KWSO News for 10/22/19

Continuing today the Water and Wastewater Division of the Public Utilities Branch is working alongside the GELCO contractor to finish the replacement and upgrade of the pressure reducing valves on the agency water system main lines. The work is anticipated to take about three to four days which is an allowance of a day for each vault. The Water department intends to have the reservoirs filled so as to minimize any outages of water. Please be aware that a handful of users may experience outages for short periods of time while the PRV work progresses. If the situation calls for it, the water department will issue a boil water notice in compliance with EPA requirements. If you have any questions or concerns please direct those to the Public Utilities Department at (541) 553-3246.

After months of rumors, Contractors working for the Pendleton Round-Up Association are expected to break ground within the next few days on their “south campus” expansion. The Bend Bulletin reports that McCormack Construction Co, which is managing the project will spend the coming weeks tearing out asphalt from the parking lot and leveling the ground. The new building is meant to consolidate the Round-Up’s retail, ticketing and administrative operations into one building, which currently is scattered around the facilities near the arena and the Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame.  Director of Business development/operations for McCormack Construction co Joseph Hull says Once contractors are ready to begin building vertically, they will not take a break for the winter months and press forward through the winter weather as much as possible. Construction is estimated to be complete before the 2020 Round-Up.

An estimated 739785 Oregonians, or about one-fifth of the state’s population participated in The Great Oregon Shakeout last Thursday. According to the Bend Bulletin, the numbers indicate that the reports of a potentially catastrophic Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake happening in the near future have galvanized residents to foster what the Oregon Military Department’s Office of Emergency Management calls a “culture of preparedness”. Meanwhile a 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook off the southern Oregon Coast yesterday morning. KOIN reports the quake was over 6 miles deep and 122 miles west of Bandon. This is the 2^nd quake to hit the Oregon coast in under a week and 5^th this month.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order giving state and local governments the authority to refuse to accept refugees. Brown said in a video posted Monday on Twitter that refugees are welcome in Oregon, and noted that it is a sanctuary state. The Democratic governor said resettlement is a lifeline that America provides to the world’s most vulnerable refugees. Trump’s Sept. 26 executive order says that within 90 days, the secretary of state and the secretary of health and human services must develop and implement a process by which a state and the locality’s consent to the resettlement of refugees is taken into account. If a state or locality has not provided consent, then refugees would not be resettled there except for under special circumstances.

Locally: Madras Volleyball hosted Molalla last night and dropped the Match 3 to None, in Soccer the Lady Buffs hosted Gladstone losing their game 4-1 and the Buff Boys were on the road to Gladstone and came up just short falling to the Gladiators 1-0. Next up: Buff Boys Soccer will host Molalla tomorrow at 5pm, as they try to remove Molalla from being unbeaten in league play. The Lady Buff Soccer will be traveling to Molalla tomorrow, their game starting at 4:30pm and Madras Volleyball will be on the road to Estacada, match starts at 6pm tomorrow.