LOCAL
Wednesday, august 21, 2019
HeRMIstOnHeRaLd.COM • A3
Construction pushes businesses to come up with creative ways to lure customers
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
A
s irritating as road con-
struction can be for
drivers, it can be harder
on businesses.
Better roads and sidewalks
boost economic development in
the long run, but a current proj-
ect that has torn up two blocks
of Hermiston Avenue shows that
progress can come with a heavy
price in the short term.
“It’s really impacted business
because people avoid construc-
tion,” said Jackie Koppany of
Feelingstone Rock & Bead Shop,
gesturing out the front window at
heavy machinery and piles of bro-
ken asphalt. “I think people look
at this and say, ‘No thank you.’”
Koppany is one of several busi-
nesses with storefronts between
Southwest First and Southwest
Third streets on Hermiston Ave-
nue. The stretch of road, torn
up last week, is expected to stay
closed until the end of September
for a complete overhaul of street
and sidewalk. The city’s water
department also took advantage
of the project to get in and install
new water valves.
All of the businesses remain
open, and many have side or back
entrances for customers parking
in the back. But Koppany said it’s
hard for casual shoppers to figure
out how to get in, causing traf-
fic through her front door to be
“slower than crap.”
“I’m making another sandwich
sign,” she said. “I put a sign on
staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Road Construction is underway on Hermiston Avenue leaving businesses along the street without sidewalks or
parking along the two block stretch of Hermiston Avenue.
my truck saying we’re still open.
I’m doing everything I can to let
people know.”
Since U.S.A. Subs doesn’t
have a back or side entrance, peo-
ple must walk out onto a dirt path
along the side of the building.
On Monday around lunch time,
a couple of customers hovered at
the side, unsure of whether they
were allowed to step onto the con-
struction site. One family asked a
nearby worker how to get in.
George Gritz honored for
saving friend’s life
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
The morning of July 9
was shaping up to be like
any other for George Gritz
as he sipped his coffee at the
Pheasant Cafe downtown.
But things quickly turned
south when a friend of his,
Richard Vern, collapsed out-
side the restaurant.
“I didn’t wait,” Gritz
said.
Immediately, he and sev-
eral others ran to Vern, who
was suffering from cardiac
arrest. Gritz turned him onto
his back, and started admin-
istering chest compressions,
fearing the worst.
“It felt like forever, but
it was only a few minutes
before the fire department
came,” Gritz said. “Thank
God, it worked.”
The two know each other
from around town, and often
spend mornings chatting
over breakfast and coffee.
“He is pretty well known
around town. And a hell of a
nice guy,” Gritz said.
Vern stood healthy and
tall as he joked with Gritz
about their differing politi-
cal views before a room full
of people Wednesday night,
when Umatilla County Fire
District 1 awarded Gritz a
plaque for his actions.
“Nationwide, the rate of
people coming back from
cardiac arrest is about 10
percent,” said UCFD1 Lt.
Josh Smith. “Less than half
of the time, someone steps
in to do something.”
Smith was one of the first
responders on the scene the
morning of the incident.
“We want people to act
with CPR,” he said.
For Gritz, this wasn’t the
first, or even the second time
that his CPR training helped
save a life.
He received his certifica-
tion back in the 1980s, when
he was working construc-
tion in Hermiston. Just a
few weeks after finishing his
class, a man collapsed at a
restaurant in Pendleton and
Gritz came to the rescue.
“That restaurant was
packed,” he said.
But he was the only one to
step up and offer assistance.
Years later, it happened
again at a restaurant in Port-
land. And last year, when his
late wife collapsed, Gritz
administered CPR until first
responders came.
“You can’t be afraid
to step up. If you don’t,
nobody’s willing to. Every
time I’ve been in this posi-
tion, it’s surprised me,” he
said. “You don’t want to
panic. What are you going
to do wrong?”
BECOMING
CPR CERTIFIED
the american Heart as-
sociation estimates that
70% of americans feel in-
capable of acting during
a cardiac emergency
because they are not
trained in CPR, or their
training is out of date.
Bystander CPR, according
to the organization, can
so much as triple the
chance that someone ex-
periencing cardiac arrest
survives.
Cindy Littlefield of U.S.A.
Subs said business has still been
steady, however.
“Most people think it’s worth
it,” she said.
The restaurant has started
allowing customers to call in
orders and have staff run it out to
their car in the back parking lot so
they don’t have to walk through
the dirt to pick it up.
The parking lot service has
been so popular that she said they
will probably continue it after the
road is put back together.
“Sometimes when you have to
think outside the box, it’s good,”
she said.
Littlefield had no complaints
about the city or contractors, who
she said had been great about
communicating every step of the
way. The old sidewalk outside the
building was a “wreck,” she said,
so it was worth the hassle to get a
new one.
Seventh-day Adventist Church to rebuild
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The Hermiston Sev-
enth-day Adventist Church
is ready to rebuild a year
after fire gutted their build-
ing on Highland Avenue.
The church plans to tear
down the old building and
build a slightly larger, more
modern-looking church on
the same lot. Demolition of
the old church will begin in
the next two to three weeks.
Construction on the new
building will take eight to
10 months.
“It’s going to be awe-
some,” contractor Mark
Black said. “I’m excited
about it.”
Black, manager of
Advantage
Construc-
tion Management in Walla
Walla, is an Adventist him-
self and was anxious to
help the church go through
a design-build process
that would help them save
money and get what they
wanted.
