FROM PAGE ONE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2021
HOUSING
many other areas of the
state: “It’s been a yearly
trend, we see things slow
down when hunting and
archery season starts. But
then we get another boom
right before school starts,
when people want to get
their kids relocated.”
La Grande’s rental
market is another aspect of
the local real estate scene.
The presence of Eastern
Oregon University students
in La Grande aff ects the
market, with many students
typically keeping rentals
from year to year. Fewer
rental properties available
can lead to more potential
home buyers.
Continued from Page A1
Some buyers are not
wanting to be so competi-
tive. I’m noticing more of a
pull back on that,” Howard
said.
Shortage of houses
is nothing new in La
Grande
With inventory across
the country at a signifi -
cant low point, La Grande
is already accustomed to a
shortage of housing. The
city and its planning com-
mission continue to address
the shortage of aff ordable
housing in La Grande. A
housing needs analysis
in 2019 found that sin-
gle-family homes are the
biggest need in the area —
that was before pandem-
ic-related issues took the
scene.
“I think it’s a lot to do
with the housing shortage,”
Walker said. “People are
moving from diff erent loca-
tions thinking the grass is
greener on the other side.”
Howard noted outsiders
moving in have an impact
on the amount of home
LETTER
Continued from Page A1
of vandalism, trespassing
and activities they felt to be
unsafe. A total of 18 enti-
ties combined their con-
cern in the letter, including
about 10 local businesses.
In his response, the
chief of police described an
increase in activity at Max
Square over the past sev-
eral years. He noted that
actions have been taken to
limit vandalism and loi-
tering, such as removing
picnic tables, trimming
low-hanging trees for
enhanced visibility, turning
off power outlets when
events are not taking place
and altering the Wi-Fi
schedule at Cook Memorial
Library.
“Our police offi cers have
provided special consid-
eration to these matters,
inasmuch as we can, in an
eff ort to have a positive
impact,” Bell wrote.
Bell also described a
heightened focus through
patrols, as well as eff orts
to make arrests for crim-
inal law violations when
necessary or provide assis-
tance through partnering
agencies.
“I think it’s appropriate
to share that our mission at
the police department is to
ethically protect the lives,
property and quality of
life of the La Grande com-
munity to the best of our
ability, while respecting the
constitutional rights of all
persons,” Bell said in the
statement.
The challenge in any
prospective action for law
enforcement is the state’s
prohibition of cities ban-
ning individuals from
sleeping in public places.
Ordinances are in place in
the city stating that if indi-
viduals are involuntarily
homeless, their need for
rest and sleep cannot be
criminalized in a public
space — this is applied
unless there is a designated
overnight camping area in
the city or indoor housing
options available for the
homeless.
The city council mem-
bers discussed a variety
of ways to handle the con-
cerns, and ultimately found
that the court system does
not provide much of an
answer to the issues at
hand. In the past, arresting
individuals for trespassing
or smoking in a public park
ended up being dismissed
in court. Bell also cited
Measure 110 as a means of
limiting the police depart-
ment’s ability to monitor
the situation in the down-
town area.
“This is a much larger
issue than law enforcement,
quite frankly,” Bell said at
the meeting. “There’s a lot
THE OBSERVER — A5
COVID-19 plays a role
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Trayse Riggle of Eagle Cap Realty conducts a house showing on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. According to Fed-
eral Reserve Economic Data, in June 2021 houses for sale in La Grande stayed on the market for an aver-
age of only 36.5 days.
buyers in the area. He stated
that new residents come to
Union County for a variety
of reasons, including retire-
ment or wanting out of a
larger city.
“We’ve noticed a lot
of people that have been
of tools that we don’t have
in our toolbox anymore
to fi x some of these social
issues.”
At the meeting, Bell also
stated that the department
is getting less calls for
complaints about the con-
gregation of individuals at
Max Square — he pointed
out that locals are likely
becoming accustomed to
seeing it.
Bell later noted that
when called to make con-
tact with homeless indi-
viduals in the city, offi cers
provide information, assis-
tance and explain available
resources.
