NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Hermiston students complete seventh home
By BEN LONERGAN
STAFF WRITER
HERMISTON — While most
students were learning remotely
this school year, a half dozen
Hermiston High School students
rolled up their sleeves and traded
textbooks for tools to build a house.
“Where others did not have
school, I had class everyday,” said
Curt Berger, the program coordi-
nator with Columbia Basin Student
Homes. “That’s why this house is
done.”
On Tuesday, June 29, Berger
handed the keys to the latest home
in the Hermiston School District’s
Fieldstone subdivision on South-
west Angus Court to Loy and Mike
Stratton, marking the end of the
yearlong student-built construction
project.
The Strattons, who are mov-
ing to Hermiston from Pendleton
to be closer to family, said they
loved working with the students
and developing some of the fi nal
touches.
“I was very excited,” said Loy
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Stratton. “I love the great room — Curt Berger, right, hands the keys to the seventh Fieldstone Crossing student-built home to Loy and Mike Stratton
I love to cook so everyone will be in Hermiston Tuesday, June 29, 2021.
with me there.”
Loy Stratton said she worked
students also work with Energy
closely with former student builder
Trust of Oregon and its partners
Rylee Albert to nail down fi nal
to ensure the home exceeds codes
details, such as light fi xtures.
for energy effi ciency.
“They had most of it picked out
Todd Blackman, an outreach
already,” she said.
specialist with EPS New Con-
Albert took part in constructing
struction, said the home tested
one of the earlier Columbia Basin
18% above energy code in insu-
Student Homes and came back
lation, air sealing and appliances.
this year to help with design deci-
“A lot of people think they
sions and to mentor students.
build an effi cient home,” he said.
“It’s been really neat being able
“But unless you test it and build it
to help people learn it because it’s
right you don’t know.”
such a useful skill,” she said.
Berger said students have their
Berger said he loves to get as
hands on all aspects of the con-
much help from outside contrac-
struction process, from founda-
tors and other mentors for stu-
tion to framing to the fi nishing
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
dents as possible to help them
touches.
The kitchen of the seventh Fieldstone Crossing student-built home includes
learn through the process.
“If we don’t do something we
“It’s lots of fun for us because an oversized refrigerator, hidden pantry and fi ve-burner gas range.
see it done and they get to work
we’re not just turning in a paper
with the contractors throughout
or doing an assignment — we’re the year to see the 2,232-square-
The home features high-end the process,” said Berger.
building a for-real product that foot, 3-bedroom, 2½-bathroom fi nishes, such as speakers, a cen-
Saul Cadenas was among those
home from foundation to its recent tral vacuum system, an oversized who took part in this year’s proj-
we’re going to sell,” said Berger.
Students worked throughout sale for just under $450,000.
refrigerator and hidden pantry. The ect. He described the build as a
positive learning experience. He
said prior to the home construc-
tion he’d worked on little proj-
ects but never imagined building
a home.
“It was something new that I
really enjoyed doing,” he said. “I
learned a lot through the process.”
Cadenas learned how to read
blueprints and apply them to a
construction process, and the class
ultimately inspired him to want to
build his own home someday.
“It gave me more motivation to
further my career and be able to
get to building a home,” he said.
“Take that class, it’s defi nitely
worth it.”
In 2013, the district received a
$372,674 Career Technical Edu-
cation grant and joined forces
with the Northeast Oregon Home-
builders Association to train high
school students in residential con-
struction through the Columbia
Basin Student Homebuilders pro-
gram. Each year the district uses
the sale of the home to fund the
home for the upcoming year.
This year’s program only was
open to Hermiston High School
students due to COVID-19 restric-
tions, though a traditional year
would be open to high school stu-
dents from schools throughout the
Columbia Basin, said Berger.
In addition to construction,
Hermiston High students handle
the architectural design and land-
scaping of the homes.
Bryson Bonnifer said it was a
“pretty cool” experience to help
assemble the framing and other
aspects of the house.
“I learned everything really, it
was interesting,” he said. “I really
enjoyed climbing in the trusses
and putting studs in.”
Bonnifer said the experience
allowed him to receive a schol-
arship from Columbia Basin Stu-
dent Homes, and he will continue
to pursue an interest in construc-
tion, adding that the experience
was unlike any other.
“I just toured the fi nished
house,” Bonnifer said, “and it was
pretty incredible.”
EOTEC improvements continue Man dies from heat
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
HERMISTON — The
pandemic threw a lot at the
Eastern Oregon Trade and
Event Center, but General
Manager Al Davis feels con-
fi dent in its future.
“COVID still kicked us
in the gut, but we did a lot
better than a lot of other
venues,” he said.
Part of that was thanks
to EOTEC’s outdoor areas,
which were able to hold
some events even as indoor
conventions and dinners
were canceled. The rodeo
arena hosted a variety of
rodeo-related events, Davis
said.
To help draw more of
those kind of events, the
center recently installed
a second arena area using
fencing, some movable
bleachers and irrigation. The
space is on the same foot-
print that EOTEC’s mas-
ter plan calls for an indoor
arena someday, so the infra-
fairgrounds on Orchard
Avenue to EOTEC need
to remember the big shade
trees there came from
decades of growth.
Indoors, EOTEC is serv-
ing a cooling station for
the community this week.
