REGION
Friday, June 16, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
HEPPNER
New irrigation pipeline to save water, electricity costs
Gravity-fed line
will span nearly
seven miles
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Construction of a new
gravity-fed irrigation pipeline
is expected to save farmers
water and electricity costs
along a nine-mile stretch
of Willow Creek between
Heppner and Lexington.
The project broke ground
earlier this spring after years
of planning and design. Water
will be diverted from the
creek above Willow Creek
Country Club at the edge of
Heppner city limits, with the
pipe following an old Union
Pacific Railroad right of way.
The pipeline will serve
eight landowners with roughly
1,900 acres of irrigated
pasture, hay, wheat, alfalfa,
potatoes and silage corn.
“We’re going to have a
way better and much more
efficient system than we had,”
said Brian Thompson, of
Thompson Land.
The project began taking
shape in 2010, when a group
of landowners — including
Thompson — formed their
own LLC to pursue the
Photo contributed by Kacee Lathrop
Construction is underway on the Heppner-Lexington Diversion Pipeline, which will carry supplemental irrigation
water from Willow Creek Reservoir.
Heppner-Lexington Pipeline.
The landowners had previ-
ously purchased supplemental
irrigation water from Willow
Creek Reservoir, which
Thompson said helped to alle-
viate pressure on groundwater
wells.
The pipeline will further
improve efficiency by elim-
inating seepage and evapo-
ration from an open canal.
Because it is gravity-fed,
Thompson said the district
also anticipates electricity
savings up to $120,000 per
year by reducing the number
of pumps needed for sprin-
klers.
Heppner-Lexington
BRIEFLY
Pendleton Coffee Bean & Bistro shuts down
Still owes $22K
from PDC loan
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
At a time of peak occu-
pancy on Main Street, the
Pendleton Coffee Bean &
Bistro is packing it up.
“It is with a heavy heart
that we have decided to close
our doors. We appreciate and
thank you for your support
over the last two years!”
reads a Facebook post and
a note on the front door of
the 241 S. Main St. business.
The note is signed by owner
Paula Dirks and “chef
Chad.”
The Pendleton Coffee
Bean’s closure represents a
sudden end for a business
with a winding journey on
and off Main Street.
The Pendleton Coffee
Bean started as a coffee
shop in the Fraternal Order
of Eagles building at 428 S.
Main St. until 2007, when a
fire gutted the building.
It reopened as a drive-
thru coffee shop at 1803
S.W. Emigrant Ave. before
making a move back to
Main Street as a full-service
restaurant and bar in 2015.
The Pendleton Devel-
opment Commission made
significant investments to
bring the Coffee Bean back
EO file photo
In this January 2016 file photo, Paula Dirks, owner of
the Pendleton Coffee Bean & Bistro, grabs a slice of
lime while making a drink at her restaurant on Main
Street in Pendleton. The restaurant recently closed its
doors.
to the downtown area.
In 2014, the commission
approved a $30,000 loan
from its Jump Start program
to help with some of the
start-up costs of moving to
a new space and expanding
the menu.
After proving that the
business had hired the
equivalent of more than 10
full-time jobs, the Pendleton
Coffee Bean obtained a
$10,360 grant from the
commission
in
2016,
utilizing a little-used feature
of the Jump Start program
that granted participants
$1,000 for each new full-
time job they create within
the first year of their busi-
nesses’ operation.
Charles Denight, the
commission’s
associate
director, said Pendleton
Coffee Bean still owes
$22,000 from the loan and
the owner is required to
personally pay back the
balance as a part of the
contract.
Denight said the commis-
sion would be amenable to
restructuring the payment
plan given the circum-
stances, but if all else fails,
the commission can take
back the furnishings and
equipment the owner bought
with the loan as collateral.
Dirks, Pendleton Coffee
Bean’s owner, did not return
a request for comment.
The Pendleton Coffee
Boardman cleanup
coming in July
Bean’s predecessor at 1803
S. Main St., Kazi, also closed
before paying off its Jump
Start debt to the commission.
In addition to closing
in 2014, the owner of the
Korean barbecue restaurant,
Judy Winn, filed for Chapter
13 bankruptcy less than a
year after opening Kazi’s
doors. Due to the bankruptcy,
Denight said the commission
was unable to recoup the
value of the loan.
Since last September,
when
the
commission
announced that Main Street’s
storefronts were occupied at
a 96 percent rate, the street
has taken some hits.
Imaginarium, the 245 S.
Main St. toy store that took
the rest of the space Kazi left
behind, closed earlier this
year.
More significantly, J.C.
Penney announced it was
shutting off the lights later
this year, putting an end
to the department store’s
106-year tenure at 124 S.
Main St.
Despite these setbacks on
Main Street, Denight said
other Jump Start loans have
been successful, and the
program is an overall plus.
He said that the commis-
sion’s Jump Start committee
will discuss ways to further
market the program and
expand the radius of busi-
nesses eligible for it at a
meeting Monday.
BOARDMAN — The
city of Boardman will host
a community-wide cleanup
during the month of July,
with garbage vouchers
available for residents.
Vouchers are valid at
Finley Butte Landfill and
the North Morrow Transfer
Station, with a $50 limit,
and can be picked up at
city hall beginning June
30.
This is the first year the
garbage voucher program
will be held in July, with
previous events in April
and November. Residents
are encouraged to clean up
their homes and properties
by disposing of yard
debris.
For more information,
call Boardman City Hall at
541-481-9252.
North Umatilla
County paving
project on hold
UMATILLA — The
Oregon Department of
Transportation announced
drivers moving along
Highway 730 in northern
Umatilla County will get
a reprieve from nighttime
paving work.
