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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2017)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS City takes over portion of Highland Avenue By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The city of Hermis- ton approved a request by Umatilla County on Mon- day to take over jurisdiction of West Highland Avenue between Southwest 11th Street and Southwest 15th Place. City manager Byron Smith said the city already sweeps that portion of road, and most of the property on either side is within city limits. The county made the request after the city approved a conditional use permit for a mini-storage project along that stretch of roads, which the county said would cause problems in its permitting process if storm drains were required along their portion of road as part of the development. “This is a new approach the county is taking, I guess,” Smith said. On Monday the coun- cil also authorized Smith to accept federal and state grant funding to hire Centu- ry West Engineering to up- date the master plan for the Hermiston Municipal Air- port. Using Oregon Depart- ment of Aviation dollars as a match for the Federal Avia- tion Administration funds, the city’s maximum out-of- pocket cost for the $300,000 project is expected to be no more than $3,333. During a work session preceding the regular coun- cil meeting Smith shared updates on a number of city projects that councilors and citizens have inquired about in recent months. • New play equipment for Greenwood Park is ex- pected to arrive in August. • The parks and recre- ation department is ready to start pouring concrete pads for a new disc golf course across from Good Shepherd Medical Center. • The city is almost done finalizing an agreement with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to take over management of the Steel- head Park area, allowing the planned West Highland Trail project to loop under the Highland Extension bridge there and into River- front Park. • Now that recreation- al immunity for cities has been restored by the legis- Power outages hit Hermiston twice in four days Hermiston customers lost power on Friday and Monday thanks to a bird and a balloon. About 2,900 Umatil- la Electric customers lost power Friday morning when a bird flew into pow- er equipment at the Herm- iston Butte substation. The power failure af- fected people in Hermis- ton, Irrigon and Boardman from 9:43 a.m. until 10:41 a.m., with most customers getting power back before noon. Steve Meyers, a spokes- man for Umatilla Electric, said most of the custom- ers affected receive power from the Butte substation. The areas that appeared to be hardest hit were in the northern part of Hermiston near East Punkin Center Road south of Walls Road, the area around Diagonal Boulevard and in south- west Hermiston south of Highland and west of 11th Street. On Monday evening a metallic party balloon made contact with pow- er lines at Geer Road and Theater Lane, according to Meyers, starting a fire and knocking out power to 2,950 Umatilla Elec- tric members around north Hermiston from 6:45-7:43 p.m. Myers cautioned that releasing helium balloons into the atmosphere can cause power outages and fires. Umatilla County Board of Commissioners approved a program July 5 to provide mental health workers for the Hermiston School Dis- trict. The program, however, is contingent upon funding from the Greater Oregon Be- havioral Health Initiative. Amy Ashton-Williams, the county’s human services director, in a memo to com- missioners explained her department has been nego- tiating with GOBHI to pro- vide the Hermiston School District’s mental health pro- gram. “We are currently working out the exact dollar amount that GOBHI will fund for this program,” according to her memo, “knowing it will be a minimum of $300,000.” The memo stated Life- ways provided the services for the past five years while the school district voiced “concerns about the level of care provided and the con- sistency of such care.” The district wants a program that “emulates the care and consistency” of the coun- ty’s Community Access for Resource Effectiveness pro- gram. The $300,000 would pay for a mental health services program manager with an annual salary and benefits of $93,000 and three mental health associates, with an- nual salary and benefits of $68,000-$74,000. Human services also wants GOBHI to provide another $135,000 to buy three vehicles and pay for an additional substance abuse counselor who would split time between the Hermiston School District and county ing plant’s parent compa- ny NORPAC. Smith said the city would like to offer whatever services it can in helping market the building or otherwise clear the way for re-purposing the proper- ty. However, he said NOR- PAC has a history of not being very communicative. • Smith also noted that the city has been pursuing all legal avenues available to address nuisance com- plaints against a property owner in the Highway 207/ Feedville Road area that has been causing a strong rotting food odor neighbors have complained about. He said within a week or so there should be a form on the city’s website for citizens to directly submit complaints that can be used in court. STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST A combine off-loads grain while on the move in a wheat field on the Hale family farms on along Butter Creek in rural Echo, south of Hermiston on July 5. Wheat harvest often starts locally around the Fourth of July holiday. “We are currently working out the exact dollar amount that GOBHI will fund for this program, knowing it will be a minimum of $300,000.” Amy Ashton-Williams, Umatilla County’s human services director human services. The county does not plan to advertise the openings until GOBHI provides the funding. Jennifer Blake, the county’s human resources manager, told commission- ers during the public meeting Wednesday in Pendleton the county incurs no cost for the program. Commissioners Larry Givens and Bill Elfering vot- ed in favor of the proposal. Commissioner George Mur- dock was out of town. out to bid again in the fall. • The planning depart- ment continues to work on opening the door for in- creased housing develop- ment in Hermiston, includ- ing rezoning 40 acres off of Diagonal Road from in- dustrial to residential mixed with some commercial. On Wednesday at 7 p.m. at city hall the planning commis- sion has invited real estate professionals, developers and lot owners to come dis- cuss further ways the city can help clear away barriers to housing development. • Smith said the city reached out to Hermiston Foods after hearing of its impending closure at the end of the year. The local managers referred the city to the vegetable-process- HARVEST TIME County approves mental health program for Hermiston schools By PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITER lature, the city is searching for an architect with expe- rience designing skate parks to move forward on the planned skate park on North First Place across from the fire station. • Parks and Recreation director Larry Fetter has been working on a plan with the Bureau of Reclamation to manage the dry grasses and weeds along the Oxbow Trail so that they pose less of a fire hazard. • The Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation proj- ect to place traffic signals at Northwest 11th Street’s intersections with Orchard Avenue and Elm Avenue did not receive any bids from contractors, so the de- partment has postponed the project and hopes to put it The county also approved the purchase of a 2001 paint truck for $8,500 for the road department. County public works di- rector Tom Fellows told the board his department pays $6,000-$10,000 a year to use Morrow County’s truck. Buying the used vehicle from the state’s surplus would save the county money in the long run, he said, and the truck also comes with $10,000 worth of replacement parts and paint equipment. )633:3&5$1301&35:5"94&550&91*3& ENROLLING NOW FOR '"-- 2017 Sunthurst Energy, LLC Turning Sunlight to Savings Your Trusted Consultant & EPC PARTNER Introducing Silk hearing aids from Signia Nearly N earl invisible! 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Sivantos, Inc. is a Trademark Licensee of Siemens AG. 12/16 SI/17245D-17 UNIVERSAL REALTY Welcomes A native of the Columbia Basin since 1973, Darrell brings his passion for the area and a desire to help those fi nd their dream home in our rural communi- ties. Darrell appreciates the slower pace, and sense of community that comes with living in Eastern Oregon. Darrell’s background also includes 25 years of ac- counting experience with much of that in governmental accounting. If you’re at the BMCC campus in Pendleton, you are likely to see him there in the busi- ness offi ce where he helps with the Grant Accounting. Darrell enjoys bowling, hiking, biking, kayaking, traveling a and pretty much anything outdoors. He enjoys watching the Seahawks, the Tri-City Americans, the Mariners and taking in a Cougar game in the Palouse. Every year he looks forward t to catching a play or two, or attending a music concert. To relax, he enjoys gardening, especially tending to fl ower and v vegetable gardens. Darrell Stewart 509-222-0022 • darrell@darrellstewart.net (310) 975-4732 sunthurstenergy.com OR CCB 201975 985 N. First Street • Hermiston, OR 97838 • 541-567-8303 www.hermistonuniversalrealty.com