Davis said the center
recently held its fi rst wed-
ding and fi rst Quinceañera
in more than a year, and he
is optimistic more of those
sorts of events will begin to
come back as COVID-19
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald restrictions lift.
A new rodeo arena sitting between the Farm-City Pro Rodeo
During the pandemic,
grounds and Burns Pavilion is among improvements to the indoor use of EOTEC was
Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center site during the last mostly limited to small
year.
meetings for groups that
wanted to have more social
structure can be reused after ing, it’s our warmup pen,” distancing than their build-
basically placing a building he said.
ing allowed.
on top of it.
Davis also pointed out
“We would have like 10
Davis
said
they’ve other recent improvements, people in the great room, sit-
already picked up two world including additional irriga- ting in opposite corners,” he
series events for roping later tion and new trees.
said.
in the year that needed two
“We’re greening it up,”
The Eastern Oregon
arena areas, and it also has he said.
Trade and Event Center is
come in handy for other
The trees are fast-grow- planning to host the Uma-
situations.
ing varieties, he said, but tilla County Fair and Farm-
“When we do barrel rac- people comparing the old City Pro Rodeo Aug. 11-14.
BRIEFS
Two hospitalized after
hazmat issue at hotel
Dog park coming to
Boardman
HERMISTON — Two
people were hospitalized
after fi refi ghters and haz-
ardous materials person-
nel responded Friday, July
2, to a report of fi ve peo-
ple who fell ill at a motel in
Hermiston.
The report said fi ve
people were struggling to
breathe and were possibly
vomiting, according to the
incident commander.
Offi cials have yet to
determine what caused the
incident, which occurred at
Comfort Inn & Suites, but a
hazmat team was called to
identify a substance, accord-
ing to a post on the Umatilla
County Fire District No. 1
Facebook page.
Two people were trans-
ported to Good Shepherd
Medical Center but are
in “stable condition,” the
post said. Offi cials evalu-
ated multiple other people
but determined they didn’t
require more treatment.
BOARDMAN — Con-
struction is underway for a
dog park in Boardman.
Boardman Chamber of
Commerce Executive Direc-
tor Torie Griggs said the
park will be about an acre
on Front Street at its inter-
section with Olsen Road.
The Boardman Commu-
nity Development Associa-
tion is paying for the park.
The association uses enter-
prise zone funds to support
community improvement
initiatives that in the past
have included homeowner
incentives,
wayfi nding
signs, broadband infrastruc-
ture and a disc golf course.
The association holds meet-
ings to gather input from
community members.
“This has been a commu-
nity want for probably the
last fi ve years,” Griggs said.
She said the park will
have a parking area that also
can be used for the multi-use
fi eld next door. It will fea-
ture a “holding area” where
dog owners can choose to
enter an area for small dogs
and an area for large dogs.
Amenities will range from
water stations for the dogs
to activities, such as rings to
jump through and platforms.
The park will be open
to members of the public,
including travelers who may
be enticed to stop in Board-
man for the parks.
“Their kids can stretch
their legs at the splash park,
their dogs can stretch their
legs at the dog park and they
can check out the SAGE
Center,” Griggs said.
The park will open once
grass has been planted and
grown thick enough, she
said.
— EO Media Group
stroke in Hermiston
trailer park
By BRYCE DOLE
STAFF WRITER
HERMISTON — The
fi rst person in Umatilla
County to reportedly die
from a heat-related illness
amid the record-break-
ing heat wave was a man
who suff ered heat stroke
in his trailer in Hermiston
on June 24, according to
Umatilla County Medical
Examiner Aimee Rogers.
James Anfeldt, 47, of
Spokane, was found by
his 6-year-old son who
was living with him in a
trailer at Panelview RV
Park, according to Rogers.
The boy thought his father
was sleeping all day before
he requested help from a
neighbor, she said.
The Umatilla County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce responded
to the report of a little boy
requesting medical assis-
tance that day, according to
sheriff ’s Lt. Sterrin Ward.
The boy, soaked in sweat,
fl agged down the deputies
at around 6:30 p.m., offi -
cials said.
Deputies found Anfeldt
dead on the fl oor of the
trailer, Rogers said. By
that time, Anfeldt’s trailer
had reached about 130
degrees.
Rogers said he likely
died the night before.
Anfeldt had been work-
ing as a construction
worker in Pendleton and
had hypertension, Rogers
said. She said she suspects
he suff ered external hyper-
thermia due to working
long hours in the heat that
exacerbated an electrolyte
imbalance and contributed
to his death.
Temperatures in Herm-
iston and Pendleton on
June 24 were in the 90s,
according to the National
Weather
Service
in
Pendleton.
Anfeldt was one of
95 heat-related deaths
the Oregon State Med-
ical Examiner reported
during the heatwave that
has scorched the Pacifi c
Northwest the past week.
According to the Orego-
nian/OregonLive, he is the
fi rst identifi ed victim of
the heatwave in Oregon.
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
SATURDAY
JULY 17 TH
Hermiston
Ranch & Home
9AM
&12PM
CLASSES
Multi-State $ 80
Oregon Included No Fee
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Valid 35-States, including Washington
Shaun
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Curtain 360-921-2071
360-921-2071
or or email:
email: ShaunCurtain@gmail.com
ShaunCurtain@gmail.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com
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