A state contractor has
been working on the road
between Southshore Drive
west of Umatilla and
McNary, but the project is
on hold. ODOT reported
the contractor is scheduled
to return and finish the
paving work in September
or October.
The state road agency
also reminded travelers to
continue to drive with extra
caution through all work
zones and watch for paving
activities gearing back up
along Highway 730 in a
few months.
OLCC recruiting new liquor store contractors
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The Oregon Liquor
Control Commission is
ready to open Eastern
Oregon for business.
About a dozen people
attended an OLCC town
hall in Pendleton Thursday,
where state liquor officials
explained how they could
become participants in
Oregon’s liquor market.
In Oregon, the OLCC
controls the liquor inven-
tory and then distributes
it directly to independent
contractors throughout the
state.
Brian Flemming, the
OLCC
retail
services
director, said the state’s
rising population is fueling
the OLCC’s push to recruit
new contractors. According
to the OLCC, there are
16,000 Oregonians for every
liquor store in 2015, up from
12,000 three decades ago.
That problem is most
prevalent in Oregon’s metro
areas, where that ratio can
get as high as 21,000 to 1.
After appointing 13 new
contractors in the Portland
area and six in the Eugene
area, Flemming said the
OLCC is now turning its
attention to the 14 counties
that comprise Eastern and
Central Oregon, including
Umatilla and Morrow coun-
ties.
Density is less of a
concern in the region (1
liquor store for every 8,400
people), but Flemming said
some residents have to drive
as much as 60 miles to buy a
bottle of whiskey or gin.
The OLCC website states
that there are 11 cities with
a liquor retailer in Umatilla
and Morrow counties —
Pendleton,
Hermiston,
Athena,
Pilot
Rock,
Umatilla, Milton-Freewater,
Stanfield, Ukiah, Heppner,
Boardman and Ione.
Flemming said the state
doesn’t have a target density
ratio or area it would like to
see new liquor stores and
isn’t aiming to overpop-
ulate the region with new
retailers.
“There won’t be one on
every corner,” he said.
Liquor stores can located
in
either
stand-alone
buildings or in an existing
business, although the latter
setup requires a separate
door for the liquor section
or a control plan to prevent
access from minors.
OLCC officials high-
lighted some of the unique
businesses that sell liquor,
including
pharmacies,
coffee shops, sporting goods
stores and gift shops.
The OLCC will accept
contractor
applications
through July and evaluate
them on their capital invest-
ment and financing, retail or
business experience, knowl-
edge of alcohol industry,
Pipeline LLC partnered with
the Morrow Soil and Water
Conservation District on
a grant application for the
project through the Natural
Resource
Conservation
Service. The NRCS awarded
the $1.5 million grant in 2011.
Kacee Lathrop, district
conservationist
for
the
Morrow County NRCS,
said money came from the
agency’s Cooperative Conser-
vation Partnership Initiative,
a program that was available
under the 2008 Farm Bill.
The pipe is made from a
high-density polyethylene,
with a 36-inch diameter at the
top and 20-inch diameter at
the bottom.
Lathrop said there are
currently 17 creek and well
pumps within the project area.
Once the pipeline is finished,
that number will drop to just
five small booster pumps.
“We worked with a lot of
partners to get here,” Lathrop
said. “There are a lot of
different agencies involved to
give their stamp of approval
on the project.”
The pipeline is expected to
be ready for the 2018 irriga-
tion season.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0825.
location, business plan and
estimated sales and revenue.
“If you propose $7
million in liquor sales in your
fist year, we’re probably not
going to talk with you,”
OLCC district manager
Graham Alderson said. “It’s
beyond reach, especially in
Eastern Oregon.”
If an applicant makes
it through the review
stage, they’ll present their
proposal to the OLCC
Board of Commissioners in
October or November. The
board will have the final say
in appointing new liquor
contractors.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
AARP offers
driving refresher
PENDLETON —
Locals can sharpen their
driving skills this summer
in Pendleton. The AARP
is offering its Smart Driver
class for $15 for AARP
members and $20 for
non-members.
The classes teach
defensive driving skills,
how to stay current
with the latest driving
technologies and more.
AARP is offering the
classes Saturday, July
8, and again Saturday,
Aug. 12, from 8:45 a.m.
to 4 p.m. at St. Anthony
Hospital, 2801 St. Anthony
Way, Pendleton.
The classes require
registration. For more
information or to register,
call instructor Nikki
Murtaugh at 541-861-0024.
Participants need
to make their own
arrangements for lunch
during an hour break.
AARP members should
bring their membership
card.
BMCC partners
with SOU for
early childhood
program
Blue Mountain
Community College has
entered a partnership with
Southern Oregon Univer-
sity to make transferring
for a Bachelor’s Degree for
Early Childhood Education
students a smoother
process.
The partnership will
allow students who earn
an Associate’s Degree
in Applied Sciences
at BMCC to transfer
that degree and general
education requirements to
Southern Oregon Univer-
sity, and continue their
online studies to pursue
a Bachelor’s degree from
SOU. The program will
allow students to transfer
directly from BMCC to
SOU as juniors, and begin
their Early Childhood
Development classes
without any loss of credits.
“This new partnership
gives our students the
opportunity to transfer
without obstacles to
continue the pursuit of a
career in early childhood
education,” said Dawn
Kennison-Kerrigan,
BMCC’s early childhood
education program coor-
dinator. “This ultimately
saves students time and
money since all of their
credits will seamlessly
transfer to SOU in junior
status.”
Concealed Carry
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Required class to get an Oregon or multi-State
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• Washington gun laws
• Interstate travel laws
• Interaction with law enforcement
• Use of deadly force
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360.921.2071
Multi-state: $80 or Oregon only: $45.00
FirearmTrainingNW.com : FirearmrainingNW@gmail.com
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