Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
REGION Thursday, October 6, 2016 East Oregonian Page 3A Annual Frenchtown Rendezvous Ag retailers to remain exempt to feature discussion with authors from fertilizer safety regulations By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Federal court invalidates OSHA standard An annual gathering celebrating the history of the French Canadian and American Indian communities of the Inland Northwest is planned in Walla Walla. The Frenchtown Rendezvous will feature a round table discussion of “Songs Upon the Rivers” by authors Michel Bouchard and Rob Foxcurran, and Sam Pambrun (preface). The publication examines the alliances between early French settlers and voyageurs and the indigenous nations. The keynote address is Saturday at 4 p.m. at Assumption Church Parish Hall, 2098 E. Alder St., Walla Walla. The Rendezvous begins earlier, with the doors opening at 1 p.m. for silent auctions, history displays, coffee, cookies and conver- sation. A tri-tip dinner at 5 p.m. is catered by Marty Bray. The evening also features a rafle for a “Shared Spirits” Pendleton blanket, donated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/french- townrv or by contacting any Frenchtown Historical Foundation board member. Also, beer and wine will be available for purchase. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Frenchtown Historical Foundation. The group is committed to maintaining and developing the Frenchtown Historic Site. Opened Dec. 11, 2010, the historic site includes the original sites of the St. Rose of Lima Mission and the St. Rose Mission Cemetery, as well as a key location for the historic Battle of Walla Walla, also known as the Battle of Frenchtown. Interpretive signage provides family histories and burial records as well as information on the Oregon Trail, the fur trade, the interactions between local tribes and settlers, and more. Frenchtown Historic Site is located eight miles west of Walla Walla on Old Highway 12. By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Contributed book cover A round table discussion of “Songs Upon the Rivers” by authors Michel Bouchard and Rob Foxcurran and Sam Pambrun (preface) is featured during the Frenchtown Rendezvous Saturday in Walla Walla. The maintenance and development of the site is made possible by contributions to the Frenchtown Historical Foundation, as well as by the volunteer efforts of local historians and descendants of the original families. For more information, contact Judy Fortney at 509-529-8210, jafortney@q.com, Rich Monacelli at 509-522-3763, richnan@ charter.net or visit www.frenchtownwa.org. ——— Contact Community Editor Tammy Malge- sini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539 Agricultural retailers will remain exempt from federal safety regulations designed to keep workers safe around highly hazardous chemi- cals, including anhydrous ammonia, a widely used farm fertilizer. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin- istration requires facilities with 10,000 pounds or more of anhydrous ammonia to develop rigorous inspection guidelines and emergency plans as part of the so-called Process Safety Manage- ment Standard. Retail busi- nesses, however, have been exempt from the standard since it was created in 1992. Last year, OSHA narrowed the scope of its retail exemption to lump more facilities under the rules. That came in response to a catastrophic chemical explosion at a West, Texas fertilizer company in 2013 that killed 15 people and injured more than 160 others. The facility had been exempt from the standard. Industry groups including The Fertilizer Institute, Agricultural Retailers Association PENDLETON BRIEFLY Convention center, hangar building getting new roofs PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council approved two bids from All-Surface Rooing of Spokane, Washington, to provide new roofs at the Pendleton Convention Center and a hangar building at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. The $134,351 bid for the convention center is already covered in the city’s budget while the $34,270 bid for the hangar will be paid for with the remainder of a state grant. The council also declared a piece of Airport Hill property vacant and subsequently sold it for $50,000. The city sold the 1.68-acre parcel, which is currently occupied by Keylock Storage, to the business owner. Dinner, auction to beneit Stanield woman STANFIELD — A beneit event for Susan Hawley is planned in Stanield. Hawley is relocating to a new home and re-building her life after an Aug. 1 house ire resulted in the death of her husband, Eldon Hawley. A spaghetti dinner is planned Friday from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Stanield Community Center, 225 W. Roosevelt Ave. Donations will be accepted at the door. Also, the event features a dessert auction and additional