COMMUNITY
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
HHS graduate soars
with agriculture award
Coleman recognized
for use of drone
technology
BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Hermiston Herald
For a second year in a row, Bob
Coleman received the $2,500 John
F. Walchli Memorial Ag Entrepre-
neurs Award. The 2016 Hermis-
ton High School graduate was first
recognized in 2020-21 for use of a
drone in his agricultural monitor-
ing service.
According to a May 31 press re-
lease from board member Mike
Mehren, Coleman utilizes a drone
to photograph and monitor crops.
The voluminous information col-
lected, he said, is fed into a pro-
gram that Coleman designed,
which condenses it into practical
and usable data.
“Using this technology, not only
saves many man hours spent in the
field but also allows correction of
problems created by heat, cold,
wind, disease, parasites and im-
precise water use,” Mehren said.
“Changes can be made quickly
and efficiently to improve the
health and yield of each crop.”
In his spare time, Coleman
manages many of the crops grown
on his family’s farms. The young
entrepreneur, Mehren said, plans
to add thermal imaging to the
drone, which will further increase
and improve data collected.
Coleman, who earned an agri-
cultural business degree from Or-
egon State University, initially be-
gan using a drone as a tool on his
parent’s farms. Coleman is able
to view crops in about 1/10th the
time that it would take a person
using a vehicle, Mehren said.
In addition, utilizing advanced
imaging technology reveals crop
issues that aren’t visible to the hu-
Mike Mehren/Contributed Photo
Bob Coleman, who utilizes a drone while operating his agricultural monitoring
service, poses for a recent photo. The selection committee for the John F. Wal-
chli Memorial Ag Entrepreneurs Award on May 31, 2022, announced the 2016
Hermiston High School graduate is the recipient for the second year in a row.
man eye. Mehren said the idea for
developing the monitoring service
grew when neighboring farms
and others learned of its capabil-
ities.
The John F. Walchli Memorial
Ag Entrepreneurs Award, Mehren
said, was created to provide sup-
port to young men and women
living in west Umatilla County to
achieve personal business goals in
the field of agriculture. The recip-
ient is selected based on initiative,
innovation and accomplishments
rather than academic perfor-
mance. The winner, Mehren said,
can use the cash award at their
discretion; it does not have to be
used for tuition or educational ex-
penses.
The award’s namesake, John
Walchli, died in September 2018.
He began his farming career raising
watermelons while attending Stan-
field High School.
Walchli and his wife, Marge,
moved to the Hermiston area,
where they expanded their farm-
ing operation to include potatoes,
asparagus, wheat, alfalfa, cattle and
bison. Also, Walchli was known for
his generosity and giving back to
the community.
For more information, contact
Mehren at 541-561-4762 or meh-
rens@eotnet.net.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
DA Primus to address dinner
gathering
Umatilla County District Attorney Dan
Primus is the guest speaker for the upcom-
ing gathering of the Round-Up Republican
Women. He will discuss several topics, in-
cluding the impact of increasing drug-re-
lated crimes in Umatilla County, rising
suicides attributed to fentanyl, the impacts
of Ballot Measure 110,
which decriminalized
some drugs, and trends
in some urban areas of
not prosecuting crimes.
The dinner event is
Thursday, June 9, in the
Vert Club Room, 345
Primus
S.W. Fourth St., Pend-
leton. The meal and so-
cial time begins at 5:30 p.m. Primus will
be introduced at 6 p.m. The meal costs
$17 per person.
Those planning to attend are reminded
to note the change of venue. The event is
open to the public.
Born and raised in Pendleton, Primus
graduated from law school at Willamette
University. After a year in private prac-
tice in Salem, a position came open in his
hometown. Primus was a Umatilla County
deputy district attorney for three years be-
fore being appointed district attorney in
August 2011. He was first elected as the
district attorney on Nov. 8, 2011.
Those planning to attend need to RSVP
via email at rounduprw@gmail.com or text
541-310-8582.
Area students to graduate from
Oregon State
More than 7,300 Oregon State Univer-
sity students will graduate during ceremo-
nies Saturday, June 11 at Reser Stadium on
the Corvallis campus and Sunday, June 12
at the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend.
Among those turning the tassel are stu-
dents from Umatilla and Morrow counties:
HERMISTON: Alyssa Abernathy, Bach-
elor of Science, Cum Laude, Political Sci-
ence; Shandie Britt, Master of Science,
Agricultural Education; Jasmin Chen,
Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, Bio-
Health Sciences; Timmy Chen, Bachelor
of Science, BioHealth Sciences; Nikkole
Duitsman, Master of Science, Education;
Diana Esparza, Bachelor of Science, An-
imal Sciences; Magdalena Ibarra, Bach-
elor of Science, Animal Sciences; Yulaidi
Ornelas, Bachelor of Science, Human De-
velopment and Family Sciences; Antonio
Ortiz, Bachelor of Science, Construction
Engineering Management; Wyatt Paschal,
Bachelor of Science, Business Adminis-
tration; Erin Reason, Doctor of Pharmacy,
Pharmacy; Kasia Robbins, Bachelor of
Science, Public Policy; Hannah Walker,
Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude,
Animal Sciences; Dale Wilkerson, Doctor
of Pharmacy, Pharmacy; Rachael Wilson,
Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude,
Psychology; Katelynn Winters, Bachelor
of Science, Summa Cum Laude, Human
Development and Family Sciences; Laura
Zepeda, Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology.
