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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2017)
REGION Thursday, October 26, 2017 East Oregonian PENDLETON Page 3A PENDLETON Courthouse gets new sidewalks, curbs Marijuana grow appeals zoning application denial By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Umatilla County is replacing sidewalks and curbs at the courthouse in Pendleton and upgrading other fronts. Rod Anderson Construc- tion Inc., Pendleton, won the sidewalk project with a $146,000 bid. Crews this week are removing the old sidewalk behind the court- house, 216 S.E. Fourth St., and preparing the site for a replacement. County Commissioner George Murdock said finding a contractor was not easy because the job was too big for small operations and not big enough for most larger outfits. But replacing the sidewalk was imperative for the county. Cracks abound on the front sidewalk, and some portions along the back were worn down to gravel, he said, creating safety issues and a liability for the county. One injury lawsuit could cost well more than the price of the project. Parking along the front side of the courthouse also is getting a change. Mark Tanner, Umatilla County maintenance director, said the parallel parking there will come to an end. The county is moving to diagonal parking, he said, to increase the number of spots near the By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by Phil Wright Workers with Rod Anderson Construction on Wednesday prepare the surface for a new sidewalk on the backside of the Umatilla County Courthouse, Pendleton. The old sidewalk was worn down to gravel in some places. courthouse. The county also is upgrading other nearby properties. Crews finished planting new rose bushes at the public health building, 200 S.E. Third St., earlier this summer. Tanner said the pink and white blossoms next year should present a nice contrast. Workers also tore up the sidewalk and a portion of county property along South- east Court at Fifth Street in preparation for new trees. Tanner said the in-house work is part of the Pendleton Downtown Association’s beautification project. The county will prepare the site, he said, but will hold off on planting until the spring. That’s also when crews will plant trees around the large parking lot just west, on the 200 block of Southeast Court Avenue. Tanner said the trees will be located on the east and west sides of the lot. He said the plantings will be species of linden that do not grow tall enough that the branches will interfere with overhead power lines. The county is not adding trees along the large parking lot’s Court Avenue side. The road is state highway and Tanner said the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion determined the strip of land was too narrow for trees. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833. Treats and haunts offer Halloween fun maze’s Field of Screams, which costs an additional $2, is available for frights Friday, Saturday and Tuesday (Halloween) from 7-9 p.m. For more information, call 509-528-5808 or visit www. echocornmaze.com. By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian From area businesses and libraries to neighborhoods and fields, little princesses, super heroes and ghosts will have several options when it comes to treats and tricks during the Halloween season. Area activities include: MILTON-FREEWATER PENDLETON The Pendleton Downtown Association and Pend- leton Center for the Arts have teamed up for a fun Halloween afternoon. All little ghouls and goblins are invited to participate in safe trick-or-treating Tuesday (Halloween) from 3-5 p.m. Merchants who are partici- pating will display a sign in the window. Also, be sure to stop by the arts center to show off your creative costume and have your picture taken. The pictures will be posted on the Pendleton Center for the Arts Facebook page and then winners will be chosen in multiple categories, including best youth, teen, adult and pair or group. The winners will be awarded cool hand-crafted trophies and some extra treats. For more information, call 541-278-9201 or visit Pendleton Center for the Arts on Facebook. Also, don’t forget about the massive Halloween Carnival, sponsored by Pend- leton Parks & Recreation. The free event is Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Pend- leton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate. It features carnival games, treats, prizes and more. For more details or to volunteer for the event, call 541-276-8100. And, to help spread the Halloween spirit with the folks at McKay Creek Estates, stop in for their Halloween Party. The event is Tuesday from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at 1601 Southgate Place. Residents with a pumpkin on their door will be handing out candy. In addition, the facility is hosting a costume contest for babies, kids and adults. For more information, call 541-276-1987. The White Eagle Grange is offering “5 Days of Spooky Fun” with a haunted house. Serving as a fundraiser for the Grange Youth Fund and File photo Cade Buchert participates in trick-or-treating in a homemade jellyfish outfit in 2016 on Main Street in Pendleton. the Pendleton Fourth of July fireworks fund, the event features scary fun and treats for everyone. Visit the haunted house Friday through Monday from 6-10 p.m. and Tuesday from 6 p.m. to midnight. The grange is located at 43828 White Eagle Road, which is off highway 395 South between Pendleton and Pilot Rock. The cost is $5 per person. For more informa- tion, contact Gail Wilson at gail11wilson@gmail.com or 541-310-9655. HERMISTON Treats on Main & Beyond offers safe trick-or-treating at downtown Hermiston businesses. Those partici- pating will have signs in their windows. They will hand out candy Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. The fun continues beyond Main Street from 4-7 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. Activities will include carnival games, bouncy houses, a haunted house, a giant pumpkin, prizes and lots of treats. Volunteers can still sign up to help with the event by calling Hermiston Parks & Recreation at 541-667-5018. Also in Hermiston, Denise Medlock has created a haunted tunnel for kids to venture through on Halloween. Located at 629 E. Newport Ave., Medlock will hand out candy to kids. In addition, she will have stuffed animals on hand for babies and children who are diabetic. Known for their lavish lawn display, which in the past included haunted tours, the Moore Horrors will only feature lawn decorations. Due to family obligations and the overwhelming