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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS City sells land for Ranch & Home site By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer The Hermiston City Council sold a small piece of land to Ranch & Home owner George Dress on Monday night, bringing a planned Hermiston location for the retailer one step clos- er to reality. The .43 acres of proper- ty is next to a city munici- pal well and adjacent to the proposed Ranch & Home site on South Highway 395 between Hermiston Foods and the Wal-Mart Distribu- tion Center. City Manager Byron Smith said city staff and engineers “didn’t see a longterm need” for the prop- erty, which is outside the fence line around the well. Smith said the extra space would give the Ranch & Home developers additional space for delivery trucks to maneuver around the back of the store, improving traf- fic flow. Jeff Dress, one of Ranch & Home’s co-owners, testi- fied in favor of the resolu- tion to declare the land sur- plus and sell it. “We’ve been massag- ing the site plan, as Byron knows, quite a bit, and this would help,” he said. The price of $6,565 matches the per-acre price that Ranch & Home paid the Port of Umatilla for the ad- jacent property in 2015. The council approved the resolu- tion unanimously. The council also ap- proved a name for the free public bus system that will go into effect in Hermiston starting Jan. 3. The system will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Fri- day via a contract with Kay- ak Public Transit. An online survey by the city saw the HART (Herm- iston Area Regional Tran- sit) receive 51 percent of the votes, beating out the Watermelon Express, Bull- dog Express and Hermiston Looper. The council unan- imously voted to adopt the HART name. “I heart it,” councilor Doug Primmer said, setting off a round of heart and bus-related puns by council members. On Monday the coun- cil also approved a request from the Hermiston School District to waive utility fees on the Umatilla County Fairgrounds from Dec. 31, 2016 to May 31, 2017. The district will take over the fairgrounds on Jan. 1, but has agreed to hold off on demolition until the high school and college rodeos and horse sales are complete for the year. The new rodeo arena at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center will not be finished in time. Smith said waiving wa- ter, sewer and electric bills for five months will cost the city less than $2,000. Coun- cilors unanimously agreed to do so, noting the school district had been a “very pa- tient” partner and the events would bring in much more than $2,000 of economic benefit to the community. “Obviously we want these events to have a home,” Mayor David Drot- zmann said. “We don’t want them to find a new home. If they find a new home they won’t come back.” ——— Contact Jade McDowell at 541-564-4536. Enrollment growth fuels district’s need for new local school facilities District may also seek grant funds as partial bond match By ANTONIO SIERRA Staff Writer At a meeting Monday at Hermiston High School, Su- perintendent Fred Maiocco told a small group of residents why the school was consider- ing a $104 million bond pro- posal for the May ballot just eight years after voters ap- proved a $69.9 million bond. For the district, the proof was in the population. Since 2008, Hermiston’s student enrollment has grown by 600 students, exceeding even the most aggressive pro- jection in a growth forecast calculated by Portland State University. Hermiston High School bore the brunt of that growth and is now nearing its 1,600-student capacity. To boost the high school’s capacity to 2,000 students, the district would use the bond to expand the commons area, add a science and career technical education wing to the north of the building, and make other additions. Maiocco said the district would probably consider building a second high school once high school enrollment approached 2,400, but that would not likely come under serious consideration for an- other 15-20 years. The current bond package also includes new elementa- ry schools at Rocky Heights, Highland Hills and on the dis- G O O D trict’s Theater Lane property, upgrades Maiocco said will replace aging and unsafe fa- cilities in addition to provid- ing more capacity. Including those new facili- ties and updates to Sandstone Middle School, the school board thought it was best to pursue a $104 million bond in May. Maiocco said the district’s facilities have needs outside the scope of the bond, but the dis- trict wanted to keep the tax rate from school bonds under $5 per $1,000 in assessed value. The bond proposal cer- tainly cuts it close, adding 90 cents to the current $4.09 per $1,000 tax rate. The district will also try to offset some of the