REGION
Thursday, February 23, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
PENDLETON
Commission approves
$3.5M line of credit
for downtown projects
Luncheon discusses local economy
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Develop-
ment Commission took the
first step toward replenishing
its coffers Tuesday night.
At a meeting, the
commission approved a
request for proposal to seek a
$3.5 million line of credit to
fund the next spate of urban
renewal projects.
The commission has typi-
cally taken out a large loan
and used the tax increment
revenue it collects from the
urban renewal district to pay
it back. But as the commis-
sion uses the last of its
previous loan, it decided to
use a different approach for
the next round of financing.
Councilor Paul Chalmers,
the chairman of the commis-
sion, said a line of credit
allows the commission
members to be more fiscally
responsible by borrowing
money as they need it while
also providing the urban
renewal district with the
necessary funding as it heads
toward the end of its term in
2023.
“It’s tough to sell cookies
without a cookie jar,” he said.
Staff has projected $3.36
million in expenses over the
next seven years, which will
be used for existing programs
like Jump Start loans and
façade grants as well as rela-
tively new initiatives like the
festival area and the second
story improvement grant.
More
funding
will
coincide with more work
for Charles Denight, the
commission’s
associate
director.
Meeting later as the city
council, members unani-
mously agreed to increase
More online
For video of the Pendleton
City Council meeting visit
eastoregonian.com
Denight’s work hours from
20 to 27.
The increase in hours
means Denight’s budget
will grow from $35,000 to
$44,968. His pay will also
receive a bump from $26,400
to $31,400.
City manager Robb
Corbett said the launch of
the second story program has
eaten up much of Denight’s
time and is one of the reasons
a work-hour increase was
needed.
After meeting behind
closed doors, the council also
voted unanimously to sell
three lots the city owns at
Sunridge Estates to developer
Dusty Pace for $119,000.
The city owns several
lots at Sunridge because
they took out liens on the
properties as a part of a local
improvement district before
they were foreclosed on.
Although Corbett asked
city attorney Nancy Kerns
not to disclose the city’s
loan obligation publicly, she
did say that the sales price
exceeded the obligation.
The council also approved
an ordinance that will assess
penalties
to
marijuana
retailers that don’t pay their
taxes on time.
The city previously
signed an agreement with
the Oregon Department of
Revenue for the state agency
to collect the local 3 percent
tax on behalf of the city, and
the department requires to
the city to create penalties as
a part of the agreement.
PENDLETON
Photo contributed by Emily Callender
Pendleton high school students (from left) Kaci
Graber, Wade Coleman, Diana Cisneros, Jonathan
Wolotira, Hannah Mosman and Kalli Hubbard
participated in All-Northwest Choir this month.
Students participate in
regional honor choir
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Several Pendleton High
School students joined
young musicians from all
over the western United
States Feb. 16-19 to partic-
ipate in the All-Northwest
Honor Choir.
Diana Cisneros, Wade
Coleman, Kaci Graber, Kalli
Hubbard, Hannah Mossman
and Jonathan Wolotira
traveled to Bellevue, Wash-
ington, accompanied by their
teacher Emily Callender,
where they rehearsed and
performed music with
more than 1,000 other
students. Students attend the
event from Alaska, Idaho,
Montana, Oregon, Wash-
ington and Wyoming.
“It’s unusual to have this
many accepted to All-North-
west,” said Callender, who
has taught orchestra at
Pendleton High School for
nine years and choir for
seven. “Typically it’s two or
three students. Six is kind of
exciting.”
There are two choirs, a
treble choir (comprised of
all female singers) and a
mixed choir, which includes
both boys and girls.
Callender
said
she
submitted 18 applications.
Auditions
are
blind,
meaning a judge listens
to all the submissions for
one voice part without
any information about the
students, ranks the vocal
submissions and selects the
top ones. There is no limit
on how many students from
one school can be accepted.
According to a press release
from All-Northwest Honor
Ensembles, more than 4,600
auditioned to participate.
Callender
said
the
students learn music in
different languages and
styles spanning spiritual,
folk and classical.
“It’s more challenging
music, at a high level,”
Callender said. “They go
with the music already
prepared, and get to work
with a top choir director,
with other students with the
same ambitions.”
Callender
said
the
students are enthusiastic
about the chance to learn
new things about music.
“They’re great musicians
and students,” she said. “It’s
a huge opportunity for these
kids.”
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.
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Uncertainty was one of
themes of the Pendleton
Chamber of Commerce’s
annual economic outlook
luncheon at the Pendleton
Convention Center
on
Wednesday.
Economist Bill Conerly
delivered the keynote
address at the luncheon,
where he told the city’s
business community that
Pendleton’s
short-term
economic prospects looked
good.
With Umatilla County
seeing both population and
economic growth, Conerly
told the audience that a low
unemployment rate usually
causes turnover issues as
workers feel more comfort-
able quitting their current
jobs to seek other work.