“When our offi cers have
contact with people who
we believe could benefi t
from available resources,
we do our best to coor-
dinate appropriate assis-
tance,” he said. “Unfor-
tunately, there are many
times where individuals we
communicate with are not
interested.”
Addressing concerns
A week after the
November council meeting,
Bell met with City Manager
Robert Strope and Parks
and Recreation Coordinator
Stu Spence for a follow-up
discussion. According to
Strope, the offi cials dis-
cussed options and pos-
sible directions that the city
can go regarding the public
concerns. They also spoke
with several businesses and
took suggestions to garner
community involvement.
Strope said Bell’s letter
is the next step following
that meeting, serving as
a means to raise public
awareness and continue to
gather more input.
“I view it as the start of
an ongoing discussion,” he
said. “We need to fi gure out
what we can collectively do
moving forward.”
Bell concluded the letter
by calling on residents
to contact the La Grande
Police Department if they
witness any criminal vio-
lations, which he stated
will help the department
address the situation in the
best way possible.
The police chief and
other city offi cials will
be holding a forum in the
near future to gather more
public input, answer ques-
tions and determine the
best plan moving forward.
The time and date of the
forum will be released in
the coming weeks.
“I can assure you that
this is felt collectively and
we’re working on it,” Bell
said at the city council
meeting. “We need public
engagement and I think
part of that is the educa-
tion component so that
our downtown, our busi-
ness owners and people
are aware that it’s not just
going unattended.”
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moving to rural areas,”
he said. “We get people
moving into our area from
all across the states.”
Howard also noted
Grande Ronde Hospi-
tal’s reputation as a high-
quality hospital in the area
MERA
Continued from Page A1
a fi re-resilient forest and
boost recreational opportu-
nities in MERA.
“MERA is an incred-
ibly important part of the
the community. The last
thing we want to see is for
it to be degraded in any
way,” he said.
Anderes said the mem-
bers of the board of com-
missioners have a lot of
confi dence in Chambers
and Sarrett.
“We are going to leave
it up to the professionals.
We are not going to micro-
manage this,” the commis-
sioner said.
Chambers’ original
plans called for the proj-
ect’s request for proposal,
which will which list
objectives, deadlines and
more, to go out Nov. 15
and for a bid to be awarded
Dec. 10. However, these
dates were pushed back
due to the concerns
expressed during a fi eld
review on Nov. 10.
Chambers said MERA
is close to his heart and
he will do everything to
protect it so that it will
be available to future
generations.
“We all appreciate what
a gem this is for our com-
munity and are intent on
making it shine brighter,”
he said.
A draft RFP, created
in part by Chambers, was
presented to the Union
County Board of Com-
missioners at the meeting,
and none voiced objec-
tions to it. The fi nalized
RFP will not have to be
approved by the board,
though the commissioners
will have to approve any
contract before one is
awarded to a successful
bidder, according to Union
is attractive to an older pop-
ulation who might move to
the area to retire.
Walker said the housing
market in Eastern Oregon
typically slows down
during hunting season as
well, a feature unique to
County Administrative
Offi cer Shelley Burgess.
Chambers said because
of a concern for public
safety there will be a need
to close areas while work
is being done. Commis-
sioner Donna Beverage
compared the need for
upcoming closures to the
delays motorists encounter
while repair work is being
done on a highway.
Locals speak out
against forest
management plan
Thirty people attended
the Dec. 1 meeting via
Zoom or phone. Sev-
eral individuals spoke out
against heavy-handed log-
ging, emphasizing the
importance of the area
as a hub for recreation.
A majority of those who
talked at the meeting also
mentioned a need for more
public input in the deci-
sion-making process,
which the commissioners
took note of.
Many of those speaking
against the logging plan
asked for the proposal to
be pushed back or recon-
sidered. One individual
called upon the commis-
sioners to create a more
detailed plan involving
more public input and to
plan to secure funding
in case trails need to be
restored after the forest
management work.
