WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Columbia Court Club rebuild bogged down By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Six months after a fi re at the Columbia Court Club the owners are still caught in a long, slow disagree- ment between their insur- ance company and the state building codes division. Steve Watkinds said he understands the communi- ty’s disappointment in losing its only indoor swimming pool and track for so long, and he would love nothing better than to re-open. “Nobody’s more frus- trated than us,” he said. Not only is the damage to the Hermiston club exten- sive, but the Watkinds can’t repair or rebuild until Ha- nover Insurance settles their claim. The problem is that the state says it won’t is- sue building permits unless everything is brought up to current codes, including ex- pensive updates such as el- evators and installation of a fi re suppression system. The insurance company doesn’t want to pay for that. “The insurance company wants to rebuild exactly as it was at the moment before the fi re, but the state says no,” Watkinds said. “We can’t re- wire with 1970s-era wiring; it needs to be ADA accessible.” The process of negoti- ating over every piece of what needs to be rebuilt has been extremely slow, Wat- kinds said. Adding things like elevators and handi- capped-accessible showers will take up extra space the club doesn’t have, so they would rather rebuild completely. But the insur- ance company has yet to give them a fi nal answer on whether it will pay for a complete rebuild instead of tearing everything down to the studs then remodeling. From the outside, the building looks usable, but inside the upper fl oor where the fi re started is charred. Light shines through small holes dotting the roof and puddles of melted snow collect underneath. Steel beams around the point of origin are warped. Down below, the former locker rooms have been stripped down to the wood- en studs and the pool has been drained. The pool’s pump equipment and the vast majority of the club’s workout machines are no longer functional after the corrosive infl uence of smoke, soot and fi re sup- pression chemicals. The free weights have already rusted for the same reason. “All this machinery is now ruined,” Watkinds said. “It’s not salvageable.” In areas not damaged directly by fi re or water, black marks fan out from electrical sockets and oth- er breaches in the drywall, showing where the smoke that billowed through the walls tried to escape. The popcorn ceiling texture, which had previously been painted over to seal in the asbestos, had to be scraped clean at a cost of $67,000. In the farthest reaches STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL One wall is charred and the others have been stripped away in the area where a fi re started in the Columbia Court Club on June 20. of the club, sections of dry- wall have been torn out of the racquetball courts in a “selective demo” by the in- surance company looking for damage. The hardwood fl oor in the courts and the gym have gaps between the fl oor and wall where the fl oor contracted as a result of months without heat. The fi re started upstairs on June 20, in a storage area adjacent to the childcare area and a mirrored fi tness classroom. It was ruled ac- cidental, caused by an elec- trical short in a power strip. Watkinds and offi ce manager Mary Marsing said they are extremely grateful it happened in the afternoon, after the senior citizens and children who were there in the morning had already left and before the after-work rush. At the time, they esti- mated about six gym mem- bers were present. Watkinds said he was working on repairing a drinking fountain when the music went out, then the lights. Loud bangs (likely exploding cans of tread- mill lubricant stored near the point of origin) sound- ed from upstairs, causing Marsing to start shouting for Watkinds, asking if he was alright. As smoke fi lled the club they realized there must be a fi re and started ushering everyone out. Watkinds returned in- side twice before the fi re department arrived; once to retrieve a woman who was still showering in the dark and smoke (“She must have been in shock”) and once to fi nd a man’s keys so he could move his truck from in front of the entrance. The former locker rooms at the Columbia Court Club have been stripped down to just the wooden beams as the club’s insurance company decides what it is willing to pay to rebuild. “I was coughing when I came out,” he said. Marsing said court club members do not need to worry that their year-long contracts, which will au- tomatically renew. No one has been charged for mem- bership fees since the fi re, she said, except for some past due accounts that a collection agency contin- ued to pursue. “At the current pace, we will not be reconstruct- ed by June 2017 and if by some chance we were able to accomplish that task, we would always take the hon- orable high road and ask our old members to rejoin the new facility anyway,” she wrote in an email. “This business philosophy is what helped us sustain 38 years of service to the Hermiston market.” Until the weather got too cold, the club paid its staff members to conduct free fi tness classes at McKenzie Park so that its members would have another option for continuing with their fi t- ness goals. Updates on the status of the club’s insurance claims can be followed on their Columbia Court Club Commit To Be Fit page on Facebook. