REGION
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Baker City church
donates $15,000 to
Ukraine aid efforts
THe OBseRVeR — A3
PENDLETON
Hotel gets $500,000 remodel grant
By JOHN TILLMAN
The Pendleton
Development
Commission
during its public
meeting Friday,
May 20, approved
a $500,000 grant
to remake The
Marigold Hotel,
105 SE Court
Ave., into the new
Pendleton Hotel.
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The troubled Mari-
gold Hotel in downtown Pendleton is
getting big help from urban renewal
funds.
The Pendleton Development Com-
mission during its public meeting Friday,
May 20, approved a $500,000 grant to
remake The Marigold Hotel, 105 SE
Court Ave., into the new Pendleton
Hotel.
The successful applicant, True Hold-
ings LLC, of Clackamas, plans to rede-
velop the premises into extended stay
lodgings. The project cost to True Hold-
ings is approximately $3.7 million to
$4 million, with purchase price of $1.5
million, remodeling expense of $2.2
million and the costs of furnishings,
according to a report to the commission
from Charles Denight, Pendleton urban
renewal associate director.
Denight recommended the com-
missioners approve the rejuvenation
grant. Given the history of police calls
to The Marigold, he said, “We should
all be rejoicing (over True Holdings’
application).”
Resident Neal Berlin and City Coun-
cilor Carole Innes both expressed con-
cern during the meeting about security
for the underground parking garage, a
scene of criminal activity. Sydney True,
owner of True Holdings, promised to
secure access to the garage for vehicles
and foot traffic.
As with all PDC grants, the project
owner receives reimbursement in three
payments, when each third of the project
cost is reached. That could take until
the third quarter of 2023, according to
Denight’s report.
Denight also reported the develop-
ment commission does not have suffi-
cient remaining funding for this grant,
given its commitment to 15 ongoing
building projects, plus several street
reconstructions for summer and fall of
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — A fundraising effort by Baker
City’s First Presbyterian Church to aid humani-
tarian work in Ukraine resulted in a $15,000 dona-
tion to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
The local campaign started in late March, a little
more than a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Jean Simpson-Geddes, a member of the local
church Session, the Presbyterian governing body,
said donations from members of the Baker City
and La Grande con-
gregations, along
MORE INFORMATION
with donations from
other Baker County
To learn more about the Pres-
residents, totaled
byterian Disaster Assistance
work in Ukraine, visit https://
$7,500.
pda.pcusa.org/situation/
Baker City’s First
ukraine/.
Presbyterian Ses-
sion matched that
amount, for a total
donation of $15,000, Simpson-Geddes said.
The Baker City church will be sending thank
you notes to people from outside the church congre-
gation who contributed to the campaign, she said.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been
working in Ukraine and bordering countries to pro-
vide shelter, meals, medicines and hygiene prod-
ucts to residents affected by the war.
“We’re happy to match whatever we can,” said
Simpson-Geddes.
According to its website, https://pda.pcusa.org,
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance focuses on these
areas:
• The long-term recovery of disaster impacted
communities.
• Provides training and disaster preparedness for
presbyteries and synods.
• Works collaboratively with church partners
and members of the ACT Alliance (Action by
Churches Together) internationally, and nationally
with other faith based responders.
• Connects partners locally and internation-
ally with key organizations active in the response
— United Nations, NVOAD (National Voluntary
Agencies Active in Disaster), World Food Program,
Red Cross, FEMA and others.
east Oregonian, File
2022. However, Banner Bank is working
to amend PDC’s existing line of credit
for $10 million, with a proposal to add
$500,000 to allow this grant, bringing
the line of credit to $10.5 million.
According to Denight, True wanted
to buy The Marigold Hotel, rebrand
it with a new name and look and sell
lodging to a market interested in
extended stays. Longer term occupancy
has been a successful business model
in the otherwise depressed lodging
industry during the pandemic, according
to an article from Hotel Management
magazine attached to the staff report.
The commission also received con-
ceptual designs for the remodel of the
former hotel. Final designs are to be sub-
mitted as part of the grant application
process, with other components required
for the PDC’s grants. These are a scope
of work description, a business plan, a
budget with two bids or estimates from
two contractors, proof of insurance on
the building and a signed contract for the
grant funding.
The hotel plans call for a modern
property in design and function, a
restaurant and even a small corner
market for hotel guests and city
residents.
According to Denight’s report, True
intends to operate The Marigold through
the 2022 visitor season while beginning
some work on the facade, including sig-
nage with the new name. Then in the fall
through the winter, his contractor can
make room renovations. In the spring,
the rooms may receive new furnishings
to make them ready for the 2023 visitor
season.
“Given the cost of purchasing the
property and restoring and furnishing it,
he does not feel he could complete the
project without the urban renewal grant,”
Denight reported to the commission.
Due to the timing of his arrangement
with the current owner, True sought a
commitment on the grant by May 23. He
has an option contract, but must make
an offer for a purchase agreement by that
deadline.