cost by applying for a grant through the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Pro- gram, a state initiative that provides matching funds for districts that pass bonds. Districts in Echo, Umatil- la, Milton-Freewater and Ath- ena-Weston, have all used it to their advantage, and Maiocco estimates Hermiston could get $4 million from the grant program if their application is approved. The deadline for the grant application means the board needs to commit the bond proposal by Dec. 12. If the bond gets the green light, school board member Ginny Holthus said the board would help form a political action committee to cam- paign for the bond starting in January. With the last public opin- ion survey showing 48 per- cent of voters opposed to the bond versus 46 for it, Maioc- co said the district would see clear, negative effects from not being able to build new facilities while enrollment continues to rise. The district has added 14 modular classrooms to its schools since 2008. If Herm- To our valued patients, It is with a heavy heart to inform you of the pass- ing of Dr. Ritchie Hibbert. At this time the offi ce will remain open. Dr. Hibbert always made sure that our patients would be taken care of and we would like to thank you for your continued support as we make this transition. With the huge support of the dental community our offi ce will continue to see patients with dentists step- ping in to cover our current and future appointments during this time as we transition into a new practice. iston continued to meet or exceed the Portland State en- rollment projection, it would need to add another 22 units, bringing the total number of modulars to 56. Maiocco said the district has already switched from buying modulars to leasing them to save money. If the district wasn’t able to con- tinue building them, it might have to consider switching to a year-round or double-shift school schedule. Given the relative fre- quency in which the district has asked for bonds from the public, an audience member asked Maiocco if the district would pursue another bond in 10 years. “We will be back,” Maioc- co responded. “We will not solve all of it.” ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at 541-966-0836. IN BRIEF Holiday season shines in Boardman com or visit www.aauw. org. A musical Christmas light show, living Nativi- ty, a visit by Santa Claus and carolers are featured in an event at the SAGE Center. The Boardman Christ- mas Lighting is tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 30) at 6 p.m. at 101 Olson Road, Boardman. In ad- dition, cookies and hot chocolate will be served. (NOTE: Due to a change in venue, the wrong lo- cation is listed in the “Home for the Holidays” calendar, which was in- serted in the Nov. 23 edi- tion). For more informa- tion, call 541-481-3014 or visit www.visitsage. com/event/153. Christmas concert features local talent AAUW meeting features wine tasting An opportunity for wine tasting is available during the AAUW De- cember general meeting. Everyone is invited to the gathering, which is Thursday at 7 p.m. in Great Pacific Wine & Cof- fee Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton. The wine tast- ing fee is $10. AAUW’s (formerly knowns as the American Association of University Women) mission is to as- sist in bettering the lives of women and girls. For more information, contact karenallen1965@gmail. The public is invited to see the newly remodeled dining room at the Hard- man Community Center. A celebration is planned featuring an open house and potluck. The free event is Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at 51186 High- way 207, located about 20 miles south of Heppner. Main dishes are provid- ed by Ruggs Ranch and Snow McElligott; and coffee and punch by the center. Those planning to attend are asked to bring a side, salad or dessert to share. To coordinate seat- ing, large groups should RSVP. For more information, contact hcc@hughes.net or 541-676-9718. Friday, December 2nd • 7:30 pm NO ADMISSION FEE LDS CHAPEL 850 SW 1 1 TH ST HERMISTON LOWER YOUR HEATING BILLS THIS WINTER! Upgrade Your Windows. Add Insulation To Your Attics, Walls And Floors Cash Incentives Available. Sincerely, The Hibbert Family Heather, Sarah, Carley and Jennifer W O M E N ’ S Hardman center celebrates renovation COMMUNITY We, as an offi ce, look forward to still seeing each of you for your dental needs. S H E P H E R D Local musician Dal- lin Puzey, the Hermiston Community Choir and others will kick off the hol- iday season in song. The Community Christ- mas Concert is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 850 S.W. 11th St., Hermiston. There is no ad- mission charge. For more information, contact ilene.curtis@ a1ind.com. 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