Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
RUPMAG 17:RUP INSIDE TODAY MAG17 BITE INTO THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP 8/9/17 10:51 AM Page 1 Hermiston Herald HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 $1.00 SENIOR CENTER CONSTRUCTION SHAPE taking INSIDE CELEBRATING 109 GENEVA EDDINGS CELEBRATES A BIG BIRTHDAY SURROUNDED BY FAMILY. PAGE A3 STUDENT ART ARTWORK OF LOCAL STUDENTS CELEBRATING AG COMMODITIES FEATURED ON CALENDAR. PAGE A4 EXPANDING DOWNTOWN NEW BUSINESS DISTRICT STARTING WEST OF HIGHWAY 395. PAGE A6 NEW UNIFORMS KILKENNY FAMILY, NIKE OUTFIT HEPPNER MUSTANGS IN NEW GEAR. PAGE A10 BY THE WAY Event kicks off new playground installation Hermiston’s senior citizens are meeting at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church until the Harkenrider Center’s completion By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER ermiston’s seniors are making do with a church basement after losing their old senior center, but construction is in full swing for their new home downtown. Parks and recreation director Larry Fet- ter said construction is on track to wrap up sometime in the spring, although it’s too soon to say what month. Already, the concrete for the Harkenrider Center’s day- light basement is in place and crews from G2 Construction are putting up beams for walls on the main level. “Trusses for the roof are scheduled to arrive Sept. 18, and then things will really be shaping up at that point,” Fetter said. STAFF PHOTOS BY GARY L. WEST (TOP) The crew from G2 Construction works in smoky conditions Tuesday while building the new senior center building in Hermiston. (BOTTOM MIDDLE) The old Union High School arch, all that remains of what was Armand Larive Middle School, is adjacent to the Harkenrider Center now under construction. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Signs on the fence tell passersby what is being built where Northeast Second Street bends onto East Ridgeway Avenue. Workers from G2 Construction are currently building the new Harkenrider Center in Hermiston. The city’s senior citizens found them- selves in need of a new gathering place after the former fairgrounds in the middle of town, which included the senior center building, were sold to Hermiston School District as part of the deal that resulted in the new Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center. The school district has started de- molishing the fairgrounds to make room for more parking, ballfi elds and other im- provements. “The old building should be coming down any time,” Fetter said. After the seniors struggled to raise the money needed to build a new center, the city stepped in and procured a $2 million federal community development block grant and agreed to use money from its own general fund to add a parking lot and daylight basement. During the inter- im leading up to the Harkenrider Center’s completion, Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church is allowing the seniors to serve meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church and hold other activities there. Fetter said the senior center board is pitching in to help make the new senior center a reality, most recently by working to recruit a grant writer to help come up with the money for furnishings and appli- ances to stock the commercial kitchen, of- fi ces, breakout rooms and a spacious main room that will include a gas fi replace and billiards. “They’ve been pretty involved,” Fetter said. “They’ve got their hands full with See SENIOR, Page A16 Air quality alert in eff ect HERMISTON HERALD Residents can expect smoky skies and low air quality all week across northeast Oregon as wild- fi res continue to rage in the Pa- cifi c Northwest. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has is- sued an air quality alert until noon Friday for Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as Union, Wal- lowa, Gilliam, Wheeler, Grant, Sherman, Wasco, Crook, De- schutes and Jefferson counties. Fine particles in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose and aggravate other serious health problems, such as chron- ic heart and lung disease. Smoke can also limit visibility. People should limit outdoor activity while the alert is in effect, espe- cially children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. The air quality in Eastern Oregon is still rated “very un- healthy,” as smoke from fi res across the region permeates the area. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid physical activity outside, and all others should avoid un- necessary exposure to the air. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued See AIR, Page A16 STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Smoke from fi res in the region are having a negative effect on air quality and visibility. From the south end of town, while it is still possible to see the water town from Highway 395, smoke obscures the view of the rest of the city from the top of the hill. If your were hoping to bump into Trail Blazers stars like Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum, or event Coach Terry Stotts this week in Hermiston, you are out of luck. Hermiston won a contest earlier this year sponsored by Moda Health and the Port- land Trail Blazers to go to- ward new playground equip- ment at Sunset Park, and representatives of the Blazers were expected to attend the grand opening celebration on Thursday, with the hope that it would include some play- ers. The Blazers are sending a delegation, but as of press time Tuesday no players or coaches are expected to at- tend Thursday’s event at 4 p.m. Thursday or the basket- ball clinics from 3 to 5 p.m. Attending the ceremony on behalf of the Portland Trail Blazers will be vice presi- dent of social responsibility Christa Stout and Moda Health senior vice president Robin Richardson. • • • Tad Farley, a student at Rocky Heights Elementary School, participated in the Oregon Statewide Spelling Championship, held this past weekend at the Oregon State Fair. A fi fth-grader, Farley was among a group of 63 star spellers from 27 counties across the state. KOIN 6’s Andrew Dymburt served as master of ceremonies for the contest. In its ninth year of coor- dinating the contest, Oregon Spellers is an all-volunteer group funded by donations and sponsored by the Or- egon Association for Tal- ented and Gifted. For more information, contact oregon- spellers@kaynor.net or visit www.oregonspellers.org. • • • Michele Kietzke was sworn in as president of The Arc Umatilla County during See PLAYGROUND, Page A16
