WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL
Street project near Newport could lead to sidewalk program
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Streets around New-
port Park will be under con-
struction this spring after
the Hermiston City Council
awarded Sinco Construction
of Hermiston a bid for the
project Monday.
The company will repave
and
rebuild
full-width
streets, complete with curbs
and gutters, along portions
of Southeast Fifth Street,
Southeast Sixth Street and
Newport Avenue. Neigh-
boring property owners
will also be given a chance
to access grants for adding
sidewalks in front of their
homes, which assistant city
manager Mark Morgan said
will be used as a pilot to start
a city-wide sidewalk incen-
tive program.
Sinco Construction was
the low bidder out of seven
bids at $283,885.
Morgan told the council
there should be access to the
park via Hurlburt Avenue
through the duration of the
project, which is expected
to start soon and wrap up
mid-summer. The result will
be wider, better-quality pav-
ing on the streets plus curbs
and gutters to help direct
water during rainstorms.
The project was reviewed
in depth by the city’s pub-
lic infrastructure committee,
which discussed whether
the city should pay for side-
walks to be added at the
same time.
Sidewalks around New-
port Park would be in the
public interest, considering
the number of children who
walk on the side of the road
to access the park. However,
the committee felt it would
set a bad precedent for the
city to cover the whole
Westland Road gets a
temporary speed reduction
The traffic study esti-
mated 520 vehicles on
Cottonwood Bend at peak
times during construction
and 940 vehicles per hour.
Those numbers meet the
criteria for a traffic light
according to “The Manual
on Uniform Traffic Con-
trol Devices,” the Fed-
eral Highway Administra-
tion’s publication that sets
standards for traffic lights
and more. The county
uses the manual in mak-
ing road safety decisions.
Fellows said the con-
tractors would like the
light in place as soon as
possible, and the tempo-
rary reduction in speed
requires board approval.
The board approved the
slower speed. Commis-
sioner Larry Givens said
he has been on Westland
and had drivers “blow by
me.” Commissioner Larry
Elfering said a number of
constituents would like to
see Westland Road per-
manently cut back to 45
mph.
Fellows said the county
can ask the Oregon
Department of Transpor-
tation to study the matter.
He said the county board
may have the authority to
make a permanent speed
zone, but that could open
the county to certain lia-
bilities. County counsel
Doug Olsen told commis-
sioners that going through
the state removes that
liability.
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Lamb Weston’s $250
million expansion along
Westland Road, Hermis-
ton, is bringing temporary
speed reductions through
the construction zone.
The project will take
more than a year to com-
plete and employ as many
as 500 construction work-
ers. Tom Fellows, director
of Umatilla County Public
Works Department, told
the county board of com-
missioners last Wednes-
day that Lamb Weston is
seeking temporary speed
reductions for the safety
of workers and the driving
public.
PBS Engineering and
Environmental of Van-
couver, Washington, con-
ducted a traffic study on
the area and came up with
three safety suggestions,
which Fellows presented
to the county board:
•a temporary traffic
signal at the intersection
of Westland and Cotton-
wood Bend roads for the
duration of the construc-
tion project, which ends
no later than March 31,
2019;
•reducing the speed
in the construction zone
from 55 mph to 45 mph
until April 1, 2019;
•widening to add a sec-
ond turn lane on Cotton-
wood Bend Road at West-
wood Road.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
A car turns at the intersection of Southeast Sixth Street and East Newport Avenue on Tuesday
in Hermiston.
$60,000 cost when devel-
opers building new projects
are now required to pay the
full cost for putting in side-
walks. The compromise was
that Sinco will do prep work
such as moving water meter
boxes, but if property own-
ers want sidewalks they will
still be responsible for mate-
rials and labor for the side-
walks themselves.
Stanfield taking
applications for
council vacancy
the elementary schools, and
a need for additional sup-
port. She said elementary
school principals were cur-
rently working through the
selection process. Mooney
said duties for the new hires
would vary slightly through-
out the schools, but would
include overseeing student
attendance, the talented and
gifted program, and aca-
demic support processes.
Mooney said the posi-
tion is not the same as a vice
principal.
“These are not admin-
istrative positions, rather
they are TOSAs (Teachers
on Special Assignment),”
Mooney said in an email.
She said the positions are
part of the Hermiston Asso-
ciation of Teachers work
group.
Some of the properties
will be able to access match-
ing funds, however, as the
city tests out a pilot program
for sidewalk infill that will
lead to a city-wide program.
