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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SCHOOL: continued from Page A1 Board members shared what they’d learned in the days since the failure of the bond, which proposed to replace Highland Hills and Rocky Heights elementary schools, upgrade the high school and build a new ele- mentary school on East The- ater Lane. Many said they’d heard from people who couldn’t afford the tax increase on a fixed income, as well as those who wanted to see the district try to upgrade the buildings they had instead of building a brand-new Highland Hills. But others said they were surprised by the responses from community members. Multiple board members said they knew people who claimed they didn’t receive ballots. Several also said they heard comments from people who were more in- terested in seeing the high school developed than focusing on elementary schools. Another common cri- tique was from the senior citizen community, which was unhappy at having to move from their current se- nior center location once the school district purchased the property. Karen Sherman, the board chair, said while it was a difficult transition, she felt some of the blame was unfairly placed on the schools. “We took that into con- sideration,” she said. “We offered them the land by Ar- mand Larive right up front. Unfortunately, the senior board and city have not been able to get the center built in a timely fashion. Here we are, looking like the peo- ple pushing them out, but I don’t feel we are totally re- sponsible for that.” “I think it comes down to community trust,” said board member Dave Smith. “I had people saying to me that we were asking for more than we really need- ed — and I took offense at that. I think we’ve tried to be transparent.” WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 FROM PAGE A1 Sherman said while it may not have been a direct reason, she also felt the city’s recent decision not to renew the Chamber of Commerce’s lease on the Hermiston Conference Cen- ter may have set a tone for people in the community. “I think there’s some anx- iousness about that,” Sher- man said. “Hermiston has always been such a support- ive place to live. Emotional- ly, that has been the hardest part of this week. I feel badly because our kids did not get the support they needed from this community.” Community Response Many senior citizens at the Hermiston Senior Cen- ter lunch last week said they weren’t going to vote for a bond that raised the tax burden of people on fixed incomes. “If they would have just put the repair of Rocky Heights and Highland Hills on there, I probably would have voted for it,” said a woman named Chris, who asked that her last name not be used, echoing the com- ments of several others in the room. “But I’m not vot- ing for a new school.” Others added that they wanted to see the district put more effort into maintaining existing buildings, rather than continue to build. Still others said they felt the influx of Hispanic families was contributing to the growing population of schools, but felt those populations weren’t paying their fair share of taxes, and wouldn’t help shoulder the resulting tax increase. Some seniors also ac- knowledged the sting they’d felt at being told they had to leave their current location. “It was harsh,” said Vir- ginia Beebe, who doesn’t live in Hermiston but is active at the senior center. “They basically told us the building comes down no matter what.” Parents at some of the schools that had been up for replacement said they were disappointed in the bond’s failure — but several said they didn’t vote, or failed to turn in their ballots on time. But others said they were surprised by the outcome. “I was so sad,” said Katie Anderson, a parent at Rocky Heights Elementary. “I think it was just the money.” Liz Sharon, another par- ent at Rocky Heights, said the school is in great need of the proposed repairs. “It’s 56 years old,” she said. “It’s just worn down.” Heather Beal, a parent at Rocky Heights, said most parents she knew supported the bond because they see the problems with the facili- ties on a daily basis. “It’s so crowded,” she said. Moving forward Sherman said despite the disappointing loss, it’s important to take people’s comments seriously. The school district did two community attitude polls in 2016 before put- ting the bond before voters. In the first, conducted in April 2016, 47 percent were in favor of the $104 mil- lion bond while 43 percent were against it and 10 per- cent couldn’t decide. When asked about a smaller $84 million bond that wouldn’t replace Highland Hills, 48 percent were in favor and 41 percent were against. Five months later the dis- trict returned with a similar set of questions and found the sentiment had shifted. When asked about the $104 million bond, 46 percent were in favor and 48 percent were against it, leaving just six percent unsure. The school board on Monday talked about hir- ing a consultant for another round of community input as it moves forward. While there is current- ly no timeline for when the issue of school construction