Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2017)
OPINION A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Improving downtown Be an active partner, requires change in vote yes for schools I came to Hermiston in laws and owners 1957 to teach science at First, let me applaud any- one who wants to improve downtown Hermiston. Gen- erations have tried. It can and will happen only if new land- lords/owners who share that vision arrive on the scene. The city has to step up, like most cities/towns have zoning laws where churches can be or can’t. Currently, look how much valuable real estate is tied up by church-re- lated businesses downtown. Let’s face it, current landords are renting just to get rent without a thought of downtown improvements or the future. You’re only as good as the people in charge. The issue of lack of park- ing could be addressed if behind the stores would be for employees in a designat- ed parking only — closer to stores would be consumers area only. Lots of beautification and lack of improvements again aren’t going to happen with- out city ordinances or land- lords agreeing to them. Some buildings don’t have bathrooms for employ- ees. I’d love to read an article, expose if you will, exposing who the current landlords are with their pictures. Change might begin to happen if the media wasn’t scared of back- lash. I hate to say it, but it just might take a lot of funerals for change to occur down- town. DON HANSEN HERMISTON the Hermiston Junior High. I had intended to stay two years. In those two years I discovered Hermiston was a safe and secure place to raise children. It was also a place where the parents and patrons placed a high value on education for their children. The district was noted for always passing their annual operating bud- gets. This was even more impressive when you con- sidered the fact that Herm- iston was one of the poorest school districts in the state. Unfortunately, this low tax base produced only enough funding to make capitol improvements that met the minimum standards for school buildings. They were not expected to last. This did not deter the dis- trict from offering an edu- cational system noted for it’s excellence and because of this people moved here. As the buildings became unsafe and expensive to maintain the patrons saw fit to construct buildings built to a higher standard. This was made possible because the district had an improved tax base. As for this vote being an end-all vote, it will not be. The allure of good schools will continue to entice fam- ilies to move here. In recent years Hermiston has been one of the fastest growing school districts in Oregon. Keep in mind children bring parents. Parents buy homes. This adds to the tax base. This should cause the per capita assessment for the capitol improvements to decline going forward. I do recognize that a growing community pres- ents special problems. I would much prefer these problems over the prob- lems found in a dying com- munity. I encourage you to be an active partner in this community by voting yes for the upcoming bond election. CARLISLE HARRISON HERMISTON Tearing down schools won’t help Do not tear down our schools, just add on. Schools do not make bet- ter (education) for our children, it’s the teachers, smaller classes. Why tear down? We need all the classrooms now. We rent modulars now, so don’t tear down and charge us outrageous taxes on our homes. SHIRLEY SANDS HERMISTON STEVE AND JANET WILLIAMS We must fund education for our kids Growing city needs The Hermiston School new schools to keep up District and the Hermiston HERMISTON community faces a chal- lenge of dealing with sig- nificant growth in student enrollment, a challenge that most districts in Eastern Oregon don’t have. For oth- (Reg. $125) • 2 T-Bones Steaks • 2 Rib Steaks • 2 New York Steaks • 2 Top Sirloin • 1 - 3-4 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast • 5 - 1 lb. Pkg Extra Lean Ground Beef I came to Hermiston in July of 1991 as superin- tendent of the Hermiston School District. Our enroll- ment was just over 3,800 students and the city pop- MULTI-MEDIA SALES ulation was 11,500. Since that time, Hermiston has become one of Oregon’s fastest-growing areas. Our school population now is 5,630, up 1,830 students; and the city population is 17,700, up 6,200 residents. While superintendent for almost 10 years, we built two additional schools, Sandstone Middle School and Desert View Elemen- tary School, creating more space for approximately 700 students. Since that time and due to aged fa- cilities, the district has de- molished and rebuilt four schools — Hermiston High School, Armand Larive Middle School, West Park Elementary and Sunset Ele- mentary — creating a small amount of additional space. However, we are still over- crowded by approximately 800 students. Plus, the dis- trict will continue to grow at the rate of about 80-100 students per year in the fu- ture. The growth we have experienced in our city and region is generally good news, but it is also causing growing pains. It is a little like a family of nine living in a house with one bath- room and two bedrooms. I realize that no one enjoys paying more tax- es. However, the need for more school space is evi- dent