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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2022
LOCAL NEWS
Echo’s lack of burning
laws raises red flags
for one vocal resident
ing a county-wide burn ban.
Certain days involving large
Echo lacks local laws en-
public events such as the
forcing open burning, and
Pendleton Round-Up, Pend-
that has raised the concerns of leton Whisky Music Fest and
resident Bobby Jo Schultz.
the Walla Walla County Fair
“In a desert area out here
would require a county-wide
as dry as it gets, it is irrespon- ban on open burning as well.
sible to light a burn barrel
As the summer nears and
and walk off and leave it,” she
wildfire season commences in
said while discussing how
the Pacific Northwest, Uma-
her neighbor’s burn barrels of tilla County Code Enforce-
wood in their yard. “I’m con-
ment works to help spread
cerned that the
awareness to res-
“In a desert
fire will spark and
idents.
spread.”
summer
area out here as we “This
Schultz
will add a fea-
brought her com- dry as it gets, it ture to give out
plaint to city of-
informa-
is irresponsible health
ficials and the
tion to caution
city council, but
to light a burn those with lung
without local laws
problems and
barrel and walk asthma,” Miller
proscribing the
do’s and don’ts
off and leave it. said. “We don’t
of open burning,
have the link up
I’m concerned yet, but it’ll be up
there is little for
officials to do.
that the fire will soon on the uma-
Still, the Echo
tillacounty.gov
spark and
Rural Fire Pro-
website.”
tection District
Because Echo
spread.”
recommends the
is in a fire district,
town’s residents
— Bobby Jo Schultz, if someone were
of Echo
follow fire safety
reported burning
guidelines from
illegal material
the Oregon Department of
such as tires, petroleum, rub-
Environmental Quality.
ber, plastic, wet garbage or in-
“So there is not a ‘no burn
dustrial waste, the fire depart-
season,’ so a person is able to
ment could put out the fire.
burn 365 days a year,” Echo
But the fire district relies
Fire Chief Delbert Gehrke
on volunteer firefighters, and
said. “Technically you can
volunteer firefighters are un-
burn legally as long as you fol- able to issue citations or fines
low DEQ guidelines.”
for such violations, Geh-
The Umatilla County De-
rke explained. However, the
partment of Land Use Plan-
Stanfield Police Department,
ning oversees open and agri-
which provides law enforce-
cultural burning for county
ment services to Echo, should
areas. Gina Miller, the county be able to hand out citations
code enforcement coordi-
and court summons for these
nator, said local fire districts
nuisances, if the situation calls
and cities follow a protocol
for it. The fire district also can
that defers to both the county call upon a state fire marshal
and DEQ guidelines. She said if the circumstances involve
the county uses meteorologi-
serious criminal matters, such
cal information to determine
as arson.
each day at 6 a.m. if burning
“We don’t enforce anything,
is OK.
we just put out fires. Enforc-
“We are sending out alerts
ing codes and ordinances is
for ‘no burn’ days on our web- up to the city,” Gehrke said.
page, we have phone lines
Echo City Administra-
people can call and for agri-
tor David Slaght said the city
culturists, we send out a mass looks into complaints, and he
emergency text we call a ‘red
has handed out code enforce-
flag,’ if certain weather condi- ment violations for weeds,
tions call for it,” Miller said.
garbage and more. But during
The county office also relies his time as city administrator,
on readings of the particulate
he has not yet come across a
matter in the air to determine reason to hand out any fire in-
pollutant levels. These read-
fractions.
ings are vital for residents who
Gehrke was on that same
suffer respiratory issues.
page.
According to Miller, the
“We are fine as it currently
effects of air quality on pub-
stands,” Gehrke said. “No
lic health go into consider-
complaints.”
BY YASSER MARTE
Hermiston Herald
Now he’s ready for wheelies
Umatilla High School
students build off-
road wheelchair for
young boy
BY ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Gus Macy, son of Levi and
Karla of Baker City, is set for
a very enjoyable summer, ac-
cording to his mother. Team
Confidential, the Umatilla High
School robotics team, is respon-
sible for some of his latest sum-
mertime plans.
Students constructed a wheel-
chair that, according to the
team’s coach and UHS teacher,
Kyle Sipe, is more than a typical
chair. This chair was made spe-
cifically for 6-year-old Gus, who
has spina bifida and is unable to
use his legs.
“What we determined to do
as a robotics club is to give him
a chance to have more activi-
ties with his family outside of
normal wheelchair activity,” the
coach said.
He described it as a “trike, ret-
rofitted into an e-bike.” It’s pow-
ered by electricity, so Gus, who
cannot operate a regular bike,
can use it. He can use his thumb
to control the throttle.
