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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2021)
STATE THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021 THE OBSERVER — 7A Bentz slams governor over COVID-19 restrictions many in my district, and I share their frustration,” said Bentz in a statement. “Today, nearly 70% of Oregon’s older popula- tion is fully vaccinated and many communities across our state were well on their way to safely returning to some sort of By LILIANA FRANKEL Malheur Enterprise Sean Nealon/Oregon State University Oregon State University conducts COVID-19 testing at its Corvallis campus in this undated photo. OSU an- nounced Tuesday, May 4, 2021, it will require students and staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations before fall term. Oregon State University to require COVID-19 vaccines Associated Press CORVALLIS — Oregon State University announced it will require COVID-19 vaccinations before the fall term. The university in Cor- vallis said Tuesday, May 4, students and employees who study and work onsite at the univer- sity’s locations must be vaccinated. “As we advance our plans to resume traditional on-site and in-person activ- ities for the 2021-22 aca- demic year, high rates of vaccination among our stu- dents, faculty and staff are needed to help improve the safety and well-being of our community,” Interim President Becky Johnson said in a statement. OSU’s vaccination requirement plans were informed by state and fed- eral guidance related to vac- cines, advice from public health experts, and guid- ance from other organiza- tions, such as the American College Health Association, the statement said. Elsewhere in Oregon, the University of Portland, Willamette University, and Lewis and Clark College have also announced vac- cine requirements as have the University of Wash- ington and Washington State University. Nationally more than 100 colleges and universi- ties have announced vac- cination requirements for students and/or employees, according to The Chron- icle of Higher Education. Owners get more time to rebuild after 2020 Labor Day wildfi res Bills pass Oregon House, also ease requirements for replacement homes and businesses By PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Owners would get more time to rebuild homes and busi- nesses destroyed in the 2020 Labor Day wildfi res, without running afoul of planning requirements, under two bills that have cleared the Oregon House. Both bills passed on 56-0 votes on Tuesday, May 4. One goes to the Senate, the other to Gov. Kate Brown. House Bill 2289, which goes to the Senate, gives property owners fi ve years — instead of the normal one year — to start recon- struction, which would not be considered a “land use action” under Oregon law. It applies in areas aff ected by wildfi res under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Kate Brown between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020. The Labor Day wild- fi res destroyed an esti- mated 4,000 homes. The largest concentration (about 2,500) was destroyed in the Almeda fi re in Southern Oregon, but other fi res were spread across Oregon. Building permits are not usually considered land use actions. But Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, said a work group he convened under the House Agriculture and Land Use Committee last fall after the wildfi res anticipated the potential of legal challenges to recon- struction. Clem became chairman of the House Spe- cial Committee on Wildfi re Recovery this session. “If this were deemed a land use decision, an angry neighbor could litigate, some other group could lit- igate. What we are trying to do is give a safe harbor,” he said. “If you are rebuilding basically the same footage at the same location, it’s not a land use decision ... and you can proceed with your rebuilding.” The bill sets a deadline of Sept. 30, 2025, for the start of reconstruction in these areas. It allows the square footage of replace- ment houses to be up to 10% more than the orig- inal. Structures do have to comply with building codes in eff ect in January 2008 or at the time of original construction, whichever is later. Clem said the bill has an exception for recon- struction in federally des- ignated fl oodplains, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency can set requirements for prop- erty owners to take part in the national fl ood insurance program. It follows up House Bill 3272, which also cleared the House last week and went to the Senate. Under it, people who lost their homes in the 2020 Labor Day wildfi res would get a minimum of two years under insurance policies to repair or rebuild, and other insurance protections. On a percentage basis, Clem said, more home- owners (25%) are in the building permit process in Detroit than in Paradise, Cal- ifornia, which was destroyed in 2018. However, the mid- 2020 population estimate for Detroit — which is east of Salem — was 205, the same as in the 2010 Census. Para- dise counted 26,800 people in 2010; it was barely 10% of that total in a 2019 count taken six months after the fi re. Nonconforming use reset Senate Bill 405, which goes to the governor, rede- Ask us about free delivery ELGIN ELECTRIC 43 N. 8th fi nes what a nonconforming land use is. For example, a retail store can operate in an area that has become a residential neighborhood. Under current law, non- conforming uses can con- tinue indefi nitely — unless there is an interruption in that use, such as inactivity or abandonment of a prop- erty, for one year. The bill resets the one year to start once the governor lifts the state of emergency that caused the interruption. For the coronavirus pan- demic, Brown has imposed a state of emergency since March 2020 and renewed her order every 60 days. The latest order is sched- uled to end June 28. “It provides a little bit of breathing room to ensure that owners of noncon- forming properties have the time needed to gather resources and begin con- struction,” Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, said. “Aff ected landowners want nothing more than to be back in place. Rebuilding is a marathon, not a sprint.” Marsh and Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, are from wildfi re-ravaged areas. “We’ve heard testi- mony from people feeling that their only hope of meeting this requirement is to choose a quicker option — whether that is prede- signed-building plans that don’t quite fi t their needs, or manufactured homes — rather than risk waiting for stick-built structures,” Cate said. “Let’s give wildfi re vic- tims the time they need to navigate obstacles to rebuild their lives.” Marsh said a diff erent section of the bill is intended to help organizations such as the Oregon Country Fair, which was unable in July 2020 to stage its three-day fair on its prop- erty in Veneta. The fair has announced that its July 2021 event also will be virtual. Appliances you can trust Elgin, OR 541-437-2054 ONTARIO — Oregon U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz on Monday, May 3, called on Gov. Kate Brown to reverse her decision to impose tighter restrictions on 15 Oregon counties that require restaurants to close. The gov- ernor last week announced 15 counties were moved into the “extreme risk” category under her COVID-19 metrics. The state rules in that circum- Bentz stance restrict indoor dining, as well as lim- iting attendance for gyms and churches. Of the 20 counties that Bentz rep- — U. S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario resents, eight are aff ected by the new restrictions. Those counties are Baker, normal. However, Gov. Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Brown has now done Jackson, Josephine, completely the oppo- Klamath and Wasco. Mal- site of many other states: heur County still is under imposing yet another the “moderate risk” des- lockdown.” Bentz said the ignation, which is less $20 million in aid Brown restrictive. “Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed making avail- decision to again lock able for businesses suf- down huge parts of fering under the new Oregon has caused restrictions was “woe- incredible frustration for fully inadequate.” “I am calling upon Gov. Brown to reverse this unfortunate deci- sion and focus her atten- tion instead on vaccina- tions and making sure that COVID aid sent to Oregon by the federal government be quickly allocated to those in need,” he said. Bentz, a Repub- lican from Ontario, voted against the American Rescue Plan that Congress approved in March. The plan included $28.6 billion for the Restaurant Revi- talization Fund to help struggling restaurants and bars across the country. Bentz noted while it might seem unusual for a national represen- tative to comment on state aff airs, “in recent days, the Oregon Health Authority actually invited public input from Oregon’s congres- sional delegation.” Charles Boyle, deputy communications director for Brown, said that “our offi ce and Oregon Health Authority hold a biweekly meeting with the congressional dele- gation. Those meetings are an open dialogue in which we receive feed- back from them.” “Gov. Kate Brown’s decision to again lock down huge parts of Oregon has caused incredible frustration for many in my district, and I share their frustration.” We thank these Chamber Members for their continued support CAM Credits www.VisitUnionCounty.org By-Rite Texaco & Car Wash PRODUCTIONS