Morgan said the final
details of the incentive pro-
gram were still being worked
out, but it would be applica-
ble only to existing develop-
ments that had been grand-
fathered in. The program
would provide a checklist —
Is the property on a school
route? Does it connect to an
existing sidewalk? — and
the more items an applicant
can check off the higher per-
centage of matching funds
the city would provide. He
said the rough draft of crite-
ria would provide one New-
port Park neighbor with a 75
percent match, several with
30 to 60 percent matches
and two undeveloped lots
with no matching funds.
BRIEFS
Candidate forum
slated for April 11
Hermiston voters inter-
ested in meeting city and
county candidates in per-
son will get the chance at a
candidate forum hosted by
the Greater Hermiston Area
Chamber of Commerce and
KOHU.
The forum is April 11
at Armand Larive Middle
School, 1497 S.W. Ninth
St., in Hermiston. The eve-
ning will start with refresh-
ments and a chance to min-
gle with candidates at 5:30
p.m. followed by a forum
with county commissioner
candidates at 6 p.m.
After a short break the
audience will then be able
to hear from city council
candidates.
Running for Hermis-
ton City Council are Mark
Gomolski, Jackie Linton
and incumbent Lori Davis
for Ward 1, Shean Fitz-
gerald and Roy Barron for
Ward 2, Kyran Miller and
incumbent Jackie Myers for
Ward 3 and Michael Engel-
brecht and incumbent Doug
Smith for Ward 4.
Running for the board of
county commissioners are
Tom Bailor, Rick Pullen and
incumbent George Murdock
for Position 1, and John
Shafer and incumbent Larry
Givens for Position 2.
For
more
informa-
tion call the chamber at
541-567-6151.
The Stanfield City Coun-
cil has a vacancy.
The city will take appli-
cations until April 13 for
appointment to the city
council seat formerly held
by Pam McSpadden, who
died Feb. 28.
To apply, send a letter
of interest to Stanfield City
Hall by April 13. Candidates
are also asked to attend the
April 17 city council meet-
ing, where the council plans
to appoint someone to fill
the remainder of McSpad-
den’s term. Applicants must
have resided in Stanfield for
at least two years and be a
registered voter.
McSpadden was a city
councilor for over a decade
and volunteered at the Stan-
field Senior Center and the
Food Basket, Stanfield’s
food bank for those in need.
Hermiston to hire
elementary deans of
students
Hermiston School Dis-
trict will hire deans of stu-
dents for all five of its ele-
mentary schools for the
2018-2019 school year.
Interim superintendent
Tricia Mooney said the posi-
tions were created as a result
of increasing enrollment at
Murdock and Larry Giv-
ens said they visited the
2,000-acre site for the dis-
trict north of Hermiston on
the Columbia River, which
also includes portions of
Hat Rock State Park.
Commissioner Bill Elf-
ering said he was famil-
iar with the area, and he
was inclined to let the peo-
ple decide the matter. He
moved to put it on a ballot,
and Givens gave the second.
All three voted in favor.
County counsel Doug
Olsen said the elections
division reported any Tues-
day in April is available for
the special election, with
April 17 offering probably
adequate time.
He also said the elections
department will mail ballots
to the 166 active voters in
the district.
Livestock district
goes to vote
More than 160 residents
near Hermiston will get to
vote on forming a new live-
stock district.
The Umatilla County
Board of Commissioners
last Wednesday approved
putting the matter to a vote
of the public, according to
county records.
Several residents in the
area petitioned the county
to create the district to keep
open range cattle from com-
ing onto their property.
Commissioners
George
5 Theater Cineplex
Check
wildhorseresort.com
for showtimes
$5 Matinee Classics
Every Wednesday
Credit & Debit Cards
accepted
Cineplex gift cards
available
541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
Easter
Celebration
Services
Easter Sunrise Service
Come worship with us in the Blue
Mountains on Easter Morning!
Enjoy a wonderful complimentary
breakfast buff et aft er the service.
Sunday April 1, 2018 • 7 AM
At the Historic Meacham Hotel in Meacham, Oregon
Music will be provided by Marty Campbell
Speaker will be Paster Jason Estle of Desert Rose Ministries
Service organized by Blue Mountain Christian Cowboys
For questions please call 541.377.5003 or 541.969.2677
Please join us as we
esurrection
R Jesus
Christ
Celebrate the
of
Resurrection
Service
Sunday ~ April 1st
10:00 AM
Living Word Christian Center
401 Northgate • Pendleton
541-278-8082 • www.livingwordcc.com
DRAWINGS FOR PRIZES
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Online registration & race information at
WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM
REGISTER ONLINE BY APRIL 28TH TO ORDER
A CUSTOM TECHNICAL RACE T-SHIRT
All proceeds benefit THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM
Thank you for your support!