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at 541-564-4536. Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 110 ● NUMBER 51 Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532 Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539 Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534 Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 Umatilla County Fire District to staff station 24/7 Full-time crews to start in March By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN Staff Writer Umatilla County Fire District 1 will soon oper- ate its station on Diagonal Road and East Punkin Cen- ter Road all day, everyday. The station, which will start operating full-time on March 1, 2017, will have two paid fi refi ghter/para- medics and one resident intern at all times, said Chief Scott Stanton. “The station is 31 years old, but this will be the fi rst time it will be staffed 24/7, 365,” Stanton said. “We tried it before, but we didn’t have the staff.” The district’s main sta- tion on South First Street in Hermiston is also staffed 24/7. The stations on West- land Road in Hermiston and West Coe Avenue in Stanfi eld are not, with staff working at them as needed. The increase in hours for the second station was made possible when the new district was created earlier this year — the re- sult of a merger between the fi re departments of Hermiston and Stanfi eld, and the dissolution of those cities’ individual depart- ments. The consolidation, which took effect July 1, resulted in a combined tax rate of $1.75 per $1,000 assessed property value for Hermiston and Stanfi eld residents. The merger was ex- pected to generate about $900,000, which would go toward new staff, replac- ing vehicles and toward AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE 50% OFF STOREWIDE *EXCLUDING FRESH FLOWERS 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 TAI CHI - MOVING FOR BETTER BALANCE FREE class to work on balance, strengthen muscles, improve posture and core strength. Great for all ages! Monday & Wednesday Starting January 16th Basic/Beginners class: 9-10am Advanced Class: 10-11am GSMC Wellness Center (behind the hospital) Call 541-567-2185 or 541-667-3509 to register BODY & BALANCE FREE class using the Bal-A-Vis-X approach to safely improve balance, movement, and strengthen body control. Great for all ages and fitness levels! Monday & Wednesday Starting Jan. 4th 11:00 - 12:00pm Call 541-567-2185 or 541-667-3509 to register BEGINNER & INTERMEDIATE BANDS CLASSES: Strengthen & improve flexibility and overall health & balance. staffi ng the Diagonal Road station. Stanton estimated that of those funds, about $625,000 would go toward staffi ng the station. “That’s built into what we’re already paying for,” he said. He said the inside of the building will need some minor capital im- provements, likely totaling around $10,000. “When you put people into a building full time, you need some upgrades,” he said. “There’s no phone or pager system, it needs some computers.” The restructuring of the fi re departments began in 2014 with an administra- tive merger, when Stan- fi eld’s fi re chief became the training chief for the Hermiston Fire Depart- ment. “We didn’t really gain any people with the admin- istrative merger,” Stanton said. “We also took over the transportation service in Umatilla, and with that we hired about three.” He said the department has had to hire about six new employees to staff the new station — and those employees will attend fi re academy in February. The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties .......... $42.65 Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ....... $53.90 Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2016 Giving the Gift of Extra Space For the Holidays! Holiday Special! 20% Off Solar Shades ! Offer Expires: 12/31/16 FREE Estimates! 541-720-0772 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick, WA 99336 Patio Rooms Sunrooms · Pergolas Patio Covers · Solar & Drop Shades · Awnings & More! Visit our website for showroom hours www.mybackyardbydesign.com License #188965 Ring in the New Year Here Cory Peterson New Years Eve 2016 10pm $10 cover Party Favours , Midnight champagne toast, Food & Drink specials. Come have a ROCKIN Good time! 541-567-3022 149 E. Main, Hermiston NEW YEARS 80’s BASH Party Starts @ 8pm $10.00 at the door No reservations needed Party Favors & Champagne GREAT SERVICE! GREAT FOOD! BEER GARDEN! 1750 N. 1st St. • Hermiston, OR • 541-567-5180 www.midwaytavernbarandgrill.com NEW YEARS EVE! DJ / KARAOKE MUSIC! FIREBALL PROMO NIGHT! CHAMPAGNE! UMATILLA, OR 541-922-4112 Tuesday & Thursdays Starting January 3rd Beginners class: 8:15-8:45am Intermediate Class: 9-9:30am GSMC Wellness Center (behind the hospital) Call Kathy Thomas, 541-667-3400 x3050 Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com (NO adult entertainment) Comedian LIVE MUSIC Pollywog Susan Jones