County wins right to complete Airport Road project in Hermiston area
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The lawsuit against Umatilla County and the city of Hermiston involving the Airport Road improvement project ended earlier this month, and the county and city were the winners.
Christopher and Monique Waine contended the project was taking their land. The county, which was performing the improvements to the access road to the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, countered that the land in question was within the county’s legal right-of-way for road improvements.
The trial began on July 6, and Umatilla County Counsel Douglas Olsen said it was during the third day, before the defendants had even presented their case, that the action ended. He said the Waines conceded “the quiet title claim and Umatilla County’s counterclaim for ejectment.”
Judge Eva Temple issued her ruling to permit the road improvements that same day from the bench. She ordered a fence the plaintiffs had constructed be removed from the road right-of-way for both Airport and Ott roads on or before Oct. 14. If the fence isn’t taken down by that date, the county has the right to remove it.