“This is a small project
for me, but it’s very import-
ant to me and to the mem-
bers,” he said.
The church burned down
in June 2018 due to a lamp
left on overnight near a
wooden table. Umatilla
County Fire District Fire
Marshal Scott Goff at the
time described is as a “long,
slow, smoldering fire that
staff photo by Jade Mcdowell
The Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church is preparing
to demolish their church building that burned in order to
construct a new building on the same site.
kind of cooked the whole
building.” While the build-
ing’s exterior looks mostly
whole, the interior is a mess
of charred wood, broken
glass and melted plastic that
could not be salvaged.
Sid Rittenbach, chair-
man of the church’s build-
ing advisory committee,
said the Adventists had
hoped to tear down the
burned building sooner, but
had to leave it up until they
were done negotiating with
the insurance company.
They will get money
for replacement costs for
the 1960s-era building, but
the settlement isn’t enough
to cover bringing the new
building up to modern codes
for fire prevention, accessi-
OREGON REPUBLICAN P
EPUBLICAN
DINNER
GON PARTY
REPUBLICAN
PARTY DINN
those interested in be-
coming CPR certified can
call uCFd1 at 541-567-
Pendleton
8822 to see about
joining
a class,
Last week, the city posted a
plea to Facebook, asking people
to make an effort to visit busi-
nesses reporting lower customer
counts during construction.
“These are your friends and
neighbors who sponsor your Lit-
tle League teams and put up your
fundraising flyers in their win-
dows, among the many other
great things they do for our com-
munity,” the post said. “There is
lots of parking available behind
most of the businesses and on
side-streets, so please take the few
extra steps to drop in and thank
them for what they do for our
community by shopping in their
stores, because they ARE OPEN.”
Holly Keller, cutting hair at the
Styling Arena Monday morning,
said they were still seeing cus-
tomers make appointments and
use their side entrance off South-
west Second Street.
“People still need their hair
done,” she said.
Kaylee Field, a sales associate
for Walker’s Furniture, said that
the company’s buildings on either
side of the street are still open,
and fortunately most customers
are figuring out how to go down
back streets and park.
Corporate is allowing the
Hermiston location to offer addi-
tional sales not available at any
other Walker’s locations right
now in order to help customers
overcome their desire to avoid
construction.
“That’s keeping our business
pretty busy,” she said. “Hopefully
we get through it.”
Convention
Saturday, Pendleton
August 24 7pm
Pendleton
Convention
Center Convention Center
bility and energy efficiency.
Rittenbach said the con-
gregation also plans to add
on some extra space, includ-
ing a fellowship hall with a
kitchen that could be used
for cooking classes and
other health-focused events.
There will be classrooms,
the large sanctuary, a small
chapel for weddings, space
outside to resume the annual
Journey to Bethlehem pag-
Center
2019
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eant and a wide entrance
to the grounds located in a
safer place than the current
Highland Avenue driveway.
“There will be lots of
windows to let in natural
light,” he said.
A large pine tree must
be removed to accommo-
date the construction, and
the church hopes to time
removal so that it can be
used as this year’s city
Christmas tree on the festi-
val street downtown.
Their goal is to raise
about $700,000 from church
members and community
donations toward the total
project cost of more than $4
million. People can donate
by going to www.hermis-
tonadventist.org, clicking
on “Online Giving” and
labeling their donation for
the “local building fund.”
“Adventists are faith-
ful tithe-payers and very
benevolent, but this is still
a crushing burden for the
organization, so it’s great
when the community rec-
ognizes that and steps in,”
Black said.
AUGUST 24TH, 2019
a 5K fun run/walk for humans and
their four legged friends!
Humans without dogs are welcome
to attend as well.
Registration begins at 9:00am
the fun run/walk begins at 10:00!
Registration fee $25,
includes event T-Shirt and water bottle,
if registered by August 14th!
Kids 12 and under are free - no registration required
(but will not receive event T-Shirt/Water bottle)
Dinner - $50/person
VIP—$250/person
reception VIP—$250/person
begins VIP—$250/person
at 5:30 and includes pre-dinner
Dinner Dinner
- $50/person
- VIP
$50/person
Dinner - $50/person Dinner
VIP—$250/person
VIP - reception
VIP reception
begins at begins
5:30 and
at 5:30
includes
and includes
pre-dinner
pre-dinner
Proceeds benefi t St. Anthony Hospital
$50/person
VIP—$250/person
Dinner
- $50/person
VIP—$250/person
the Vice President
for Taiwan’s
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VIP reception begins at 5:30
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with
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and dinner.
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5:30
includes
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at at
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includes
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Foundation and Pendleton PAWS Animal Shelter.
Dinner
- $50/person
VIP—$250/person
VIP
reception
begins
at 5:30
5:30 at
and
includes
pre-dinner
Questions?
Contact
Tracy
Honl
tracy.honl@oregon.gop
reception,
pictures
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and
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Questions?
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Contact
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at tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Honl at tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Questions? Contact Tracy Honl at tracy.honl@oregon.gop
or email EmilySmith@chiwest.com
or stanthonymuttstrut.itsyourrace.com
Questions?
Contact
Tracy Honl at tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Questions?
Contact
Tracy Honl
Honl
at
tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Questions?
Contact Tracy
Tracy
at at
tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Questions?
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Honl
tracy.honl@oregon.gop
Questions? Contact Tracy Honl at tracy.honl@oregon.gop
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