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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2020)
NEWS A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM Walmart City Hall Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 video presentations and dis- cussion boards. Palmer said her cohort of online classmates were from multiple states and represented a diverse array of Walmart positions, from trucking to cashiers to working at corporate head- quarters. She said the net- work she built has given her access to different perspec- tives, allowing her to bounce ideas off of associates in other locations and jobs. “I now have friends from all across the country that I’ve worked on projects with,” she said. Charles Crowson, a spokesman for Walmart, said right now there are more than 12,000 associates taking advantage of Live Better U. After associates fi nish their degree or certi- fi cation, there are no strings attached — some are putting their knowledge to use in furthering their career with the company, while oth- ers are using it to get a job elsewhere. “If people pursue (some- thing else), there is no ill will,” Crowson said. He said many of Walmart’s future leaders will likely come from Live Better U. “It’s a wonderful oppor- tunity for our associates,” he said. “It’s really encour- aging for our company to see so many people become engaged in it.” Palmer feels the same way, and as a human resources manager, she said she is in a good position to spread the word to other employees about the benefi ts of pursuing a degree while they are in a position to do so for only $1 per day. So far, she said, there are a handful of other people in Hermiston who have signed on. “Any time we invest in ourselves and broaden our thinking, it makes us better,” she said. into a “maker’s space.” Smith emphasized Mon- day evening that by rely- ing on funding from enter- prise zone agreements with Lamb Weston, Amazon and a new potential benefi - ciary of the zone program, the project would not cause new or increased property taxes for residents. Hermiston shares enter- prise zone funding with the county, and Uma- tilla County Commis- sioner George Murdock offered comment during the meeting. He said while he was not advocating for or against a new city hall, he did believe zone funding shouldn’t be used for oper- ational expenses but rather long-lasting projects. “They should be used for some kind of capital improvement that could be used for the well-being of the area,” he said. “As a partner, we have great faith in the city of Herm- iston. Those particular funds we’ve pledged to the future of Hermiston.” Multiple people pro- vided public comment at the meeting. Some were concerned that the new building wasn’t in the public’s best interest, or expressed that the enter- prise zone funds should be put toward water and sewer infrastructure. Former Umatilla County commissioner Dennis Doherty said that after liv- ing 40 “good years” in Hermiston, he was in favor of a new structure. “It doesn’t scare me we’re stepping up to fi nance something. This is not unlike how the county funded the Stafford Hansell government building,” he said. “It isn’t a bad thing to have a nice facility.” Smith said an unnamed governmental agency inter- ested in renting part of the WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Hermiston city manager Byron Smith talks to visitors during a tour of the fi re damaged Hermiston City Hall Monday night. Smith used the opportunity to highlight accessibility concerns with the building as well as issues caused by the fi re. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Members of the public and city offi cials tour the now empty Hermiston City Hall ahead of Monday night’s City Council meeting to vote on the construction of a new City Hall. new space would reduce the amount of money the city must pour into the library remodel and the construc- tion of the new city hall building by renting some of the space. Six of the eight coun- cilors were in attendance Monday. Councilor John Kirwan, who motioned to approve building a new city hall, stipulated that the project should not exceed $9 million dollars and that the new enterprise zone agreement and the possible tenant be confi rmed before moving forward. Prior to the city coun- cil meeting Monday, Smith initiated a public walk-through tour of the smoke-damaged city hall building. Conversations around accessibility within and around the building also sat center stage. “I brought a wheelchair if anyone wants to try mak- ing those corners,” he said. People were invited to try the stair lift up the small staircase to the city council chambers. City councilor Roy Barron commented he could only make it halfway up the short staircase to the chambers. The handful of Herm- iston residents in atten- dance were able to catch a glimpse of the now charred and twisted furnace system that fatefully overheated in December, causing smoke damage in the main part of the building. Footprints were left in the soot covered carpet and ash lightly dusted some abandoned desks. In the council chambers, bits of ceiling tile lay crumbled on the fl oor. Smith said that after the fi re, asbestos was dis- covered in that part of the ceiling and it had to be removed. A portion of each sale in February will benefit Altrusa ’ s KARE Project which provides shelter, clothing, personal hygiene, and other items to homeless students in Pendleton.
