NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
John Kirwan
Funding for Hermiston
City Hall hits speed bump resigns from
Hermiston
City Council
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
A new city hall for
Hermiston could take lon-
ger than originally planned,
after one of the city’s fund-
ing sources was impacted
by COVID-19.
After a heating system
fi re and smoke damaged
Hermiston City Hall in
December, the city council
agreed in February to pur-
sue a $9 million project to
build a new city hall on the
same site and remodel the
basement of the Hermiston
Public Library.
The council added a
caveat that they would only
go through with the project
if funding was available,
however, including money
the city expected to have
from a “major” but yet-un-
named enterprise zone
project being planned for
Hermiston.
On Monday, City Man-
ager Byron Smith told the
city council that the com-
pany involved had put all
new capital projects on
hold for the time being, in
light of COVID-19.
“At this point, the
COVID impact on that
company has been too
severe, so they’ve put all
investment on hold,” he
said. “But the other com-
pany, Amazon, looks to
be moving more quickly
on their projects, so we’re
hopeful that will move
forward.”
He also said the gov-
ernment agency wishing to
pay to lease part of the new
city hall was still inter-
ested, and staff are still
working on other sources
of funding.
The
announcement
came at the end of a 2-1/2
hour city council meeting
and hourlong work session.
During the lengthy
meeting, the council also
voted to initiate proceed-
ings to vacate a 526-foot
undeveloped portion of
East Ridgeway Avenue
between Northeast Eighth
Street and East Diagonal
Boulevard.
The action came at the
request of Santiago Com-
munities, the develop-
ers for a 199-space manu-
factured home park there
that the city’s planning
commission approved in
December.
The vacation would
give them extra space to
provide required setbacks
for homes.
City Planner Clint Spen-
cer said the property is cur-
rently “just a goat trail”
Seven-year veteran of
the council is moving
away from Hermiston
HH fi le photo
Members of the public and city offi cials tour the damaged Hermiston City Hall in February. One
of the funding sources that was planned to pay for a new city hall on the site has been put on
hold.
“AT THIS POINT, THE COVID IMPACT ON THAT
COMPANY HAS BEEN TOO SEVERE, SO THEY’VE
PUT ALL INVESTMENT ON HOLD. BUT THE
OTHER COMPANY, AMAZON, LOOKS TO BE
MOVING MORE QUICKLY ON THEIR PROJECTS,
SO WE’RE HOPEFUL THAT WILL MOVE
FORWARD.”
Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith
and the city had no plans
to ever develop it into a
road after traffi c engineers
determined it would not
intersect with Diagonal
Boulevard at a safe angle.
On Monday, Smith noti-
fi ed the council that the
city had acquired a 0.8 acre
parcel of land at the inter-
section of Geer and Harper
roads, where the city plans
to create a realignment
of where the two roads
intersect with Umatilla
River Road and the rail-
road tracks. The council
had previously authorized
staff to acquire the land,
using eminent domain if
necessary.
Instead, the owner,
listed as Tommy Huxoll
on tax records, agreed to
sell the land for $95,000.
Smith said the land was
appraised at $65,000 but
the city could easily have
spent $30,000 in legal fees
going the eminent domain
route.
Assistant City Manager
Mark Morgan said it will
take longer than expected
to gather state gas tax rev-
enue to pay for the project,
because “no one is driving
right now.”
Other actions on Mon-
day night included:
• The council passed
a $1.3 million supple-
mental budget to adjust
for unexpected revenue
and expenses through-
out the 2019-20 fi s-
cal year before the year
ends.
• The council approved
changes to the code of
ordinance, creating a
single appeals process
for code violation deci-
sions, instead of multi-
ple processes depending
on what section of the
code is violated.
• They also approved
a new chapter creating
an “administrative war-
rant” that allows a code
enforcement offi cer to
request a non-criminal
warrant from a judge
that would allow them
to enter a property to
inspect a code violation.
• The council autho-
rized staff to apply for
money from the Federal
Aviation Administration
to complete design work
to rebuild the Hermis-
ton Municipal Airport’s
apron, and to pursue
the $69,000 available
to the city for airport
operations through the
CARES Act.
• The
council
approved a letter of
support for the League
of Oregon Cities to cre-
ate a People of Color
Caucus that would
“leverage
collective
strength to inform, edu-
cate, and empower peo-
ple of color to serve as
a resource to local gov-
ernment and state lead-
ers and community
organizations on issues
and polices affecting
people of color, and to
serve in positions of
leadership in local and
state government.”
hand in our campaigns.”
Kirwan and Drotzmann
ran against each other for
the mayor’s seat in the
2012 primaries before each
By JADE MCDOWELL
ended up in their current
NEWS EDITOR
roles.
“You were always a
Hermiston City Coun- thoughtful person who put
cilor John Kirwan tendered a lot of work and effort
his resignation at the end and education into your
of Monday night’s council research and comments,
meeting.
and that will be missed” he
Kirwan,
who
said before leading
works for Union
a standing ovation
for Kirwan.
Pacifi c
Rail-
Other council-
road, said he had
ors were also com-
accepted a pro-
plimentary of Kir-
motion within the
wan on Monday.
company and is
Doug Primmer
leaving Hermiston
Kirwan
said Kirwan’s was
to take it.
a voice he always
“Serving the city
has been one of the plea- valued, and Roy Barron
sures of my life and some- said he admired Kirwan’s
thing I will always cher- outspokenness.
“From the very get-go
ish for the remainder of my
life on this Earth,” he said. I’ve appreciated and
Kirwan has lived in respected your assertive-
Hermiston for 20 years, ness in being able to stand
and served on the city for what you believed
council for more than in no matter what, even
seven of them. He said he if the rest of the council
enjoyed being a part of the disagreed,” Barron said.
city’s growth during that “I’ve always known your
time period, and encour- heart’s been in the right
aged others “willing to spot.”
Kirwan’s position is one
step forward and make a
difference” to put up their of the four at-large council
name for consideration as seats up for reelection in
the city council appoints November. All candidates
someone to fi ll the at-large who fi le will run against
each other, with the top
council seat.
Mayor David Drotz- four vote-getters taking the
mann said he had enjoyed four seats. The council will
getting to know Kirwan be able to appoint someone
over the past eight years, to fi ll Kirwan’s seat in the
“however we ran before- interim.
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