REGION
Friday, July 31, 2015
East Oregonian
Water rights, environmental studies and
survey work holding up depot transfer
tunities
out
there and that
those are being
hamstrung,”
The U.S. Army keeps moving
Smith said.
the line on when it will be ready to
He
said
transfer the former Umatilla Chem-
the people he
ical Depot land back to local control,
spoke with were
but the Columbia Development
concerned about
Authority is doing what it can to be
the potential loss
ready.
of
economic
The authority met Thursday Smith
development
and discussed the current timeline
the Army has set, which would opportunities and told him that they
VHH ¿QDO FRQYH\DQFH RI WKH ODQG WR wanted to do what they could to help
the authority on Nov. 1, 2016. The get things moving.
The most recent timeline Smith
authority had originally planned to
was given by the Army would have
receive the land in early 2015.
Executive director Greg Smith ZDWHU ULJKWV QHJRWLDWLRQV ¿QLVKHG
told the board that there are three by Oct. 1 and the cultural survey
outstanding issues holding up the complete by Feb. 10, 2016. The
Economic Development Convey- Army would commence a 30-day
ance. The necessary water rights to public comment period on the
develop the land must be transferred required Finding of Suitability to
to the authority, survey work must 7UDQVIHURQ0D\DQG¿QDO
be wrapped up and cultural and drafts of the land deed, memorandum
environmental studies must be of understanding and Economic
Development Conveyance would
completed.
He said he recently traveled to be ready for a signature on Nov. 1,
Washington, D.C., for an Asso- 2016.
Board member Gary Neal, who
ciation of Defense Communities
conference and emphasized to represents the Port of Morrow, said
$UP\RI¿FLDOVWKDWWKHGHOD\VZHUH putting political pressure on the situ-
negatively impacting the Columbia ation may help some, but what will
be most helpful in trying to move the
Development Authority.
“I shared that we had several timeline up is to make sure nothing
economic development oppor- is standing in the way of completing
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
the cultural and environmental
studies as quickly as possible.
“Those are going to be the key
factors on this thing,” he said. “We
have to make sure they don’t slide.”
In the meantime, the local reuse
authority is doing what it can to
move things along, including hiring
Smith to replace former director
Don Chance, who retired this
VXPPHU 6PLWK VDLG$UP\ RI¿FLDOV
couldn’t say enough good things
about Chance and told Smith that an
application he submitted was so well
written that it was going to be used
as a template for other communities
around the country.
Moving forward, Smith told the
authority it was time to start revving
up the marketing and outreach arm
of the project in preparation for
next year when the depot land will
RI¿FLDOO\ EHORQJ WR WKH &ROXPELD
Development Authority. To start
he suggested creating a more
user-friendly website, joining area
chambers of commerce and creating
an email database to send updates
and newsletters to.
The board supported his ideas,
and also voted to approve the grant
narrative and budget summary the
CDA staff had put together. Smith
said the good news is the authority
can continue to receive grant money
for completing the transition to
ownership of the depot land even
though it was originally supposed to
have the land by now.
On Thursday the Columbia
Development Authority also listened
to a presentation from J.R. Cook
and Craig Reeder of the Northeast
Oregon Water Association about an
opportunity to boost the amount of
water available for use in the area by
placing an aquifer recharge basin on
the depot land.
The project would take up about
10 acres of space somewhere on the
depot land. Reeder said the basin
would make it less cost-prohibitive
to pump Columbia River water
back into distressed basalt aquifers,
making more groundwater available
for use by Westland Irrigation’s
approximately 250 users.
“This is going to impact and
extend the season for a majority of
Westland Irrigation users,” he said.
Cook said the project would also
improve the water picture for the
depot land.
The authority board voted unani-
mously (with an abstention by Gary
Neal) to submit an application for a
grant to cover the costs of a feasi-
bility study for the recharge basin.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at
jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4536.
PENDLETON
New historical marker to be dedicated next week
East Oregonian
The public is invited to the dedi-
cation of a new historical marker
on Pendleton’s east end Thursday
August 6 at 11 a.m.
The new Pendleton Historic Trail
marker has already been installed in
the place of its rundown predecessor,
where Southeast Court Avenue
becomes Highway 30.
Recreating the sign was a project
of the 2015 Leadership Pendleton
Class, according to a news release
from Oregon Travel Experience.
Over the course of an eight-month
session, class participants look at
the city’s history, agriculture and
business. They also complete a
community service project as part of
their course.
“We looked at a few entrances
and signs coming into town,” said
The newly installed historic trail
dedicated Thursday at 11 a.m.
