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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2017)
REGION Thursday, August 17, 2017 East Oregonian STANFIELD Page 3A PENDLETON City working to update nuisance ordinance to address smelly plant By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian A month after voting to try and shut down 3D Idapro Solutions’ dehydration plant in Stanfield, the city council acknowledged the unpleasant smell coming from the plant has lessened. “The council has been active on this issue in meeting with the company and have seen improvements,” said councilor Susan Whelan. The council still voted during its meeting Tuesday to direct staff to update the city’s nuisance ordinance, using Hermiston’s as a template. City Manager Blair Larsen said Stanfield’s current ordi- nance does not do a good job of specifying how to measure whether a property is emitting an odor offensive enough to merit a fine. Mayor Thomas McCann agreed, noting if the city does pursue legal action it has to have an ordinance in place that will stand up in court. “You can’t just do things willy-nilly when you get before a judge,” he said. Councilors noted that representatives of 3D Idapro Solutions, including the company CEO, have met with councilors and given them tours, and Councilor Jason Sperr said he felt more comfortable that the company was making good faith efforts that were starting to work. Leland Winebarger, who works near the plant, was less pleased. “Why doesn’t someone from this city do something?” he asked during the public comment section, referencing a recent explosion at the plant and calling its potato-dehy- drating operations “basically a hydrogen bomb.” Voices were raised during an exchange between Wine- barger and the city manager when Winebarger demanded answers from Larsen and said he expected Larsen to have reports for him from the Department of Environmental Quality and Occupational Health and Safety Adminis- tration. “You make it sound like these people work for me. They don’t,” Larsen said, adding that he didn’t know why Winebarger hated him. Winebarger continued to press Larsen and said he was not doing his job. McCann banged his gavel and told Winebarger to be quiet. “I take umbrage with what you say,” McCann said. “If I was a judge I would hold you in contempt of court.” Kevin Andreson of 3D Idapro Solutions apologized on behalf of the company for the unpleasant odor that the plant has caused to waft over Stanfield and outlined a number of steps the company has taken or will soon imple- ment, including shipping in fresher potato products, shortening storage times, sending trucks in through a back route, using a deodorizer and building a new scrubber that is expected to be done in November. “We’re trying to be good neighbors,” he said. He said the company would try to be proactive in keeping the community updated on improvements, would close down during community events like football games and would be happy to give a tour to anyone in the community who wanted to know more. HERMISTON West Park, Sunset make security upgrades By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Two Hermiston elemen- tary schools will start the school year with some new security features, and work has begun to expand the parking lot at the high school. West Park and Sunset elementary schools, the district’s two newest buildings, are under minor construction to get some safety upgrades that will limit outside access to the building. The identical buildings will now have a window from the entrance area into the main office and a second set of entry doors that will be locked to avoid unauthorized entry. “We’re installing a window in the vestibule area so secretaries from the office can do any business prior to people entering,” said Brad Wayland, Hermiston School District facilities director. “The interior doors will have a buzzer. The secretaries can have visibility, and talk to people to see what they want.” Wayland said if people just need to do quick busi- ness, there is an opening that they can pass papers through. If someone needs to come into the building, secretaries Staff photo by E.J. Harris Jaime Montez with Knerr Construction of Hermiston takes a measurement while working on installing a security window in the front office of West Park Elementary on Wednesday in Hermiston. will let them in. Two new doors will be installed in one of the interior hallways of each building, which will provide extra secu- rity. Those double doors are typically open, but a second set will be added. If an alarm goes off, those doors can be automatically shut. “It helps to partition off the facility for a fire or a lock- down,” Wayland said. Wayland said the total cost of the upgrades would be less than $10,000 for both facilities, and that work would be complete before school begins. Work is being done by Knerr Construction. The district is also in the process of demolishing the old Umatilla County Fairgrounds. Work on that property, at 515 West Orchard Avenue, will include removing the fair- grounds and rodeo structures, and eventually creating a new parking lot behind Hermiston High School. Two structures will be left at the grounds: Thompson and Hoeft halls. Completion of the parking lot is scheduled for Dec. 1. The entire project should be complete by April 2018. PENDLETON PDC looks at extending urban renewal district By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian As Pendleton’s urban renewal district heads toward its 2023 end date, the Pend- leton Development Commis- sion is starting to consider extending its life span. At a meeting Tuesday, Councilor Scott Fairley, the vice chair of the commission, said that the commission’s advisory committee was beginning to discuss the prospect of extending the urban renewal district past 2023. The district was estab- lished in 2003 and encom- passes the downtown area and most of the flats between South Hill and North Hill. Fairley said the committee