East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, August 05, 2017, Image 3

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East Oregonian : E.O., August 05, 2017, Page Page 3A, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextREGION Saturday, August 5, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON Kind Leaf owners look to start marijuana farm “We want to be the (Pendleton) Woolen Mills of the cannabis industry.” By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Pendleton is no stranger to family farms, although it’s not as familiar with one that produces Oregon’s newly legalized cash crop. Burnswell Family Farms, owned by the group that operates the Kind Leaf Pendleton dispen- sary, is seeking conditional use approval from the city to open a marijuana grow and production at the former Riverside Nursery. The two-acre property at 2612 N.E. Nursery Lane has greenhouses Burnswell plans to use to farm organic, sustainable marijuana. “We want to be the (Pendleton) Woolen Mills of the cannabis industry,” said Brandon Krenzler, a member of the ownership group. Krenzler said it’s always been the owners’ goal to vertically inte- grate Kind Leaf and supply their own marijuana, it was just a matter of ﬁ nding a spot that ﬁ t the city’s zoning parameters. Burnswell will focus on organic farming, avoiding the — Brandon Krenzler, member of the Burnswell Family Farms ownership group EO ﬁ le photo Kind Leaf co-owner Brandon Krenzler shows off a sampling of the merchandise for sale on the Pendleton dispensary’s ﬁ rst day of business on March 11, 2017. use of pesticides and herbicides, planting sunﬂ owers and marigolds alongside marijuana plants and installing a beehive to spread pollen throughout the area. Growing cannabis in a green- house rather than an indoor facility will prevent Burnswell from running up a large electric bill and further reduce the company’s blueprint, Krenzler said. Krenzler also anticipates that the Burnswell farm will be a boon to Kind Leaf customers, allowing the dispensary to sell their product at a lower price than it would if the marijuana was bought from another vendor. Burnswell plans to supply most of its marijuana to Kind Leaf while selling a small amount to other vendors, creating a niche market around Pendleton-grown marijuana. Public resistance to marijuana facilities in Pendleton can range from virtually non-existent to a room full of concerned citizens, depending on the location. Krenzler said they spoke with a potential Burnswell neighbor who had concerns about the security risks a marijuana farm might bring, but he added that the Oregon Liquor Control Commission has extensive security requirements. Burnswell isn’t the ﬁ rst company to show interest in producing marijuana in Pendleton, and isn’t even the ﬁ rst to target Riverside. A company called GhostTown Organix received conditional use approval from the Pend- leton Planning Commission to open a cannabis grow at 2515 N.E. Riverside Place, although according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission website, no processor, producer or wholesaler has submitted an application to the state. If Burnswell gets city and state approval, Krenzler said they will plant their ﬁ rst crop next spring. Burnswell will go before the planning commission on Thursday at 7 p.m. The commission holds its meetings in the city council chambers at Pendleton City Hall, 500 S.W. Dorion Ave. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. CDA secures $7 million for Umatilla Depot roads By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Plans to develop the former Umatilla Chemical Depot received a boost from state lawmakers earlier this year, who earmarked a $7 million direct appropriation to develop access points onto the property in both Umatilla and Morrow counties. But ﬁ rst, there is still the matter of transferring the old Army base to local control, which is not expected to happen until December. The $7 million appropriation was included in the legislature’s $5.3 billion transportation package. The Columbia Development Authority, tasked with repurposing the area for industry, will use that money to create roads and access onto the depot from Interstate 82 near Hermiston, as well as Paterson Ferry Road in Morrow County. Greg Smith, who serves both as director of the Columbia Develop- ment Authority and a Republican state representative, said those dollars could also be leveraged for additional infrastructure through Business Oregon’s Special Public Works Fund. The caveat, however, remains when the CDA will receive owner- ship of the depot following a long, drawn-out process with the Army’s Base Realignment and Closure Division. At Friday’s CDA meeting, Smith said he was told the transfer remains on track for Dec. 1. “Once we get this deed of trust, we’re really going to go full speed ahead in terms of development,” Smith said. As has been lamented in the past, Smith reiterated the CDA has already missed out