Buffy Farber, the class member
and spokesperson. “We chose the
historic trail marker as our project
after seeing the extremely poor
condition it was in.”
Hermiston School District
picks registration times, dates
Aug. 5; and sophomores,
Aug. 6. High school students
Hermiston School District new to the district should
student registration will take register between 8 a.m. and
QRRQ$XJ
SODFH$XJ
Parents or guardians
Previously
enrolled
elementary and middle enrolling new students
school students returning to should provide a record of the
the district are not required VWXGHQW¶V ELUWK ELUWK FHUWL¿-
to register at the school FDWH EDSWLVPDO FHUWL¿FDWH RU
unless the family has moved passport), proof of residence
over the summer. Parents and physical address, health
or guardians whose contact records and previous report
information has changed cards or transcripts.
Fees for middle and high
should contact the school’s
school students can be paid
IURQWRI¿FHZLWKXSGDWHV
Elementary students new during registration by credit
to the district, or new to a card, check or cash. The
building, should register at payments can also be made
the individual buildings. online.
For more information,
)URQW RI¿FH VWDII ZLOO EH
contact the schools: Herm-
available from 8-11:30 a.m.
Registration for new LVWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO
middle school students will 6100; Armand Larive Middle
take place from 8 a.m. to 3 6FKRRO
p.m. at the respective middle Sandstone Middle School,
'HVHUW 9LHZ
school buildings.
Registration for Herm- (OHPHQWDU\
iston High School students Highland Hills Elementary,
takes place from 11 a.m. to 5RFN\+HLJKWV
SPRUSPHDFKGD\ (OHPHQWDU\
of the week depending on 6XQVHW (OHPHQWDU\
grade level: freshmen, Aug. :HVW 3DUN (OHPHQWDU\
3; seniors, Aug. 4; juniors,
East Oregonian
Shelby Journot
Auto
Health
Home
Life
Shelby Journot
Family Insurance Agent
541/276-2302 • 800/225-2521
The Stratton Agency
Pendleton / Hermiston • stratton-insurance.com
secured wood and donations, plus
money for the routing and installa-
tion of the new cedar sign.
“The original historic trail marker
was very old,” said von Domitz.
³3HUKDSV GDWLQJ EDFN WR WKH V
or ‘60s — and the cedar was rotting
away.”
Farber said the Pendleton team
worked with local businesses and
RUJDQL]DWLRQVWRJDWKHU¿QDQFLDODQG
in-kind contributions for the project.
Bobbie Conner of the Confeder-
ated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation will speak at the new
marker dedication, as will Leader-
Photo contributed by Oregon Travel Experience
marker on SE Court Ave. will be ship Pendleton class members, local
dignitaries and representatives from
OTE.
There are 111 historical markers
Leadership Pendleton application
throughout Oregon, which are over- information may be obtained by
seen by Oregon Travel Experience, contacting the Pendleton Chamber
according to the news release. Annie RI&RPPHUFHDW
von Domitz with OTE said the class
Page 3A
HERMISTON
Treasure
Clue No. 3
With several clues at your
disposal, you’re getting close
Follow the words of the
familiar Horace Greeley
quote
Take a short drive and
park your car
Then take a stroll, but not
too far
7KH UXOHV DQG ¿UVW FOXH
were printed in Wednesday’s
East Oregonian. Clues are
published each day until the
treasure is found.
:KHQ\RX¿QGWKHPHGDO-
lion, you must immediately
turn it in to the Hermiston
Police Department. If it’s
DIWHU SP FDOO
DQG DVN GLVSDWFK WR
notify Erica Sandoval.
BRIEFLY
Name of crash
victim released
PENDLETON —
Oregon State Police
LGHQWL¿HGWKH\HDUROG
man who died in single
vehicle crash Tuesday in
Umatilla County as Roland
Elmonte Thompson.
No place of residence was
given, but police reported
earlier that the victim was
from out of state.
State police reported
another driver saw the
Chevrolet pickup Thompson
was driving leave the
southbound lane of Highway
QHDU8NLDKDQGKHDG
down a draw. Thompson
was the lone occupant and
died in the crash.
Girl Scouts gauge
interest in Morrow
County
BOARDMAN — Girls
and volunteers interested
in getting involved in Girl
Scouts in the Boardman
area or Morrow County
are encouraged to contact
the organization’s local
membership and community
engagement representative.
For more information,
contact Addie L. Bower at
RUDERZHU#
girlscoutsosw.org.
