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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2019)
FROM A1 A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAy, JuNE 5, 2019 FRIENDLY PERS Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 gift shop. Besides helping out with reception work, greet- ing patients and other duties at the medical campus, members of the Good Shepherd Hospi- tal Auxiliary run the hospital’s gift shop and put together other fundraisers throughout the year, funneling the money back to the hospital for medical equipment and handing out scholarships to local residents studying to join the medical profession. The auxiliary was founded in 1956. On Thursday they presented the Good Shepherd Commu- nity Health Foundation with a check for $23,000 for equip- ment. They also awarded five $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing a degree in the health care field. A later event will be held to thank volunteers for the Care- Van program, which provides free transportation to medi- cal appointments. The hospital also benefits from the help of its junior volunteers, who were invited to Thursday’s luncheon but were mostly busy with school. Cindy Schaan, Good Shep- herd’s director of volunteer ser- vices, said all volunteers help not only the hospital, but the patients and their families. “They assist them, greet them, make them feel comfort- able,” she said. The biggest water-related project continuing into 2019-20 is construc- tion of the city’s new 1 million-gal- lon water tank on Punkin Center, which will boost the city’s storage capacity and open up hundreds of acres for development. On the street side, funds are being put toward an overlay of West Hermiston Avenue, East Theater Lane paving, and design work on the planned realignment of the confus- ing three-way intersection between Geer, Harper and Umatilla River roads. Staff photo by Jade McDowell Kelly Sanders, vice president of human resources for Good Shepherd Health Care System, hands out certificates of appreciation to hospital volunteers during a volunteer appreciation luncheon. Schaan said over her 18 years coordinating volunteers she has also gained an appreciation for how volunteer service affects those giving their time, as well. The experience enriches their lives and it is a good way to make friends. Teenage volun- teers in the junior program can also become more familiar with the medical field as they decide what they want to do after high school. During Thursday’s luncheon Nick Bejarano, marketing and communications director, said health care is a highly regu- lated industry that can some- times make everything look like another task to check off. The hospital has been focused in recent years on promoting com- passion and empathy within its walls, and the volunteers are part of that. CEO Dennis Burke told volunteers they were part of a strong tradition of volunteer- ism in the United States. In one study 25% of Americans said they volunteered regularly, rep- resenting $184 billion worth of labor per year. He said volunteers were often the busiest people who “don’t necessarily have the time, but they have the heart and they make the time.” “We would have a very diffi- cult time if we didn’t have you in various volunteer positions,” he said. 3-year-old remains in hospital following fatal crash BY HERMISTON HERALD Oregon State Police reported the child who sur- vived a deadly car crash Sun- day near Boardman remains in a Portland hospital. The crash occurred Sunday around 3:16 a.m. on Interstate 84 near milepost 175, accord- ing to state police. The prelim- inary investigation revealed Veronica Andrade, 39, of Boardman, was driving east in a silver 2003 Cadillac CTS when she veered off the road onto the right shoulder and rolled. Andrade and two children, one 3 and the other 7 months, were in the car. The crash ejected the 7-month-old, who suffered fatal injuries. Ambulances rushed Andrade and the 3-year-old child to Good Shepherd Med- ical Center, Hermiston. An air ambulance then flew the child to Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Portland. State police Monday morn- ing reported the child remains in the hospital and was stable. Good Shepherd staff treated and released Andrade, and Oregon State Police arrested and booked her in the Uma- tilla County Jail, Pendleton, for first-degree manslaugh- ter, first-degree assault, driving under the influence of intox- icants, reckless driving and reckless endangering. Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson said his office is reviewing the probable cause affidavit from state police and he anticipated bringing initial charges against Andrade at 3 p.m. Monday. He said he also would ask the court to set bail and set a preliminary hearing for next Monday, June 10. That would provide enough time to present evidence to a grand jury for recommendation of formal charges. Police department Changes to the Hermiston Police Department budget signal changes to how officers complete their work. The department is following a previous move by the rest of the city to lease vehicles from Enter- prise instead of purchasing them outright. Edmiston said part of that change will be to increase the num- ber of patrol cars — giving each patrol officer their own vehicle to park at home instead of coming to the police station and using a shared vehicle during their shift. The new take-home policy will mean fewer marked cars in the police station lot and more parked on streets around the city, where they might inspire people to slow down or think twice about causing trouble in that neighborhood. “There’s going to be enhanced visibility,” Edmiston said. He said the new approach will keep the department from needing to expand its parking lot. In the past the department has budgeted $94,000 a year to pur- chase two new vehicles and “upfit” them with the needed equipment. The lease on 10 additional vehicles will come in at $93,700 a year for now, and Edmiston said they will start saving substantially on that lease five years from now when the department builds up and then uses a reserve account to upfit vehicles instead of folding it into the cost of the lease. Maintenance costs are also included in the agreement with Enterprise. Capt. Travis Eynon said studies have shown that maintenance costs go down and cars are taken better care of when each patrol officer is assigned their own vehicle. “People tend to take a little more ownership with the take-home vehi- cles,” he said. The department is also switching to department-issued cellphones. Instead of sitting in their patrol car entering notes on an in-car com- puter, then returning to the station to hand over a sim card full of pho- tos for the records department to upload, officers will be able to input reports and upload photos directly from their phone on an app called iRIMS. When incidents happen late at night, administrators will be able to log onto the system from any- where to see reports, GPS locations of all on-duty personnel and other information. “We can see in real time what’s going on instead of having to come in,” Edmiston said. The app came at a one-time cost of $10,000 and the phones will cost the department about $2,000 a year, but will take away the need for $4,000 computers installed in each of the 10 new vehicles. “It’s quick and accurate, so we also expect to save some real dollars as far as staff time,” he said. Parks and recreation Hermiston’s most high-profile parks project in 2019-20 will be the rebuilding of Funland Park, which burned down last month. Parks and recreation director Larry Fetter said the park was not actually included in the budget the council will look at in two weeks due to timing. Instead, the city will vote on a supplemental budget later. “Unfortunately we don’t know what the cost will be to replace it, we don’t know what the insurance payment will be and we don’t know what the gap will be between fund- raising and what’s needed,” he said. The biggest parks project included in the budget is a skate park, which will be built on North First Street across from the police and fire stations in spring 2020 if the city secures a grant from the state that uses lottery dollars for public parks projects. The skate park will be Phase I of a “teen adventure park.” Phase II, planned for 2021, will add a parkour area, a BMX bike track, rock climb- ing and other features. The total cost of the two phases will run about $1.2 million, but grants are expected to cover about three-fourths of that cost. The city is also working on plans for a dog park at Butte Park, south of the splash pad. The full city budget, which will go before the city council on June 10, can be found online at hermis- ton.or.us/finance/budget. FINAL WEEK! & CLEARANCE CENTER HERMISTON STORE ONLY! 80481 N HIGHWAY 395 E R O T S E T E L P COM WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! MATTRESS SETS BEDROOM YOUTH BEDROOM LIVING ROOM SATURDAY SUNDAY FRIDAY 10 A.M. - 7 P.M. 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. 11 A.M. - 5 P.M. DINING ROOM ENTERTAIN MENT MONDAY 10 A.M. - 8 P.M. Hermiston Outlet Store & CLEARANCE CENTER 80481 N Highway 395 541.289.9090 WALKERSFURNITURE.COM WALKERSMATTRESS.COM