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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2019)
YOUR GUIDE TO THE UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR, INSIDE HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2019 $1.00 INSIDE LAWSUIT Umatilla Electric Cooperative and its CEO Robert Echenrode are among the defendants in a $7.2 million lawsuit. PAGE A3 East Orego nian/Herm iston Herald Umatilla Co unty Fair 201 9 | B 3 ON 3 Hermiston hosts more than 145 teams in the annual Takin’ it to the Streets 3 on 3 basketball tournament downtown. PAGE A8, A13 ROAD DIET ODOT is receiving mixed reviewed about a proposal to take Highway 395 from fi ve lanes to three through Stanfi eld. PAGE A9 Staff photo by Jade McDowell BY THE WAY New town homes being built in the Cimarron Terrace subdivision in Hermiston are one of several new housing options being added to the area. National Night Out coming up Each year, the Herm- iston Police Depart- ment celebrates National Night Out, which encour- ages people to get to know their neighbors as a way to build safer communities. Leading up to the fes- tivities, they hold a trea- sure hunt. HPD will host a block party in the person’s neighborhood who fi nds the golden medallion on National Night Out, which is Tuesday, Aug. 6. See next week’s Herm- iston Herald for a story about National Night Out. Also, beginning Tuesday, July 30, daily clues of the medallion’s whereabouts will be published in the East Oregonian. In addi- tion, a bonus clue will be printed in the July 31 Her- ald. Happy hunting! • • • The Hermiston Her- ald’s parent company EO Media Group has sub- mitted a bid for the Bend Bulletin and Redmond Spokesman, supported by fi nancial backers in the Bend area. At $2.5 million, the company is the high bidder out of three bids placed on the Central Oregon papers. The other two are Adams See BTW, Page A2 By JESSICA POLLARD AND JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITERS T he announcements of new hous- ing projects in the greater Herm- iston area just keep coming. Housing and jobs work hand in hand — new jobs added to Herm- iston, Stanfi eld and Umatilla bring more people to the area, increasing demand for housing, while the new housing increases the labor pool in the area and attracts new jobs. Developer Don Howell is planning a major 350-acre development off of High- way 207 and Feedville Road in Hermis- ton, called The Hayfi elds. He said new jobs with companies like Amazon and Lamb Weston are bringing more “wage energy” to the area, making developers feel more comfortable about building. “It’s encouraging other develop- ments,” he said. “I think things are pick- ing up.” Howell announced the Hayfi elds in early 2018, hoping to break ground later that year. He confi rmed this week that he is still pressing ahead with the proj- ect, but had to go back and commission a redesign after hitting some “cost issues.” The fi rst phase of homes are get- ting moved closer to Feedville Road, for example, to save on the expense of extending pavement and utilities as far into the property right off the bat. The density will also increase from Howell’s Staff photo by Jade McDowell A sign in Hermiston advertises one of the many areas where new homes are being added. initial vision of large open spaces and homes with extra acreage. Additional housing projects that developers hope to launch in Hermiston include a 39-home subdivision off West Elm Avenue and a 53-lot subdivision off of West Theater Lane. Other projects are farther along — a 43-unit apartment complex on Sixth Street is already under construction, and on Monday the city council approved the fi nal plat for the eighth and ninth phase of the Highland Summit subdivision, which includes another 40 lots. The Cimmaron Terrace See NEW HOMES, Page A14 Hermiston Athletic Club will rise from the ashes By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Staff photo by Ben Lonergan 8 08805 93294 2 Hermiston Athletic Club will soon fi ll the site of the former Columbia Court Club at 80903 N Highway 395 in Hermiston. Three years after a fi re gutted the Columbia Court Club, a new ath- letic facility is taking shape there. The Hermiston Athletic Club will open this fall at 80903 N. High- way 395 after an extensive remodel that is completely changing the look and layout of the building. “Anyone who has been in here before is not going to recognize it,” HAC manager Rodger Adams said. There is still a lot of work to be done — the front wall of the build- ing is currently missing and the roof is slated to be torn off next — but Adams said they’re shooting for an opening date at the end of Sep- tember. The basketball court at the back of the building is already open and being used for youth basketball clinics. Adams said the Hermiston Ath- letic Club will have standard gym equipment, such as free weights and treadmills, plus hydromas- sage, a shooting machine and other offerings. The new layout will include space for racketball, an indoor track, basketball and volley- ball courts and a dedicated area for youth sports training. The building will also feature more parking than the old club, with a more open and accessible fl oor plan. They will offer activities rang- ing from a “full lineup” of fi t- ness classes to nutrition counsel- ing to adult basketball leagues. Adams said they’re working to See ATHLETIC, Page A14
