A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022
HERALD
OPINION
and
reader’s
forum
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
A4
OUR VIEW
Eastern board
getting out
into the region
Eastern Oregon University got it right when it made the deci-
sion to hold its recently completed annual retreat of the board of
trustees in Boardman.
The retreat, held earlier this week at the SAGE Center Gallery,
showcased meetings with local and regional business leaders and
area stakeholders. Those meetings were aimed outlining the uni-
versity’s role in business, industry and education.
The retreat was part of a more in-depth agenda to stage
fact-finding tours across the region.
There is a lot of good to say about this effort by the university.
The university really should be — and is — a jewel in the crown
for Eastern Oregon.
It is the only four-year university on this side of the state. That,
alone, makes the university unique and places it in an optimum
position to help make a huge difference in the lives of many of us.
The decision to hold the retreat outside of its home in La
Grande shows the leaders at the university believe in collecting
input from everywhere. That sends the message of inclusiveness
and reasoned, methodical planning.
Yet while there is plenty to praise about the university’s deci-
sion, those of us who live in this great area also have a responsi-
bility to interact with the board members and make their retreat
a success. The trustees can’t read minds and they are offering area
stakeholders and officials a great opportunity to give feedback.
The university clearly understands that it serves a wide area
and to know the challenges and triumphs our area faces, they
must get out into the hinterlands and listen.
That may seem like a common-sense approach — and it is —
but it isn’t as common as some might believe.
There is no doubt that a kind of mission-creep can develop
with institutions like the university regarding the region it serves.
It can seemingly be easy to stay focused on the campus and ig-
nore the region or forget the diverse elements of our rural town-
ships and counties.
Thankfully, that hasn’t happened with the leadership at the
university. The retreat shows that its leaders desire to gather as
much information as they can and to listen to as many diverse
opinions as possible on the way to creating a first-class learning
opportunity for all.
That should be excellent news to every voter in the region.
COLUMN
ERICK
PETERSON
PETERSON’S POINTS
Goodbye to
a good man
BY ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
S
ince the start of my
sick leave, the Herm-
iston Herald pro-
duced two newspapers, and
many things have occurred
during my absence. The
biggest gut punch, however,
was the death of Umatilla’s
John Perkins.
Perkins played Santa Claus
at local events, which is how I
became acquainted with him.
One day before last year’s
Hermiston tree-lighting cel-
ebration, Perkins called me
to say that it would be his last
year as Santa; he had stage-
four cancer and was not ex-
pecting to survive to play the
part another year.
In fact, he said, he proba-
bly shouldn’t have agreed to
be Santa in 2021.
His health was in severe
decline, and he knew that the
role would be taxing on him.
Still, he took the part because
he loved doing it, and he ex-
pressed concern he would
disappoint people if he didn’t.
One day, he dropped into the
Herald office and sat down to
discuss growing up in Pendle-
ton, serving in the Navy, grad-
uating high school when he
was around 60 years old and
more. He spoke of his wife,
Jeanne, and his religious faith.
Last year, Perkins waved
at a large crowd of people,
flipped a ceremonial switch
and then walked to a nearby
church to recuperate.
When he was feeling bet-
ter, he sat beneath the large
tree, then lighted, and he met
with children and families.
Perkins was happy. He was
tired, but glad to be doing his
work as Santa.
John did terrific things in
his life that brought plea-
sure to both himself and
others. May we all be like
this Santa, working to bene-
fit one another.
COLUMN
The Spruce Goose and the watermelon
T
he Spruce Goose is a spectacle of an
airplane — part sideshow oddity,
part historical relic — on display in
a custom hangar at the Evergreen Avia-
tion & Space Museum in McMinnville.
It was constructed primarily of birch
wood in Long Beach, California, during
World War II in a plan to produce air-wor-
thy transports that didn’t require scarce
metal commodities. It made one flight in
1947 to prove the concept and was then
mothballed as the only prototype.
Half a century later, the McMinnville mu-
seum bid on the right to purchase the one-
of-a-kind plane, building a sizable collection
of real and replica planes and helicopters
around it to tell the history of flight.
As we climbed the steps up to see the
Goose a few weeks ago, the friendly veter-
ans stationed at the entrance went through
an all-but scripted dialogue with us. They
asked if we were enjoying the museum,
asked the kids if they were ready to fly a
plane, and asked us where we were from.
When we told them we were from Herm-
iston, the inevitable question followed: “Are
the watermelons ready yet?”
Only for locals, I let them know, but we’ll
ship them out once we’re ready to share with
the world.
My agricultural background is minimal,
and I’ve certainly never harvested watermel-
ons in the heat of summer. But that doesn’t
mean I can’t take pride in living in a town
that produces the best version of the best
Volume 115 • Number 32
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@hermistonherald.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor • epeterson@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4536
Angel Aguilar | Multi-Media consultant • aaguilar@hermiston herald.com 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Office Manager • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
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fruit known to mankind.
I’ve never been asked how the potatoes
are looking, how the onion crop is com-
ing in, or if the grass seed is as good as last
year. Frankly, I wouldn’t have an answer,
although I know a few folks at the Herm-
iston Agricultural Research & Extension
Center who could share some thoughts.
