NEWS
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
HerMIsTOnHeraLd.COM • A7
Growth in Umatilla prompts city hall
remodel, Sixth Street overhaul
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Downtown Umatilla is
getting a new look.
The city’s growth is
prompting several new proj-
ects this year, including a
city hall remodel and a $6.1
million overhaul of Sixth
Street, the main road through
Umatilla’s downtown.
City Manager David
Stockdale said the city has
added several new positions
in a little over a year, includ-
ing the four-person commu-
nity development depart-
ment. They are looking to
add more, but have already
converted a conference
room into an office after run-
ning out of offices.
“We don’t have room for
everyone,” he said.
The council approved
$100,000 for a remodel
of city hall, built in 2003,
during the current fiscal
year. Stockdale said the final
design will make more effi-
cient use of the staff area by
adding extra offices and a
wheelchair-accessible front
desk area. The city hopes by
mid-2021 to create a second
phase that would expand
city hall’s footprint on the
south side to add six addi-
tional offices and a break
room.
The city also recently
purchased the former post
office on the other side of
the park next to city hall.
Stockdale said after either
Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the
staff photo by Jade Mcdowell
The city of Umatilla purchased the former post office, left, as part of a “campus” envisioned to include city hall and the park
between the two buildings.
city hall remodel they plan
to remodel the post office
building into offices for
the community develop-
ment department, which will
likely include parks and rec-
reation staff and a building
inspector by that point.
Stockdale said the city
would also like to use part of
the large building as a “busi-
ness incubator.” They would
offer limited-time leases
at below-market rates for
people starting a new busi-
ness. The idea would be to
help new businesses get on
their feet with lower over-
head costs for the first year
before moving to a vacant
space elsewhere in town.
The city is also reaching
out to Blue Mountain Com-
munity College and Eastern
Oregon University to dis-
cuss partnerships that could
be housed in that building.
The park and the street in
between could also become
a sort of “festival street”
area for community events,
Stockdale said.
“It would kind of create a
civic center, a central cam-
Weather-related property
damage can be prevented
The snow won’t let up
for a few more days at least,
but property damage from
the inclement weather may
not show up until a while
later.
Cold-weather
prob-
lems, such as pipes burst-
ing, are something home-
owners need to watch out
for, but the problems may
not show up until the snow
disappears.
Dave Smith, owner of
Hermiston cleaning and res-
toration company O-So-
Kleen, said they often won’t
get calls about burst pipes
until the ice and snow start
to thaw.
Smith said there are
a few common mistakes
that people make in cold
weather. In the spring, peo-
ple will begin washing their
cars, and while the water
may be turned off, the hose
will still be connected, and
water may be backed up in
the hose.
“People won’t notice until
they start watering,” he said.
Smith said if people leave
for the evening or week-
end, they may want to turn
their thermostats low to save
energy. But Smith said it’s
not a good idea to let the
temperatures get below 55
or 60, because some corners
of the home may get close to
freezing.
“It sounds like saving
energy, but you have to think
about above the house, the
attic,” he said.
The
“smart”
water
meters installed by the city
of Hermiston last year can
monitor water usage in real
time and flag large spikes
in usage and other indica-
tors of a leak. Water cus-
tomers can also log in to
their account and check for
themselves.
Broken pipes aren’t
the only weather-related
damage that can happen
to homes. Keeping trees
trimmed and removing
unhealthy trees can also
help prevent a tree branch
from crashing through a
window or roof. And keep-
ing gutters clear of debris
can help keep water from
backing up when the snow
starts to melt.
pus,” he said.
As the city looks at
building projects, it is also
working with the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion on a project to recon-
struct 14 blocks of Sixth
Street through downtown.
The project has been talked
about for years, Stockdale
said, but it will go out to bid
late March or early April
with the goal of starting con-
struction during the summer
and wrapping up by the end
of 2019.
The city is paying for
about $1 million of the $6.1
million project, with the rest
coming from state and fed-
eral grants.
“We really owe a lot of
things to ODOT,” Stockdale
said. “They’re picking up
the lion’s share of the cost.”
The project will include
a complete reconstruction
of street, curbs and gutters.
One goal beyond beautifi-
cation is for the bulb-outs,
colorful stamped concrete,
decorative lighting, an illu-
minated pedestrian cross-
ing and other elements to
help travelers on Highway
730 recognize they are pass-
ing through a downtown and
slow down and be more alert
for pedestrians.
“We expect it to really
look quite beautiful,” Stock-
dale said.
The city has been install-
ing new water and sewer
infrastructure under Sixth
Street in the hopes of not
having to tear up any of the
new street for years to come.
To complete downtown’s
new look, Stockdale said
the city will continue work-
ing with property owners
on cleanup, and will look at
making more money avail-
able for façade grants and
lowering the required match.
All the projects reflect
the city’s efforts to accom-
modate new growth in
Umatilla. According to the
city, in 2010 Umatilla saw
new construction valued
at $307,076. In 2013, that
number rose to almost $11.8
million. In 2017 the city saw
$27.5 million in new con-
struction, and in 2018 that
rose to $48.2 million.
While some of the con-
struction has been industrial
and commercial, Stockdale
said housing construction
is booming and in the past
week he spoke with mul-
tiple housing developers
interested in new projects in
Umatilla.
“We’re going to see resi-
dential growth this year that
I don’t believe the city has
ever seen before,” he said.
Good Shepherd gets new
Emergency Services director
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Dr. Robert
McCauley
is Good
Shepherd
Medical
Center’s new
emergency
services
medical
director.
Good Shepherd Medical Cen-
ter has a new Emergency Medi-
cal Services director, Dr. Robert
McCauley.
Previously, McCauley was the
regional medical director for Team
Health, a national medical group.
In that role, he worked with med-
ical centers all over the Pacific
Northwest,
including
Good
Shepherd.
“My role with Team Health
was to make sure that our physi-
cians were committed to meet-
ing and exceeding federal and
state quality and safety measures,”
said McCauley in a press release.
“Though the work I was doing is
very necessary in today’s health-
care environment, I missed the
direct impact that I personally had
on patient care.”
McCauley said his goal was to
continue reducing patients’ wait
times, improve customer experi-
ences, and care for the community
in emergency situations.
“As one of the first points of
contact with any health care sys-
tem, the ER needs to be a place
where people feel they are receiv-
ing competent, compassionate and
prompt care,” McCauley said.
Good Shepherd’s Emergency
Services department provides
Level III trauma services, and a
fast track option for walk-in care.
CONGRATULATIONS
JEANNE JEWETT
FOR 30 YEARS (SO FAR) OF AMAZING SERVICE AT THE