amount of preparation that goes into offering haunted house yard tours, Don and Emma Moore haven’t opened up their property to tours the past few years. However, the couple still welcomes people to drive by and take a gander at their ghoulish display, which is located at 510 W. Moore Ave., Hermiston. To cash in on candy, kids are invited to a Trunk-or- Treat event at Hermiston Wal-Mart, 1350 N. First St. Treats will be handed out Saturday from 6-9 p.m. in the parking lot near the store’s garden center. Another Trunk-or-Treat event is being organized by Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church. People are invited to decorate their vehicles and hand out candy Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. in the church’s parking lot, 565 W. Hermiston Ave. To volunteer or for more information, call 541-567-5812. Ghosts and ghouls are invited to go trick-or-treating at the Arts Portal Gallery. The event is Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. at 508 N. Main St., Milton-Freewater. For more information, call Laura Rose at 541-938-5516. STANFIELD Stanfield is offering double the frights and Halloween fun as a Fall Festival is planned by the Stanfield Public Library. The event, which includes the Haunted Library, takes place Saturday from 6-8 p.m. at the library, 180 W. Coe Ave., and Bard Park. The cost for the haunted library is $3 per person. The Fall Festival at the park features games, hay rides, s’mores, a hay maze, cookie decorating, a hot dog meal and more. A wrist band for activities costs $5. For more information, call the library at 541-449-1254. The Pendleton City Council could soon be thrust back into the mari- juana debate. On Aug. 10, the Pend- leton Planning Commission denied an application to Burnswell Family Farm, a marijuana grow at the old Riverside Nursery asso- ciated with the Kind Leaf Pendleton cannabis dispen- sary. Kind Leaf co-owner Brandon Krenzler is already in the process of appealing the commission’s decision to the council, which could affirm the commission’s decision or reverse course and grant Burnswell condi- tional use. Pendleton planning aide Julie Chase said the commission rejected the Burnswell application because of “insufficient details” from the applicant. In an interview Wednesday, Krenzler described the commission meeting as “odd” and “surprising,” especially since the commission had already approved an indoor grow called GhostTown Organix in April. Three commission members — Maureen McCormmach, Wendy Largent and Ryan DeGrofft — were absent, leaving the commission with a bare-minimum four-person quorum. After public testimony and deliberation, a motion to approve the application was deadlocked under a 2-2 vote, with commissioners Terry Clarke and Vincent Papol voting against. When commissioners Brian Currin and Sunny Harmeson supported a subsequent motion to extend the hearing to the next commission meeting, Clarke and Papol also formed the opposition. Failing to extend the hearing, the Burnswell application was officially denied. The meeting minutes show commission members asking Krenzler and staff questions about the measures in place to obscure the marijuana grow from public view, Burnswell’s intention to expand beyond the two existing green- houses on the property and future use of the property’s caretaker dwelling. The owner of the adjoining property was the only public testimony against Burnswell. She shared concerns about “The commission lacks knowledge on the subject of marijuana to know, comfortably, what (Oregon Liquor Control Commis- sion) will regulate and with what the city should be most concerned.” — Brandon Krenzler, Burnswell Family Farm transients disturbing her property once the grow starts operating, how much water the facility would use from its own well and the potential exposure of her adult son with special needs to marijuana. The document suggests that there was some confu- sion on the extent of the commission’s jurisdiction. “The commission lacks knowledge on the subject of marijuana to know, comfortably, what (Oregon Liquor Control Commis- sion) will regulate and with what the city should be most concerned,” the minutes state. Clarke, the planning commissioner, said in a Wednesday interview that there was enough uncertainty surrounding the Krenzler’s application that he voted against it. With Krenzler requesting an appeal, Clarke thought the city council would be a better public body to consider Krenzler’s request. Papol, the other commis- sioner who voted against approving the application, did not return requests for comment. Krenzler said he didn’t think all of the commission’s concerns were pertinent and pointed out that only four of the seven commissioners were present for the hearing. Krenzler said he feels good about presenting his case to the city council, where he can make an argument that Burnswell will be a positive contributor to Pendleton’s economy. Chase, the planning aide, confirmed Krenzler was in the midst of the appeal process but said the council hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. ECHO The Echo Halloween Party is Tuesday from 5:30- 6:30 p.m. at Echo City Hall, 20 Bonanza St. Open to all ages, the free event includes a costume contest, games, prizes, free hot dog dinner and more. For more infor- mation, call Diane Berry at 541-376-8411. Also, fall fun is available for the next few days at the Echo Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch. It’s open Thursday and Friday from 3-9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s located at 100 N. Dupont St., Echo. The cost is $10 per person, which is good all day for re-entry. Also, the OUT OF THE VAULT: Historical Vignettes from the East Oregonian By Renee Struthers A second look at the first draft of Umatilla County’s history, from stories of crime and punishment to natural disasters to the odd and absurd. NOW AVAILABLE IN THE AMAZON KINDLE STORE. e-Edition AVAILABLE EACH MORNING BY 5:30 A.M. Access is included. Read the East Oregonian early in the morning each publication day with our e-Edition. Full access to this exact digital replica of the newspaper is included in your subscription. It’s easy to access! %CNN, ext. 1 Monday through Friday 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. and we’ll help you set up your e-Edition and EastOregonian.com access. Or go to EastOregonian.com and click on “Login” in the upper lefthand corner to login, or activate your online ÃÕLÃVÀ«ÌvÀÌ iwÀÃÌÌi° Questions? Call, email circulation@eastoregonian.com or stop by 211 SE Byers Ave. in Pendleton, or 333 E. Main St. in Hermiston during business hours.