But I do know enough to know that the
iconic watermelon, proudly displayed on
the water tower, doesn’t nearly tell the
story of Hermiston’s agricultural bounty.
It’s just a digestible slice of what makes
Hermiston special.
In the same way, Pendleton has the
Round-Up, a once-a-year event that doesn’t
completely define the town but captures its
ethos. Maybe McMinnville didn’t birth the
birch behemoth that now plays an outsized
role in its tourism culture, but it does tie
into a rich aviation history that could other-
wise be missed.
I was thinking about these touch points
during a presentation about the Hermis-
ton HEROS project that would add youth
sports fields at the Eastern Oregon Trade
and Event Center. The question of iden-
tity came up. What is Hermiston all about?
█
Daniel Wattenburger is the former managing
editor of the East Oregonian. He lives in Hermiston
with his wife and children and is an account
manager for Pac/West Lobby Group. Contact him
at danielwattenburger@gmail.com.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Stretch run on comments before
OPUC sides with utilities and gives
them what they want
Electric utilities are about to get a free
pass to take your land or your neighbors’
land in condemnation proceedings.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commis-
sion is going to allow utilities to take your
land before the utility has all the permits re-
quired to do so. The main reason — it takes
too long. I am the only “public” at the table
and have been up against PacifiCorp, Port-
land General Electric, Idaho Power and the
Consumer Owned Utilities (co-ops, public
utility districts and municipal utilities).
Will you help?
The case docket, AR 626 — Certifi-
cate of Public Convince and Necessity,
aka “condemnation,” is in its final phases.
It started in September 2019 with infor-
mal rulemaking and staff recommending,
among other things, that condemnation
be the capstone or final process after all
other permits and regulatory reviews are
completed. The utilities wanted a waiver
HERMISTON
HERALD
DANIEL
WATTENBURGER
What would bring people here from across
the Northwest?
As EOTEC manager Al Davis likes to say,
it’s the middle of nowhere but the center of
everything. That’s a good start.
But this community has also developed
a reputation as a youth sports mecca, and
not just because of our location at the cross-
roads of two interstates.
In the fall we host playoff football and
soccer at Kennison Field, in the winter we
have Amateur Athletic Union basketball
and wrestling in school gyms, in the spring
and summer our sports fields fill with la-
crosse players. A youth softball team just
did us all proud by carrying the Hermiston
name to the western regional Little League
tournament, as many other local teams have
done in all areas of competition over the
years.
Watermelons may be our notable export,
but youth sports give us a chance to show-
case our talented youth, dedicated adult
coaches, commitment to inclusiveness, and
community hospitality. They make up our
character.
Everyone wants to live in a town that
stands for something. Knowing what Herm-
iston stands for will guide us through the
continued growth and change ahead.
in special circumstances that mostly in-
volve the Oregon Land Use Board of Ap-
peals and the counties. Staff stuck to their
position.
Once we went into formal rulemak-
ing, the commissioners became involved,
everything changed and the pro-utility/
pro-transmission mentally of the commis-
sioners came to full light as they rewrote
most of the rule(s). In order accommodate
the utilities’ desire for a waiver and side-
step LUBA’s slowness, the OPUC would
have to use its super powers and cited in
Oregon Revises Statute 197.180 — state
agency planning responsibilities. If that
didn’t work the commissioners sited Ore-
gon Administrative Rule 660-030-0065(3)
to condemn your land. This looks and
smells like an end-run around other state
agencies and counties to serve the utilities.
I have also been pushing them, in writ-
ing and verbal testimony, to develop envi-
ronmental justice filters. These filters will
look at critical factors the other agencies
and the counties do not look at in their
rules. These include but are not limited
Corrections
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct
errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect
information will be corrected on Page A2. Errors
committed on the Opinion page will be corrected on
that page. Corrections also are noted in the online
versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at
editor@hermistonherald.com or call 541-278-2673 with
issues about this policy or to report errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for
the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves
on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is
good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the
person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right
to cumulative economic, health and envi-
ronmental impacts and to make sure they
look at the demographics and are not put-
ting a line in economically challenged or
communities of color.
Over and over the commissioners have
been reminded that the public does not
have the time, money or knowledge to be
at these meetings and it is the commis-
sioners’ job to see that the public’s values,
health and security are taken into consid-
eration. Only one commissioner, Thomp-
son, asked about environmental justice
and seemed concerned.
This Thursday, Aug. 11, at 4 p.m. is the
last time to submit comments before the
OPUC sides with the utilities and gives
them what they want. I apologize for not
ringing the alarm bell sooner but I be-
lieved in the process. I do not now.
Send comments to the OPUC at puc.
filingcenter@puc.oregon.gov and use AR
626 — Certificate of Public Convince and
Necessity in the subject header.
Jim Kreider
La Grande
to edit letters for length and for content. Letters
must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should
include a telephone number so they can be reached
for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of
residence will be published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries; death
notices and information about services are published
at no charge. Obituaries can include small photos and,
for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge. Obituaries and
notices may be submitted online at hermistonherald.
com/obituaryform, by email to obits@ hermistonherald.
com, placed via the funeral home or in person at the
Hermiston Herald or East Oregonian offices. For more
information, call 541-966-0818 or 800-522-0255, x2211.