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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2019)
OFF PAGE ONE A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 Trails He noted most of the project would take place on public lands. “There have been some private landowners who have come up to us and expressed an interest in using their land,” he said. Kelly Nobles of Umatilla has offered for the county to develop some of his family’s property for the Umatilla to Hermiston portion of the trail. A route plan involving his land would use a bridge to cross the Umatilla River and eventually connect with Hermiston’s Oxbow Trail system. At the meetings last week, people were also invited to suggest what kind of trail material should line the paths— pavement, gravel, a dual surface or a ‘natural’ unpaved surface— as well as what sort of inter- pretive opportunities might line the trails. Some peo- ple suggested the trail pro- vide information about local history. Waldher said that the county has also been in con- versation with the Confeder- ated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees about the project. “The Native Americans have had trails throughout our region for thousands of years,” he said. “The (con- federated tribes) will prob- ably play a role when it comes to permitting if they have environmental con- cerns. When we get into that phase, a consultation will need to occur with them,” he said. Waldher, Elfering and Stephanie Stroud— a National Park Service tech- nical expert from Seattle, who is helping initiate the project— all emphasized the same idea at Thursday’s meeting in Hermiston: it shouldn’t cost residents a dime. “What we don’t want to do is raise taxes,” Stroud said. For the planners, this means coming up with dif- ferent ways to secure grant funding and support. Accen- tuating the health benefi ts of a recreational trail, for instance, or providing inter- pretive information along it about wildlife and key polli- nators, could attract funding. Waldher noted that main- tenance costs could be curbed with the help of area volunteers and other types of grant funding. He said that at some of the open house workshops, people expressed concerns about transient people coming through the trail areas or about people leaving behind trash. “Our hope would be that by opening these areas up, people would take pride and ownership and not be tres- passing,” he said. “I think some of the folks in the smaller towns see this as an opportunity to increase busi- ness and tourism.” He said that using the input from the four meet- ings, the county will put together a concept plan by late winter in 2020 or early spring. The county also cur- rently has an online sur- vey available to residents at https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/NZFF7RM. “My hope is that we use the concept plan to be able to acquire those funds. If we don’t access them, other people will,” Waldher said. Tamra Mabbott, commu- nity development director at the City of Umatilla, noted number of Hispanic com- munity members reached out and encouraged him to run. He said he sees the His- panic and youth communi- ties increasingly tuning into national politics and that is fi ltering down to the local level. “They’re beginning to see how their vote can make a difference,” Lopez said. Maier is the fi rst woman to enter the contest, and fi led Thursday. She is the owner and operator of the limited lia- bility company 1-A Con- struction & Fire. According to her fi ling, she has a back- ground that includes work- ing as an administrator for Northwest Pipeline, former director of United Way of Umatilla and Morrow Coun- ties and working in Butler County, Kansas, as an assis- tant to the superintendent of schools. Elfering, also of Herm- iston, said he anticipates the fi eld of candidates will grow by the fi ling dead- line of March 10, 2020. He also said he has no plans to endorse any candidates for the time being. Rather, he said, he and the public should have the opportunity to hear from all the candi- dates about what they want to do as commissioner. Umatilla County com- missioners make $94,448 a year plus benefi ts. The job is full time. County coun- sel Doug Olsen said noth- ing in the county charter prohibits commissioners from serving on outside public boards and commit- tees. State law, however, he said, prohibits elected offi - cials from serving in more than one lucrative offi ce at a time. Olsen said volunteer positions on school boards, advisory committees and the like probably would not qualify as lucrative. The charter, however, prohibits county employees from also serving as com- missioners. Commissioner John Shafter, for example, resigned his position with the sheriff’s offi ce before stepping onto the board. Commissioners also cannot serve on the Charter Review Committee. Olsen said that committee has to operate independent of the county board. Dorran and Gomol- ski have both served on