will go back to the ballot, Sherman said she had al- ready heard some sugges- tions — re-submitting the bond but not including Highland Hills, or just up- grading the existing build- ings for safety issues. “We need to revisit these again,” Sherman said. Our smallest hearing aid made with medical-grade titanium. MARKET: continued from Page A1 Second Street between Main Street and Gladys Avenue. The market will open Sat- urday, June 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The season runs through Oct. 14. Active with the market off and on over the past de- cade, Smith is excited about the change in venue. The visibility off Highway 395, she said, should bring extra traffic to the market. “What better place to be located, than right in the heart of Hermiston?” she said. “Also, increasing foot traffic on Main Street can only be a good thing for our town and local shops.” People interested in sell- ing goods at the market need to pay a one-time registration fee of $35, which includes a T-shirt. Also, weekly booth rates are $20 for homemade/ homegrown goods or $25 for commercial vendors. Also, Smith said those belonging to the market can participate in the in the BTW: continued from Page A1 Thompson Hall on the old fairgrounds but gaining the Maxwell Event Cen- ter downtown as a venue for hosting medium-sized events. Mitch Meyers, owner of Hermiston Brew- ing Company and Nook- ies Restaurant, is almost done turning the building at the northeast corner of Locust Avenue and N First Place into a 3,000 square foot event center capable of seating 150 to 160 peo- ple indoors and another 75 to 100 outdoors. The center can be booked by calling 541-561-1047. ••• Four local members of the class of 2017 won Ford Family Foundation scholarships, joining 101 other winners from Ore- gon out of a pool of 5,883 applicants. Vanessa Am- FILE PHOTO A variety of jewelry is displayed at the Devine Designs vendor booth of Mike and Edi Devine during a past Hermiston Farmers’ Market. small-town Thursdays sale on the first Thursday of each month. All vendor’s booth fees are free for those Thurs- days, she said. In addition, Smith is hop- ing to include some evening markets and introduce a Foodtruck Friday. She’s also in contact with area musi- cians for entertainment and local businesses for possible do-it-yourself projects. Booth space is still avail- able, Smith said. The success of the market depends on both vendors and the pub- lic’s response. Smith knows there are many talented people and locally-sourced products in the community — and hopes to showcase those. “When you buy local and keep money in your own community, everyone bene- fits,” she said. “I want this to be a farmers’ market — to be a place where people travel to see or plan to stop at when coming through out beauti- ful little town.” For more information, contact Smith at hermis- tonfarmersmarket@gmail. com or visit www.facebook. com/Hermistonfarmersmar- ket-1713625582263775. briz-Mendoza of Herm- iston High School, Ja- hayra Garcia-Sandoval of Hermiston High School and Selene Andrade-Ber- nal of Riverside High School are all headed to University of Portland, while Marlina Serratos of Irrigon High School is headed to George Fox University. The renewable scholarship covers 90 per- cent of each student’s un- met financial need for each academic year. ••• The new downtown Holiday Inn Express is kicking into nearby proj- ects, bringing in about $100,000 in additional tax revenue to the urban re- newal district. That money is being spent on things like the festival street and wayfinding signs. For more on the budget, see Page A3. ••• The Umatilla County Fire District 1 is holding an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 3, at their station 22 on Di- agonal and East Punkin Center Road. The district will be hosting a barbecue to show its appreciation for the community’s sup- port of the new fire dis- trict. ••• Does anyone remember Hal Block? We found his name as an owner of the current Hermiston Herald office at 333 E. Main and we’d like to know more about the man. Give us a call at 541-567-6457. ••• And lastly, welcome to new Hermiston residents and newspaper subscribers John and Sherry Christ- ner, who recently moved from California. If you happen to bump into them around town, make sure to share Hermiston’s wel- coming spirit. 0 % APR for 60 mo. on 13 different 2017 models 2017 Prius rius ck Liftback 2017 Corolla 2017 RAV4 also incl includes udes d 2017 Corolla iM 2017 Camry 2017 Camry Hybrid 2017 Prius c 2017 Prius v 2017 Avalon 2017 Avalon Hybrid 2017 Yaris iA 2017 Sienna 2017 RAV4 Hybrid Or take advantage of special leases on nearly every model! Ask about Virto B-Titanium today! 2017 Camry SE /mo $ 179 $ 159 /mo 2017 Corolla LE for 36 mos. for 36 mos. $ 19 199 /mo 2017 RAV4 LE f for 36 mos. 2237 SW Court, Pendleton 541.276.5053 www.renataanderson.com Every new Toyota comes with (541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308 ToyotaOfHermiston.com All financing on approved credit through TFS. All vehicles subject to prior sale. 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