NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
City approves franchise agreement with U.S. Cellular
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The Hermiston city coun-
cil approved a franchise
agreement during their Mon-
day, March 8, meeting to
allow U.S. Cellular to place
small cell wireless technol-
ogy used for 5G cell phone
coverage around the city.
Cellphone carriers, inter-
net service providers and
other
telecommunication
companies pay fees known
as franchise fees to place
their technology on city
rights of way. The fi ve-year
agreement approved Mon-
day, which will allow a
company known as Oregon
RSA#2 to place the small
cell technology on behalf of
U.S. Cellular to bring faster
upload and download speeds
to customers in the area, is
the fi rst for the city for this
type of technology.
Assistant City Manager
Mark Morgan told the coun-
cil the city’s legal counsel
specializing in telecommu-
nications agreements has
been working on the agree-
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
The Pheasant Bar and Grill, pictured in this May 2020 fi le
photo, received a façade grant from the city of Hermiston for
updated awnings and other façade upgrades during the city
council’s Monday, March 8, 2021, meeting.
ment over the past two
years. The initial agree-
ment is for placement of 21
receivers, six of which will
be placed on existing utility
poles instead of new ones.
Morgan said the Fed-
eral Communications Com-
mission has created a set of
“safe harbor” fees that cities
can charge cell phone carri-
ers without worry that pend-
ing rulemaking and legal
battles will cause their rates
to be rolled back by a court
case later. That rate means
the franchise agreement
approved Monday will gen-
erate $5,670 in general fund
revenues for Hermiston in
2021, and increase by 3%
per year after, plus an addi-
tional $270 per any addi-
tional locations added later.
During their March 8
meeting, the council also
heard a presentation from
Capt. Travis Eynon of the
Recreation supervisor lauded
for stepping in on shooting
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
A city employee who
stepped in during a recent
shooting was recognized
for “actions above and
beyond the normal call of
duty” during the Hermis-
ton City Council’s Monday,
March 8, meeting.
Brandon Artz, the city’s
recreation supervisor, was
the previously unnamed
city employee that Hermis-
ton Police Department had
praised for “quick think-
ing” on February 10 when
police arrested Howard
Califf, 46, of Hermiston on
several charges, including
attempted murder.
According to the initial
news release from police,
Califf arrived armed at a
home in the 250 block of
East Gladys Avenue that he
had previously lived in and
then been barred from by
a court order. He allegedly
fi red several rounds inside
the residence and at a male
relative of the home’s
owner, at one point shoot-
ing the victim’s dog as it
attempted to defend its
owner. The dog is expected
to make a full recovery,
police said.
The home where the
incident took place is near
the buildings being used as
temporary city hall offi ces,
and during Monday’s city
council meeting Artz said
he was just leaving one of
those offi ces when he saw
a man lying down next to a
dog and went to investigate.
“As I rolled down my
window I said, ‘Hey buddy,
do you need some help?’
and he said, ‘Yes, some-
body just shot my dog,’”
Artz said.
He said he spotted a
handgun lying near the
scene and immediately
dialed 911 as he got out of
his vehicle. He then saw
City of Hermiston/Contributed Photo
Brandon Artz, right, receives a certifi cate of recognition for
Mayor David Drotzmann, left, during a Hermiston City Council
meeting on Monday, March 8, 2021.
a man coming out of the
home there and kicked the
gun under his vehicle so it
was out of easy reach.
“I stood over the gun,
and there was an altercation
still with that, but I wanted
to make sure that gun was
safe and that nobody was
going to be able to use it to
harm anyone,” he said.
Artz said he success-
fully kept the man from get-
ting to the gun until police
arrived in under two min-
utes and secured the scene.
Hermiston Police Chief
Jason Edmiston said Artz’s
actions were a good exam-
ple of a citizen seeing
something out of place and
following their gut feeling
about it.
“Without going into
detail because this is a
pending matter, it could
have ended a lot worse, so
we absolutely appreciate
Brandon’s assistance,” he
said.
Mayor David Drotz-
mann presented Artz with
a certifi cate of recognition
from Drotzmann, Edmiston
and City Manager Byron
Smith, thanking him for his
actions.
“Let it be known this
8th day of March 2021 that
Brandon Artz has set an
example for city employ-
ees and residents alike in
how to be aware of their
surroundings and help peo-
ple in harm’s way,” the cer-
tifi cate stated. “His deci-
sive actions and willingness
to selfl essly help resolve a
dangerous situation poten-
tially saved another per-
son’s life.”
Artz said he was just
grateful no one else was
hurt besides the dog.
“I was lucky to be in
the right place at the right
time,” he said.
Califf remains in the
Umatilla County Jail on
one count of attempted
murder, two counts of
unlawful use of a weapon,
one count of burglary in
the fi rst degree, one county
of menacing, one count of
animal abuse in the second
degree, one count of inter-
fering with a peace offi -
cer, one count of reckless
endangering, one count of
unlawful possession of a
fi rearm and one count of
resisting arrest. His bail is
listed at $390,000.