on multiple opportunities due to delays in the transfer, including from agriculture, solar energy and Fortune 500 technology companies. “I do feel comfortable saying (the Army) is working diligently to get this completed,” Smith added. In other business, the CDA hinted at a possible future partnership with the Northeast Oregon Water Asso- ciation, which has been working to develop mitigated, bucket-for-bucket water rights from the Columbia River. One of NOWA’s proposals, dubbed the Central Project, recently fell apart at the eleventh hour after the Westland Irrigation District was unable to follow through on its investment. J.R. Cook, founder and director of NOWA, told the CDA board of directors Friday that the group is starting to re-envision the Central Project, and fully anticipates a more formal relationship with the CDA “in the near future.” “I think we’ve put the kindling on the ﬁ re ring,” Cook said, though he did not provide any speciﬁ c details. Smith said NOWA is “a great asset for our region,” and they are having discussions to see where water devel- opment and industrial development may intersect. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825. HERMISTON Scammers using school athletics to target businesses By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Scammers are again trying to con Hermiston businesses into buying school sports ads. Hermiston School District in a written statement on Friday warned about Hermiston businesses receiving invoices in the mail from Sports Media, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, seeking payment for the “Hermiston High School 2017 Fall Sports Poster.” The ads cost $169, according to the digital images of invoices the district sent. “Hermiston School District would like the business community to know that this vendor is not afﬁ liated with the high school or district,” according to the statement, “and proceeds from the posters do not beneﬁ t district students.” It also is apparent, the district stated, Sports Media knows this is when Hermiston High School contacts businesses for sponsorship for the 2017-18 school year. However, the district stated, “Any advertising or sponsorship for Hermiston High School programs will come directly from Larry Usher, the district’s director of athletics and activities, or Lindy Thompson, the athletics secretary.” Sports Media tried this scheme before in Hermiston, as well as in the spring in Astoria. The person who answered the phone at the company’s number, 888-441-9584, said she only handles collections while the company sales department is in New Mexico. No one was on-site at that time, she said, who could answer questions about why the company solicited Hermiston businesses. There also was no immediate response to an email from the East Oregonian. The Idaho Secretary of State’s website for information on businesses has no entry for Sports Media, although the invoices show an Idaho Falls address of 2184 Channing Way, No. 185. A search of internet mapping sites shows 2184 Channing Way is the location for Channing Square, a strip mall. The school district also reported ﬁ ling a formal complaint against Sports Media with the consumer protection division of the Oregon Department of Justice. COMING EVENTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 PANCAKE BREAKFAST, 7-10 a.m., Stanﬁ eld Community Center, 225 W. Roosevelt, Stanﬁ eld. Costs $5 for full breakfast/$3 for light meal. (541-449-1332) PENDLETON ON WHEELS RELAXED BIKE RIDE, 7 a.m., Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot, 501 S. Main St., Pendleton. Weekly casual ride. Meet with those taking a longer ride, but take a shorter route that matches par- ticipant interests that day. Usually in the 10 to 20 mile ride as partic- ipants desire. (Pete Wells 541-379- 2180) POW SATURDAY BIKE RIDE, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Information kiosk at Museum Park, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton. Weekly bike ride by Pendleton on Wheels. Rides are open to the public, as far and at a speed comfortable for you. (Pete Wells 541-379-2180) MEACHAM YARD SALE, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Oregon Trail Store & Deli parking lot, 64364 Old High- way 30, Meacham. Bring your table and goods to sell (free spaces are ﬁ rst-come, ﬁ rst-served). Parade at 9:30 a.m., Mtn. Millie’s famous hamburgers and more. Net pro- ceeds beneﬁ t the Oregon Pioneer Cemetery at Meacham and pub- lication of the monthly Meacham Gazette. (Karen 541-969-8227) HERMISTON FARMERS MARKET, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Festival Plaza, Northeast Second Street and Main, Hermiston. Local pro- duce, baked goods, crafts, jewelry, art, live music, food vendors and more. S.U.R.E. UMATILLA RIVER CLEANUP, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Stillman Park, 400 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Enjoy a morning on the river and help clean up the river and parkway. People and groups will be assigned to different stretch- es of the river parkway. