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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Second Umatilla County resident dies from COVID-19 HERMISTON HERALD Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Construction equipment clears ground at the site of MonteVista Homes’ Theater Park development on Monday morning. Hermiston Housing projects not derailed by pandemic, yet By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR COVID-19 has put a halt to many things, but housing development is still going strong. Steve Wilson, princi- pal broker for MonteVista Homes, said the company is still making good progress on its current developments in Hermiston. “We’ve got about 170 homes we anticipate build- ing in the near future, and we’re not slowing down,” he said. The company continues to add homes to its long- standing Highland Summit project, and is currently pav- ing the streets for the The- ater Park community, which will feature 53 new homes off West Theater Lane near Geer Road. They are also in the engineering phase for Legacy, a 100-lot develop- ment off Punkin Center and Northeast Sixth Street. Construction has been labeled an essential busi- ness in Oregon and allowed to continue during the pan- demic. Wilson said cus- tomers who had prepaid for MonteVista homes were “thrilled” that the company had been able to maintain its construction schedule and fi nish their houses on time. The company has had to make some adjustments, such as trading open houses for appointments with one family at a time, and sani- tizing everything between each tour. Wilson said while fewer people are touring homes, sales are still steady. “We’ve had very few lookers, and mostly peo- ple who just want to buy a house,” he said. It might seem surpris- ing that people are still mak- ing such a major purchase during a time of mass lay- offs and economic uncer- tainty. But Wilson said inter- est rates have dipped so low they have put home owner- ship into reach for people who had previously felt it was out of their budget. It has also made upgrad- ing to a larger, newer home more tempting. “People are being forced to spend a majority of their time at home with their fam- “HERMISTON IS A VERY STRONG MARKET RIGHT NOW, IT’S SEEING A LOT OF GROWTH IN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR” — Tanner Wideriksen, founder of VestCapital ily, and are recognizing that their current home doesn’t fi t their needs,” he said. Another planned develop- ment in Hermiston, Cimar- ron Terrace, is also moving ahead despite the pandemic. Tanner Wideriksen, founder of VestCapital, said the newest phase of the development has built 38 of the 99 lots so far. “COVID-19 has been an absolutely game-changer, and everyone has had to be innovative, but it has not pre- cluded us from development of all of our lots as planned,” he said. He doesn’t see the need VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.HermistonHerald.com CAPECO Is Here to Help CAPECO IS STILL WORKING TO HELP THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH THEIR ENERGY BILLS . We are working from our home offices to assist you. We can still process your energy application through the mail, email, fax and phone. CAPECO strives to deflect some of your energy costs for income eligible residents of Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties by delivering the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Oregon Energy Assistance Program (OEAP). Income eligible households may receive a one-time payment, which is paid to the utility vendor. Eligibility is based on the household total gross income for the last 30 days. For example, a household of four with income at or below $4,163.92 will qualify for assistance. for more housing in the greater Hermiston area going away any time soon, even with the pandemic. “Hermiston is a very strong market right now,” he said. “It’s seeing a lot of growth in the private and public sector.” Lloyd and Lois Piercy received approval from the Hermiston City Council in November for annexation and zoning changes needed for a planned 150-lot devel- opment on 36 acres at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Diagonal Road. They’re planning a multi-use, walking-friendly planned neighborhood with single family homes, a few commercial buildings and duplexes and triplexes built to be accessible to senior cit- izens and others with mobil- ity challenges. Lloyd Piercy said May 8 that they still plan to pro- ceed with the development, as long as things continue to work out with fi nancing, labor and other pieces. “These things are hid- eously expensive, and there are stumbling blocks along the way that can stop any development, but our intent is to go ahead,” he said. He said they are still plan- ning to pursue a housing project targeted more toward low income families in Stan- fi eld, too. Piercy agreed with other developers that there is still a need for more housing in the greater Hermiston area, and that need is unlikely to let up. He said no one knows for sure exactly how the pandemic and its economic