FROM PAGE ONE
TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2021
THE OBSERVER — 5A
LOCAL: Downtown shop specializes in coff ee drinks, tea, milkshakes, ice cream and pastries
Continued from Page 1A
According to fellow co-owner
Gust Tsiatsos, the inside of the
shop will not offi cially open until
all the windows are installed and
another emergency exit is put in.
He expects this to take at least 30
days.
Gust and Karin Tsiatsos bought
the old gas station at 1508 Adams
Ave. in the fall of 2020 with the
help of a $64,000 grant from La
Grande’s Urban Renewal Agency.
As Eastern Oregon University
alumni, the couple hope to make
The Local a gathering place for
college students.
“One of our goals was to pro-
vide a place specifi cally for the
college students to be able to
come down and have a place to
Carlos Fuentes/The Observer
Ally Tsiatsos, a barista at The Local and daughter of co-owners Gust and Karin
Tsiatsos, practices taking orders during a training on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
The drive-thru portion of the new business in the former Texaco station on Adams
Avenue, La Grande, opened June 25.
go and study and have a drink,”
Karin Tsiatsos said. “We’re a col-
lege town, but there’s not really
any downtown college presence,
there’s not many great places to
come downtown and study.”
The owners have big plans for
the shop, which has an ample out-
door seating area.
“We’ll be having some live
music throughout the summer.
We’ve talked with some clubs on
the (EOU) campus that want to
host events in the fall, so hope-
fully it can become a small venue
for these types of events,” Karin
Tsiatsos said.
The Tsiatsos family is no
stranger to opening new busi-
nesses. Through their company
GCT Land Management — a
general contracting and rental
DERBY
Continued from Page 1A
“At the time I didn’t
really do much sports and
that was something that I
kind of wanted to do and
that’s how I got into it,”
Reese Delaney said.
Over the years, the Del-
aneys elevated their knowl-
edge of the sport as Reese
Delaney continued to
improve as a driver.
“I think the biggest
thing is just racing, and
racing better people,” Sam
Delaney said.
From Cove to Akron
After their fi rst year
of competition in 2016,
Reese and Sam Delaney
watched the world champi-
onships on YouTube. It was
at that moment that making
it to the championships
became a personal goal for
Reese Delaney, the sport
becoming more than just a
hobby.
“I saw those other kids
do it and knew that’s what I
wanted,” he said.
Reese Delaney achieved
his goal and qualifi ed for
the 2019 All-American
Soap Box Derby World
Championships. Adjusting
to the pressure and facing
fi erce competition from all
across the country, he was
unable to move past the
fi rst round in the competi-
tion. In 2020, he qualifi ed
again, but the event was
canceled due to COVID-19.
“I’m excited,” he said.
“I get the chance to come
back this year and hope-
fully do a little bit better
than I did in 2019.”
The fi rst day at the
All-American Soap Box
Derby World Champion-
ships entails a thorough
inspection of the derby
cars, which proved stressful
for the father and son team
in 2019. Reese Delaney was
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Reese Delaney secures a wheel to a soap box stock car during the Cove Best in the West rally race on
Saturday, May 29, 2021. Delaney qualifi ed to compete in July’s All-American Soap Box Derby World
Championship in Akron, Ohio.
also apprehensive having to
race on an unfamiliar track,
which made him have to
make adjustments he had
never performed before.
“We were defi nitely
inexperienced there,” Sam
Delaney said. “We’ve
learned some things on
how to race on that track
and I think Reese has
become a better racer since
then.”
The Delaneys competed
in 15 competitions this year
in order to prepare for the
world championships.
“Just knowing how it
works and what to expect
when we go up I think will
really help us,” Sam Del-
aney said.
Driving for a win
Heading into this year’s
world championships, the
Delaneys are cherishing
the opportunity to be back
in the event and looking to
make some noise in Akron.
Reese Delaney’s goal is to
win a heat, something he
came up short of in 2019.
“I’ll still be happy if I
don’t, but that’s just some-
thing I want to shoot for
this year,” he said.
