By: Tia Politi, ORHA President

March 2024

Meeting in Bandon
Looking forward to seeing our association delegates at this month’s Board Meeting in beautiful Bandon. See the March 2024 Board Meeting Notice from the ORHA Office for dates, times and location. You should have already received your invitation and secured your place. We will be meeting at Lord Bennett's Friday night at 6 p.m. for a no-host delegates dinner just to eat some good food and hang out - hope you will join us. If you’ll be staying Saturday night, we’ll figure out something to do. It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend and there’s an Irish festival, so we may head over there for food and fun.

The committee meetings will be held at the Wizard Hat Beach House – See Board Packet for Address – as will the Sunday morning training. This meeting’s training will be 9-10 a.m. and I’ll be talking about how to handle a landlord helpline for your association. It’s a challenge but dramatically increases a chapter’s value to its members. I’ll be discussing setting up a dedicated Google Voice phone number for callers, tracking calls and topics to guide the board in educational offerings, directing callers to our forms and manuals, dealing with people who take too much time, and how to answer landlord questions without giving legal advice.

Property Management Palooza!
Mark your calendars for this year’s Property Management Seminar in beautiful Hermiston, Oregon, Friday May 17, 2024. Classes will be held at the Oxford Suites at 1050 N 1st St, Hermiston. We should have four teachers this time, Christian Bryant, president of the Portland Area ROA, Jason Miller, ORHA Legislative Director, Violet Wilson, ORHA Executive Committee Advisor and chair of the ORHA Education Committee, and myself. Meetings have begun and we’ll send you more info on the class times and topics next month.

The Palooza is our way of highlighting a smaller chapter and helping them boost their finances. In this case we’re working with all our eastern Oregon folks and while the distances are vast, it’s a beautiful drive. So please mark your calendars for an all-day seminar. If you can’t make it in person, we will be offering virtual attendance options as well, but we encourage you to come in person if you can. Remember, when you travel for business it’s a tax deduction!

There’s a lot to do in Hermiston and the surrounding areas and Eastern Oregon is spectacular in the Spring, so bring the family for a mini vacation. In Hermiston, there’s the Hermiston Family Aquatic Center, Butte Park with a great view if you hike to the top of the Butte, the Hermiston Raceway, Desert Lane Bowling Alley & Arcade, and Winery Tours.

The town of Hermiston has long been a stopover for travelers. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery passed the distinctive outcropping of Hat Rock, now a state park, and wrote about it in their journals. The town site in the 1860s was known as an overnight spot for horseback travelers who frequented an Old West hotel and bar here. The Maxwell Siding Railroad Display recalls a former time when rail was king. Visitors can view the early 20th-century rail cars and collection of railroad memorabilia. (Tours are available by appointment.)

Umatilla is only a 12-minute drive from Hermiston and offers their own array of things to do. Head down to the river at the Umatilla Marina R.V. Park, a great spot for boaters, and the McNary National Wildlife Refuge, with walking paths around the ponds and sloughs that provide key habitat for migrating and resident water birds as well as other wildlife. Visit the nearby Pacific Salmon Visitor Information Center at McNary Lock and Dam to learn about the life cycle of salmon and the history of hydropower in the Columbia. Don’t miss your photo op with the giant cowboy sign outside the Columbia Harvest Foods store. Then head west toward the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, where you can look for burrowing owls, overwintering eagles, mule deer and badgers.

We hope to see you there!