will look at what kind of work the commission has already done and how the commission’s current proj- ects and initiatives would fit in the future. The committee would also create a public outreach plan to build public support for the extension. “We would come back to (the full commission), finally, with a recommendation on extension of the program and potential revision of the existing programs within the urban renewal (district),” Fairley said. Councilor Paul Chalmers, the chairman of the commis- sion, said changing the boundaries of the district could be a part of the discus- sion. Multiple councilors advocated for a cost-benefit analysis or “scorecard” that would show the money the commission has already spent on urban renewal and how it has benefited the tax base. Chalmers said the orig- inal urban renewal plan set expectations that the city couldn’t meet. “In an ag-based environ- ment, we’re not going to see the Pearl District pendulum swing of economic activity in Eastern Oregon,” he said. “That just doesn’t happen that way.” Charles Denight, the commission’s associate director, also updated the commission on the ongoing municipal court case between the city and the Quezada family, who own old city hall on Southwest Dorion Avenue. Denight said the Quezadas will go on trial Aug. 30 as they dispute the thousands of dollars in fines the city has levied on the fire-damaged building. Old city hall exploded in July 2015, killing Eduardo Quezada, a member of the family. The city’s nuisance ordinance requires property owners to repair fire damage within a year of the fire, and when the family failed to re-roof and seal the building by the end of 2016 due to a heavy winter, the council voted Jan. 3 to declare old city hall a nuisance and begin CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASSES A UGUST 18 TH • 1:00 & 6:00 Red Lion 360.921.2071 $80 or Oregon only: $45.00 FirearmTrainingNW.com : FirearmrainingNW@gmail.com Protesters gather in support of Bundys East Oregonian Thirteen people gathered at Pendleton’s Museum Park Tuesday to support four men accused of wielding assault weapons against federal agents in a 2014 standoff near the Nevada ranch of anti-government figure Cliven Bundy. Holly Jo Beers of Athena, a member of the “patriot movement” group Oregon Three Percenters, organized the rally and march. Before marching to the steps of the federal court at the John F. Kilkenny Courthouse, Beers made a speech criticizing U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro, accusing her of being biased against the accused and violating the constitution. The jurors for the trial, which is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, are currently deliberating. No Bundys are part of this trial. Bearing signs, Amer- ican flags, and pocket Constitutions, the marchers walked to the courthouse, which Beers said was a symbolic move. Dwight and Steven Hammond, two Harney County ranchers convicted of arson on federal land, were tried in Pendleton. The Hammonds’ conviction eventually led to the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, which Cliven Bundy’s son Ammon participated. Some of the protesters in Pendleton displayed the cattle brand of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, an occupier who was shot and killed by law enforcement on Highway 395 after leaving the refuge. IMESD appoints Neal as new board member School District and is a member of the Boardman Ryan Neal, general Community Development manager of Port of Morrow Association. “I feel that my back- Warehousing, has been appointed to the Inter- ground in business and my passion to see all Mountain Educa- kids in Eastern tion Service Oregon succeed District board of will positively directors, where contribute to he will represent my participation the Morrow on the IMESD County, Ione, board,” he said. Ukiah, Pilot Rock K e l l y and Umatilla Bissinger, board school districts. chairman, said the N e a l , board is excited who lives in Ryan Neal to work with Neal Boardman, will fill the seat vacated by his and welcomes his business mother Kathy Neal, who experience. “Ryan’s conversations resigned in June after 17 with us during the selec- years on the board. Along with the IMESD, tion process revealed his Ryan Neal also serves on passion for education and the board of directors for the a strong desire to serve the Kiwanis Club in Boardman students within our region,” and Boardman Chamber of Bissinger said. Neal’s term expires June Commerce. He volunteers with the Morrow County 30, 2019. East Oregonian SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS Submit information to: community@eastore- gonian.com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Herm- iston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541- 966-0818 with questions. “Wonderful, Beautiful Hospital!” Martin Montes de Oca PM 304 SE Nye Ave. Pendleton, OR Required class to get an Oregon or multi-State Multi-state: permit. Class includes: Required class to get an Oregon or multi-State • Fingerprinting & photo • Oregon gun laws • Washington gun laws • Interstate travel laws • Interaction with law enforcement • Use of deadly force • Firearm / ammunition / holster selection fining the owners $500 per day. The Quezadas contested the fines in municipal court, the trial delayed while the Quezadas obtained an attorney to represent them, Denight said. Denight said the Quezadas’ attorney plans to approach the city with a plan for the building that, if approved, could lead to both parties agreeing to bypass the trial. If the case does go to trial, Denight and Chalmers said they’ve been subpoenaed for the trial. Photo by Antonio Sierra Pro-Bundy protesters march down Emigrant Avenue Wednesday afternoon on their way to the John F. Kilkenny Courthouse. “The care was wonderful. Everyone was caring and gentle and really listened to my needs. A wonderful hospital!” 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, OR. 97801 www.sahpendleton.org