LOCAL
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
herMIsTOnheraLd.cOM • A3
Lifeguard recruitment season begins
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
T
here’s still snow on the
ground at the Hermiston
Family Aquatic Center, but
the search for lifeguards is warm-
ing up.
Pool manager Kasia Robbins
said lifeguards get 40 to 45 hours
of training, so recruitment starts in
the spring to fill positions.
“It’s not an easy training,” she
said.
The parks and recreation
department will be holding swim
tests for applicants at the Board-
man Recreation Center March
15-16. The test includes a 300-
yard swim, 2-minute water tread-
ing session and a timed swim to
retrieve a 10-pound brick from
7-10 feet of water. Those who pass
can participate in a free lifeguard
certification course in April and
May.
Katie Bradshaw, a junior who is
planning to come back for a sec-
ond season of lifeguarding this
summer, said the distance swim
was the part most people struggled
with during last year’s swim test.
“I think in my group there were
12 to 15 girls, and I know some of
them didn’t pass,” she said.
Bradshaw enjoyed the job
and plans to return, but said it’s
important for applicants to know
that, “even though it’s a fun job,
make sure you take it seriously.”
Making sure lifeguards and
swim instructors at the aquatic
center are good swimmers is cru-
cial, as a life could be on the line.
It’s something lifeguards like Kora
Tratteen are acutely aware of.
“It’s always my fear of not get-
ting something right, because it
could be someone’s life,” she said.
“But the training helped.”
hh file photo
Hayley Mele-Seibel, 15, watches over the multi-use pool during swim lessons in 2018 at the Hermiston Family
Aquatic Center.
Tratteen also plans to return
this year. She said she applied last
year because she needed a summer
job and as a member of the Herm-
iston High School swim team, it
seemed like “a natural fit.”
“The tan was definitely a
bonus,” she said.
Robbins said despite a tan being
a perk of the job, they do ask their
lifeguards to protect themselves
with sunscreen and make them
“very aware” of the risks of sun
and dehydration.
“If they have a longer shift they
work a split shift to get them out of
the sun, and keep them hydrated,”
she said.
Madi Wilson, another returning
lifeguard, said that she loves the
sense of community and friend-
ship among staff. Coming to work
didn’t even really feel like a job,
she said, because she had so much
fun.
“I get to be outside all day, I
get to be in the sun, and I get to
help people and make sure they’re
safe,” she said.
Lifeguards’ training doesn’t
end after taking classes on CPR,
rescue techniques and other life-
saving skills. They participate
in “shadow shifts” where they
accompanied an experienced life-
guard. During the season there are
also “live audits” where supervi-
sors get a customer at the pool to
pretend they are drowning, while
the supervisor watches the life-
guard respond, and then gives
them feedback.
Brandon Artz, recreation super-
visor, said the aquatic center
hires lifeguards of all ages, from
15-year-olds at their first job to
teachers looking for something to
do on their summer break. They
are also hiring a concessions crew,
front desk cashiers and facility
maintenance positions.
Jessica Campbell is one of the
teachers who spends her summer
at the aquatic center, working as
a lead supervisor. She said she
applied three years ago, and has
enjoyed it so much she will proba-
bly continue to return for years to
come.
“Truly, the summers there have
been wonderful,” she said. “It’s
like a little summer family.”
She said many people have
a misperception they need to be
on the swim team at their school
to apply, but there are plenty of
employees at the pool who aren’t.
She also said that one thing that
holds teens back is worrying that
a summer job might make them
miss out on a family vacation or
sports camp.
“They’re nervous to apply
because they don’t want to miss
out on those things, but (pool man-
agers) are very accommodating,”
she said.
Campbell said there are down-
sides to the job — it can be a long,
hot shift out there some days —
but it can be incredibly rewarding,
particularly when she sees a life-
guard go through the emotions of
having just saved a life.
“You hope you don’t ever have
to get in to save somebody, but
you do,” she said.
Registration is now open for
lifeguards at the Hermiston Fam-
ily Aquatic Center. Registra-
tion for the swim tests can be
completed online at https://bit.
ly/2H9xMkq. Times are March 15
from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and March 16
from 9-10:30 a.m.
Council clears way for new chamber of commerce building
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The Hermiston city
council on Monday cleared
hurdles for a new chamber
of commerce building, new
school and new water tower.
The Greater Hermis-
ton Area Chamber of Com-
merce plans to use the $1
million it got from the state
legislature in 2018 to build a
new set of offices and work-
force development center on
the southeast corner of East
Evelyn Avenue and South
Highway 395, across the
highway from New Hope
Community Church.
On Monday the city
council voted to approve
the chamber’s request that
the 2.4 acre property be
re-zoned from multi-family
residential to outlying com-
mercial to allow the project
to go forward.
George Anderson, attor-
ney for the chamber,
described the property as
“truly a superb location” for
the new building.
“The chamber of course
needs a new home and has
$1 million to find a home
and build a home,” he said.