that committee since 2018. The group recommended county commissioners should focus on policymak- ing and advocacy and hire a manager for handling the daily administrative duties of county government. The county commis- sioners in April consid- ered that recommendation Continued from Page A1 irrigation canals. Planners hope the trail system will attract tourists to the western Umatilla County area, increase river access and promote exercise. One option for the Uma- tilla to Hermiston portion of the trail system, for instance, would connect the down- town districts of the two cit- ies with a trail between the railroad tracks and Umatilla River Road. In another, the Hermiston to Stanfi eld trail would be routed south of downtown Hermiston, and later adja- cent to the south side of the Feed Canal where it would open up downtown Stan- fi eld. Others would utilize pre-existing trails like the ones at Hermiston’s River- front Park. Railroad right-of-ways are owned by Union Pacifi c and other areas like the Feed Canal are owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclama- tions. Umatilla County plan- ning director, Robert Wald- her, said that conversations are ongoing between both entities. “Cost may weigh on our decision when it comes to preferred route,” Waldher said at Thursday’s meeting. Race Continued from Page A1 Learning Center, Hermis- ton. He listed multiple past occupations on his candi- dacy paperwork, including pastor, fi refi ghter/EMT and executive assistant. But he said this is his fi rst foray into seeking public offi ce, and the county commissioner role would allow him to fulfi ll his desire to help the community. Lopez said his family has put down its roots in Herm- iston and has grown to love the community. He said he is a member of the Apostolic Church and claimed a large Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Jacob Foutz, an associate planner with the City of Umatilla, follows Kelly Nobles and City of Umatilla Development and Recreation Manager Esmeralda Horn on four-wheelers along a proposed section of trail on Noble’s property in Umatilla. that the city is working on its own city-wide trail proj- ect currently, some of which may eventually be utilized in the regional River Trail project. “Hermiston has a won- derful trail system already,” she said. “I would love for people to remember that different trails and parts of this project will be devel- oped over time as funding is available.” She noted that the city has plans to improve other recreational sites, like the marina, and possibly incor- porate a new vendor and events, which could be a draw for people traversing the regional trail system. “I think this could impact the city in a positive way,” she said. “It’s symbiotic.” In 2018, the county received a technical assis- tance grant from the National Park Service, administered by the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. The grant is fund- ing Stroud’s expertise for the project. The plan will have to be adopted by all four cities before the county can apply for funding needed to engi- neer the project. for the ballot. Elfering and Commissioner John Shafer voted it down, while Com- missioner George Murdock voted in favor. But the three commis- sioners approved the char- ter committee’s two other proposals for a vote of the people in November — one would simplify the elec- tions of commissioners and the other would update lan- guage and duties regarding the sheriff’s offi ce. Recent commissioner races have drawn as many as six candidates. The cut- off for running in the May primary is March 10, 2020, leaving plenty of time for the fi eld to grow. Good Shepherd Health Care System’s SECOND ANNUAL Community Meeting GET BIG SAVINGS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS. BRING US IN. Energy Trust of Oregon provides cash incentives to commercial businesses—making energy-saving upgrades to foodservice equipment, HVAC and water heating, boilers and insulation more affordable. + SAVE ENERGY. BRING US IN. Visit www.energytrust.org/BringUsIn or call 1.866.605.1676. Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. With special guest speaker, Marcus Engel, author of five best-selling books, honorary doctorate awardee from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame. Good Shepherd Health Care System cordially invites you to our 2nd Annual Community Meeting and Health Fair. Join us for an evening of fun, food, raffle prizes, and, most importantly, learn about the positive impact GSHCS is having on the communities we serve with President & CEO Dennis E. Burke. Flu Shots available from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Limited Supply, First-Come, First-Served Wednesday, October 30, 2019 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Hermiston High School Commons & Auditorium 600 S 1st St Hermiston, OR, 97838 RSVP 541.667.3509 Or register on Eventbrite at https://gshcsannualcommunity meeting.eventbrite.com
