COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Community looking for
ways to support former
railroad employees
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Lots off the unpaved portion of West Elm Avenue were annexed into the city of Hermiston for the purpose of building a new
39-home subdivision.
City council approves annexation of
land for planned subdivision
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The Hermiston City
Council approved annex-
ation of 9.35 acres of prop-
erty off Elm Avenue for a
planned subdivision on May
28.
The subdivision, at 1290
W. Elm Ave. across from
the Oxbow Trail entrance,
would have an estimated
39 single-family dwellings,
according to the annexation
application submitted to the
city.
Developer Dean Mal-
denado, of FDM Develop-
ment, told the city’s plan-
ning commission the homes
would likely sell at $275,000
to $350,000.
City planner Clint Spen-
cer told city councilors
that the planning commis-
sion hearing on the subject
had drawn some opposition
from neighbors concerned
about the fact that the prop-
erty is zoned R-4, allow-
ing for denser, multi-family
development. They voiced
concerns about traffi c and
crowding.
In response to the testi-
mony at that meeting, Spen-
cer said, Maldenado said he
had no interest in adding
multi-family dwellings to
the site. He offered to vol-
untarily enter into a bind-
ing development agreement
with the city to only develop
single-family homes on lots
of at least 8,000 square feet
— developing to an R-1
standard but saving the time
and expense it would take to
go through a rezoning pro-
cess to change the compre-
hensive plan.
Spencer said the devel-
opment agreement made the
planning commission com-
fortable with recommend-
ing that the city approve
the annexation. The devel-
opment will still have to go
through the platting process
and other approvals before
being built.
He said water and sewer
are available to be extended
to the development, and the
developer would be required
to pave the unpaved section
of West Elm Avenue and add
sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
He said the new traffi c sig-
nal at that intersection will
help “a lot” with traffi c fl ow.
Mayor David Drotzmann
asked about another letter of
opposition, sent by owners
of a nearby property for sale,
who stated there was already
“ample” property available
nearby for that use. Spencer
said the property in question
was zoned for commercial
use, not residential.
The property for the new
subdivision sits behind Life-
time Vision Source, owned
by the mayor. The mayor
only votes on city ordi-
nances in the event of a tie,
and last week’s vote was
unanimous.
The proposed subdivi-
sion off of Elm is one of sev-
eral housing projects pro-
posed or started in the city
recently. Last month the
council annexed land off
Theater Lane into the city
for a proposed 53-lot subdi-
vision, and construction has
started on a 43-unit apart-
ment complex on Southeast
Sixth Street.
“Hopefully this all comes
to fruition, because we need
it,” Drotzmann said.
On May 28 the council
also approved renewing the
city’s contract with Kayak
Public Transit, which runs
the city’s free public bus
system. The city started the
HART in January 2017.
Assistant city man-
ager Mark Morgan said the
agreement for 2019-21 is
the same as the HART’s fi rst
two years — the city pays
Kayak $125,000 a year to
run the entire operation.
He said ridership was at
about 5,000 rides in 2018,
but is on track to reach over
8,000 in 2019. The bus sys-
tem has expanded its hours
and now runs from 7 a.m. to
7 p.m. Monday through Fri-
day, making 10 loops per
day through the city.
Hermiston Herald welcomes new reporter
She said she already
appreciates the difference
between Hermiston traffi c
The Hermiston Her- and Portland traffi c.
ald has a new face in its
While at PSU Pollard
newsroom.
wrote for several school
Jessica Pollard started publications,
including
Monday as the paper’s new- acting as managing edi-
est reporter. She will
tor of the Pacifi c
cover education and
Sentinel, and com-
public safety on the
pleted an internship
west side of Uma-
for the Willamette
tilla County for
Week. She said she
both the Hermis-
has wanted to be a
ton Herald and East
reporter since the
Oregonian.
fi fth grade, based on
Pollard
Pollard recently
her love of talking to
fi nished up a bach-
people and writing.
elor’s degree in geography
“Now it’s much more
from Portland State Univer- about getting information
sity and said she is looking to people so they can make
forward to getting to know good decisions,” she said.
the rest of Oregon and expe-
In her spare time she
riencing life in a more rural enjoys writing poetry, hik-
area.
ing and biking. She hopes to
“I’m really excited for learn to play the guitar this
the change of pace,” she year, and said she is look-
said.
ing forward to exploring the
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Blue Mountains and high
desert scenery.
