July 8, 2020

​CDBG Award – The highlight of the week was getting notified that we were awarded the $2.5 million grant for the inflow and infiltration remediation!

COVID-19
We surpassed 200 cases on Friday. If there is a bright light about it, it is that the cases are spread evenly around the county, and not just concentrated in Ontario or any other city.  

Snake River Trail – This is a project that is enormous in scope and very much long-term, but we are continuing to plug away at it. This week I asked the regional solutions coordinator to facilitate a meeting between the State Department of Lands, Oregon Parks and Recreation Association, and the Army Corp of Engineers. She was able to establish the right contacts and is scheduling a meeting for us to begin the conversations of cooperation we will need with them.

Wayfinding – The survey for the wayfinding system is out on the digital highway. Feel free to share the link with everybody you know. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSet6dadZLG3IvEWTd-9m9ccMRv_8jNNtDShN7ShVrjfJXuebg/viewform?usp=sf_link I liked that the council asked us to put it out to the citizens. It’s a fun way to engage the public. I was really impressed with the proposals and very excited about what it could do for our community.

Downtown Revitalization - Hanging Baskets went up downtown last week. They need a little while to fill out, but they look nice. Paving should start downtown this week. I’m excited to see how much of a difference this will make.

Housing
The Malheur United Housing Taskforce met last week. We covered a range of topics among which was a shelter location. I made sure to mention that we need to engage the public as we consider different options and that the City will need to approve a zoning for whatever permanent location is chosen.

Airport
Good weather seems to have brought an uptick in the number of activities at the airport. Vector control, spray planes, general aviation, glider program, flight school, and Bureau of Land Management have all had a busy week.
The grass runway has been mowed and cleared, ready for use for the Fourth of July weekend.

In a call from the FAA we were notified that funding for our projects is more secure now than it was a few weeks ago. This is definitely a move in the right direction.

Another move in the right direction for Ontario‘s airport happened this week with the Oregon Department Of Aviation by putting Ontario‘s Airport on the list as a “readiness” Airport. This means that the building of a large facility to help out with a major emergency or crisis is now a possibility.

We made progress in getting the permissions to move the irrigation line off the airport. Larry Sullivan was able to make contact with the Wada’s and they agreed we could move it as long we did not disrupt flow during the current season.

Finance
Happy New Fiscal Year! We have begun our new budget as of yesterday.

The micro-loan/grant program and utility forgiveness programs are both up and running. Currently we have received 11 applications for the micro-loan/grant program and 10 applicants for the utility forgiveness program. We will have a handful of micro-loans/grants for Council approval at the work session on Thursday.

Fire & Rescue
This week flew by. It was mostly filled with Covid-19 meetings and activities. The Chief and building officials did finals on the next phase of DHS remodel on Monday.  Our training this week was cancelled due to the spike in COVID-19 cases and trying to social distance for the crews.

We had a couple of false fire alarms this week, and numerous medical calls.  Many of the medicals were for possible COVID-19 cases.

Police
Administration
June 29- Chief Romero submitted a state mandated report to the Criminal Justice Commission regarding any suspected activities of racial profiling. The Chief is glad to report that not a single complaint was submitted to OPD during the 2019 calendar year. OPD takes pride in being known as a professional and fair organization to all community members.

June 29- OPD admin staff responded to another recent radio failure of the police communications system. The issue was found to be in the “comparator” area of the system and was corrected by the communications contractor (Day Wireless) for now. Replacement will likely be needed in the future.

June 30- Chief Romero and Lt. Cooper met with CM Brown and Assistant to CM Hall to begin planning and developing a camera deployment strategy for our public area cameras. OPD will be looking at various Data sets and statistics to assist in determining where the most beneficial locations will be for camera deployment.

July 2-OPD has begun production on a public service announcement that will be shared through the OPD Facebook platform regarding animal safety during the summer months. The Chief intends to create an internally produced video series of public service announcements, as a way to further educate the general public regarding a variety of ordinance type violations and to provide education for public safety concerns such as 1) driving under the influence, 2) crime reduction methods, and 3) how to build community partnerships with law enforcement.

Field Services
OPD responded to a variety of calls for service this week with no significant events taking place. However, OPD will be proactive with its Independence Day policing response to any type of criminal activity.

Code Enforcement
This week’s emphasis was focused on parking violations and abandoned vehicles. Code enforcement removed a trailer belonging to a chronic parking violator, in the northwest section of the city.

June 30-CEO Reyna investigated an animal abuse case which resulted in the removal of 8 dogs that were being kept in a vehicle without adequate water, food, and shelter. The responsible persons were cited and referred to the courts.

This week, several fine notices were sent out to previously noticed violators regarding weed control, property violations, and parking violations. OPD continues to make progress with gaining compliance from violators and received notice of payment and correction from several violators.

Public Works
COVID-19 Update
Staff are working on installing air cleaning systems on the City Hall Building HVAC system. The Public Works office is closed to public and all non-essential employee access.

Field Services
The Oregon Street project to realign the center line and re-slope the crown of the roadway on sections of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues is complete. The initial layer of asphalt has been placed. A second layer will be laid down when South Oregon is paved. The asphalt milling and repaving phase of Oregon Street is scheduled to begin next week.
TVCC trail markings are being painted as weather permits. Speed bumps for the TVCC trail have been installed.

Water
Wells #6 and #15 are showing minor bacterial contamination following the maintenance work last month. The wells are currently undergoing a sanitation soak. This soak will be followed by another round of lab tests. Staff will wait for the results of the testing before putting the wells back into production. (Neither well has been in production since the they were taken off-line for maintenance.)

Parks and Cemeteries
Grass trimming around headstones is falling behind schedule as the labor needed to perform the work is less available than in years past. (Due to Covid-19.)

The splash park is operational. All operational duties are the responsibility of the Recreation District. (Jacobs staff are making daily checks on the system as the Rec District staff are working under Jacobs Staff licenses.)

Facilities
The upgrade for the Golf Club House HVAC has been installed. The swamp cooler for the old shop is back on-line.

Engineering
Work on the Skate Park restrooms is on schedule. The plan is to start laying block next week once the door jams have been received. Crews are prepping materials for the Beck Park Bridge Repair.

Crews are planning for striping and hot taping the South Oregon Street project.
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The mixing zone final report has been submitted. The pH adjustment project is moving forward. The contractor has begun ordering materials.