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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2017)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Mabbott takes Umatilla city post By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER Longtime Umatilla County planning director Tamra Mabbott is leav- ing the county to become the city of Umatilla’s new community development director. Mabbott has been in county planning for 26 years, including 15 as plan- ning director for Umatilla County. She said in a state- ment that the job would be a change from what she’s used to but she is excited to be part of Umatilla’s future. “Citizens are engaged. City Council and staff are focused and enthusiastic. New development is com- ing to Umatilla. It’s the perfect recipe for success in the community,” she said. Mabbott, who lives just outside Umatilla, has been working with the city in her county capacity to help them create a “vision plan” for downtown. In her new position she will oversee the planning, building, parks and recreation, code enforcement and Geo- graphic Information Sys- tems for the city. “She will be busy,” City Manager Russ Pelleberg said. “She will have her City seeks new fi nance director The city of Hermiston is on the hunt for a new fi nance director after Amy Palmer’s exit. Palmer said at a recent city council meeting she was leaving to care for a family member. She was hired in 2012 and came to the city with more than 20 years of public sector accounting expe- rience. The city has opened a nationwide search for Palmer’s replacement using a recruiting fi rm it has used to fi nd other department heads in the past. The position, listed with a salary range of $92,964 to $113,112, is open until fi lled. A fi rst review of applications is scheduled for Sept. 17. A job description and application can be found online at hermis- ton.or.us/employment/ fi nance-director. FILE PHOTO Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott and Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Elfering look over zoning laws at the Stafford Hansell Government Center in Hermiston in this fi le photo. Mabbott has taken a job as the city of Umatilla’s new community development director. hands full, but not all of this will be handed to her on day one.” Mabbott starts Sept. 1, and Umatilla County is ad- vertising her position. Pelleberg said the city was excited to have some- one with her experience, integrity and accomplish- ments take the new posi- tion. He said he has wanted to create a “community development director” de- partment head for about a year to help implement new initiatives for the city such as creation of a recre- ation program, and to focus on development of the city in general. He said he and Mabbott have been work- ing together behind the scenes on a few economic development projects he hopes to announce soon, and he has been trying to recruit her for a while. “A lot is about to hap- pen,” he said. “The timing is just perfect.” Pelleberg also an- nounced that Jason Barron, who has worked for the city of Umatilla’s public works department for 16 years, is now Umatilla’s public works director. Pelleberg was public works director prior to be- coming Umatilla city man- ager in early 2016. At that time he agreed to continue to oversee public works while serving as city man- ager, but promoted Barron to public works supervisor to share some of the admin- istrative workload. “Over the last year I’ve been kind of grooming him to make that step up,” Pel- leberg said. He said Barron will be a key player in the city’s organization as they move forward on some “very ex- citing and important infra- structure and development projects.” In a third staff shake-up, the city is looking for a new city planner. Pelleberg said former city planner Bill Searles left of his own ac- cord to take a job in anoth- er city. In January Searles fi led a complaint against Pelleberg with the city’s human resources depart- ment, which he declined to discuss publicly, after Pelleberg gave him a disci- plinary letter criticizing his performance. Mabbott will oversee the new city planner and plan- ning commission. Fair and rodeo prompt extra donations HERMISTON HERALD Now that the public has had a chance to see the Umatilla County Fair and Farm-City Pro Rodeo in action at their new venue, it could prompt more dona- tions to both events to help pay for next year. At the fair’s kickoff din- ner, state Rep. Greg Smith announced a personal $10,000 donation, and ro- deo board member Dennis Barnett said so far there have been a few additional donations to the nonprof- it Friends of the Fair and Rodeo prompted by people seeing the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center for themselves last week. He said donations to the Friends of the Fair and Ro- deo, which is a separate en- tity from EOTEC, can be used with EOTEC’s bless- ing for fair and rodeo-relat- ed improvements like add- ing irrigation