Business
AgLife
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Thursday, July 21, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Ziply Fiber
expands Cove
coverage
The company has purchased
Cove portion of internet
firm OTC Connections
By DICK MASON
The Observer
COVE — Ziply Fiber, an internet service
provider, is expanding its presence in Cove.
Ziply has purchased the portion of OTC
Connections that is currently serving the
community. This puts Ziply in a position to
be the major provider of fi ber-optic internet
services in Cove, according to Dan Miller,
a public relations representative for Ziply
Fiber.
Miller said OTC Connections, which pro-
vides internet service throughout Oregon,
Idaho and Washington, has an abundance of
equipment in Cove that Ziply will incorpo-
rate into its network there.
“They have excellent hardware that will
strengthen our network,” he said.
OTC Connections, which also pro-
vides fi ber-optic service, has 50 Cove cus-
tomers that will now be served by Ziply.
These customers will have a chance to con-
tinue receiving service packages similar
to the ones they have from OTC Connec-
tions. They, and many others in Cove, will
also have the opportunity to begin receiving
some of the other high-speed fi ber-optic ser-
vices off ered by Ziply.
Serving customers in Cove since 2020,
Ziply Fiber during that time has been laying
the foundation needed to begin providing
fi ber-optic service.
Ziply started taking customer orders
from Cove residents for new fi ber-optic ser-
vices Friday, July 15. Ziply will start sched-
uling installation of its fi ber optic service in
the next several weeks.
Harold Zeitz, chief executive offi cer of
Ziply Fiber, said he is delighted his fi rm has
the opportunity to increase its presence in
Cove.
“The community of Cove deserves the
best, fastest, most reliable internet in the
Northwest. I’m proud of the work our team
has done to put the infrastructure in place
to be able to manage all the internet traffi c
we expect from this great place,” he said in
a press release. “I’m thrilled that individuals
and families will be able to get even faster
speeds at their homes, faster than any other
provider in the Northwest.”
See, Ziply/Page B2
Shannon Golden/The Observer
Allyson Smith, 28, holds Vader, a blue-tongued skink, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at the newly opened Savage Serpents in downtown La Grande.
This lizard is one of almost 100 animals Smith looks after at her reptile specialty store, which opened in June.
Passion project
New ‘Savage Serpents’
reptile specialty store a long
time coming for owner
By SHANNON GOLDEN
The Observer
L
A GRANDE —
Allyson Smith got her
first exotic pet — a
tarantula — at 10 years old. She
was hooked and spent years
learning about and raising all
manner of reptiles, amphibians
Shannon Golden/The Observer
and fish.
The Observer, File
A Ziply Fiber technician works on a cable in
this undated photo. The company in July 2022
announced it is expanding its presence in Cove.
More than 18 years later, Smith now
owns Savage Serpents, a reptile spe-
cialty store that opened its doors in
downtown La Grande this June.
“I’ve always had a fondness for
things that are a little bit out of the
ordinary,” Smith said. “I defi nitely love
to advocate for things that are kind of
seen as scary or intimidating.”
Smith, who grew up in Boise,
moved to La Grande more than seven
Allyson Smith, owner of the new Savage Serpents in downtown La Grande, holds Vader, a
blue-tongued skink, at the shop on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Vader is a fan favorite at Smith’s
education events, she said. This species of lizard is native to parts of Indonesia and Australia.
years ago. She joined the team at Pet-
sense after it opened in 2018 and
soon became store manager. Smith
hoped to create a space where people
could come not only for supplies but
to see animals and also interact with
and learn about them. She also found
herself eager to expand the store’s
resources for other reptile owners in
the Union County area.
“I just felt like the selection of sup-
plies and live animal accessibility
in general in La Grande was very
lacking,” Smith said. “I kind of just
wanted to do it myself.”
She began hosting “Reptile Rallies”
See, Reptiles/Page B2
Fuel up at new pumps in La Grande next year
Jacksons Food Stores demolishing and
rebuilding gas station and truck stop
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — By this
time next year, the corner of
Island Avenue and Mulhol-
land Drive will be the home
of a new gas station and
truck stop.
Jacksons Food Stores,
based in Meridian, Idaho,
owns both the Chevron and
the former Shell gas station
located at 2706 and 2614
Island Ave., respectively,
according to Mike Boquist,
community development
director for the city of La
Grande.
“La Grande has been a
great opportunity for Jack-
sons Food Stores. We have
been working over a year to
develop the best store design
to serve the residents of La
Grande and travelers,” Jes-
sica Aguilar, the engineering
project manager for the La
Grande Jacksons project,
said.
The two-phase project
will completely transform
the existing Chevron gas
station and Jacksons con-
venience store, according
to Aguilar. Jacksons Food
Stores declined to comment
on how much of a fi nancial
investment the company has
made in the project.
Boise-based BRS Archi-
tects drafted and fi led the
plans for the store with the
city. Jacksons Food Stores
is working with two con-
tractors on the project:
Leonard Petroleum Equip-
ment, of Boise, and Pacifi c
North Contractors, based in
Nampa, Idaho.
The fi rst phase is cur-
rently underway at the site
of the former Shell location.
The gas station was demol-
ished in preparation for the
construction of a high-fl ow
truck-diesel canopy, Aguilar
said. Each fuel dispenser will
Jacksons Food Stores/Contributed Graphic
A rendering shows what the new convenience store and Chevron gas station will look like at the corner
of Island Avenue and Mulholland Drive in La Grande. This will be the second phase of the construction
project by Jacksons Food Stores and is slated to begin during the spring of 2023.
have a diesel exhaust fl uid
pump — an integral com-
ponent that ensures trucks
meet the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency emission
requirements by converting
nitrogen oxide into nitrogen
and water vapor, according
to the American Petroleum
Institute. Most commercial
fuel cards will be accepted,
Aguilar said.
Boquist said once the
fi rst phase is complete, the
existing convenience store
and Chevron gas station will
be demolished, so the next
phase can begin.
The second phase will
complete the new look.
According to Aguilar, the
plan includes constructing a
new 7,100-square-foot con-
venience store, which will
feature fresh food off er-
ings and Krispy Krunchy
Chicken, along with well-
stocked shelves of snacks
and drinks. With the larger
convenience store and fuel
options, Aguliar said that
Jacksons Food Stores antici-
pates expanding the current
staff .
The second phase also
will add a new, larger gas-
oline canopy with six fuel
dispensers. These also will
include nonethanol gasoline
and auto diesel.
Construction for phase
two is slated to begin during
spring 2023 and is expected
to take around six months.
According to Aguilar, the
teams have been proactive in
minimizing potential delays,
but given the current mar-
ketplace and ongoing supply
chain issues, there is always
a risk.
“We hope to open later
summer 2023 or early fall
2023,” she said.