WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
HermistonHerald.com
Port director’s
death called
a ‘tough loss’
By GEORGE PLAVEN
EO Media Group
Ryan Neal, executive
director of the Port of Mor-
row in Boardman, has died.
Neal, 40, suff ered a fatal
heart attack Monday, Jan.
17, while at Providence St.
Vincent Medical Center in
Portland, said Don Russell,
a Morrow County commis-
sioner and family friend.
“It’s a tough loss for the
community, for his fam-
ily and really for the region
as a whole,” Russell said.
“He’s going to be hard to
replace.”
The Port of Morrow in a
press release reported Neal
also had COVID-19.
Russell described Neal as
“a brilliant guy,” who cared
deeply about Eastern Ore-
gon and his hometown of
Boardman. He took charge
of the Port of Morrow —
Oregon’s
second-largest
IT’S
BACK
port district — in 2018, fol-
lowing in the footsteps of
his father, Gary Neal, who
was the port’s director for
30 years before retiring.
The port operates sev-
eral industrial parks in Mor-
row County, including the
Boardman Industrial Park
along the Columbia River
near Boardman, which is
home to major food pro-
cessing companies such as
Lamb Weston, Tillamook
Cheese, Oregon Potato Co.
and Boardman Foods.
According to the port’s
own data, its businesses
totaled 8,452 permanent
jobs and $2.77 billion in
total economic output in
2017. Morrow County
boasts the third-highest
average wages statewide,
Russell said, in large thanks
to economic development
at the port.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Patrick Hunt measures brisket for a sandwich Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in his Southern Twain BBQ food truck at the Hermiston
Food Pod.
Hermiston food pod opens with two trucks, more expected
See Neal, Page A8
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Customers walked up to
his popular food truck, but
they seem ready to do cart-
wheels instead, according
to Patrick Hunt, owner of
Southern Twain BBQ.
Hunt said he is as happy
as his customers — thrilled
to be dishing out smoke-
house nachos, hickory sau-
sages, sweet tea and other
delicacies once more.
Hunt oversees the Herm-
iston Food Pod, 240 S.W.
Third St., where he also
runs his business. The pod
is in a lot across the street
from the post offi ce. It was
closed at the start of Octo-
ber for improvements that
would would make it more
attractive for additional
restaurants.
At the pod’s “soft open-
ing,” Tuesday, Jan. 18, there
were only two food trucks.
Hunt, however, said there
will be more. In a couple of
weeks, food trucks will be
“trickling in,” he said. In
the coming months, accord-
ing to Hunt, the lot will fi ll
with eight trucks.
Vendors already are lin-
ing up, he said. Mexican
food, Asian food, hamburg-
ers and more will all be
available.
Clint Spencer, Herm-
iston planning director, is
among the city employees
who have been working on
this project. Spencer said
the city created eight indi-
BMCC hoping to
boost enrollment
Pendleton college off ers
new coursework and
more study options in
eff ort to reverse decline
BY ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College has changed
a great deal, according to
school administrators. Its
students are adjusting, too.
Eric Hoyos, 18, of Uma-
tilla, is one of those students
who has had to make diffi -
cult adjustments. In his last
two years of studies at Uma-
tilla High School, he had to
grow accustomed to online
studies. When the pan-
demic closed his school, his
in-person classes switched
to online ones.
“I feel kind of odd
talking to a screen,” he
said.
This being the case, he
struggled with working
online with teachers, which
led to a drop in his grades.
His usual A and B grades
fell, and he had diffi culty
maintaining a 3.0 GPA, he
said.
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
In time, however, he got
used to his online classes,
and he was able to move
on to studies at BMCC, his
current school. Hoyos has
completed two terms at the
college, and is doing well,
he said. He has even taken
a hybrid class, in which he
studied online and in per-
son, and he felt good about
it, he said.
Hoyos said he wants to
become a nurse because he
has seen a need for peo-
ple in health care. When
his mother became sick
with COVID-19 and was
hospitalized, he witnessed
fi rst-hand the importance
of nurses. He said he will
complete studies to accom-
plish his goal, even if he
must do all his courses
online.
Hoyo’s example is typ-
ical, said Nayeli Contre-
ras, director of Blue Moun-
tain’s Hermiston center.
Like Hoyos, many other
students are getting used to
studying online, she said.