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. All volunteers are invited to a barbe- cue lunch at 11:30 a.m. Everyone welcome. (Kathryn Brown 541- 278-2667) FREE FOR ALL, 9:30-10:15 a.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Free art classes for children up to age 12. Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult. (Roberta Lavadour 541-278-9201) YARN CLUB, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-567- 2882) ALTRUSA SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Walmart Supercenter and Bi-Mart, 2203 S.W. Court Ave. and 901 S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. School supplies, clothing and cash will be collected for distribution to Pend- leton schools for children in need. (Deb Wagner 541-276-2264) HIP & HANDMADE, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Free drop-in project class for adults. (Roberta Lavadour 541-278-9201) SATURDAY SPIN-IN, 1-4 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. For spinners, knitters, weavers, felters, ﬁ ber enthusiasts and folks who are just ﬁ ber-curious. Drop-ins welcome. (Roberta Lavadour 541- 278-9201) UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR PARADE, 6:30 p.m., Hermis- ton High School, 600 S. First St, Hermiston. All entries must check in and receive line-up instructions on South First Street in front of Hermiston High School from 4-6 p.m. and must be in line by 6 p.m.; parade starts at 6:30 p.m. sharp. Entry deadline for judging is 5 p.m. Friday, July 28. (541-567-6121) PEOPLE WITH DISABILI- TIES FILM FESTIVAL, 7-8:30 p.m., Great Paciﬁ c Wine & Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton. Films by and about people expe- riencing disabilities, on tour from the New York-based Sprout Film Festival, will be interspersed with local people sharing stories of community and work inclusion. Free. OLDIES NIGHT: MONKEES, 7-10 p.m., Wesley United Meth- odist Church, 816 S. Main St., Milton-Freewater. Monkeemania featuring songs by the group and solo hits by the band members. Free. (Bob Jones 541-938-7028) SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 ADULT OPEN GYM, 6:30 p.m., Pendleton Recreation Cen- ter, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pend- leton. Half-court basketball. Adults only. MONDAY, AUGUST 7 ADULT OPEN GYM, 6 a.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Half- court basketball. Adults only. TOT TIME, 10-11 a.m., Pend- leton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. For chil- dren ages 0-5. Costs $1 per child per session. (541-276-8100) PRESCHOOL STORY TIME, 10:30 a.m., Athena Public Library, 418 E. Main St., Athena. For ages birth to 6. (541-566-2470) PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pendleton Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50 or $6 for those under 60. Pool, puz- zles, crafts, snacks, Second Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels, call 541- 276-1926. (541-276-7101) ART STUDIO, 4-5:30 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Free class for ages 7-12 to develop skills and encourage art exploration. (Ro- berta Lavadour 541-278-9201) HERMISTON School district introduces online student registration East Oregonian Registering children to a Hermiston school no longer requires an in-person commitment. According to a Friday press release, the Hermiston School District is introducing online registration for the 2017-2018 school year. Starting Monday, parents or guardians can log into http://hermiston. k12.or.us/parents and register their children for classes. “The process is more convenient for parents to update their student’s information from the comfort of their own homes; update the physical/mailing address, emergency contact information, etc.,” the press release states. Parents will need to create an account and provide a district- supplied “snapcode” that was sent through the mail to begin the process. New students to the district will be required to submit a record of their birth, proof of residence/ physical address, health record, and previous report cards or transcripts. To help with the new process, Hermiston High School will have computers and staff available during the traditional registration week, Aug 14-18. The district’s open house will take place Aug. 24. The district is encouraging students and parents to attend and get acquainted with their teachers and school staff. For more information, parents can contact their children’s schools. Attention Attention!! WE ARE CALLING ALL NURSES Nurse Openings at Umatilla County Health Department JOB TITLE: HOME VISITING NURSE JOB TITLE: NURSING SUPERVISOR SIGN ON BONUSES ARE AVAILABLE!! “ Making a difference with first time moms from preg- nancy until the child reaches two years of age.” Contact Umatilla County HR for more information 541-278-6207 Full Job description and applications available at http:// www.umatillacounty.net/hr/index.html