Approximately 20 opin-
ions were gathered by
letter or public comment
as the board of commis-
sioners listened to input
from locals. The interac-
tions became contentious
at times as a variety of
concerns were brought up.
“MERA Is not an ATM
machine. Any manage-
ment activity has to be
secondary to its primary
purpose of providing rec-
reation,” said La Grande
In addition to its impact
on labor, supplies and
interest rates, the pandemic
itself has played a role in
housing.
“In my personal opinion,
I don’t think COVID has
slowed the market down.
It has, however, changed
some of our rules,” Walker
said.
Walker said the process
in which potential buyers
are vetted before visiting
a listing has changed, and
resident Dan White in a
written letter. “MERA
is one of the best things
this county has done, and
we’re proud and protective
of it.”
White, like many
others, advocated for fi re
prevention at MERA but
voiced concern over poten-
tial damages to recreation.
Several articulated
frustration over not seeing
any notice of MERA dis-
cussions on the coun-
ty’s agenda or on social
media platforms. A gen-
eral consensus from
those speaking at the fi eld
review on Nov. 10 and the
commissioner’s meeting
was a desire for more
public involvement in
decision-making regarding
MERA.
Many who gave com-
ments emphasized their
apprehension about closing
the park off , in addition
to potential damage to
the trails. Angela Mart,
the president of the Wal-
lowa County Bike Club,
wrote into the meeting
and described how MERA
is a recreational destina-
tion for surrounding areas.
She described that vis-
iting counties look fondly
on the volunteer work
from the Blue Mountain
Single Track Trails Club
that went into constructing
and maintaining many of
MERA’s trails.
“As a multi-use area
close to town for both
motorized and non-motor-
ized vehicles, it would be
a shame for the constitu-
ents of La Grande to lose
access to MERA,” Mart
said.
‘Best interests of
MERA at heart’
Michael Hatch, out-
door adventure program
director at Eastern Oregon
University, wrote in and
safety precautions due to
the virus are now part of the
home-buying process. Inter-
ested buyers must be bank
qualifi ed or have a letter in
hand proving they can buy
the house before visiting the
property. Real estate agents
also have a stricter sani-
tary routine when showing
houses to prospective
buyers.
COVID-19 also has
impacted living situations,
whether it be the ability to
work from home or having
to relocate because of an
occupation.
“People’s lives changed,”
Walker said. “With COVID
we are seeing some people
relocating because of their
job situation. With the
requirement for the vaccine,
health care workers are
walking away. Even here.”
Walker stated she has
seen one house sold for that
reason in the area.
While no one can predict
the future, the distribution
of vaccinations provides a
light of hope for coming out
of the pandemic as a whole.
A lessened burden on
workers and supply chains
could show dividends to the
housing market.
emphasized MERA’s role
in local recreation and
challenged the county’s
management of the area.
“This land needs to
be managed like a park,
the main reason it was set
aside for, not as an extract-
ed-resource revenue gen-
erator,” Hatch wrote.
“MERA was not created
to be a revenue source for
the county, it was meant
to be an area that off ers
opportunities for recre-
ation and protects vital
wildlife habitats.”
Bart Barlow, a former
member of the MERA
Advisory Board who has
voiced his opinion against
the plan, spoke at the
meeting and encouraged
the county to improve
communication with the
public on its decisions.
He also encouraged fi re
management at MERA,
but in a way that does not
damage the recreational
aspect of the area.
“MERA is a recreation
area that needs to have an
active forest management
and wildland fi re manage-
ment plan. However, those
practices must take into
consideration that this is
a recreation area,” Barlow
said.
Forrest Warren, also
a member of the MERA
Advisory Board, said that
he empathizes with the sit-
uation Chambers and Sar-
rett are in.
“They have the best
interests of MERA at
heart. They are in a tough
spot,” he said.
Still, Warren said some
changes in the forest man-
agement plan should be
made because of the push-
back it has received from
the public. Warren said
this would indicate the
public input provided
is being given serious
consideration.