True has developed other proper-
ties, including Klamath Cascade, the
Canyonville Inn and other projects,
according to Denight’s report. The rede-
veloped Klamath Cascade Apartments,
previously a historic Klamath Falls
hotel, has become a desirable place to
live, with 48 low-income housing units.
Another development was a 100-unit
blighted apartment complex in Klamath
Falls with a 22% vacancy rate. True
redeveloped the apartments, adding new
amenities and filling the units.
Denight also reported True has
retained a manager for the new hotel, a
woman with a master’s degree in hospi-
tality and 27 years of hospitality experi-
ence. She is to live on-site with her hus-
band. They intend to move to Pendleton
as soon as True takes possession.
Baker High students help start a forest
Science students
plant ponderosa
seedlings in area
burned by 2015 fire
By LISA BRITTON
Baker City Herald
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — Cierra
Lafferty pats the soil around
the newly planted ponderosa
pine seedling, then gives the
needles a gentle tug to make
sure it’s secure in the ground.
“Welcome to your new
home,” she says, her words
nearly whisked away by
the wind whipping across
Dooley Mountain, about 15
miles south of Baker City.
Then she stands, pulls
her phone from a pocket and
holds it close to the tree.
“Blog moment,” she says,
snapping a picture of the
seedling, then photos of her
buddies.
On Wednesday, May 18,
science students from Baker
High School helped plant
ponderosa seedlings along
the Skyline Road in an area
burned by the Cornet-Windy
Ridge Fire in August 2015.
The lightning-sparked
blazes, which burned
together during hot, windy
weather, spread over 104,000
acres, the largest wildfire in
Baker County history.
Bill Mitchell and Noah
Erickson, who both work in
the silviculture department
for the U.S. Forest Service,
gave the students a quick
lesson on the proper way to
plant a tree.
But first came the vocab-
ulary lesson as Mitchell
quizzed the kids for the
words that describe a fire that
destroys everything.
After a hint, one stu-
dent called it out: “Stand
replacement.”
“Is there a seed source
left to rebuild this forest?”
Mitchell asked, sweeping an
arm across the landscape lit-
tered with fallen logs and
Jordynn Scholl shows off her bounty of morel mushrooms collected
during a field trip for Baker High School science students on
Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Brianna Stadler, left, and Sydney Lamb work as a team to plant ponderosa pine seedlings on May 18,
2022, in the Dooley Mountain area burned in 2015 by the Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire.
“This is the
toughest place we
plant. It’s dry, it’s
windy, it’s cold.”
— Bill Mitchell, U.S. Forest
Service
skeletons of standing trees.
“There is not.”
The source on this day is
the students, who planted 750
ponderosa pine seedlings.
“Your goal is 20 trees
each today,” Mitchell said.
He and Erickson demon-
strated how to dig a hole,
either with a shovel or a
hoedad — a tool with a long,
flat blade, rather like a large-
scale tongue depressor —
that was big enough for the
tree’s roots.
Location matters too —
the students were instructed
to plant by the “microsite”
technique, which means
finding a place, such as
beside a fallen log, where the
seedling would be protected
from the elements.
“This is the toughest
place we plant,” Mitchell
said. “It’s dry, it’s windy, it’s
cold.”
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Then it was time to load
up the bags with seedlings,
each first dipped in a bucket
of water to give it a good
start on growing.
In pairs or trios, the stu-
dents hiked uphill, picking
their way through charred
logs and the lush green of
grass, lupine and arnica.
This summer will mark
seven years since the wild-
fire burned this portion of the
Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest.
“We’ve planted about 2.5
million trees since the burn,”
Erickson said.
The survival rate, he
said, can vary from 15% to
50% depending on weather
conditions.
“It depends on the year,”
he said. “Ponderosa has the
highest success.”
Crews contracted with
the Forest Service have
planted western larch, pon-
derosa pine, Douglas-fir and
western white pine.
This is Erickson’s
fifth year with the Wal-
lowa-Whitman. He never
saw this area covered in tall,
green trees — but he has
seen it coming back to life.
“I’ve only seen Dooley
like this,” he said. “I’ve seen
the growth.”
Picking as well as
planting
This tree-planting excur-
sion brought out students
from several different
classes: general science 2,
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Noah Erickson, a silviculture technician for the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest, explains how to plant a ponderosa pine seedling to
Baker High students on a field trip on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
advanced biology, advanced
ecology, natural resources
and wilderness readiness
survival.
Nicole Sullivan, who
teaches science at Baker
High School, planned the
field trip to wrap up a unit on
the plant kingdom.
“And we’ve been doing
botany with all the classes,”
she said.
In addition to planting
trees, the students hunted for
morel mushrooms — in fact,
the planting took a bit longer
because the prized fungi kept
distracting their attention.
And even though they
finished the day tired with
scratched skin and dirty
clothes, each dirt-smudged
face had a smile.
“I enjoy this,” said Jaylyn
Baird.
“It feels more rewarding,”
added Joy Murphy.
And the Forest Service,
Mitchell told the group,
appreciates the help.
“You guys did a solid
job,” he said. “That’s a tough
place to plant trees — the
toughest we have.”
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