and grass to the overfl ow parking area to keep down the dust next year. The rodeo acquired some debt for things like the mer- cantile building, additional bleachers and landscaping around the arena that the board wanted for the 2017 rodeo but EOTEC did not have the funds to pay for. Barnett said donors can specify if they want the mon- ey to go toward the Umatilla County Fair or Farm-City Pro Rodeo, or they can leave it up to a joint committee to determine where the money is most needed. “As we continue to try and make the facility the best it can be, there is always going to be a continued need for more funds,” he said. Former Irrigon coach safe after Barcelona attack By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER Former Irrigon basket- ball coach Mitch Thomp- son is among the Oregon State University basketball staff and team members safe after a terrorist attack outside their Barcelona ho- tel killed more than a doz- en people Thursday . The attack killed 15 people and injured dozens more after a van plowed through crowds in what Spanish authorities are calling a terrorist incident. Thompson, who is a video coordinator for the OSU men’s basketball team, reported on Facebook Thursday that he and the team were safe but had been staying on the street where it happened. When reached via text he said the team wasn’t commenting further be- yond a statement released by OSU’s athletic de- partment that the OSU community “extends its thoughts and prayers for all those injured and af- fected by this incident” and had not yet deter- mined what the remainder of the team’s trip would look like in light of the tragedy. Earlier in the day as- sistant coach Gregg Got- tlieb tweeted that the “tragedy happened right in front of us as our team just sat down for pregame meal.” The Beavers had been preparing to play their fi rst exhibition game against a Spanish team on a trip that included several other teams from Ameri- can universities. The team from Clemson University was also staying in the ho- tel but reported they were unharmed. National DENTAL Itsuratce Physiciats Mutual Itsuratce Compaty $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! 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This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150(GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096C MB16-NM001Gc Thank you to Hermiston High School’s Project Graduation Celebration Sponsors & Donors Sound Advantage Hearing Suds Yer Duds Fred J Allen Preferred Realty Anderson Hansell Attorneys Hermiston Generating Barnett & Moro, P.C. Reef Properties All That Wood Carolleen Lovell, CPA Universal Realty Midway Tavern Park Terrace Townhouses Mr. Insulation Oregon Trail Veterinary Clinic A-Plus Connectors Dr. Irwin DMD Fourth Street Family Dental Pioneer Title Insurance Co. Best Western Hermiston Hermiston Vet Clinic Community Bank Sanitary Disposal Transfer Station Big River Golf Course Castle Rock Farming, LLC NW Farm Credit Services Wheatland Insurance Advanced Orthopedic Advanced Pediatric Dentistry NW Metal Fabricators Ann and Dean Fialka Calpine Hermiston Burger King Atkinson Staffi ng, Inc. Pendleton Building and Construction Starvation Ridge Farms Gordon’s Electric Burns Mortuary Hermiston Foods Elmer’s Irrigation Jim Purswell’s Pump Co. Shelco Electric, Inc Stratton Insurance Services Thompson, the son of Hermiston residents Joe Thompson and Cindy Gammell- Thompson and a Hermiston High gradu- ate, was Oregon Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2015 after coach- ing Irrigon High School boys’ basketball team to a state championship. He is just starting his second season with the Beavers as a graduate assistant. OSU Head Coach Wayne Tinkle posted a video statement from the team’s motel to let fami- ly, friends and fans know that all the team members and staff were safe. The video was potsted to the team’s Facebook page and can be found here: https://www.facebook. com/ BeaverMBB/videos/ 10155224570348127/ 10 New 2017 TOYOTA Models A less expetsive way to help get the dettal care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about FILE PHOTO Former Irrigon boy’s basketball coach Mitch Thompson is now a graduate assistant for the Oregon State University men’s basketball program in Corvallis. He is with the Oregon State basketball team in Barcelona, Spain, and the team was staying in a motel near where a terrorist attack occurred on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Dynamic Computer Consulting, Inc. Marlette Homes Rock, Inc. 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Every new Toyota comes with ... and to all the parents and other individuals who donated time, money and/or supplies to help make our party a huge success we say, “ THANK YOU!” HHS Project Graduation Committee & HHS Class of 2017 (541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308 ToyotaOfHermiston.com Mon-Fri 8:30a - 7:00p Sat 8:30a - 7:00p • Sun 10:00a - 5:00p