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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 NEWS Building official may impose fines Festival of Trees plants holiday spirit Enforcement option will work much like nuisance ordinance By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The city of Hermis- ton added some teeth to its building code enforcement during a city council meet- ing last week. The council passed an ordinance allowing its building official to issue civil penalties for violations of the building code. City Manager Byron Smith said the ordinance before the council at their Nov. 13 meeting would institute a system similar to the city’s nuisance code enforcement, including warnings and opportunities to appeal. “We need to have an enforcement mechanism,” he said. Under the ordinance unanimously passed by the council, the build- ing official will be able to issue stop work orders, revoke permits, order vaca- tion of unsafe premises or issue fines after the offi- cial has made “reasonable attempts to secure volun- tary correction.” Hermiston’s current building official is Chuck Woolsey. Prohibited acts that could draw a penalty include vio- lating building codes, build- ing without a required per- mit, lying on applications for permits or ignoring a lawful order from the build- ing official. According to the ordi- nance, “Violation of a pro- vision of this chapter shall be subject to an adminis- trative civil penalty not to exceed more than $5,000 for each offense or, in the case of a continuing offense, not more than $1,000 for each day of the offense.” The council also approved a plan for side- walk in-fill. Assistant city manager Mark Morgan said over the summer an intern from STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL. A section of worn-down grass on Orchard Avenue across from the Hermiston Post Office shows one area the city is considering including in its sidewalk in-fill program. Anderson Perry & Associ- ates created an inventory of every sidewalk in the city, creating a map that shows gaps in the city’s sidewalk system. The city has required developers to add sidewalks to developments since the 1970s, so Morgan said gaps around town are in front of undeveloped lots or proper- ties developed prior to the 1970s. The city attempted a pilot program offering to match between 30 percent and 75 percent of the cost of a sidewalk on properties in the Newport Park neighbor- hood and got “exactly zero interest,” Morgan said. The question now is whether the city wanted to pay for side- walks in high-traffic areas. “It is going to be difficult to look developers in the eye and say ‘You’re going to have to put in a sidewalk, but we did just pay for one in front of this property,’” he said. On the other hand, Mor- gan said, there were sec- tions in town where a home- owner had little incentive to shell out thousands of dol- lars for a sidewalk but the public would greatly bene- fit from the increased acces- sibility and safety. He used the example of a property on Orchard Avenue near the post office where pedestri- ans had to choose between walking on the street or on someone’s grass. Morgan recommended the city begin budget- ing $30,000 for projects on main roads with high foot traffic, where filling in “bite-sized pieces” of side- walk would create long interrupted sidewalks. The first recommended project would be four small sec- tions of Orchard Avenue during the 2019-2020 fis- cal year. Morgan also rec- ommended that the city use private contractors so that the street department’s time wouldn’t be tied up. Mayor David Drotz- mann asked if corporations located along sidewalk-free areas such as Elm Avenue and First Place could be asked to contribute money toward sidewalks. Morgan said the city could always ask if they would be interested in a partnership with the city. Councilor Roy Bar- ron asked if the city would consider a larger project around Sandstone Middle School, where he has heard complaints about the lack of sidewalks for children walking to school. Smith said the city has applied for some Safe Routes to Schools grants that could help with larger projects like that. The council unani- mously approved the rec- ommendation to start bud- geting money each year for sidewalk in-fill. The council also heard a short update from Uma- tilla Electric Cooperative CEO Robert Echenrode. He said UEC is the tenth-fast- est growing electric cooper- ative in the nation in terms of kWh sold and its work- force has increased 20 per- cent since 2010. He said the cooperative’s rates are 38 percent below the national average. “We have a distinct advantages in the area, and we hope to be able to con- tinue to leverage that,” he said. The unofficial kick-off to the holiday season in Hermiston is just around the corner. Although tickets are all sold out for the Festival of Trees gala event’s din- ner, people can still come out and place bids on