Even with all the racing
experience Reese Del-
aney has accumulated since
2016, he knows that riding
down the track at the world
championships is a special
moment unlike any other.
“All that work that you
put in to get there and then
you go down that hill and
you feel really happy, but
you’re also nervous that
your day might be over
if you lose,” he said. “It’s
really fun.”
Growing the sport
Outside of focusing on
their own success, the Del-
aneys are active in helping
promote soap box derby
racing in Eastern Oregon.
Sam Delaney is an event
organizer with Oregon
Soap Box Derby and helped
put on the Best in the West
rally race in Cove last
month.
For Sam and Reese Del-
aney, balancing their own
success and helping new-
comers is a challenge they
fully embrace.
In local events like the
one in Cove, Sam Delaney
spends the day running
around helping organize the
event, but he says he gets
hyper-focused on his son’s
race for that 30-second
duration. Reese Delaney
also helps his dad at events
and guides younger kids
through the weigh-in and
racing processes.
“It starts as a family,
community thing,” Sam
Delaney said. “One of the
things that we try to teach
the kids is when they get
to the amount of years that
(Reese) has been doing it, is
to kind of give back.”
The Delaneys credit
the event organizers who
helped them learn the ropes
when they were rookies in
the sport for getting them
to the point they are at
today. For that reason, they
aim to help newcomers as
well as draw more interest
toward the sport.
“People don’t really
know what it is and some-
times they don’t under-
stand it,” Sam Delaney said.
“We just try to let people
management business — they
own several properties in the
area, including The Landing, a
micro-boutique hotel and restau-
rant just across the street from the
new coff ee shop.
According to Karin Tsiatsos,
the couple wants to be involved
in the community and help make
downtown a more attractive place
for people of all ages.
“We want to be communi-
ty-minded. We just really are
here for our town and want to be
involved and be open,” she said.
“We want to provide a space for
people to hang out, and we’re
excited about seeing development
downtown. Let’s give people a
reason to come downtown.”
CHLORINE
know that most people like
it when they do it, and like
anything you can have a
lot of success once you get
into it.”
He hopes that Oregon
Soap Box Derby can hold a
local car clinic in the near
future, to show kids and
their parents the ins and
outs of working on a soap
box derby car. As the sport
continues to grow, a Cove
native attending the world
championships is testament
to how far competitors in
Eastern Oregon can go in
the sport.
“It shows other kids that
they can make it, but I don’t
like bragging about it,”
Reese Delaney said.
Continued from Page 1A
a replacement electrical
transformer and completed
its testing earlier this week,
which permitted the restart
of the facility,” a statement
from Westlake said.
OXARC also supplies
the chlorine for La Grande
and Elgin, neither of which
are experiencing a shortage,
according to Elgin Public
Works utility worker Tyler
Crook and La Grande Envi-
ronmental Resource super-
visor Kyle Carpenter.
“So far, we haven’t
experienced any kind of
shortage. We have a two-
week supply of chlorine and
we normally just get more
whenever we need it,” Car-
penter said.
OXARC declined to
comment on the shortage.
According to La Grande
Parks and Recreation
director Stu Spence, there is
no chlorine shortage at Vet-
erans’ Memorial Pool for
the time being.
The city of La Grande,
which supplies water to
more than 5,500 residen-
tial and commercial sites, is
by far the biggest chlorine
consumer in the area. As a
precautionary measure, the
city halted fl ushing of fi re
hydrants around La Grande
to conserve some water,
according to Carpenter.
“At this time, we’re not
particularly concerned,
but if anything changes we
will send out conservation
notices,” Carpenter said.
“For now, we’ll just wait
and watch, and we’re ready
to handle any situation that
might occur.”
Taking on the fi eld
The Delaneys leave
for Akron July 13 and are
hauling their car in a trailer
across the country. They
will be joined by Felix
Sota, a Portland native who
also qualifi ed from Oregon.