“Since COVID forced
everyone to go online, (stu-
dents) have become much
See BMCC, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Mayra Torres packs orders Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at the El Salvadoreno No. 2 food truck at the
Hermiston Food Pod.
vidual water, sewage and
electrical connections to
handle trucks.
“It took longer to do the
work than we thought it
would, running through the
contractor,” Spencer said.
The contractor, accord-
ing to Spencer, did not have
time on his calendar to do
the work and have it ready
any earlier than its January
opening.
Hunt said a shortage of
food inspectors has delayed
the other vendors. Addi-
tional food trucks would be
operating now if they could
have received clearance, he
said.
“The way this works
is that (vendors) turn in
their packet, they review
it, it goes to the fi re depart-
ment, everybody reviews it
to make sure we’re safe,”
Hunt said.
Hunt applauded his
neighboring food truck for
completing all the neces-
sary paperwork to open
alongside his. Dolores
Amaya, owner of El Salva-
doreno No. 2, is a veteran of
the food truck business. She
said she started her trucks
in 2010. In addition to the
truck she uses in Hermis-
ton, she operates another in
Boardman.
Amaya off ers food from
her native El Salvador.
Pupusas, the national food
of her country, is a popular
item at her restaurant, she
said. Also, she sells tacos,
tortas, burritos and more.
She said business is good
in Boardman and she feels
See Pod, Page A8
Power companies announce new deal on B2 H line
Hermiston Herald
Idaho Power, Pacifi -
Corp and the Bonneville
Power
Administration
have reached a non-bind-
ing agreement on the mas-
sive Boardman to Heming-
way transmission line.
The BPA in a press
release Jan. 19, announced
the agreement clarifi es and
updates roles and respon-
sibilities for the B2H
project.
“The proposed agree-
ment is an important step
for this 500-kilovolt, 290-
mile transmission line,
which
would
deliver
1,000 megawatts of reli-
able, aff ordable power in
each direction between
the Pacifi c Northwest and
Mountain west,” accord-
INSIDE
Hdermiston Herald, File
A crew works on a transmission line tower outside Boardman
in November 2017. The Bonneville Power Administration on
Jan. 19, 2022, announced it, Idaho Power and Pacifi Corp have
a new deal on the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line
that will run through Eastern Oregon.
ing to the press release.
Under the new deal,
Idaho Power and Pacifi -
Corp will jointly own the
B2H transmission line,
with Pacifi Corp own-
ing 55% and Idaho Power
owning 45%.
A2 Hermiston History gives us a
look into the past
Idaho
Power
will
acquire an ownership inter-
est in Pacifi Corp transmis-
sion lines and other equip-
ment between eastern
Idaho and the Four Corners
Substation in northwest
New Mexico. B2H and
those acquisitions amplify
Idaho Power’s connections
to key energy markets that
will help the company meet
rapidly growing customer
demand.
The Bonneville Power
Administration will trans-
fer its ownership interest
in B2H to Idaho Power
and will not participate in
construction or have any
ownership interest in the
transmission line project.
Facilities
Pacifi Corp
uses to serve BPA’s cus-
tomers in and around
A3 Lawmakers name their
priorities for upcoming session
southeast
Idaho
will
be transferred to Idaho
Power. BPA will acquire
transmission service over
Idaho Power’s transmis-
sion system, including the
newly constructed B2H,
to serve public utility cus-
tomers in Idaho, Wyoming
and Montana.
More information about
BPA’s eff ort to serve these
customers and its pub-
lic process to consider the
agreement is available in
BPA’s letter to the region.
Pacifi Corp will acquire
Idaho Power transmis-
sion assets across south-
ern Idaho that, combined
with its majority stake in
Boardman-Hemingway,
will increase its contigu-
ous power transfer capa-
bility between its west-
A4 Columnist takes us for a walk
“Inside My Shoes”
ern and eastern systems,
and will acquire additional
transmission service from
BPA to enable it to serve
its growing customer base
in central Oregon.
With the non-binding
term sheet developed, the
three organizations move
into a negotiation phase to
fi nalize the agreements and
seek regulatory approval.
Concurrent with this press
release, BPA is issuing a
letter to its regional stake-
holders and customers
that outlines the proposal,
describes the background
and explains the process
for engaging with BPA on
this topic.
Construction of the line
is to begin in 2023, and
B2H is anticipated to come
online in 2026.
A6 Bowlers, Bingo players raise
funds in Hermiston for special cause