Hermiston Police Depart-
ment about the role of school
resources offi cers. The coun-
cil had previously requested
additional information about
the program after a bill was
introduced in the Oregon
Legislature that would ban
the practice of designating
police offi cers to schools.
Eynon said Hermiston’s
three school resources offi -
cers — one for high school,
one for the middle schools
and one for the elementary
schools — are thought of
as a combination of infor-
mal teacher of safety, an
informal counselor and law
enforcement offi cer.
When the city’s school
resource offi cer program
started in 1994, Eynon said,
trends in policing leaned
more toward “zero toler-
ance.” If two kids were in a
fi ght at school, for example,
both would automatically
be charged with a crime.
Now, the department is
willing to let the school dis-
trict handle it through sus-
pensions and other methods
if that seems best for the cir-
cumstances, he said.
Another example Eynon
used was a diversion pro-
gram for minor students
caught with tobacco or other
substances. Students can
keep their citation out of the
juvenile justice system if
they take an anti-drug class
and don’t get a second cita-
tion in the same school year.
“We don’t necessar-
ily take that zero tolerance
approach anymore,” he said.
After the council’s reg-
ular meeting, the council
readjourned as the Urban
Renewal Agency to approve
a façade grant for The
Pheasant Bar and Grill at
149 E. Main St.
Owner Cherie Bump-
aous told the council that
the money would be used
to replace damaged awnings
on the front of the building
as well as other cosmetic
work, such as repainting the
back of the building.
Based on its scoring
rubric, the planning commis-
sion suggested a 30% match
for the $21,300 project. But
Bumpaous said that level of
match would take longer for
the restaurant to fi nish sav-
ing up for the project, leav-
ing up the unsightly metal
frame where the awning
was taken down. City Plan-
ner Clint Spencer noted that
some of the additional work
beyond the awnings was not
originally part of the project
when the planning commis-
sion scored it.
City Councilor Doug
Primmer made a motion that
the restaurant be awarded the
maximum $10,000 allow-
able for the project instead
of 30%, and the rest of the
council also voted in favor
of the increased amount.
Mayor David Drotz-
mann said he feels “terrible”
for all that restaurants have
gone through in the past
year during the pandemic
and was glad to see the city
helping one out through its
façade grant program.
“I’m glad to see you’re
still here, I’m glad to see
you’re still fi ghting, I’m
glad to see you staying in
Hermiston keeping a viable
business here,” he said.
State names new TRCI superintendent
By BRYCE DOLE
STAFF WRITER
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections has
announced a new super-
intendent at Two Rivers
Correctional Institution in
Umatilla in a press release.
Erin Reyes, a former
law enforcement, state gov-
ernment and public safety
offi cial with more than 25
years of experience, was
announced as the new
superintendent on Feb. 22.
“I never would have
imagined my life and career
path would lead me to
where I am today,” Reyes
said in a news release.
Reyes steps into the role
after Tyler Blewett resigned
in December 2020 after
holding the job for a year.
Soon after, the prison
was rocked by one of the
largest COVID-19 out-
breaks seen in Oregon pris-
ons since the pandemic
began.
Hundreds of adults in
custody and dozens of staff
fell ill in December and
January — more than any
prison in Oregon during
that time period. Fifteen
inmates died.
Now, the prison, along
with all other prisons in
Oregon, is working to vac-
cinate all its AICs against
COVID-19, just as Reyes
assumes her role.
Reyes earned her bach-
elor’s degree in business
management and a mas-
ter’s degree in organiza-
tional management from
the University of Phoenix,
according to the release.
Her career began at the
Oregon State Police, where
she worked for 18 years
before joining the Oregon
State Police Offi cers Asso-
ciation, the press release
said.
Reyes later joined the
faculty teaching criminal
justice courses at the Uni-
versity of Phoenix.
In 2013, Reyes joined
the Oregon Department of
Human Services as a case-
worker in the Child Pro-
tective Services Divi-
sion. Three years later,
she became a parole offi -
cer in Lincoln County.
And in 2017, she joined
the Department of Correc-
tions, where she worked as
an investigator and is cur-
rently working as the acting
investigations administra-
tor on the employee ser-
vices team.
FREE
Colorectal Cancer Pre-Screening Kits
Available March 15th & 29th
Colorectal cancer, the 2nd leading cause of cancer death,
can be detected early through screenings such as a
colonoscopy or a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT).
The Tri-Cities Cancer Center will provide free Fecal
Immunochemical Tests (FIT) that are FDA cleared to screen for
colorectal cancer at our satellite office in Hermiston. FIT is a
simple, self-administered test that checks for hidden blood in
your stool and provides quick results.
FREE Colorectal Cancer
Screening Kits Available
Where:
Good Shepherd Medical Center,
600 Northwest 11th Street, Suite E-23, Hermiston, OR
When:
Monday, March 15th & 29th, 9am-2pm
• Open to anyone ages 45+
• Instructions on FIT
• Receive FREE FIT for at-home screening
Hermiston, OR/Kennewick, WA
(509) 783-9894 • TCCancer.org
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
