A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
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EOTEC
continued from Page A1
The project broke ground
in December 2014 and fin-
ished construction in August
2017, just in time for last
year’s fair and rodeo.
How was EOTEC paid
for?
Money for the construc-
tion of EOTEC came from a
variety of public and private
sources. The city of Herm-
iston donated the land, and
Umatilla County sold the
old fairgrounds in the mid-
dle of Hermiston to Herm-
iston School District for
$3 million, which it then
donated to EOTEC as seed
money.
More than $8 million of
the $17 million it took to
build the facility came from
state and federal money,
mostly from an Oregon state
lottery grant. More than $2
million in private donations
was raised to support the
project, and another $1 mil-
lion came from local hote-
liers who agreed to assess
an extra dollar per room per
night to go toward EOTEC
construction.
As EOTEC continued to
come up short for construc-
tion, the city and county each
agreed to pitch in another
$600,000 apiece. Other
sources of funding included
the Umatilla County Fair
and Farm-City Pro Rodeo.
Money for the operation
of EOTEC has come from
$75,000 per year base pay-
ments by the city and county,
which then split whatever
additional money is needed
after event rental revenue
and expenses are totaled.
Money for marketing comes
from a $1 per room per night
tourism promotion assess-
ment that local hoteliers and
RV park owners agreed to.
Who currently owns
and runs EOTEC?
EOTEC was first formed
by an intergovernmental
agreement between Uma-
tilla County and the city of
Hermiston, meaning both
FILE PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann lists the benefits of moving the Umatilla County Fair from its old location in Hermiston to
the new site at EOTEC during a special joint meeting of the Hermiston City Council and the Umatilla County Commissioners in
January in Hermiston.
FILE PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
A sign marking the fundraising efforts for the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center on Highway 395 in Hermiston in 2016
showed more than half of the $2 million goal has been raised.
entities are co-owners of
the facility. They appointed
a seven-member volunteer
board made up of represen-
tatives from the city, county,
fair, rodeo and hoteliers to
oversee the facility but final
liability and ownership lies
with the city and county.
BTW
continued from Page A1
short on people,” Stanton said in
an email to the Herald. “While the
three fires were going we also had
to run two more medicals. For a
couple of hours it was very inter-
esting. We couldn’t have handled
one more call.”
• • •
A pair of job fairs are available
in the area, including Wednesday,
March 7 in Boardman and Wednes-
day, March 14 in Hermiston.
Admission is free at both events.
A variety of industries, educa-
tional institutions and government
agencies will be on hand during
the Agriculture, Energy and
Processing Job Fair. The event
is Wednesday, March 7 from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SAGE Cen-
ter, 101 Olson Road, Boardman.
Attendees can visit with area food
processors, utilities, farms, local
government agencies, data centers
and educational institutions about
careers, education and job-seeking
assistance.
For more information, includ-
ing a list of organizations attend-
ing, visit www.visitsage.com or
call 541-481-7243.
The Resource and Job Fair
will assist people looking for jobs
in all industries, as well connecting
agricultural workers with the com-
munity. It is Wednesday, March
14 from 4-7 p.m. at the Hermis-
ton Community Center, 415 S.
Highway 395. Those attending
can also learn about training and
CHAMBER
Continued from Page A1
Chamber of Commerce &
Western Umatilla County
Community Facility.” In
a news release, Rep. Greg
Smith of District 57 said
the new facility will provide
space for community meet-
ings, education and work-
force development training
events, as well as the head-
quarters of the chamber of
commerce.
“The growing commu-
nities of Western Umatilla
County continue to need
additional meeting and
workforce
development
training space, and I believe
this facility will help meet
that need,” he said in a state-
ment. “I am also excited
The board, with the
approval of the city and
county, recently hired a
professional
venue-man-
agement company called
VenuWorks to run the facil-
ity’s day-to-day operations,
including event booking,
marketing, set-up and take-
employment programs.
For more information, contact
the Hermiston Chamber of Com-
merce at 541-567-6151, debbie@
hermistonchamber.com or visit
www.hermistonchamber.com.
• • •
The February American Red
Cross blood drive in Hermiston
included first-time donor Madison
Kitchin.
“It is people like Madison that
keep our blood supply strong,” said
volunteer Patti Perkins.