impacts will continue to play out, however. “I don’t have all the answers,” he said. The LIHEAP/OEAP program is open to the general public. Anyone wishing to apply, please call 541-276-1926 or 1-800-752-1139 for Pendleton office, or 541-289-7755 or 1-800-214-4776 for the Hermiston office. You can also reach us on the CAPECO website www.capeco-works.org tory symptoms may not have COVID-19, but any- one who is sick is asked to stay home until they have been symptom-free for 72 hours in order to reduce the number of people they may infect. In numbers last updated on May 5, the county is reporting that most of the county’s confi rmed cases are in Hermiston and Umatilla. Offi cial symptoms of COVID-19 listed by the CDC include cough, short- ness of breath, fever, chills, shaking, loss of taste or smell, muscle pain, head- ache or sore throat. Doc- tors have reported patients showing other symptoms while infected, however, from nasal congestion to kidney failure. Some peo- ple do not show symp- toms at all or do not show symptoms until days after infection, but are still contagious. People experiencing life-threatening symptoms should call 911. Those experiencing nonemer- gency symptoms should consult with their physician by phone before appearing in person at a clinic or at the hospital. Good Shep- herd Health Care System is offering prescription deliv- ery to patients as needed. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com If you own a business & would like to help sponsor this page. Please contact Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531; jjewett@hermistonherald.com MEDICAL DIRECTORY DENTURES BLUE MOUNTAIN DENTURE CENTER FAMILY DENTISTRY Affordable Care in Eastern Oregon since 1991 A Better Way to Oral Health COMPREHENSIVE CARE MENTAL HEALTH LET US BE THE ONE THAT HELPS! • Adult, Child & Family Therapy • Psychiatric Evaluation & Treatment • Mental Health & Crisis Services • Confidential & Professional Care TROY STEWART Licensed Denturist UMATILLA, OR: 1300 6th St., Suite G BAKER CITY, OR: 2194 Court Ave. 541-519-4696 • 541-523-4752 URGENT CARE 995 Orchard Ave., Hermiston, OR RYAN M. WIESELER, D.D.S, PC www.desertdentalsmiles.com CRISIS PHONE: 866-343-4473 HERMISTON: 595 NW 11th St. • 541-567-2536 PENDLETON: 331 SE 2nd St. • 541-276-6207 WWW.LIFEWAYS.ORG PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY HERMISTON FAMILY MEDICINE & URGENT CARE Family Care • Minor Injuries Sports Physicals • Minor Surgeries We accept Medicare & some Advantage Medicare plans NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY The stimulus payments from the CARES Act, which can be up to $1,200 per person or $500 per child, are not counted as income. Umatilla County reported its second death of a confi rmed COVID-19 patient on May 10. According to a news release from Umatilla County Public Health, the patient was a 64-year-old man who tested positive on April 29 and died May 9 at Providence St. Mary Med- ical Center in Walla Walla, Washington. He had under- lying health conditions. The county’s fi rst COVID-19 death was a 76-year-old woman, who tested positive on April 14 and died April 30 at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Washington. Sunday’s announce- ment capped off a week of steeply increasing numbers for Umatilla County, but cases have since slowed. The health department only reported one new confi rmed case May 11, a patient who was in close contact with a previous case and is now recover- ing from home in self-iso- lation, and none on May 12, leaving Umatilla Coun- ty’s total confi rmed case- load at 84. The two deaths bring the county’s fatality rate for confi rmed cases to 2.4%. The county also reported one new presumptive case. In the early days of the pandemic, when test results in the United States were less reliable than they are now, a person who had tested positive through a state lab but hadn’t been confi rmed a second time by the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Preven- tion was considered a “pre- sumptive” case. While Oregon cases no longer need confi rmation from the CDC, the Oregon Health Authority and Uma- tilla County Public Health now defi ne presumptive cases as people who have been in close contact with a confi rmed case and are displaying symptoms but have not yet been con- fi rmed through testing. If their test comes back pos- itive, they are added to the number of confi rmed cases. According to the county, there are 26 cur- rently active cases of COVID-19 in Umatilla County, 56 recoveries and two hospitalizations. Umatilla County has now surpassed 1,000 tests, with 92% coming back negative. Other illnesses, such as strains of infl uenza, are still circulating, mean- ing a person with respira- 236 E. Newport, Hermiston (across from U.S. Bank) Call Today! 541-289-5433 1060 W. Elm, Suite #115, Hermiston (across from Good Shepherd Medical Center) www.apd4kidz.com Office hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am-7:00pm To advertise in the Medical Directory, please call Jeanne at 541-564-4531 or email jjewett@hermistonherald.com