BOARDMAN: Marvin Calvillo, Bache-
lor of Science, Civil Engineering; Ricardo
Escobedo, Bachelor of Science, Kinesiol-
ogy; Tania Mendoza, Bachelor of Science,
Magna Cum Laude, Public Health.
HEPPNER: Benjamin Ewing, Doctor
of Philosophy, Education; Kevin Murray,
Bachelor of Science, BioHealth Sciences.
IRRIGON: Isaac Estrada, Bachelor of
Science, Marketing; Ethan Greer, Bachelor
of Science, Summa Cum Laude, Construc-
tion Engineering Management; Corbin Teg-
ner, Bachelor of Science, Computer Science.
LEXINGTON: Alex Lindsay, Bachelor
of Arts, Cum Laude, History.
STANFIELD: Brianna Cornejo, Bache-
lor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, Digital
Communication Arts.
UMATILLA: Giovani Armenta-Garci-
lazo, Bachelor of Science, Construction En-
gineering Management; Daniel Cisneros,
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science;
Tristan Cole, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cum
Laude, Graphic Design; Ashley Durning,
Master of Science, Agricultural Education;
Jonathan Macias, Bachelor of Science,
Summa Cum Laude, Computer Science;
Nancy Ortiz-Ochoa, Bachelor of Science,
Magna Cum Laude, Human Development
and Family Sciences; Armando Rodriguez,
Bachelor of Science, Biology; Skyler Stokoe,
Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, Business
Administration; Jesus Tejeda, Bachelor of
Science, Chemical Engineering; Yatziry Uri-
arte, Bachelor of Science, Psychology.
Established in 1868, the number of 2022
graduates is the second highest in the uni-
versity’s history, behind only 2021. For more
information about commencement events,
visit www.oregonstate.edu/commencement.
COLUMN
Project PATH will bring proactive answers to the homelessness issue
DAVID
STOCKDALE
COMMUNITY VIEW
E
very city and county in the state of Or-
egon is impacted by homelessness, and
the impact is growing each year.
People without housing are less likely to have
access to health care, employment and educa-
tion. They are more likely to suffer from chronic
mental and physical health effects like sub-
stance abuse disorders and disability, and are at
a higher risk of abuse and violence.
They are also members of our communities.
We have a responsibility to provide access to
services in accordance with state guidelines and
our own guiding principles.
The societal cost of homelessness is broad and
too large for a single entity to solve, but also too
diverse and individualized for a one-size-fits-all
solution. Breaking the cycle requires collabora-
tion and investment.
That is the mission of Project PATH (Practi-
cal Assistance through Transitional Housing), a
joint effort among Hermiston, Umatilla, Stan-
field, Echo and Umatilla County. We have been
granted $1 million from the State of Oregon to
launch a pilot project, and we are intent on get-
ting the best return on that investment by focus-
ing our efforts on a single sustainable program
for the west end of the county.
The first step was a historic joint public meet-
ing on May 23 where the city councils of Herm-
iston and Umatilla and the Board of Umatilla
County Commissioners discussed the project
and took public testimony. It was important that
we start off on the right foot and gather feedback
from elected officials and the public. I write this
with the support of my colleagues Hermiston
City Manager Byron Smith and Umatilla County
Commissioner Dan Dorran.
The next step is to issue a Request for Pro-
posal (RFP) to find a community partner that
can best provide the services we need. A shelter
or warming center is a temporary solution, but
a transitional housing program that connects its
residents to health care, education, employment
and stable housing is a long-term answer that will
improve lives.
The City of Umatilla will be able to annex a
two-acre property on the corner of Lind and Ben-
sel roads to locate the project. A coalition of the
represented governments will review the submit-
ted RFPs. Umatilla, Hermiston, Stanfield, Echo
and Umatilla will create an Inter-Governmental
Agreement to act as oversight of the project as it
develops.
We look forward to engaging with applicants
to help develop a program that addresses not only
the needs of the homeless community, but the
concerns of residents. Security, staffing and mea-
sures of success are all an important part of the
strategic plan we will develop after awarding the
contract.
Ultimately, this project is about using public re-
sources in the way they are intended. Public parks
and rights of way were not built to be used as
temporary housing, and public safety officers are
not equipped to treat mental health disorders. We
have resources within our community that can
provide these services, and with proper planning
we can make the most of them.
This is a work in progress, but we are making
sure Project PATH lives up to its name and cre-
ates a way forward for homeless residents seeking
a healthier, safer and more stable lifestyle.
█
David Stockdale is the Umatilla city manager.