The Feb. 19 event, which was
held at Good Shepherd Medical
Center, included 40 donors, which
resulted in 35 units being collected,
Perkins said. Also, the canteen was
provided by the Boardman Com-
munity Women’s Group.
Blood products are always in
high demand, but with the high
number of those effected by flu
the blood supply is low, Per-
kins said. Each blood donation
can save the lives of up to three
people.
This month’s blood drive is
Monday, March 19 from noon to 6
p.m., also at GSMC, 610 N.W. 11th
St., Hermiston. While walk-ins are
welcome, appointments assist with
scheduling. To make an appoint-
ment, call 1-800-448-3543. For
more information, visit www.red-
cross.org.
———
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this facility can serve as a
new home for the Hermis-
ton Chamber of Commerce
as they continue their work
in supporting local business
and community activities.”
Both Burns and cham-
ber director Debbie Pedro
expressed their appreciation
for Smith’s work in getting
the funding.
“The Greater Hermis-
ton Chamber of Commerce
would like to thank Repre-
sentative Greg Smith for
his unwavering support and
working towards this oppor-
tunity to serve West Uma-
tilla County in a greater
capacity as we develop our
new facility,” Pedro said in
a statement.
Smith is co-vice chair of
the Joint Ways and Means
Committee, which over-
FILE PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center
down for events and care of
the physical facilities.
The Umatilla County Fair
and Farm-City Pro Rodeo
pay to lease the property for
their events.
What would change
under the agreement being
discussed Monday?
If the city and county
agree to a new arrangement,
the county would withdraw
from ownership of EOTEC
and the city would be the
sole owner. The city council
would call the final shots,
with input from some sort
of advisory committee, and
for the foreseeable future
VenuWorks would con-
tinue to manage day-to-day
operations.
The final text of the
agreement isn’t available
Bailor, Pullen challenge Murdock
for county commissioner
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Two challengers are look-
ing to oust George Murdock
from another term as Uma-
tilla County commissioner.
Tom Bailor and Rick Pul-
len filed Monday for Position
1 on the board of commis-
sioners. Murdock, Bailor and
Pullen all live in Pendleton.
Bailor ran for commis-
sioner in 2013 and again
in 2016. He said he’s giv-
ing it another go because he
believes the county needs
new leadership.
“It’s time for diversity,”
Bailor said. “We need lead-
ership that not only respects
traditional values but also
understands and embraces
the dynamic digital age and
economy in which we now
live.”
Murdock and fellow com-
missioners Larry Givens
and Bill Elfering are in their
mid-70s. Bailor contended
they represent only one
generation.
“As someone in my 50s, I
think it is important to have
leadership with diverse gen-
erational experience and con-
nection,” Bailor stated.
He ran on similar notions
before, but he also said
sees the state’s budget, and
sits on the committee’s sub-
committee on capital con-
struction. A news release
from his office after the
session concluded counted
$25 million in projects
benefiting Eastern Oregon
that he helped get funding
for. The largest was a $9
million appropriation for a
new fieldhouse at Eastern
Oregon University, as well
as $1.1 million for track
and field renovations there.
The next largest was
$6,125,000 for biomass
heating upgrades to Camp
Umatilla, the National
Guard training facility being
renovated and expanded on
the former Umatilla Chem-
ical Depot, and more than
$6 million for the Veterans
Home in The Dalles.
county
commissioners
approving themselves pay
raises of $8,000 did not sit
well with him. That move in
2015 increased the salary for
the post to $86,273 a year.
Commissioners now have
an annual salary of $90,852.
Bailor stated Murdock took
raises while arguing against
wage increases for working
people.
Bailor also said Murdock
expressing partisan opin-
ions in local news violates
the non-partisan spirit of the
county charter. County com-
missioners should be try-
ing to build solutions to
local problems on common
ground, he said, rather than
fuel partisan politics within
the community.
Rick Pullen worked for
Umatilla County from 2004
until he quit on Dec. 15,
2017, when he was in the
assessor’s office.
Pullen is a singer and por-
trays Daddy Warbucks in the
College Community The-
atre production of the musi-
cal “Annie.” Pullen did not
immediately return calls
Tuesday.
Commissioners
serve
four-year terms. The last day
to file for the May 15 primary
election was Tuesday.