“It’s just wonderful.”
Paul Keeler, the cham-
ber board’s president, said
they hoped to get started on
staff photo by Jade Mcdowell
The Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce has a deal
to buy the land on the corner of South Highway 395 and East
Evelyn Avenue to build a workforce development center.
the building “maybe in the
next three to four months”
if the zoning was approved.
The plan is for it to fea-
ture offices and a confer-
ence room for the cham-
ber and a space where up
to 120 people could partic-
ipate in workforce training
activities.
Board member and list-
ing agent for the property
Tim Mabry said he had tried
to reach out to developers
over the last year and a half
but had been told univer-
sally that the 2.4 acre prop-
erty was too small for an
apartment complex to pen-
cil out.
City planner Clint Spen-
cer told the council he had
heard similar things. He
also noted that the property
was already served with
the utilities that would be
needed for the project and
that the surrounding roads
would be equipped to han-
dle the resulting traffic. The
entrance to the property
would be off Evelyn Ave-
nue, not Highway 395.
City
councilors
—
including Jackie Myers,
Roy Barron and Rod Hardin
(who chimed in by phone
from Washington, D.C.
while at the national League
of Oregon Cities confer-
ence) — voted unanimously
to support the change.
“Congratulations to the
chamber,” Mayor David
Drotzmann said. “We look
forward to seeing a nice
facility there, and workforce
development.”
On Monday the council
also approved a change to
the comprehensive plan and
annexation of about 71 acres
of property owned by Herm-
iston School District and the
Hermiston Irrigation Dis-
trict. After a land swap, the
school district now owns 19
acres at the corner of North-
east 10th Street and East
Theater Lane and the irriga-
tion district owns another 51
acres behind it.
The school district plans
to build a new elemen-
tary school on the prop-
erty, as soon as it can get a
bond passed to pay for one.
Anderson, who also serves
as the HSD attorney, said
the district swapped parcels
with the irrigation district
so that it could better route
traffic by having access off
of two streets instead of one.
The council unanimously
approved the joint request
to annex both properties
into the city, and to change
them on the comprehensive
plan from future residential
to an urban status, clearing
the way for a future school.
The council’s third unan-
imous vote for the night was
to award a $3.3 million con-
tract to Premier Excavation
of Pasco for a water project
that will include two miles
of new pipes, an upgrade to
the Alora Heights booster
station and a new 1-mil-
lion gallon water tower on
the corner of East Punkin
Center and Northeast 10th
Street.
The city has taken out
a loan for the project that
will be repaid using the $1
million-per-year payments
Previously Known as:
Backyard By Design
Same Owners & Products,
Just a New Name!
Enhancing the Art of Outdoor Living
wn
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
facebook.com/scishows
• No annual maximum, no deductible
• See any dentist you want – including your own
• Over 50? Coverage as low as $1 per day
Call now to get this FREE Information Kit
1-844-239-9335
dental50plus.com/25
*Individual Plan. Coverage not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/ certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation.
This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY;
OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN)
AW19-1034
6197
Free Es�mates!
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM!
102 E Wolumbia Dr. Kennewick 99336
www.nwshadeco.com
Check
wildhorseresort.com
for showtimes
that helps pay for over 350 procedures – cleanings, fillings, crowns, even dentures.
541-720-0772 or
509-308-1354
(Call for hours of operation)
5 Theater Cineplex
This is real dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
in lieu of taxes from Lamb
Weston for its major expan-
sion project outside Herm-
iston. The city and Uma-
tilla County will each get
$500,000 per year for the
next 15 years, and Umatilla
County is giving its first $2
million in payments to the
water project.
Assistant city manager
Mark Morgan said the proj-
ect has several major eco-
nomic benefits.
In the event of a major
power outage, Morgan said,
the city currently only has
about 18 hours worth of
water stored at a time. The
new water tank will increase
storage capacity.
Second, the project will
provide water (or adequate
water pressure) to about 290
“highly developable” acres
where the city expects to
see new housing develop-
ment as soon as the project
is complete.
PATIO WOVERS·PERGOLAS
PATIO & SUN SHADES
RETRAWTABLE AWNINGS
SWREEN ROOMS
SOLAR SWREENS & MORE!
License #188965
McKay Creek Estates
$5 Matinee Classics
Every Wednesday
FREE Cognitive
Screening
Credit & Debit Cards
accepted
Cineplex gift cards
available
541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
Is Mom a
little more
forgetful
lately?
There are many early warning signs of a
potential memory disorder, such as Alzheimer’s
disease. That’s why we’re offering a FREE
and CONFIDENTIAL cognitive screening. We
encourage anyone who is concerned about
cognitive decline to take this short, in-person
screening. The screening is administered by a
qualified health care professional.
To schedule your cognitive screening today, please call (541) 704-7146.
McKay Creek Estates
7607 Southgate Pl.
Pendleton, OR 97807
www.PrestigeCare.com