The inspection and reg-
istration process takes
place July 17, with super
stock racing beginning on
July 22. Reese Delaney will
also compete in the world
championship race July 24.
From racing down the
hills in Cove to competing
for a world champion-
ship, Reese Delaney has
had the ultimate journey
in soap box derby racing.
Whether or not he achieves
his goal of winning a
heat and advancing at the
All-American Soap Box
Derby World Champion-
ships, Eastern Oregon will
be in the spotlight at the
most prominent competi-
tive soap box derby event
in the world.
A Smarter
Way to Power
Your Home.
REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!
INLOW
Continued from Page 1A
the school, will allow the
university to complete the
second phase of its Inlow
Hall restoration project.
The fi rst phase started in
2009 and was competed
several years later. Phase 2
work on the structure will
involve steps like com-
pleting seismic upgrades
started in Phase 1 to make
the building better prepared
for an earthquake, replacing
the building’s clay tile roof
system and removing unre-
inforced brick chimneys.
Other upgrades will
involve replacing electrical,
heating, ventilation and air
conditioning systems with
smaller more effi cient ver-
sions, which will boost the
availability of space for
other uses at Inlow Hall.
The space would be used
to provide a more expan-
sive site for Eastern’s Rural
Engagement and Vitality
Center, according to the
capital funding request the
school submitted to the
state. The center was cre-
ated to develop partnerships
between EOU and entities
in the region that enhance
the vitality of the region and
develop its rural workforce
and leaders.
EOU’s capital funding
request report said that the
only alternative to the reno-
vation project would be the
demolition and replacement
The Observer, File
Inlow Hall, which was was built in 1928-1929, is set to receive major
restoration and modernization work after a committee in the Ore-
gon Legislature voted on Thursday, June 24, 2021, to allow the use
of nearly $446 million in state bonds to fi nance major building and
renovation projects.
of Inlow Hall. The report
said this would not be a rea-
sonable alternative.
“This building serves
every single EOU student
and its ability to do so is
critical,” the EOU report
stated.
Construction of Inlow
Hall began in 1928 and was
completed in 1929. Inlow
Hall was Eastern’s fi rst
building and the only one
in place when the school
opened in June 1929. It
remained Eastern’s only
building until the mid-
1930s when Ackerman Hall
was constructed. Inlow
Hall, in the years that fol-
lowed, has evolved into
Eastern’s primary adminis-
trative and student support
services building.
All the funding EOU
will receive for the project
will have to be spent for
the renovation of Inlow
Hall. Seydel said none of it
may be used to pay for the
restoration of the build-
ing’s grand north staircase,
which has been closed for
years due to its deterio-
rating condition. The stair-
case is as old as Inlow
Hall.
Work on Phase 2 of
the Inlow Hall restoration
project will likely start in
July 2023 and be completed
by September 2025.
ACT NOW TO RECEIVE
A $300 SPECIAL OFFER!*
(844) 989-2328
*Off er value when purchased at retail.
Solar panels sold separately.
NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING,
OR YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEED!
CALL US TODAY FOR
A FREE ESTIMATE
15
YOUR ENTIRE
PURCHASE *
Hours
Mon-Fri: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sat: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
2306 Adams Ave
7-Year Extended Warranty*
A $695 Value!
Off er valid March 16, 2020 - June 30, 2020
*Terms & Conditions Apply
+
5 %
OFF
TO THE FIRST
50 CALLERS! **
Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST
WE’RE
877-557-1912
Subject to Credit Approval
OFF
SENIOR & MILITARY
DISCOUNTS
Promo Number: 285
We're just west of I-84 (exit 261)
on Adams Ave at 20th St.
Special Financing Available
10
%
*For those who qualify. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. ** Offer valid at estimate only. CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501
License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946
License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration#
HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900
Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME
ASSESSMENT TODAY!
FREE
AND!
OFF
La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-8411
Prepare for unexpected
power outages with a
Generac home standby
generator
%
1-855-536-8838
lesschwab.com
HERE TO
HELP