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APRIL 22-23, 2017
141st Year, No. 135
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WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Lawmakers
pitch cost
containing
measures
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Tall grass and wild fl owers grow in an open area of the north bank of the Umatilla River in Pendleton.
A lot of potential
Possible development of Pendleton riverfront property dismays neighbors
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
As long as one keeps their eyes on the
water, the north bank of the Umatilla River
near Northwest Seventh Street looks relatively
untouched.
Gnarled trees and fallen branches give way
to tall grass, wildfl owers and an old trail from
Pendleton’s early days. You can forget for a
moment that you are square in the middle of a
town of more than 16,000 people.
Peg and Jim Willis can hear the roar of
the Umatilla from
the porch of their
Seventh Street home. More inside
They were dismayed For a map of the
when the city of land targeted for
Pendleton
began development
taking steps to attract see page 14A
a housing develop-
ment to the section of
riverfront near their house.
As the Pendleton City Council charges
forward in carrying out its goal of expanding
the city’s housing inventory, city offi cials will
have to contend with the push and pull of alle-
viating Pendleton’s tight housing market and
protecting existing residents’ quality of life.
A river runs by it
The Umatilla River has been an integral
part of the married couple’s lives since they
bought the house 40 years ago for $23,000.
The space between their home and the river
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The remains of a step ladder adorn a tree in a forested area on the north bank of the
Umatilla River in Pendleton. The city of Pendleton has begun taking steps to attract
a housing developer to this section of the riverfront.
became a favorite play spot for their kids and
eventually their grandkids, a place where they
frequently encountered wildlife.
Between the two of them, the Willises
provided a brief recollection of some of the
creatures they’ve seen along the river — deer,
raccoons possums, beavers, woodchucks. Jim
Willis said he saw an otter one winter.
When the weather warms up, the couple
can hear the sound of hammers striking wood
See RIVERFRONT/14A
Bill would ease development
of solar panels on farmland
Co-op faces higher state
renewable energy mandate
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
State Rep. Greg Smith (R-Hep-
pner) is sponsoring legislation that
would make it easier for the Umatilla
Electric Cooperative to develop solar
power in Umatilla and Morrow coun-
ties, allowing the utility to comply
with statewide renewable energy
goals.
The issue came up during a recent
proposal by UEC to expand its Moyer-
Tolles Solar Station east of Umatilla.
Since the facility is located within the
Columbia Valley American Viticul-
ture Area, it is technically considered
high-value farmland which requires
a special land use exception for solar
farms larger than 12 acres.
UEC received permission from
Umatilla County last month to go
ahead with the project, which will
increase the capacity at Moyer-Tolles
from 1.3 to 10 megawatts. But the
co-op estimates it will need 100 total
megawatts of solar generation by 2025
to meet Oregon’s renewable portfolio
standard, meaning more development
is necessary.
Craig Campbell, a lobbyist repre-
senting UEC at the Capitol, laid out
the conundrum at a hearing Tuesday
before the House Agriculture and
See SOLAR/11A
SALEM — Concluding a week of
heightened budget rhetoric at the Oregon
Legislature, a bipartisan group of legislators
say the state’s budget
crunch could be
addressed in the short-
and long-term through
a score of possible
measures, including
a hiring freeze and
tweaks to the state’s
public pension system.
However, it’s not
yet clear how much Devlin
these strategies, if
implemented, would
save as lawmakers
try to address a $1.6
billion shortfall in
general fund revenue
necessary to maintain
current services.
Sen.
Richard
Devlin, D-Tualatin, a
member of the group
and co-chair of the Johnson
Joint Committee on
Ways and Means —
which hammers out
the state’s budget —
says the nonpartisan
Legislative
Fiscal
Offi ce could produce
an estimate of poten-
tial savings as early as
next week.
Devlin and four Nathanson
other
lawmakers
have been meeting
privately to fi nd
ways to cut down
on state spending.
They released their
18 cost-containment
ideas publicly for the
fi rst time Friday.
The
legislators
are: Sen. Jackie Smith
Winters,
R-Salem;
Rep. Greg Smith,
R-Heppner;
Rep.
Nancy
Nathanson,
D-Eugene; and Sen.
Betsy
Johnson,
D-Scappoose.
Those ideas include
issuing bonds only for
larger projects so as
to cut debt costs, and Winters
increasing current and
future employees’ share of retirement costs.
“These are sort of the core of what we
think it would take to start to do some of the
things to bend the cost curve over the long
term,” Devlin said, noting the list was not
See LEGISLATURE/11A
HERMISTON
BMCC determined student with
gun on campus was not a threat
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Blue Mountain Community
College administrators determined
a student who brought a gun onto
the Hermiston campus did not pose
a threat.
Casey White-Zollman, the
college’s vice president of public
relations, also reported the college
will review its policies and proce-
dures regarding guns on campus.
Wednesday afternoon, a student
told staff that another student had a
handgun that was partially visible.
The staff contacted the Hermiston
Police Department, which cleared
the building as a precaution.
Members of the Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Offi ce, Oregon State
Police and Umatilla County Fire
District 1 also responded.
The armed student was a former
police offi cer with a concealed
carry permit.
The college, however, prohibits
people with a concealed carry
permit to bring a gun on campus.
Per the college’s weapons policy:
“In accordance with BMCC
Student Rights, Responsibilities,
and Conduct, students are prohib-
ited from possessing or using
fi rearms, explosives, dangerous
chemicals, substances, or instru-
ments or other weapons which can
be used to infl ict bodily harm on
See BMCC/11A