A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2018
NEWS
Port of Umatilla adopts budget
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
The Port of Umatilla
Commission adopted its
2018-2019 budget this
month, capping what man-
ager Kim Puzey said had
been a positive year at the
port.
The
commissioners
approved a budget of $5.6
million. Puzey said there
were no major changes to the
budget, but there has been
some growth despite having
a major disadvantage.
“Geography is our big-
gest challenge,” Puzey said,
noting that the port is sit-
uated on basalt, which he
said makes it expensive to
develop.
He said the construction
of data centers on port prop-
erty has been the biggest
driver of growth.
“There are good pros-
pects for future data centers
— that’s a once-in-a-gen-
eration economic develop-
ment opportunity for the
region,” he said.
Puzey said while the way
data centers are counted can
be variable, he counts five
on port property, and said
more could be developed.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
In 2004, the Port of Umatilla installed a new $3.8 crane at the facility on the Columbia River
outside of Umatilla.
The port has also tapped
into some other opportuni-
ties for economic develop-
ment, Puzey said. He said
a business out of Portland
has an option to purchase
160 acres to construct solar
arrays.
Puzey said he has spent
much of his energy in the
past two years working
with a water user group
comprised of local farm-
ers. The group is leasing a
portion of the port’s water
rights in order to use some
of the water for agricultural
purposes.
He said the port antici-
pates $200,000 in revenue
from that group this year,
and $400,000 from them in
the following year.
“That’s water infrastruc-
ture we didn’t previously
have,” he said.
The port’s budget is
divided into seven differ-
ent funds: general, con-
tainer dock, marina, grants
and appropriations, strate-
gic reserve, water rights and
regional water.
The port commission
adopted a general fund of
$3.1 million. That num-
ber includes an estimated
$832,000 that will be col-
lected in taxes. The port dis-
trict levies a tax of $0.015
per $1,000 assessed value
on its constituents.
The marina fund remains
open, but the port has not
operated a marina since
September 2013, and will
close the fund in 2019.
The port’s container dock
fund is $464,862. Cargo
shipping is divided into
three main categories —
bulk, break-bulk and con-
tainer. Puzey said the Port of
Umatilla imports bulk prod-
ucts like fuel, and exports
wheat, another bulk product.
“We have been import-
ing molasses this year, han-
dling log exports, and serv-
ing several customers with
refrigerated
containers,
thus increasing revenues
above what we projected,”
Puzey wrote in the budget
message.
He said container ship-
ping is now nonexistent at
the Port of Umatilla, a trend
at almost all Pacific North-
west ports.
Puzey said one of the
port’s biggest challenges
is still working toward the
transfer of Umatilla Army
Depot property.
“That’ll help a lot,” he
said.
He said overall, he
has been pleased with the
growth of the port in recent
years.
“We’re doing quite
well in grants and appro-
priations,” he said, noting
that the port is the fiscal
agent of a $1 million grant
to the Hermiston Cham-
ber of Commerce. The port
also received $2 million in
the transportation package
from the 2016-2017 legisla-
tive session, and that money
will become available in
2019-2020.
Puzey said the port bud-
get has continued to increase
annually.
He said things were
largely as he expected while
creating the budget for next
fiscal year.
“I have a good grasp of
where we are,” he said. “I
didn’t have any huge disap-
pointments or surprises.”
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
Larson bids farewell to fire district
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Reta Larson marked the
last day of a 31-year career
doing what she’s always
done — working.
Often the first face peo-
ple see when they walk into
the Umatilla County Fire
District Station 21 office,
Larson has kept the depart-
ment running as executive
assistant and board clerk.
Wednesday was her last day.
“I should have ripped up
her resignation letter,” said
fire chief Scott Stanton with
a smile. “She’s been like my
right-hand person. It’s crys-
tal clear how integral she is
to the department.”
Larson will stay on as the
UCFD board clerk, Stanton
said.
Originally from Rexburg,
Idaho, Larson and her hus-
band moved to Hermiston in
1986 for his job. When the
job didn’t work out, the two
found themselves unem-
ployed, so Larson started
looking for a job. She ini-
tially applied next door, as
a dispatcher for the police
department.
