REGION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A3
Transfer of former Umatilla Suspected chemical att ack
depot lands nears completion on dog puts offi cial on alert
JOHN DAY
By JOHN TILLMAN and
DAKOTA CASTETS-DIDIER
By JUSTIN DAVIS
East Oregonian
Blue Mountain Eagle
HERMISTON — The lands
of the former Umatilla Chem-
ical Depot are nearing transfer
from Army ownership to
the Columbia Development
Authority. After years of waiting
for local control, the deal could
close in December.
CDA Director Greg Smith
said the memorandum of agree-
ment to complete the transfer
from the Army to local hands
“is 100% done.”
“The deeds of trust are
drafted,” he said. “As soon as
the ports of Morrow and Uma-
tilla, the counties and (CTUIR)
authorize the transfer, the deeds
will be attached to the MoA.
Once approved, I can sign. It has
been awaiting my signature for
90 days.”
Smith said that is because the
Army requires the delay for a $1
million payment.
“It’s a pretty good deal —
thousands of acres for a million
bucks,” Smith said.
The area west of Hermiston
and north of Interstate 84 strad-
dles the border of Umatilla and
Morrow counties, covering
17,165 acres, which will support
wildlife habitat as well as mili-
tary and industrial uses.
Some 7,500 acres is to
remain in military use, housing
the Oregon Army National
Guard’s Camp Umatilla infantry
training school, emergency
management facilities and youth
activities.
Nearly 5,800 acres is for
wildlife habitat. The Confeder-
ated Tribes of Umatilla Indian
Reservation is to receive most
of this land, which it aims to
rehabilitate.
JOHN DAY — John Day City
Council member Heather Rookstool
is watching her back these days fol-
lowing a suspected chemical attack
last month on her family dog.
Rookstool said the family’s pet
bulldog, Zeta, was burned on her
belly between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, Aug. 10, at their resi-
dence on Northeast Seventh Avenue
across the street from the skate park.
The incident has left Rookstool
shaken and wondering why some-
body would attack her dog instead
of coming to her personally and
attempting to solve any issues they
might have. The incident has also
hit her in the pocketbook to the tune
of a $425 vet bill she hadn’t bud-
geted for.
Rookstool said she can’t say for
sure what the motivation behind the
attack was but the timing is “con-
venient” considering it happened
a day after she cast the only vote
against putting the pool bond back
on the ballot in November.
Even if politics wasn’t behind the
incident, Rookstool said she wants
the public to know someone in the
community is hurting animals.
“Who’s to say it isn’t a random
act that happened at my house? It
could have been. There have been
times in the past where we’ve had
dogs poisoned in Mount Vernon.
There have been things that happen
in Grant County in the past that
were just random,” she said.
The veterinarian who treated
Zeta was unable to determine
exactly what caused the dog’s burns
because of a decision not to per-
form a skin biopsy on the animal
following the attack. Rookstool said
that decision was made due to the
amount of stress the animal had
already endured.
East Oregonian, File
Igloos that once housed chemical weapons dot the former Umatilla Chemical
Depot near Hermiston in 2014. Control of the site is slated to transfer in December
2022 from the U.S. Army to the local Columbia Development Authority.
“Rehabilitation will not
occur until transfer occurs,”
said Bill Tovey, the tribes’ eco-
nomic development director.
“The Army will transfer the
land to CDA, who will then
transfer the 4,000 acres to the
tribes. The land is mostly zoned
wildlife habitat. The big thing
is protecting the shrub steppe
habitat.”
Industrial parcels in Uma-
tilla and Morrow counties on
the former depot total close to
3,200 acres. The Port of Morrow
is to develop Morrow Coun-
ty’s nearly 1,900 industrial acres
in the southwest of the depot
area. Three parcels in Umatilla
County with around 1,300 acres
are zoned industrial.
The ports wanted to raise
the million dollars by selling
640 acres north of the depot,
Smith explained. The counties
and tribes each off ered to pay
a third. The fi ve-member CDA
board split.
“The property transfer and
payment was supposed to have
been authorized at the board
meeting (Tuesday, Aug. 30),”
Smith said, “but I was down
with COVID-19.”
The board postponed the
authorization vote until Sep-
tember, after which the Army is
to be notifi ed and the transaction
to take place in 60 days.
