Officials talk readiness for prison, town during eclipse
Prison staff
Ontario Fire Chief Terry Leighton, who is the incident commander of the solar eclipse emergency management system, said a staff member from Snake River Correctional Institute joined the meeting.
Capt. Mark Peterson, emergency operations manager at Snake River Correctional Institute, spoke about concerns relating to transportation.
Peterson’s voiced concerns came from prison staff who have had discussion about getting to and from work with the expected traffic, Peterson told the Argus in a phone interview this morning.
The prison employs roughly 1,000 staff, including folks as far away as Boise, Nampa and Baker City, Peterson said.
“Our staff’s biggest concern is going back and forth to work with the amount of traffic, so I attended the meeting to discuss how much in advance they should leave for work during the three days prior and after the solar eclipse as well as how long it will take for them to get home,” Peterson said.
Prison officials also plan to map out alternative routes for their staff.
Most of all, Peterson said, staff want to know what’s expected during the solar eclipse.
“They often don’t get a chance to attend community functions,” Peterson added.
Peterson also informed officials of the prison’s plans during the solar eclipse, which includes operating as normal.
“We weren’t really aware of their needs so it was good to hear from them,” Adam Brown, city manager, said.
Maps for visitors
Officials also discussed the making of maps and distribution sites.
As of now, plans include a map of waste dump sites and of the former Ontario Golf Course, where paid campsites will be made available.
Leighton said the maps will help those who are out of town in locating those areas.
Those maps are expected to be distributed at City Hall, Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce, downtown Ontario as well as hotels and gas stations, Brown said.
The city will be able to pay for promotional items, such as the maps, with a $6,000 fund received from Greater Eastern Oregon Development Center.
First aid stations
Other plans include setting up first aid stations which will be manned by local first responders in downtown Ontario for numerous events that are expected to occur, including a Street Dance sponsored by the city with a beer garden, back-to-back open markets and food vendors.
“We are moving forward with the street dance in front of the train depot. We thought it was something we could throw on at a relatively low cost,” Brown said of the city-sponsored dance for all ages.
Additionally, both Ontario Police Department and Ontario Fire and Rescue officials discussed matters of having additional first responders on call during the weekend leading up to the eclipse.
Other areas of discussion included securing bathroom facilities in key areas. Leighton said extra porta potties will be placed in areas where high populous is expected, including downtown Ontario and Lion’s Park as well as other locations.
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