HCC to discuss taking land for Gettman project
By Terry Murry on Monday, May 8th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The Hermiston City Council meets this evening (Monday) at 7, and the Gettman Road Extension Project is on the agenda. The council is being asked to approve allowing the city to move forward on acquiring the property that would be needed for the project.
The city has already decided that it is essential to the public that a new full-length public road be established by extending Gettman Road from its current terminus at South First Place to Highway 395. City officials report that residents well know that the lack of another through route forces a bottleneck at the intersection of First Place and Highland Avenue by Hermiston High School.
The resolution before the council will allow staff to hire appraisers, negotiators, and other consultants to set the stage for negotiating in good faith with property owners to compensate them justly. It would also authorize city staff to take appropriate legal action to obtain the property for compensation determined through the courts.
The council will also consider a lease agreement with Life Flight to lease the caretaker’s residence at the Hermiston Airport for use as temporary crew quarters. City staff reports that Life Flight has begun consideration of placing an aircraft at the Hermiston Airport, and the network considers the caretaker’s residence a good option. The lease is anticipated to bring in $18,000 a year in new revenue. The residence has been vacant since 2018.
The council is being asked to approve naming the new park in the Legacy Development Horizon Park. The name for the one-acre park was the result of a community-wide survey and surveys to children attending Loma Vista Elementary School.
