Finish what you started – that was the advice that came to the city of Hermiston in the form of feedback from community members when asked what Hermiston should focus on in terms of community livability assets.
Translation – the city should fully develop the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center before putting more time and resources into other community projects.
That was the message delivered to the Hermiston City Council Monday night after a year or so of public meetings, focus groups and interviews with individuals about what the city can do to improve its livability.
The Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center (EOTEC) is a joint project between the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County. When completed, it will include an event center, as well as a fairgrounds and rodeo grounds. The event center is scheduled to open this spring, but the fairgrounds and rodeo and other amenities won’t be completed until full funding is secured.
A 26-member Livable Hermiston Committee was formed to guide a process in which the community would identify projects or “assets” that add to the quality of life in Hermiston. Two different community surveys were conducted, followed up by focus groups and one-on-one interviews to determine what the vision the community has for Hermiston’s future. The initial results showed there were five themes the community wanted to focus on:
• A family and youth activity center
• A year-round indoor aquatic center
• More parks, trails and open spaces for recreation
• A thriving downtown
• More arts and culture events
Each of the first four themes received support from more than 80 percent of the survey responders, while 64 percent supported more arts and culture events. When the committee took those five themes to focus groups for more in-depth conversation, overwhelming support emerged for an indoor aquatic center (93 percent support), while the activity center garnered support from 81 percent. Community feedback, however, emphasized that the aquatic center should include amenities that draw people from around the region and not build just an indoor pool.
But more than anything else, the top priority from the community was to fully develop EOTEC. The recommendation, however, also included support for putting resources into implementing one of the top five themes within the next year.
The committee also recommended extending the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s contract with the Hermiston Community Center for another year. That will give the city the chance to see how EOTEC impacts the community center.
Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said it will take some time after EOTEC is fully operational to see if one of the facilities is “cannibalizing” or taking events and business away from the other, or will they be complementary in terms of drawing more people and events to the community.
The council on Monday voted to accept the livability report and directed city staff to report back to the council next year with a proposal to conduct an analysis of the viability of one of the other favored projects such as an activity center and/or indoor aquatic center.