At the Herald, she looks
forward to getting to know
the school system and the
area’s law enforcement and
fi re districts.
“I’m really excited to
highlight the voices of stu-
dents and teachers, and do
some broader stories,” she
said.
Hermiston Herald edi-
Umatilla County Fair Board chair
pleads guilty to elk poaching
Gay Newman, chair of
the Umatilla County Fair
Board, pleaded guilty to
poaching an elk.
Oregon State Police
game troopers in Novem-
ber 2018 responded to a
complaint about hunters
trespassing and killing a
fi ve-point bull elk on pri-
vate property off Gurdane
Road, Morrow County.
Troopers found Newman,
of Hermiston, shot two elk
and validated his wife’s
second-season spike tag
for the fi ve-point. How-
ever, according to state
police, that tag was valid
for a different hunting
unit.
The Morrow County
Justice Court, Irrigon,
heard the case, according
to court records, and New-
man in May pleaded guilty
to taking a bull elk without
a tag. The court fi ned him
$1,005, gave him a year of
bench probation and pro-
hibited him from applying
for a hunting license for
three years.
The court also ordered
police to return Newman’s
hunting rifl e to him.
Make a
difference in a
foster child’s life.
HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY
KYNLEE!
You are loved, blessed and
destined to be incredible.
Celebrating all you are
today and every day.
Have a wonderful birthday.
Love, Grandpa & Grandma
Our Earn While You Learn Program
Is Available in June & July Only!
Pays $1.00 into an open Youth Savings Account for every
top grade that our 1st-12th grade students receive on
their end-of-the-year report cards. Up to $50.00 annually.
Learn all the details online or stop by your local branch.
www.communitybanknet.com
Member FDIC
tor Jade McDowell was
pleased to see Pollard jump
right into the deep end on
her fi rst day and start setting
up interviews for stories.
“Jessica is very moti-
vated and enthusiastic, and
I’m looking forward to the
fresh energy she will bring
to our newsroom,” she said.
Pollard can be reached
at jpollard@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4534.
The shock of last
week’s announcement that
Union Pacifi c Railroad
would be laying off nearly
200 employees in Herm-
iston may still be wearing
off, but area organizations
are looking at what they
can do to help those facing
unemployment.
Saturday, May 25, was
the fi nal day of work for
most employees at the
Hinkle Rail Yard.
Oregon laws require
large employers conduct-
ing a “mass layoff” of
50-plus employees or at
least 33 percent of their
workforce to post notice of
the event, triggering assis-
tance for the newly unem-
ployed workers. CAPECO
of Pendleton is Umatilla
County’s “rapid response”
agency in such situations.
The nonprofi t is hold-
ing an event on Tuesday
at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at
the Hermiston Commu-
nity Center, 415 S. High-
way 395, to provide fur-
loughed UP employees
with information about
what resources will be
available to them.
The Hermiston City
Council, Greater Hermis-
ton Area Chamber of Com-
merce, Oregon Employ-
ment Department and
CAPECO are also plan-
ning to partner on a job
fair on June 10. The job
fair will take place from
2-7 p.m. at the Hermiston
Community Center.
City manager Byron
Smith told city council-
ors during their May 28
meeting that the idea was
to have potential employ-
ers from the area on hand
to discuss job and training
opportunities with anyone
looking for a employment.
“We anticipate open-
ing it up to everyone, but
it will specifi cally target
(former UP employees),”
he said.
Councilors expressed
concern for the impact the
situation was having on
families.
Some of the area’s
larger employers who
struggle to stay fully
staffed have already been
taking advantage of the
surge in interest by adver-
tising openings at places
such as Two Rivers Cor-
rectional Institution. The
Port of Morrow created
a fl ier showing 62 differ-
ent job openings at port
businesses.
Not all jobs are created
equal when it comes to
pay and benefi ts, however.
A fl yer being passed
around Pendleton recently
raised eyebrows, as it
advertised a Union Pacifi c
event June 7 to “hear how
you can build a future with
Union Pacifi c Railroad.”
Tim McMahan, UP
spokesman, said the event
was for tribal members in
partnership with the Con-
federated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion, and is “an outreach
effort that discusses career
paths and best practices
for those seeking career
opportunities.”
Powell
Become a CASA
Info & Training Sessions
Starting June 10th, 2019
Call a local CASA Coordinator
for details!
Hermiston: (541) 667-6169
Pendleton: (541) 278-6292
Court Appointed Special Advocate
umchs.org/CASA