beau- tifully decorated trees, themed gift baskets, stock- ings and wreaths. In addi- tion, the Family Day is open to everyone. And, tickets are available for a chance to win a special raffle tree. The gala event is Satur- day, Dec. 1 at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 S. Highway 395. It begins at 6 p.m., with dinner served at 7 p.m. People without dinner tickets are invited to arrive prior to the start of the live auction at 8 p.m. A no-host bar will be available. About two dozen trees are available — each with a creative theme. People can bid on such large creations, complete with gifts: “Christ- mas Season at the Farm,” “A Merry Magical Mashup” and “Happy Trails.” The smaller trees are just as sweet, including “The Choc- olate Connoisseur,” “Love the Wine You’re With” and “Pair-a-dice.” With a theme of “Down on the Farm,” tickets for the raffle tree are $10 each. The drawing will be held during Family Day — and the win- ner doesn’t have to be pres- ent. Money raised will be used to upgrade “Kiwanis Falls,” a Highway art fea- ture near Umatilla. Money raised from the Festival of Trees is split between the Hermis- ton Kiwanis and the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation. Money supports a variety of proj- ects in giving back to the community. In addition, the Festival of Trees Caring Community Sponsorship will provide a donation to Hermiston/Pendleton Spe- cial Olympics. The program offers athletic training and competitions for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Activities sure to spread holiday spirit are featured during Family Day. Also, the large trees from the gala event will be available for viewing. Family Day is Sun- day, Dec. 2, from noon to 4 p.m., also at the commu- nity center. A fundraiser for the Soroptimist Interna- tional of the Greater Herm- iston, there is a suggested donation of $5 per family — however, no one will be turned away. A pair of local Boy Scout troops will run a snack shack with food avail- able for purchase. Music will fill the air and activities will be scattered throughout the community center. Kids will be able to check out stations with dif- ferent holiday-themed fun, including creating their own Christmas ornaments and decorate cookies. In addi- tion, kids can make gift bags and tags and spin art. In addition to sharing their Christmas wish lists with Santa, they can pose for photos. The pictures will be available for pick-up at a later date at 60 Minute Photo. The Soroptimists work to improve the lives of women and girls. Money raised will help fund scholarships for women in need. For more information about the Festival of Trees, search Facebook. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com Family Health Associates opens second location By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER A new Family Health Associates medical clinic in Umatilla is expected to pro- vide faster and more con- venient care for Umatilla residents. The clinic, located at the Umatilla Hospital District building at 1890 7th St., opens Thursday. The public was invited to an open house on Tuesday night and toured the building’s six exam rooms, procedure room and storage and office areas. Clinic manager Jolene Lloyd said the new clinic will help FHA better serve its Umatilla patients, but it also helps relieve some crowding at their Hermiston location on the Good Shep- herd Health Care System campus. “We have space issues in Hermiston because we’ve grown so much,” she said. “We’re practically Vel- cro-ing employees to the ceiling, so this will free up some space.” Dr. Derek Earl, FHA’s medical director, said they have about 1,200 patients from Umatilla, so open- ing up a location there was a “natural fit.” He said they already had 35 patients scheduled to be seen in the first two days the new clinic will be open. “We’re excited to be here,” he said. The building was orig- inally occupied by Encore Wellness 4 Life, which pro- vided medical care under a contract with the Umatilla Hospital District. 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The Umatilla clinic will offer all of the same services as the Hermiston location — including physicals, casting, minor procedures, pediatrics and concussion care — with the exception of their cos- metic clinic. Lloyd said patients should still call the main line at 541-567-6434 to schedule appointments. Umatilla tax- payers whose money funds the Umatilla Hospital Dis- trict will be “fast-tracked” for appointments with FHA, Lloyd said, as part of the agreement with the hospital district. Shera Salverda, a pri- mary care nurse practitioner, will provide care in Umatilla Monday through Wednes- day while the rest of FHA’s providers will take turns covering Thursday and Fri- day. The clinic will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. Want Year Around Outdoor Space? W e’ve Got Solutions! 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