auction items, including a 40-inch lat screen TV, antiques, a hunting package, a cord of wood, a homemade quilt and a beef package. Everyone is invited to provide community support. For more information, contact Cheryl Tucker at cheryltucker@q.com. Fall brings community campire, hayrides HERMISTON — With the crisp fall air setting in, it’s the perfect time for a Community Campire and Hayride. Sponsored by Hermiston Parks & Recreation, the event is Friday at Riverfront Park, Orchard Extension Loop, Hermiston. The hayride is from 6-8 p.m. and the campire is from 7-9 p.m. To help offset costs, the hayride is $2 per person or $8 for a family. Marshmallows and hot chocolate will be provided. All ages are welcome. For more information, visit www. hermistonrecreation.com, call 541-667-5018 or stop by the recreation ofice, 180 N.E. Second St., Hermiston. Oregon Zoo offers free admission PORTLAND — River otter activities, a reptile encounter and swamp monkey, penguin and bat feeding are among the activities planned during a free admission day at the Oregon Zoo. The public is invited to enjoy a day at the zoo free of charge Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s located off Highway 26, ive minutes from downtown Portland. Due to an increased number of visitors, people are encouraged to take public transit For more information, visit www.oregonzoo.org. Schools to take part in Great Oregon ShakeOut HERMISTON — Hermiston schools are participating in the Great Oregon ShakeOut, an activity to promote safe behavior in the event of an earthquake. The drill will take place at 10:20 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 10. Schools, businesses and families across the state are encouraged to hold their own drill at the same time. In the event of an earthquake, everyone should drop to the ground, take cover under something sturdy, cover their head and neck with their arms and hold on until the shaking stops. Those who are already indoors should stay indoors. Those who are outdoors should stay on the ground away from trees, buildings, power lines or other items that could fall on them. Anyone in a car should pull over in a clear area and stay in the car with their seatbelt on until the shaking stops, then proceed with caution over any bridges or ramps that may have been damaged. For more information, or to register to participate in the Great Oregon ShakeOut, visit www. shakeout.org. Film screening spins some yarn PENDLETON — Fiber enthusiasts will have a full weekend of activities to enjoy. Pendleton Center for the Arts’ monthly Spin-In is Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at 214 N. Main St. Spinners, knitters, weavers, felters, iber enthusiasts and folks who are just iber-curious are invited to drop in for conversation and creativity. Then, on Sunday, a screening of “Yarn,” a new ilm by Una Lorenzen, will be shown Sunday at 4 p.m. at The Prodigal Son Brewery & Pub, 230 S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton. The independent ilm features iber artists who are redeining the tradition of knit and crochet — bringing yarn out of the house and into the world. An $8 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away. Food and beverages are available for purchase. For more information about either event, call 541-278-9201. Parking lot sale beneits Agape House HERMISTON — Clothing, furniture and knick-knacks are available during a parking lot sale at Agape House. The event is Saturday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at 500 Harper Road, Hermiston. Clothing will be priced at three items for a dollar, furnitures is priced as marked and knick-knacks are you name the price. Donations for the sale are welcome through Friday. Agape House serves individuals and families in need. For more information, call 541-567-8774. Dads take the cake HERMISTON — An annual tradition at West Park Elementary School has dads assisting their kids in the kitchen. and several individual businesses challenged the decision in federal court, arguing OSHA did not follow proper notice-and- comment procedures in making the change. On Sept. 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, ensuring retailers will keep their exempt status. “Of course, nothing in our decision necessarily calls into question the substance of OSHA’s deci- sion to narrow the exemp- tion for retail facilities,” the ruling reads. “We hold only that, insofar as OSHA does so, it must follow the notice-and-comment proce- dures for standards set forth in the (Occupational Safety and Health) Act.” Chris Leason, an attorney with the Phoe- nix-based Gallagher & Kennedy, represented The Fertilizer Institute during the case, which he said will help prevent adverse economic impacts on local farmers and consumers. Compliance costs for 3,800 retailers that would have gone under the OSHA stan- dard were estimated at $100 