Karla Macy said that such
chairs, built for off-road ad-
venturing, can cost $10,000 to
$20,000, or above. This one, she
said, will make a big difference
in her son’s life.
“This is a new and exciting
way for him to get around,” she
said.
A HEART-FELT PROJECT
Kyle Sipe said that this was
not only a big project for his stu-
dents; it was a meaningful one.
Students planned its construc-
tion during the COVID-19 lock-
down of 2020/21. When they
couldn’t see one another in per-
son, they diagrammed the chair
remotely.
Students conversed with each
other via the internet about the
build. This gave them something
to do and to look forward to,
their teacher said. Also, it pro-
vided a reason for them to keep
in touch.
When lockdown ended, they
got together and enjoyed team-
ing up once again, as they had
done with other projects. At least
35 students pitched in on this
project, working whenever they
had a free moment.
“I couldn’t hazard a guess as to
how many hours they spent, but
it was a lot,” Kyle Sipe said.
He and his students weren’t
the only people responsible for
this new chair, however.
Umatilla School District/Contributed Photo
Gus Macy takes his first drive of the chair built by Umatilla High School
students.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
AND SUPER STUDENTS
Heidi Sipe, Umatilla School
superintendent and wife to the
robotics teacher, also worked to
make this gift possible. She said
their effort was like other work
they have done in the past.
“I always do the organizing
and financing piece, and Kyle
makes the real work happen,”
she said.
The superintendent said she
discovered this need while at a
legislative meeting. Gus’ mom
was a speaker at the meeting, as
she was advocating as an early
childhood intervention educator.
“I met her there and was really
inspired by her,” Heidi Sipe said.
They stayed in touch after the
meeting, and they discussed the
possibility of the Umatilla robot-
ics team helping Gus.
The robotics team is often
busy, but their schedule opened
up during the pandemic. There
was no in-person school, and
competitions were canceled.
“The kids needed a project,”
she said.
Also, local companies and
people were willing to fund the
project. Cattle Drive Leather Co.
was the primary sponsor.
The Lorence Family and
Evangeline Gifts were sponsors,
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too, and Amazon Web Services
helped fund the team’s trip to
Baker City to deliver the bike to
Gus.
She called the experience of
delivering the chair, and seeing
the surprise on Gus’ face, “the
greatest thing ever.” Some of the
students, who worked on the
chair, agreed.
FOSTERING COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
Avery Gutierrez, Confiden-
tial officer and member for three
years,” said she was very happy
about this project. She added
that the robotics team has intro-
duced her to community service;
Gutierrez hadn’t done such work
previous to joining Confidential.
Lately, she has performed yard
work and helped out in other
ways with her team.
She said she likes this sort of
work, as it brings her closer to
others. Also, she enjoys learning
new skills, she said. Though the
wheelchair project is not robot-
ics, per se, it did involve wiring
and other skills.
“We started by getting mea-
surements — his height and
weight — and we worked to ad-
just it to his needs,” Gutierrez
said.
According to Gutierrez, Gus
hugged his mom and gave ev-
eryone on the team high fives
upon receiving the chair.
Meghan Owens, lead of pro-
gramming and electrical for
Confidential, has been with the
team for four years. Like Gutier-
rez, most of her community ser-
vice work has been through her
robotics team, she said.
Also like Gutierrez, Owens
said she “gets a lot” from her
service.
“We get really connected with
our community,” she said. She
added that she has learned much
about the people of her commu-
nity, as well as the area’s history,
businesses and services.
She also said that Gus was
happy about the chair, even
though he had an accident on
his first drive.
ADVENTURES STARTED
WITH A SPILL
Karla Macy confirmed that
her son did, in fact, have an ac-
cident, though it was minor and
not enough to scare him away
from the gift. Upon receiving the
wheelchair, Gus steered it into a
curb and took a tumble.
“It only took him about five
minutes to figure out how to tip
it over,” she said.
She said Gus was fine, as the
chair was built with safety in
mind. A car seat, with a five-
point harness, is part of the
wheelchair. Also, he has a helmet.
“What’s really good about it is
that it’s a pretty good size, and I
think it’s something he can use,”
she said. “I think this is some-
thing that can last him his whole
life, with some minor adjust-
ments.”
Gus’ mother expressed much
gratitude for the chair and the
kindness of the robotics team.
“According to Karla Macy, the
robotics team spoke with Gus
when designing the chair. Later,
when they met him in person,
one student presented him with
a stuffed toy.”
“Those students from
Umatilla have been so awesome,”
she said.