar- riers to downtown develop- ment, encourage a “pleasant and walkable” downtown, promote a consistent visual design and make the devel- opment code easier to read. Citizens can give their input at the 7 p.m. Sept. 20 meet- ing at Stanield Secondary School, 1120 N. Main St. in Stanield. Development fees will stay the same Stanield’s city council voted not to raise its fees for new development on Tuesday despite a report justifying charges more Armand Larive Mid- dle School teacher Robert Doherty was the only Or- egon recipient of a 2016 Unsung Heroes award to educators offering innova- tive teaching ideas in their classrooms. The award from Voya Fi- nancial came with a $2,000 grant for his classroom and an opportunity to compete against other inalists from around the country for grants of up to $25,000. The award recognizes Doherty’s work in teaching Armand Larive’s video pro- duction class, where mid- dle school students learn to shoot and edit video, write scripts, record voice-overs, perform interviews on-air and other professional vid- eo production skills. Past classes have provided live online coverage for some Hermiston events, including football games and Relay for Life. The Voya Unsung Heroes program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Since 1996 it has awarded nearly $5 million in grants. Meet our newest primary care physician. “An armed society is a polite society” Dealer for all of your fi rearm Deale needs! Including Class III weapons & Incl suppressors. srcfi rearm rearms@gmail.com • (360) 320-4498 • Hermiston Elite Guns & Bows , LLC 213 S.E. 2nd St., Pendleton, OR 97801 P 541-276-1243 • F 541-276-1253 , We aim for the lowest prices We aim for the For all your shooting lowest prices needs & Gun Smithing - Reloading w w w . e l i t e g u n s a n d b o w s . c o m • Highest quality • Excellent product knowledge • Friendly Service Jennifer Poste, MD Internal Medicine & Endocrinology “ I am a believer in preventative management — finding something early can slow down, Welcoming New Patients stall and even reverse Good Shepherd Medical Group the progression of some 541.567.5305 diseases. I’m truly looking forward to building lasting relationships with my patients. ” —DR. POSTE 600 NW 11th Street Suite E-37 Hermiston, OR 97838