million, Leason said, which would have forced some businesses to go under or raise their prices, which would have rippled down the supply chain. “This obviously keeps ammonia, the most cost-ef- fective and readily avail- able source of nitrogen, in the market for farmers,” Leason said. When the Process Safety Management Standard was established, Leason said it was originally intended for large manufacturers — not small retailers, where the regulations are costly, burdensome and unneces- sary. “Many of the facilities are small businesses with only a few employees, and could not handle the burden of complying with the (standard) in the tight time frame requirement,” he said. Farmers used 28,649 tons of anhydrous ammonia in 2012, Leason said, which ranked 19th in the country. With the exemption in place, he said retailers will be able to continue distrib- uting fertilizer to the farms both timely and effectively. It is not yet certain whether OSHA will try to appeal the court’s decision. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. In its 58th year, the Dad’s Cake Bake & Auction is Monday at 6 p.m. in the school’s multi- purpose room, 555 S.W. Seventh St., Hermiston. Dads need to drop cakes off between 3:30-5:30 p.m. The public is invited to look at the cakes, as well as bid on them. Ribbons will be awarded for the most humorous cake, most original, best theme and the most elaborate cake. In addition, ive honorable mention prizes will be awarded. Money raised from the event will be used by the West Park PTO Group. For more information, contact mary.gorham@hermiston. k12.or.us. Tot Time provides fun environment PENDLETON — Fun music and lots of play things are available during Tot Time. Sponsored by Pendleton Parks & Recreation, the environment is provided and parents provide the creativity. The program is open to little ones not in school. The fee is $1 per participating child. No registration is required; the activity is on a drop-in basis Mondays from 10-11 a.m. at the Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave. For more information, visit www. pendletonparksandrec.com or call 541-276-8100. County readies to auction off Sunridge Estates By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian The 21 lots in foreclo- sure at Sunridge Estates in Pendleton are going up for auction. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners met Wednesday morning in Pendleton and set the auction for Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. in room 130 at the Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 S.E. Fourth St., Pendleton. The lots are part of a failed local improvement district off Tutuilla Road in Pendleton’s southern end. Paul Chalmers, county tax assessor and Pendleton city councilor, told the county board the intent is to offer the lots as a package. If that fails, though, the county would auction individual lots. The county is seeking minimum bids equivalent to the real market value of the property. Lots range from $36,050 to $110,250. Chalmers said he expects some of the lots to go for their market value. But for those that don’t sell, the county can wait 30 days and accept offers for 15 percent of the market value. The board also approved a half-time specialist posi- tion for suicide prevention. Umatilla County Public Health Department received the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant that provides $65,000 a year for three years to support suicide prevention work. Alisha Southwick, the county’s wellness and school health supervisor, told the board suicide is the leading cause of death for 15- to 35-year-old males (although statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite other causes) and the county has seen an increase in suicides since 2011. She also said the new position will deal with how to prevent “contagion” — the spread of suicide or suicidal behaviors. And in other business, the board reviewed the new county law to set fees for the on-site septic inspection program, which the county planning and environmental health departments are assuming from the state. The fees go into effect Nov. 1. SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS Submit information to: community@eastoregonian. com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541- 966-0818 with questions. 300 Block of Main Street Music: Kupenga Marimba Market kids: BMCC Early Childhood Education Market Kitchen: St. Anthony Hospital First Friday - Fun Friday Join us weekends 400 block hosting a Children’s Museum Block Party & the Great Pacific Beer Garden. to view the fall colors and enjoy the crisp fall air OCTOBER 21 ST is the Th ank you for another great season! in October SEE YOU AGAIN 2017 SEASON: MAY 20 thru OCTOBER • 5 DAYS A WEEK NEXT YEAR Pedal through the beautiful Wallowa Valley Book now at www.jbrailriders.com E-mail jbrailriders@gmail.com LAST MARKET of 2016!!!!