One project that didn’t
get funded was $1 mil-
lion requested by Uma-
tilla County Sheriff Terry
Rowan to better accommo-
date mentally ill inmates at
the Umatilla County Jail in
Pendleton.
“Needless to say, I’m
disappointed,” Rowan said.
Rowan had testified
before the Joint Ways and
Means Committee’s capital
construction subcommittee
two weeks ago, asking for
$1 million to upgrade the
jail in Pendleton to create
new holding, booking and
storage areas that would
allow the jail to serve
inmates suffering a mental
health crisis or under the
influence of drugs. But the
project didn’t make the cut.
Rowan said when Sen.
quite yet (check the city
website later in the week)
but will be similar to Mur-
dock’s original proposal that
the county honor several of
its earlier financial commit-
ments. That includes hav-
ing the county pay its half
of the $1.2 million Venu-
Works says the facility still
needs to finish the RV park
and fully equip EOTEC,
pay the $105,000 it had
agreed upon to help cover
construction overruns, con-
tinue to pay $75,000 annu-
ally for operations for the
next five years and provide
an additional $85,175 in
2018 and $75,399 in 2019
based on projections by
VenuWorks for operational
overruns. The cost for the
Umatilla County Fair to
lease the facility for the fair
and set-up/clean-up would
increase from $10,000 to
$100,000 per year.
The city would work
toward creating some sort
of storage and office space
for the fair on-site. Smith
said Murdock’s original
proposal had included the
city taking over part or all
of the neighboring Ott and
Airport roads, but they are
holding off on that for a
separate agreement later
due to some delays with
the Oregon Department of
Transportation providing
funding for improving both
roads.
So remind me what’s
happening Monday?
At 7 p.m. at city hall,
during their regular city
council meeting, the coun-
cil will discuss the agree-
ment with the county to
take over EOTEC, and will
be taking public comment
on the topic. At that time
the council can choose to
vote to approve the agree-
ment or move the vote to a
future meeting if councilors
decide they want more time
to study out the issue. An
agenda packet for the meet-
ing with the details of the
agreement will be available
on the city’s website prior to
the meeting.
Man killed in
Hermiston work
site accident
HERMISTON HERALD
HERMISTON — A man died in
an industrial accident southwest of
Hermiston on Tuesday morning, but
much of the information about the
accident is still yet to be released.
At 11 a.m., Umatilla County Fire
District 1 officials were dispatched
to an industrial site on Cottonwood
Bend Road, where an Amazon facility
is being built.
Battalion Chief Corey Gorham said
one man died as a result of an acci-
dent, but did not confirm his name
or exactly how he died. Gorham said
the incident is being investigated
by Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, and that he couldn’t
release any more information about it.
Dispatchers on the emergency
scanner said the man had been hit
by highly pressurized water, and that
CPR was administered. Shortly after-
ward, a dispatcher said a chaplain had
been sent to scene.
Moments before that call, UCFD
crews had been dispatched to a wreck
between a van and small sports util-
ity vehicle that T-boned in front of the
Tom Denchel car dealership at 81143
Highway 395.
Two adults and one child were
taken to the hospital with non-life
threatening injuries, according to Lt.
Matt Fisher. Traffic was shut down in
the northbound lanes for 30 minutes.
Bill Hansell called to per-
sonally deliver the news,
he told Rowan not to give
up.
“He had some very pos-
itive comments,” Rowan
said. “He said the com-
mittee felt very positive
toward the project, and
they recognized the need.
He also advised me that
some of the projects that
did go through, this might
be their third or fourth bite
of the apple.”
He said he planned to
pursue different grants and
other funding opportunities
and if he didn’t find another
way he would be back next
session. He said after going
to Salem last week to tes-
tify he learned a lot for next
time. It was difficult to fit
all of the information into
his two-minute time slot,
for example, and so next
time he will bring multiple
people to help testify,
Hansell and Rep. Greg
Barreto of District 58 both
showed up to the capi-
tal construction commit-
tee meeting where Rowan
testified in order to express
support for the project.
Barreto said when he asked
the speaker of the house
Tina Kotek why the project
ultimately did not make the
list this session, he didn’t
get a concrete answer, but
like Hansell he pointed to
the fact that it often takes
multiple tries to get a cap-
ital project funded by the
legislature.
“I do think the jail next
time around would have a
good chance,” Barreto said.