Conerly said workers
tend to leave jobs because
of unhappiness with their
bosses
and
suggested
employers invest in training
their managers.
While the local economy
is improving in Conerly’s
view, he was less sure how
President Donald Trump’s
positions would affect the
national economy.
Given Trump’s skepti-
cism of current international
trade deals, Conerly said a
decrease in imports could
hurt the retail and manufac-
turing industries.
“During trade negotia-
tions, I expect him to come
right to the edge of disaster
before stepping back,”
he said. “I’m keeping my
fingers crossed.”
Increased deportations of
undocumented immigrants
under Trump could also hurt
businesses, Conerly said.
According to Conerly,
undocumented labor makes
up a significant portion of
the agriculture, construction
and hospitality industries,
and some companies could
see their workforce reduced
by a third if their businesses
are targeted in a raid.
Conerly suggested busi-
ness owners and manage-
ment plan ahead for any
kind of economic downturn
so they can respond quickly
LA GRANDE
Pop-up exhibit features
art of Pendleton graduate
East Oregonian
A showcase of Erica
Hitzman’s recent studio
work is featured in “Don’t
Blink,” a pop-up exhibition
this weekend in La Grande.
The daughter of Dr. Jon
and Jacquie Hitzman of
Pendleton, the artist is a
recent graduate of Eastern
Oregon University. The
exhibit opening reception
is Friday from 6-9 p.m. in
the gallery at 103 Fir St.,
located in the Sac Annex
next to Earth and Vine
Wine Bar & Bistro in La
Grande.
Refreshments
will be provided. Also, the
gallery is open Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibit includes
acrylic
paintings
on
unstretched,
untreated
canvas featuring a spilling
technique in combination
with detached or sleeping
figures. The techniques,
in combination with one
another, attempt to achieve
a dreamlike break from
reality.
Hitzman aims to show
strength and fragility in
combination with one
another by painting highly
rendered images of a
woman onto a less precious
and
tattered
canvas,
commenting on the weight
of reality and the feeling of
being exposed. She aspires
to express the desire so
many have to disappear
from reality into their own
dreamscape, while also
acknowledging the impos-
Contributed by Laura Hancock
A pop-up exhibition of works by Erica Hitzman of
Pendleton is featured Friday and Saturday in the
gallery at 103 Fir Street in the Sac Annex in La
Grande.
sibility to do so most of the
time. For Hitzman, creating
this body of work has been
— somewhat ironically,
she said — a reality check
as well as a small escape
from it.
Born in Ukiah, Cali-
fornia in 1993, Hitzman
grew up in Pendleton.
According to her biog-
raphy, she moved to
La Grande in 2011 to
study at Eastern Oregon
University. After her first
year, Hitzman attended the
Hochschule der Medien in
Stuttgart, Germany, where
she studied media and fine
arts for two years.
She returned to La
Grande to complete her
undergraduate
studies,
receiving a bachelor’s
degree in art in 2016.
Hitzman has exhibited
work in the university’s
Nightingale Gallery as well
as The Blackfish Gallery in
Portland.
For more information,
contact Laura Hancock of
EOU university advance-
ment at 541-962-3585 or
lhancock@eou.edu.
For
more about Hitzman, visit
www.ericahitzmanart.com.
———
Contact
Community
Editor Tammy Malgesini
at tmalgesini@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4539
if it comes to pass.
The
luncheon
also
featured a speech from Jeff
Lorton, the creative director
of Duke Joseph Agency
and the project manager
for Oregon UAS Future-
Farm, an organization
that connects technology
companies
with
local
farmers.
Because of the success of
previous events, Lorton said
Pendleton’s annual Preci-
sion Farming Expo would
be expanded from two days
to three and run from Aug.
15-17. He hopes the event
attracts 350 people.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
BRIEFLY
Irrigon man
injured in crash
UMATILLA — An
Irrigon man crashed into the
back of a semitrailer Tuesday
morning near Umatilla.
John M. Thorp, 59, was
southbound on Interstate
82 about a mile from the
Oregon border when he
drove into the back of a 2014
Freightliner towing a trailer,
according to the Washington
State Patrol.
The semi driver, Gary
L. Holloway, 72, of Selah,
Washington, was not injured.
Thorp, however, was injured,
and an ambulance took him
to Trios Health, Kennewick.
The Tri-City Herald reported
he was in good condition at
the time.
The state patrol also
reported troopers gave Thorp
a citation for following too
close.
Annual Echo bike
race postponed
ECHO — Echo’s annual
mountain bike race, the
Echo Red 2 Red, has been
postponed and will now
be held on Saturday, April
1. The race was originally
planned for March 3-4, but
was rescheduled due to
weather complications.
“Nobody’s been able to
ride the trails, there’s been
too much snow and water,”
said Stephanie Myers, owner
of Echo Bike and Board and
an organizer of the race.
This will be the ninth
annual race. Myers said
usually about 400 people
participate.
Participants can register
until March 27, the Monday
before the race, at www.
echored2red.com.