The Army created the depot
in 1940 and declared the prop-
erty as surplus on Nov. 14,
2008. The Local Redevelopment
Authority, composed of Morrow
County, Umatilla County, the
Confederated Tribes of the Uma-
tilla Indian Reservation, and the
ports of Morrow and Umatilla,
adopted a redevelopment plan
in 2010.
Renovations continue at historic
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
Eff orts to identify other pos-
sible reasons for the burn marks on
Zeta’s stomach began immediately
after her condition was discovered,
with all but a deliberate attack being
essentially ruled out.
“We checked to make sure there
were no noxious weeds because
bulldogs have sensitive skin,” Rook-
stool said. “We checked off every
box we could think of. A weed, a
sunburn, even a car accident. People
keep coming at me with all these
diff erent ideas and I’m like, ‘You’re
not helping, we’ve already done
that.’ Unfortunately, nobody wants
to think about it, but it’s looking
like something was put on her skin.”
The incident has left Rookstool
wondering if she needs to look over
her shoulder now and possibly carry
Mace everywhere she goes. If it was
a deliberate attack, Rookstool said,
it won’t deter her from continuing to
be the lone “no” vote in city council
meetings if her convictions tell her
she needs to be. If anything, she
said, the incident has inspired her
to continue doing what she is doing
and has given her an added drive.
Despite that added drive, Rook-
stool said she never thought her
position and votes at city council
would lead to her family being put
in danger.
“I never thought being on city
council would make me fear for my
safety in my own community,” she
said. “You’re not going to make any
changes hiding behind this, so con-
front it face to face but don’t be a
coward. It’s hard to put into words
that are respectful because there are
so many things I would love to say
to this person and I hope I get to say
this to them.”
There is a $550 reward for infor-
mation that leads to the arrest of the
individual or individuals respon-
sible for the suspected chemical
attack on Rookstool’s dog.
We’re investing in Salem
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Get the inside scoop on state government and politics!
By LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
BAKER CITY — Work
is “on track” at the National
Historic Oregon Trail Inter-
pretive Center, which is
closed for an energy-effi cient
upgrade.
The renovation of the
interpretive center, 5 miles
east of Baker City, began in
March 2022 and hasn’t been
aff ected much by supply
issues, said Sarah Sherman,
project manager.
“Hopefully that will con-
tinue,” she said.
The center, which is 30
years old and 30,000 square
feet, is getting new siding,
insulation, roofi ng, windows
and doors. The $6.5 million
remodel, funded in part by
the Great Americans Outdoor
Act, is expected to reduce
energy consumption by 73%.
The center is man-
aged by the Bureau of Land
Management.
“We want to be good stew-
ards of our natural resources,”
said Vale District manager
Wayne Monger, whose offi ce
oversees the center. “This
design utilizes high thermal
insulation value materials and
high-effi ciency heating and
cooling technology to counter
energy demands during
summer and winter.”
Sherman describes it as
“facelift” because much of
the work won’t be obvious to
visitors. “Structurally, it will
be the same, but shiny and
new,” she said.
Work is about one-third
fi nished. So far, construc-
tion has included new insu-
lation and a new roof. The
next projects focus on new
siding, windows, doors and
lights. The HVAC system
is expected to take the most
time.
Summer
Casey Taylor/Contributed Photo
New siding is being installed in August 2022 at the National Historic
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, outside Baker City. Additional work
includes new windows, doors and an HVAC system. The renovations
are expected to reduce energy consumption by 73%.
Construction is expected
to be complete in 2023, but
Sherman said it will take
about four months to put the
center back together because
many exhibits were packed
away in storage, and boxes
were built around displays
that stayed, such as the oxen
and wagons.
Sherman estimates the
center could reopen in late
2023.
In the meantime, those
interested in Oregon Trail
history can visit NHOTIC’s
exhibit inside Baker Heritage
Museum, 2480 Grove St.,
Baker City.
This partnership will con-
tinue through 2023 — and
hopefully beyond, Sherman
said.
“Being part of the com-
munity is what we want to do
more of,” she said. “We want
to continue that even after we
reopen.”
The Baker Heritage
Museum is open Monday
through Saturday from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday
from noon to 4 p.m.
Admission is $9 adults, $8
seniors, $5 for ages 6-12, and
free for ages 5 and younger.
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