“The chief called me and
said, ‘You didn’t get the job,
but the job you really want
is next door.’ They sent my
application over, and they
hadn’t even opened this job
yet,” Larson said.
She started out with tasks
Reta Larson recently retired as UCFD’s executive assistant
after 31 years with the department.
like filing and correspon-
dence, eventually mov-
ing into ambulance billing.
Her role has evolved over
time into a more managerial
position. The longest-serv-
ing full-time employee for
the department, Larson has
seen four fire chiefs, and
some major changes to the
way fire services operate in
the area.
“I got hired back when
the fire district was still part
of the city of Hermiston,”
she said. The department
separated from the city in
1998, and in 2016, passed
a bond that allowed for the
creation of Umatilla County
Fire District 1.
She said being pres-
ent for the first transition in
1998 made it easier when
the district was trying to
pass the bond.
“We learned from that
transition,” she said. “Some
things I knew that didn’t go
so well from that helped us
be ahead of the game this
time around.”
Stanton cited Larson’s
years of background with
the department.
“The amount of expe-
rience and institutional
knowledge she has — that’s
the part that will be irre-
placeable,” he said.
She said throughout her
time with the department
money has continued to be
the biggest challenge.
“That’s always the chal-
lenge with fire departments
— you’re always too busy
for the workload with the
personnel you have.”
But she said she has been
impressed with the way the
department is able to do its
job efficiently, and praised
the people she works with.
“It’s been an awesome 31
years,” she said.
Larson said she plans
to stay busy with her eight
grandchildren, and spend
time on her farm with her
horses.
“I don’t really know yet,
and that excites me,” she
said.
Do you drive along Interstate 84
or I-82 in eastern Oregon?
What do you think about travel safety along these routes in
wintertime and throughout the year? Would you like to know what
safety enhancements the Oregon Department of Transportation
has planned for these freeway sections? If so, please visit our…
I-84 SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS
ON-LINE OPEN HOUSE
at http://openhouse.oregondot.org/i-84-safety-improvements
The site will be active through July 13
We hope you will take a few minutes to learn what we
are planning and to get involved by providing your
feedback and comments.
At this on-line Open House site you’ll find information
about…
1. Past Improvement Projects: Earlier enhancements constructed to help
improve safety and operations along the I-84 corridor.
2. Corridor Management Plan: This planning study identifies and prioritizes
the next strategies that will improve safety and operations along the
interstate system.
3. Snow Zone Safety Improvement Project: A variety of devices along I-84
between Pendleton and La Grande will be installed in 2019-2020 to
improve safety and operations during adverse winter weather conditions.
4. Ladd Canyon Freight and Culvert Improvement Project: A third
eastbound climbing lane and other upgrades are being added in 2019-2020
through the Ladd Canyon area.
5. Meacham Maintenance Station: This outdated facility is being replaced.
The new compound will improve response times, efficiency, and save equipment and energy costs.
6. Comments and more information: Take a short survey and provide feedback. This is your highways system
and we greatly appreciate your input.
Questions about the site can be directed to ODOT Project Leader Sean Maloney 541-823-4025,
or by email at sean.maloney@odot.state.or.us.
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 PM
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word, growing in God’s grace”
First Christian
Church
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
567-3013
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
541-567-8441
“Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love”
Worship Gathering 10:00 am
Children’s Church 10:00 am
First United
Methodist
Church
1520 W ORCHARD AVE
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am
SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE,
SERVING PEOPLE
www.hermistonnazarene.org
Hermiston
191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR
Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002
Nursery available Check us out on Face Book
Worship Livestream at herfumc.com
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
567-8241
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
Hermiston Jr. Academy
1300 NW Academy Lane, • Hermiston
www.hermistonlmbc.com
The Full Gospel
Home Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
“Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1 Pet. 5:7
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
t. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
...............................English 7:00 am
Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm
...............................Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am
..........................Bilingual 11:00 am
..............................Spanish 1:00 pm
Offi ce..............................567-5812
To share your
worship times call
541-278-2678