INSIDE
LOCAL STARS TAKE DANCE STAGE | PAGE A4
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017
HermistonHerald.com
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INSIDE
LIGHT TIME
HERMISTON CELEBRATES
HOLIDAYS DOWNTOWN WITH
MUSIC AND LIGHTS
PAGE A2
BUSTED
COM E V ISIT
H E R M ISTON ?
SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR
DRUGS, SEX CRIMES
PAGE A5
HIGH ACHIEVER
HHS JUNIOR CANDEN
GUTIERREZ SETS HIS SIGHTS
ON THE IVY LEAGUES
PAGE A8
BY THE WAY
Santa stranded,
still jolly after
tree ceremony
If you were driving
around Hermiston on
Thursday night, you may
have noticed Santa Claus
traveling without his
reindeer.
The man in red, played
by city councilor Doug
Primmer, arrived at the
city’s tree lighting festival
to great fanfare while
riding on a fi re truck. But
Primmer noted that no
one had remembered to
arrange for Santa’s ride
back to the fi re station
after two hours of picture-
taking with his young fans.
So he hoofed it the quarter
of a mile back.
Other than that, city
councilors and city staff
agreed during Monday’s
city council meeting
that the festival was a
success that kept people
around watching the
entertainment and getting
pictures with Santa far
longer than in previous
years. (For more on the
story, see Page A3)
Parks and recreation
director Larry Fetter said
the tree and surrounding
lights will be lit each
evening until Christmas,
with a fl ashing light show
for about 10 minutes at the
top of every hour from 6
p.m. to 9 p.m.
• • •
Desert
Rose
is
expanding its downtown
offerings yet again.
See BTW, Page A16
A discarded idea for a county
tourism tax highlighted
the diff erent approaches to
tourism taken by Pendleton
and Hermiston
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
A
EO FILE PHOTO (TOP)
The Hermiston Family
Aquatic Center is
one of the city’s
few recreational
facilities, and is at
the base of the city’s
most recognizable
landmark, the
Hermiston Butte.
proposed Umatilla County tourism
tax was rejected last week, but not
before the discussion surrounding it
highlighted different approaches to tourism
in Hermiston and Pendleton.
The proposed 2 percent tax, added to
hotel customers’ room bill, would have been
earmarked to promote tourism in Umatilla
County via grants, product development and
marketing. But after county commissioner
Bill Elfering listened to concerns from hote-
liers and others during a meeting in Hermis-
ton on Thursday, he announced at a second
listening session on Friday that the idea had
been shelved.
One of the main reasons was a feeling in
Pendleton that Hermiston wasn’t interested in
tourism promotion. Travel Pendleton, a tour-
ism arm of the Pendleton Chamber of Com-
merce, maintains a comprehensive online
guide to Pendleton tourism and puts money
toward promoting events such as the Pendle-
ton Whisky Music Fest and attractions such
as Pendleton Underground Tours.
There is no Travel Hermiston equivalent.
Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of
Commerce board chair Josh Burns said the
chamber approached the city about starting
one but was told the city wasn’t interested.
“We’d love to help Hermiston,” Tracy
Bosen of the Pendleton House bed and
breakfast responded. “We know if Hermis-
ton picks up on things, we’re going to ben-
efi t. But Hermiston needs to be in the driv-
er’s seat fi rst.”
Hermiston assistant city manager Mark
Morgan said Hermiston is working to get
there. But the city needs some time to build
up its tourism assets before it jumps to
marketing.
See VISIT, Page A16
Chamber moves to Cornerstone Plaza
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
After a months-long search for
a new home, the Greater Hermis-
ton Area Chamber of Commerce
will be moving into the Corner-
stone Plaza in early 2018.
The chamber offi ces will be
closed the week of Christmas,
re-opening in the new location at
1055 S Highway 395 Suite 111 on
Jan. 2.
Board chair Josh Burns said the
plaza will not be the chamber’s
permanent home, but will allow
them to continue providing ser-
vices for chamber members and
the community as they look for the
best fi t.
“We’re excited to continue to
do what we’re doing for mem-
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL
The Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce is moving its offi ces
to the Cornerstone Plaza, two doors down from Kobe Hibachi Sushi.
bers,” he said.
The chamber’s offi ces have
been located at the Hermiston
Conference Center as the organi-
zation managed the building under
a contract with the city of Herm-
iston. In April, however, the city
council voted to end the contract
with the chamber on Dec. 31 and
transfer management of the con-
ference center to the city’s parks
and recreation department.
According to reasoning given
by the city at the time, the change
was spurred by a 35 percent
decrease in revenues for the con-
ference center, likely due to com-
petition from the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center. By taking
over management of the confer-
ence center the city hopes to better
leverage both resources, directing
smaller community events and rec-
reation classes to the conference
center and larger events meant to
bring in tourism to EOTEC. Mov-
ing the parks and recreation offi ces
See CHAMBER, Page A16