BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020
Contractors open new
business in Hermiston
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
Club 24 gyms hand over
management to stay open
HERMISTON HERALD
Cortes General Contractor LLC in Hermiston is
now open for business.
Louis Cortes Jr. said the business he and his
father Louis Cortes Sr. opened will focus on “roof-
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He said right now they are working on building
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for a free estimate or information about the com-
pany by emailing cortescontractor@icloud.com or
calling 541-314-5149.
Restaurants say $55
million not enough
to prevent closures
By JIM REDDEN
OREGON CAPITAL BUREAU
Restaurant and other
business
organizations
say the $55 million prom-
ised by Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown for pandemic relief
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not nearly enough to pre-
vent widespread closures
caused by her temporary
“freeze” to slow the spread
of COVID-19.
Brown’s
two-week
statewide freeze on indoor
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exercise and entertainment
activities — and social
gatherings of more than
six unrelated people —
took effect on Nov. 18. It
will last for four weeks in
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Brown said it could be
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The day before the
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RI¿FH DQQRXQFHG WKH IHG-
eral CARES Act funds
will be prioritized for busi-
nesses in the hospitality
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and other historically dis-
advantaged communities.
It will be distributed by
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each receive a base amount
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funds on a per capita basis
to distribute.
“Our iconic main street
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too much already in this
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and CEO of the Oregon
Restaurant and Lodging
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ously called for the Ore-
gon Legislature to create a
%75 million relief fund for
businesses.
“Our industry applauds
the decision by Gov.
Brown to create a $55 mil-
lion relief fund with an
emphasis on supporting
hospitality businesses. The
support represents a start-
ing point for much needed
federal action to assist
Oregon’s restaurants and
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said.
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president and CEO of Ore-
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opposed the freeze before
it was announced but said
OBI was happy to see the
fund set up.
“We remain very con-
cerned about the devas-
tating impact the closures
will have on small busi-
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she said. “Many may not
survive this latest blow.
While this fund won’t off-
set all of the inevitable
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many.”
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pendent Restaurant Alli-
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will not go a long way with
all the debt that’s already
been created by the crisis
and the shutdown that are
occurring.”
The alliance is push-
ing for a special session
of the Oregon Legislature
in December to provide
more relief and to legalize
the sale of cocktails to-go.
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of the House Tina Kotek
also called for a Decem-
ber special session of the
Legislature.
Connors also said
Brown’s ban on outdoor
dining is especially unfor-
tunate because many
restaurant and bar owners
recently have spent tens
of thousands of dollars on
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equipment to cope with
the wet weather. She noted
that Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee allowed outdoor
dining to continue when he
banned indoor dining last
week.
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and Connors all said health
experts agree that peo-
ple not taking precautions
at social gatherings are
causing COVID-19 cases
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restaurants and bars.
PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES WITH
PROPER PLANNING
We assist with:
Wills and Estate
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BENDIXSEN LAW, P.C.
245 E. Main St., Suite E, Hermiston • 541-567-5564
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5:00pm
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
As gyms and most other
recreational facilities shut
down under Gov. Kate
Brown’s executive order for
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Umatilla County gyms are
taking unique steps to stay
open.
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locations in Hermiston and
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members that during the
shutdown it will be turning
over control of its facilities
to Tawtnuk Wellness Insti-
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gyms as “wellness clinics.”
Hermiston Athletic Club in
Hermiston posted a simi-
lar message on its Facebook
page.
The website for Tawtnuk
Wellness Institute describes
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“the holistic wellness of all
communities by convert-
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facilities” and offers only
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form for Club 24 and one for
Hermiston Athletic Club. It
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in the past described him-
self to the Hermiston Herald
as the CEO of Club 24 and
owner of Hermiston Athletic
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According to informa-
tion provided on the Club
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gyms in Oregon and Wash-
ington will be able to work
out on-site during the shut-
down if they bring a doctor’s
note prescribing exercise or
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for Tawtnuk Wellness Insti-
tute. Tawtnuk will conduct
a temperature screening at
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conduct “enhanced clean-
ing protocols” and require
masks at all times. Some
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feel should be close to
what you are used to when
it comes to Club 24 facili-
ties with direct changes that
will only make our facili-
ties cleaner in order to allow
you to keep improving your
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bers stated.
The email also outlined
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that Club 24 has faced this
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when Umatilla County was
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through people canceling
their memberships.
“Cherished colleagues
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other businesses were able
to be open when we were
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
The Club 24 location in Hermiston, as well as those in other parts of Oregon and Washington, is
turning over control of their facility to Tawtnuk Wellness Institute, which will operate the gyms
as “wellness clinics.”
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Those concerns echoed
other complaints that gyms
in Oregon have made during
the latest shutdown. The
Statesman Journal reported
that Courthouse Club Fit-
ness in Salem was stay-
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quoting a statement from
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a result of the harm done to
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vive another closure.” The
article stated other gyms in
Salem had indicated they
were also considering stay-
ing open.
Executive Order 20-65
by Gov. Kate Brown states
that from Nov. 18 to Dec.
2 the state is implement-
ing closures and restric-
tions on gatherings to slow
the spread of COVID-19 in
light of hospitals “sounding
the alarm” that they could be
overwhelmed if cases con-
tinue on their current trend.
“The cycle of this virus
is such that if we are seeing
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hospitals are headed for very
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utive order states. “Actions
taken now will help prevent
lives from being lost — not
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also from other diseases or
accidents that lead people
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which they would not be
able to get if hospital beds
and hospital staff are fully
occupied with COVID-19
patients.”
The order lists facilities
that must close during the
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a gym.
Club 24 did not answer
an email and phone message
left Nov. 18 asking for fur-
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its facilities would qualify as
something other than a gym
under the governor’s orders.
Oregon
Occupational
Safety and Health Admin-
istration has conducted
much of the enforcement
on orders issued by Brown
in regards to business oper-
ations during the pandemic.
Spokesperson Aaron Cor-
vin said in the case of Club
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exactly whether its current
operations are an OSHA
violation without knowing
more details about exactly
how things are operating.
He said if someone makes
a complaint about a busi-
ness not following COVID-
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into the complaint. Some-
times they can work with
the business owner to “sat-
isfactorily” resolve the com-
plaint without opening a for-
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agency might end up issuing
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
from our families to yours
BURNS
MORTUARY
of Hermiston
&
Hermiston
Crematory
685 W. Hermiston Ave.
Hermiston, Oregon
(541) 567-6474
www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com
Here for you when
you need us.
Hard times happen. If they do, ask us about payment
assistance and billing options available to you.
Discover more at:
www.UmatillaElectric.com
+HUPLVWRQ2IÀFH
%RDUGPDQ2IÀFH
750 W. Elm Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 567-6414
400 N.E. Eldrige Drive
Boardman, OR 97818
(541) 481-2220
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