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.
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