The Votes Have Been Counted, Umatilla County in the Green

by KAREN STEELE

    May 17th, 2016 will be marked down as one of celebration for Umatilla County, especially for Milton-Freewater. A hundred or so eager citizens gathered in the community building to hear the results of the bond, anxiously munching on popcorn and clutching onto their root beer floats. At exactly 8:05 pm, Superintendent Rob Clark made a phone call to receive the results.
     Before the official numbers were announced, Randy Grant, leader of the Milton-Freewater Downtown Alliance, gave a short speech, talking about how excited he was to see this town flourish, before introducing Karen Shelton, a seventh-grade science teacher at Central Middle School. She was the campaign advisor, and she looked out at the crowd with excitement and pride. Shelton named the individuals who had helped her along the way, and the attendees clapped for them in equal appreciation. After a few minutes, she stepped to the side and let Dr. Clark take the stage. He wasted no time getting to the point - saying that this bond could be “the best thing to happen to this town.” As he was pulling his phone out of his inside jacket pocket, he paused when a scream of delight came from Shelton. The unofficial results had been posted online: just under 80% of Milton-Freewater citizens voted yes for the school bond.
     Milton-Freewater will be getting a new school. The final numbers are that 78.71 percent of the votes said yes after Tuesday’s ballot count, with 2,044 votes for and 553 against. As soon as the words were out of Dr. Clark’s mouth, the community building literally erupted with cheers and applause, to an almost-deafening level, but I didn’t mind. Despite the fact that I won’t be able to benefit from the upgrades to Central and Mac-Hi and the building of the new elementary school, I am more that excited for the future Pioneers who will. My younger brother will get to learn in better air conditioned classrooms! “Most importantly,” said Doug Hendricks, “we’ll be getting a new bus lot! So thank you for that, Milton-Freewater!”
“Bond issues don’t get 70 plus percent,” Dr. Clark said, “Bonds are 20 years and they don’t usually get that support. Even people who have historically voted no forever in Milton-Freewater said, ‘OK, we have to vote for this one.’”
The construction of Olinger Elementary will cost around roughly $23.5 million, and the rest of the money will go to upgrades and the sports complex that will replace Grove Elementary School. The bond passage qualifies the district for a grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation for $15 million and a state education grant of $4 million. Clark mentioned that the demolition of the old cannery could take place as early as this fall, and construction is hoping to start in the summer of 2017. That’s only one year away!
     At Echo, the $8 million from their bond will help to pay for an expansion, including three more classrooms, a school library, a second gym that is air conditioned, dedicated science labs, wood and metal shops, art rooms, and agriculture rooms, along with security cameras and a key-card system. “To vote yes is to take a stand against the waves of violence that have been crashing into one American school after another,” says Weston-McEwen student Michael Shafer, son of John Shafer, the mayor of Athena, Oregon. His letter to the editor on the local bond was published on the East Oregonian website May 6th,  and he explained the seriousness of the school shootings that we’ve been facing (if you hop onto our website, you can see the link to the page). The TigerScots will also receive new heating, lights, buses, roofing, and more.
“Be ready to see Gib Olinger Elementary open their doors September 1st, 2018!” Dr. Clark closed.

Time for a Change: School District Pushes for a Bond to Upgrade Schools

by BRIANNA FOX

Thursday, April 7th Milton-Freewater held a bond rally at The Gathering Place in front of McLoughlin High School, at which the community could ask questions and find out why they should vote yes for the school bond. There was a huge turnout of teachers, students, and parents from the M-F school district and surrounding school districts to show their support for the bond. It has become so important to the community that seniors of Mac-Hi are urging the community to vote yes for the bond. High school senior and moderator for the rally, Jenny Field stated, “Being a part of the softball team for 4 years, I know how important it is to make sure the athletics programs are supported.”

Milton-Freewater City Manager, Linda Hall urged students to spread the word about the bond. “People moving to a new city look for schools, infrastructure, and recreation. We have the infrastructure and recreation, and this will help make our schools great.” She urged students interested in helping to talk to their families, neighbors,  and people at church. “You are the future. Don’t throw away $19 million. That’s pretty easy math,” Hall said. This is an opportunity that doesn’t just happen every day and to let it go to waste is a shame.

The $12.5 million school bond will help make a huge difference in the Milton-Freewater community. If the community votes yes on passing the bond, it would qualify the district for the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation Grant of $15 million and $4 million from the state of Oregon.

If passed, the district plans to build a new K-3 elementary school to be named Gib Olinger Elementary School, after a former civic stalwart of the Milton-Freewater community. They plan to build the school on the old cannery lot and will be demolishing the old warehouse located on the lot. The building will take energy efficiency into account to keep it environmentally friendly. A gymnasium will be built that will include a full size wood floor, sparse seating, and locker rooms. Outside, there will be playing fields, restrooms, and a concession building.

Both the Freewater and Grove campuses will be vacated. Grove will be developed into a sports complex. It will include two regulation soccer fields, measured walking/jogging path, parking, seating, concessions, and restrooms. It is still unclear what will be done with the Freewater Campus.

Ferndale is set to become a grade 4-5 facility and money will be allocated to upgrade technology and make repairs to the building. Money will also be allocated to Mac-Hi and Central to upgrade the HVAC system.

If you will be 18 by May 17, don’t forget to register to vote before April 26, so you can vote yes on the May 17 ballot for Milton-Freewater schools. Help make a difference in the community before the chance is gone.