INSIDE SPORTS AREA RUNNERS COMPETE IN UMATILLA. PAGE A10 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 $1.00 HermistonHerald.com INSIDE St. Peter’s opens doors to future 3 MINUTES WITH LEARN MORE ABOUT SPORTS WRITER ALEXIS MANSANAREZ PAGE A2 MASTERING GARDENING OSU EXTENSION OFFERS MASTER GARDENER COURSE. PAGE A4 BUSINESS LOCAL FAVORITE RESTAURANT REOPENS AFTER REMODEL PAGE A6 BY THE WAY Umatilla grad honored with Colorado memorial of BD Ables Construction, beekeeper James Simpson of Baker City, Hermiston Glass, Lloyd Piercy, Jake Broyles, the Echo Fire Department and a score of Kiwanis volun- teer laborers. The future plans for the building are up in the air, but the consensus is the Fort Henri- etta Foundation and the Echo Kiwanis want to save the structure. “People that see it, whether they are Catholic or not, they love this place,” Duffy said. The Fort Henrietta Foundation and Echo Kiwanis are hosting an open house to hope- fully increase interest in the building and maybe get some ideas on how to move for- ward. Organizers also are hoping to hear more about the building’s history. The open house is Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at 33208 Marble St., Echo. Refreshments will be provided by H&P Café. In addition, Staff Sgt. Austin Bie- ren, who died of natural causes March 28 while on active duty in Syria, was recently memorialized in Colorado. The 2010 Umatilla High School graduate was among fi ve service members honored from both the 21st Space Wing and the 10th Spe- cial Forces Brigade who lost their lives in the line of duty. Bieren’s wife, Rachel Bieren, attended the Aug. 20 ceremony at Mount Pisgah Cemetery in Cripple Creek, Colo- rado, where the service members names were added to a memorial wall. Col. Kathleen Flarity, Offi ce of the Surgeon General, provided com- ments and conducted the Laying of the Wreath. The High Frontier Hon- or Guard performed a rifl e salute and the cere- mony concluded with the playing of “Taps” in their honor. Dedicated in 2007, the Memorial Wall, with 385 names engraved on it, offers a place to refl ect on the sacrifi ces made by service members. • • • First-time blood donor Muna Satter was among the 48 donors who par- ticipated in the Sept. 18 American Red Cross blood drive at Good Shepherd Medical Cen- See ST. PETER’S, Page A16 See BTW, Page A16 STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS St. Peter’s Catholic Church was constructed in 1913 in Echo. De-consecrated in 1996, the building was donated by the Diocese of Baker to the Fort Henrietta Foundation. An open house is planned Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Open house set for Sunday at historic church in Echo By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR A historic symbol of bygone days in Echo, St. Peter’s Catholic Church has sat mostly empty for more than 20 years. Constructed in 1913, the church was de-consecrated in 1996. Echo City Admin- istrator Diane Berry said the Echo Alter So- ciety didn’t want to see the building become privately owned, which resulted in the Dio- cese of Baker donating it to the Fort Henri- etta Foundation. The idea was that it would become a mu- seum. Constructed in the Portuguese Colo- nial Revival style, it features a distinctive stucco facade. The interior houses ornate statues and a faux marble altar. Shortly after being gifted to the founda- tion, an architectural study was conducted on the building. A Kinsman Foundation grant provided funding for a new roof and some basic stabilization, Berry said. It was subsequently added to the National Reg- ister of Historic Places on Aug. 28, 1997. However, that’s when most activity with the building came to a standstill. According to Phyllis Shovelski, the Echo Kiwanis approached the Fort Henrietta Foundation last July, offering to raise mon- ey and work towards minimizing the build- ing’s degradation. The group helped raise money through an Oktoberfest celebration in 2016 and has arranged work crews and received assistance through reduced rates and in-kind labor. Michael Duffy, Echo Kiwanis president, said local help has generously come from Dick Snow of Muleshoe Ranches and Rock Pit, Dave Smith of O So Kleen, Larry Ables City assists pavilion project for skate park land By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER A deal between the city of Hermiston and Mitco Invest- ments will spur public and private development along South First Place. Mitco plans to build a 5,000 square foot event pavilion be- tween Locust Avenue and Or- chard Avenue by June 1, 2018. The Maxwell Marketplace will feature restrooms, roll-down glass doors and a 65-space park- ing lot. Mitch Myers of Mitco Invest- ments said the space could host everything from a farmer’s mar- ket to a car show to Oktoberfest. “There are just a lot of great ideas being thrown at us,” he said. ARTWORK FROM MITCO INVESTMENTS This conceptual drawing shows plans for the Maxwell Marketplace. The Hermiston City Council approved a letter of intent Mon- day, pledging $220,000 toward the project in exchange for the lease to a parcel of land across from the police station where the city plans to build a skate park, as well as an agreement from Mitco to allow the public free use of the parking lot at the Maxwell Mar- ketplace. New businesses locating with- in 500 feet of the parking lot will be able to count the lot as the parking they are required by city ordinance to provide, a require- ment that Mark Morgan, assistant city manager, said has created barriers to new development. Morgan said the city already owned a small triangle of land across from the police station to build a planned skate park, but it would be small with no park- ing. The rest of the land along the railroad tracks between Or- chard Avenue and the Hermiston School District maintenance shed is leased by Mitco Investments from Union Pacifi c Railroad. When Mitco gives up the lease to the city, it will allow for a larg- er skate park as well as parking and landscaping along the entire See SKATE PARK, Page A16