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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2019)
LOCAL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 DEMAND Continued from Page 1A said, because food donations tend to fall off in January and February. “We need to build up a buf- fer (for January and Febru- ary),” Smith said. The regional food bank provides food to a total of 19 pantries in Union, Wallowa, Baker and Grant counties. The pantries it oversees in Union County are at the Neighbors Together station at 907 Ave., La Grande; the Salvation Army, 1114 Y Ave., La Grande; Shelter From the Storm, 10901 Island Ave., Island City; TEMPS Continued from Page 1A other traction devices. Trac- tion devices should be carried even if your vehicle has snow tires, which are allowed from Nov. 1 to March 31, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Halloween will be dur- ing this deep freeze, with temperatures in the mid teens and twenties, according to the NWS, and there are extra precautions that can be taken to ensure children’s safety. Having costumes that include refl ective tape is a great way to stay safe, accord- ing to safekids.org, and when the weather is cold, carry a jacket or blankets while out trick-or-treating. “As adults, make sure children are supervised, have lights or glow sticks and utilize sidewalks and crosswalks, where drivers are expecting them to be,” Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen said about stay- ing safe on Halloween. “Also remind young drivers to slow down and put down their devices.” the Cove Food Pantry, 1708 Jasper St.; the Elgin Food Bank, 805 N. Alder St.; the North Powder Food Bank, 740 Fifth St.; and the Union Food Pantry, 1531 S. Main St. These individual food banks also work to collect donations. The outlook for the Elgin Food Bank going into winter received a boost earlier this month when it conducted a spaghetti fundraising dinner and received a large number of donations at the event. Kathy Bonney, a member of the Elgin Food Bank’s board, said the donations show the high caliber of Elgin’s residents. Furry family members also need help staying safe during the cold. Whether they are bigger animals like horses or cows or smaller cats and dogs, providing ex- tra shelter is one of the most important things, said Chris- tina Danforth, a veterinarian at the Animal Health Center in Island City. “It’s not just the cold temperatures but the wind. Giving them some form of windbreak is important,” Danforth said. “Get them out of direct cold wind.” Many larger animals, Danforth said, stay warm by burning extra calories, so feeding them more than you would normally is another good idea. Having extra food on hand to make sure you don’t run out, especially if getting food is diffi cult, is one way to prepare. Keeping fresh water available for all of your animals is key too. “For people who like to do recreational sports and take their pets with them, it’s not a bad idea to get booties to protect their pads from getting cut up from the ice,” Danforth said. SHELTER Continued from Page 1A appeal in part because he is concerned about the limited number of people who were mailed notifi cations of the Oct. 8 hearing of the La Grande Planning Commission at which the conditional use permit was granted. He said people with businesses and homes within 100 feet of the proposed warming station site were the only ones notifi ed of the hearing. He believes many more people should have been informed, includ- ing downtown businesses, because of the impact the shelter could have on them. “A much larger demographic should have been notifi ed,” Adelsberger said. City of La Grande Planner Mike Boquist said the city is required by state law to adhere to a 100-foot notifi cation boundary when notifying property owners of a land use hearing. He said state law requires all owners of property within a 100-foot perimeter of a proposed land use project must be informed by mail of city hearings addressing it. Boquist said the city does not informs property owners outside the 100-foot perimeter of such hearings by mail. He explained that the city does not expand this 100-foot boundary to avoid being accused of trying to infl u- ence the outcome of a hearing. Boquist said the notice of the Oct. 8 planning commission meeting was published in the Union County Legal Notices portion of The Observer and that Elkhorn Media was also noti- fi ed of the meeting. Through his appeal, Adelsberger also wants to draw attention to his concern that the site at 2008 Third St. is too small. He said that with 2,200 square feet and two bathrooms it may not be large enough to accommodate what may be a growing homeless population in La Grande. “They need a bigger place,” he said. Adelsberger is also concerned that the building would be used in the fall and winter but not during the rest of the year. This would mean there would be many months in which rent would be paid for space not being used. THE OBSERVER — 5A “We advocate for the homeless. They need a voice. We have the best possible intentions.” — Al Adelsberger, La Grande businessman who fi led an appeal that will delay the opening of the Union County Warming Station’s new site on Third Street Adelsberger said many members of the La Grande business commu- nity support the efforts to maintain a warming shelter and other efforts to help those in need. He noted that one business donated a Christmas tree and gifts for children to the Union County Warming Station in 2018 when it was located on Willow Street. He also noted that Marco Rennie, the co-owner of Market Place Fresh Foods, every month donates food to the Fresh Alli- ance, which serves those in need. “We advocate for the homeless. They need a voice. We have the best possible intentions,” Adelsberger said. Much of the letter of appeal Adels- berger submitted to the city has a con- ciliatory tone. For example, one portion says discussions with warming shelter supporters addressed the possibility of a compromise that would involve a one-year occupancy. Such a step, the letter said, would address the immedi- ate needs of the applicant’s clients due to the upcoming colder season. “This would enable several of us to assist the applicant in possibly locating a better and more suitable location, with a greater potential of expansion, and a more sustainable solution in meeting the greater needs of an expan- sive population of people in need,” the letter of appeal states. Members of the Warming Station Board were asked to comment on the appeal by The Observer. However, a spokesperson told The Observer that “The board is not prepared to make a statement at this time.” The La Grande City Council will conduct a hearing on the appeal Dec. 4. After listening to testimony supporting and opposing the appeal at the hear- ing, the council could vote immediately to deny the appeal or support the planning commission’s Oct. 8 decision, or the council members could decide later, said Boquist. Should the council support the appeal, the warming sta- tion would not be able to open at 2008 Third St. However, Boquist noted, any decision made by the city council could be appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. The Union County Warming Station Board applied to use the Third Street building in part because it has more space than the building that served as the UC Warming Station in 2018-19 on Willow Street. Another plus is that it has rooms in which families could be placed, said Audrey Smith, a member of the Union County Warming Station Board. She explained in an Oct. 14 Observer article that the board wants to keep families together at its warm- ing shelter. The appeal of the planning com- mission’s decision was fi led Oct. 18. Had an appeal not been fi led, the conditional use permit for the warming station would have taken effect Oct 23. Smith said the shelter would not have been able to open right away though because of renovations required under the terms of the conditional use permit. These would have included the installation of a sprinkler system, a fi re wall, handicapped accessibility work and improved outdoor lighting. Smith said the goal was to have this work, which would have started about Oct. 23, completed by Nov. 15, when the shelter would have opened. The City of La Grande’s planning department will accept written input from the public on the appeal through Nov. 15. This input will be given to all members of the city council a week be- fore the Dec. 4 city council hearing as part of a staff report. It can be dropped off at the city’s planning offi ce at city hall, 1000 Adams Ave., or mailed to the City of La Grande Planning Depart- ment, P.O. Box 670, La Grande 97850. People will be able to submit written input to the planning department after Nov. 15. This input will be bundled and given to the city councilors at the Dec. 4 meeting. The time and place of the Dec. 4 La Grande City Council hearing will be announced later. 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