NOW, not to mention the 80-100 student growth we will continue to receive each year. The new bond will address this problem. The good news is, as home owners, we pay only about 48 percent of the schools’ bond levy. Businesses and utilities pay 52 percent. Businesses do not create students. Residents do. So this is a pretty attractive deal for homeowners. Also, as our area continues to grow with more residents and businesses, the tax rate will be lowered each year since more people and businesses will be included to pay the bond, thus lower- ing individual tax bills over time. In closing, each one of our Hermiston students gets one chance at 13 years of education in our district. A quality experience can make all the difference for their future success. Good schools with good teach- ers in uncrowded, quality classroom spaces are criti- cal ingredients for achieve- ment and success. I strongly urge you to support the Hermiston School District bond levy. DR. JER D. PRATTON LIVING WELL: BETTER CHOICES, BETTER HEALTH Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis or another long-term health condition? Find practical ways to living well by making a step-by-step plan to improve your health...and your life. 6 weekly FREE classes, open to patients, caregivers/support person or both. Pre- registration required. 6 weekly sessions Great work environment. Super awesome team. Good pay. Retirement plan. Weekends off. Interested? LET US MEAT YOUR NEEDS BOX INCLUDES: er school districts, their ma- jor challenge is determining how to continue to provide a quality educational ex- perience when the fund- ing of their general fund is reduced because of their declining enrollment. For Hermiston, the challenge is providing adequate class- room space for all of the students that enter the halls of our schools. Of these two challenges, we much prefer dealing with the challenge of growth rather than deal- ing with budget cuts. The community contin- ues to grow bringing more students in to our school system. The proposed bond will provide for improved safety for our students and also provide the classroom space to educate our stu- dents. Please join us in vot- ing Yes on the Hermiston School Bond in the May 16th election. The educa- tion of the youth of our community must continue to be a focus for us all and is something we must all commit to funding. East Oregonian has an opening for multi-media sales. No multi-media experience? That’s fine, as long as you understand the importance of customer service, working hard and a desire to enjoy your job. Could this be you? Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group PO Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 by fax to 503-371-2935 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com Base wage plus commissions, benefits and mileage reimbursement. Benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), insurances and a 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan. 541.567.2011 Starting April 6 • 2:30-5:00pm Must pre-register, call 541-667-3509 HEALTHY FRIDAYS FREE health screenings & health coaching: Blood pressure checks, weigh-ins, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose. First Friday of every month 8am-11am GSMC Conference Center 7 (by Education Dept) KNOW YOUR NUMBERS! FREE blood pressure checks at Hermiston and Stanfield Senior Centers. One in three adults has high blood pressure, we encourage everyone to know their numbers. Open to everyone! 11:00am - 12:00pm Third Wednesday of each month STANFIELD SENIOR CENTER Fourth Thursday of each month HERMISTON SENIOR CENTER Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org 253 W. Hermiston Ave. Hermiston $ WHY ADVERTISE IN THE EAST OREGONIAN AND HERMISTON HERALD CLASSIFIED SECTION? EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. CHOOSE A PROVEN SOURCE FOR RETURN ON INVESTMENT You should be advertising in these tough economic times. “ We are a regional transportation company with drivers and vehicles stationed in six cities. We occasionally run classifi ed help wanted ads in various publications in the northwest when we have driver openings. Sometimes our classifi ed ad draws very few results (depending on the time of year) so we must repeat the ad. This recently occurred with a week long ad we ran in the East Oregonian. Our classifi ed ad representative, Dayle S. expressed concern about the lack of success in our ad and asked our permission to enhance the ad to garner a better response. She revamped the ad which we were very impressed with. The response to her revamped ad was dramatic and we are SO SO impressed with the unsolicited service Dayle provided. Transportation Solutions Out of all the publications we advertise in, this was the fi rst time an ad representative took the time to assist us with a more eff ective ad. Anytime we need a classifi ed ad in the East Oregonian, we will require that Dayle is the one who places our ad. Of the six cities we advertise in, Dayle with the East Oregonian is the very best classifi ed ad consultant we have ever worked with. ” Myron H., Transportation Solutions To advertise in the most powerful local media available, call Dayle or Terri at 1-800-962-2819 . Dayle Stinson Terri Briggs