BOYS BASKETBALL SEASON ENDS WITH LOSS
TO SHADLE PARK » PAGE A8
HermistonHerald.com
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019
$1.00
INSIDE
STUDENT VOICE
The Herald’s fi rst student
guest columnist Sally
Wooster shares how wres-
tling helped her realize
that her weight doesn’t
defi ne her.
PAGE A2
Subdivision growth boosts
housing in Hermiston, Umatilla
CHILD’S PLAY
Finding child care, partic-
ularly for infants, can be
a challenge for Umatilla
County parents.
PAGE A3
RESCUE
A Boardman man needed
rescuing after fl eeing a
crash and spending four
hours in the snow.
PAGE A6
BY THE WAY
Rep. Greg Walden will
visit Hermiston for a town
hall on March 15.
The public is welcome
to come and ask questions
at the forum, which will be
held at 4 p.m. at the East-
ern Oregon Trade and
Event Center, 1705 E Air-
port Road.
Walden held a town
hall in Boardman on Mon-
day morning, and visited
the Pendleton Rotary Club
later in the day, where he
discussed topics ranging
from funding for Presi-
dent Donald Trump’s bor-
der wall to marijuana
legalization.
• • •
Applause and congrat-
ulations are in order for
Gary Neal and Larry
Lindsay of the Port of
Morrow. They were
among a shortlist of indi-
viduals and groups who
received
recognition
during the Feb. 9 Special
Districts Association of
Oregon awards banquet,
held at Sunriver. Neal was
honored for his leadership
as manager of the port,
and Lindsay, a longtime
commissioner, as a board
member.
Neal, who took the
helm of what has become
the state’s second-larg-
est port in 1989, retired in
December 2018. Lindsay
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A model home in the Sunset
Estates off ers tours in one
of several new Hermiston
subdivisions.
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Housing is a hot topic in Salem during
this year’s legislative session, but Hermiston
and surrounding communities have already
started implementing solutions of their own.
While the housing market in Hermiston
remains tight, the city has found success in
helping new housing spring up at a faster rate.
According to the building department, per-
mits were issued for 69 new homes and one
duplex in 2018. That was up from 60 permits
in 2017, 46 in 2016, 43 houses plus two 10
multi-family units in 2015 and 47 homes in
2014. Those numbers don’t include manufac-
tured homes, 66 of which were built in the
past four years.
City planner Clint Spencer said the new
stick-built homes are going up “almost
entirely in subdivisions.” Those subdivisions
can be found off Townsend Road, Gettman
Road, First Street, Theater Lane and Punkin
Center.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
See BTW, Page A14
See HOMES, Page A14
Roofers work on a home under construction in the Desert Sky Estates on Tuesday in southwest
Hermiston.
Off erings at Hermiston airport soar to new heights
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
8
08805 93294
2
In the months since Gorge Avi-
ation Services took over manage-
ment of the Hermiston Municipal
Airport, the airport has expanded its
services.
Flying lessons, on-site mechan-
ics, internships, student fi eld trips
and other perks have been draw-
ing more people to the airport and
could be fostering some future avi-
ation careers.
Previously, Hermiston’s plane
owners were taking their machines
outside of Hermiston for repairs and
required annual inspections. Now
they can get those services right at
Hermiston’s airport.
Rolf Anderson Leirvik, airport
manager, said not only are local
pilots getting their airplanes fi xed
and inspected in Hermiston, but
there are people fl ying in from cit-
ies in other parts of Oregon and
southern Washington to have their
planes seen by Ron Berg, the full-
time mechanic and Leirvik’s part-
ner in Gorge Aviation Services.
“Ron Berg has a great reputation
and following, and people bring
their planes to him because they
like him so much,” Leirvik said.
He said the aviation industry has
a shortage of mechanics, pilots, air
traffi c controllers, engineers, tech-
nicians, airport planners and other
related careers, so Hermiston is
lucky to have local mechanics.
“There is a tremendous need for
those kinds of workers,” he said.
See AIRPORT, Page A14
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Gorge Aviation maintenance manager Ron Berg uses a mechanical sled to
move a Cessna 310 at the maintenance hangar Tuesday at the Hermiston
Municipal Airport.