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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2017)
REGION Friday, December 29, 2017 East Oregonian PENDLETON Riverside marijuana farm gets approval By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PENDLETON: Business slows down the first day or two after a winter storm hits Continued from 1A Pendleton’s third marijuana grow operation received the green light Tuesday night from the city planning commission. This was the third hearing to consider a conditional use permit for Burnswell Family Farms, which will operate greenhouses in Riverside at 2612 N.E. Nursery Lane. Burnswell owner Brandon Krenzler said he was pleased with the 5-0 vote to give the business the opportunity to prove it will help the community. The commission had previously denied Krenzler’s permit on Aug. 14, citing a lack of information. Krenzler appealed to the city council, which on Dec. 5 decided to kick it back to the planning commission. Planning aide Julie Chase delivered the staff report Tuesday night at city hall and said Krenzler has since provided a more detailed plan. She said the operation would grow and provide marijuana to retail stores, akin to the Walmart Distri- bution Center in Hermiston, which supplies Walmart stores but does not conduct retail sales. Commissioners asked Krenzler to address issues ranging from odor to secu- rity. “We will be investing as much as we can into odor mitigation,” he told the commission, with a filtration system on the greenhouse and pleasant smelling plants EO file photo Brandon Krenzler, owner of Kind Leaf marijuana shop, received approval for a conditional use permit to start a marijuana grow operation at the old Riverside Nursery off of Highway 11 in Pendleton. around the site. Burnswell also will have 6-8 foot tall cyclone fencing topped with security wire and use landscaping and shrubbery to help obscure it from public view, and include burglary sensors and alarms. Krenzler said Burnswell would begin with one greenhouse and would like to expand to as many as four. The vote for the grow site did not come without opposition. Bonnie Bischke read from the four-page letter she wrote to the commission siting her concerns with the project. They ranged from the hours of operation at Krenzler’s marijuana retail business, Kind Leaf, 1733 S.W. Court Ave., to comments on Facebook critical of her opposition to Burnswell to the affects the appearance of a prison-like fence would have on children in the Riverside area. Commission chair Maureen McCormmach told Bischke much of what she said was not part of the planning decision. Commissioner Joseph Hull floated a proposal to require Krenzler to come back each time the business installed a new greenhouse, but he dropped that after other commissioners rejected the notion, including Ryan DeGrofft, who said the commission has not placed such restrictions on other businesses. The commission voted 5-0 for the staff recommen- dations for conditions on Burnswell and then approved the permit. Krenzler after the meeting said he and his team wanted to wait for this outcome before starting work at the site. He said they aim to start some landscaping and preparation in the spring, but the Burnswell has to receive approval from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission before opening. “I’m not sure we’re even going to plant anything this next year,” he said. Bend Democrat who works as a Salem doc considers joining Greg Walden challenge By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — A Bend Democrat, who works as a physician in Salem and Portland, is weighing a bid to oust U.S. Rep. Greg Walden from the 2nd Congressional District seat. If she announces next month, Jennifer “Jenni” Neahring, 51, would be one of several Democrats running campaigns to oust the 10-term Republican representative but only one of two women. A newcomer to politics, Neahring said the high cost of health care — and Walden’s efforts to repeal what she describes as the only gains the nation has made in improving access to care — spurred her to explore her potential to challenge him. She said she felt the only way she could change national health care policy would be to seek office. She has toured the 2nd Congressional District and met with voters in Southern Oregon, Central Oregon and Eastern Oregon. She has received advice from Celinda Lake, a leading Democratic political strategist, and has met with former Gov. John Kitzhaber and U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer. “I’m trying to see if I understand the problems and issues and can I serve this district, and I feel that I can,” Neahring said in a phone interview with the Pamplin/ EO Capital Bureau Tuesday. Neahring moved to Bend from Salem about six years ago after a divorce. While living in Bend, she said, she has continued a medical practice as a kidney physi- cian in both the capital city and Portland, often working every other week. She has had affiliations with both Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics and with Providence Connections palliative care consultation service. “From the time that it was passed, I was happy to see we were making changes in the right direction in terms of the things that are really popular in the Affordable Care Act, like mandatory coverage for preexisting condition and expanding coverage for more people,” Neahring said. “My concern when it passed was there wasn’t enough teeth in things that needed to happen to make health care affordable. Health care is already too Courtesy photo Jennifer “Jenni” Neahring, a physician who lives in Bend and works in Salem, is considering running in the Democratic primary to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Walden in the 2nd Congressional District. Courtesy photo Christopher Oertell/Hillsboro Tribune Jamie McLeod-Skinner, 50, of Terrebonne, a re- tired city manager and planner, is the only wom- an officially in the running to try to unseat Rep. Greg Walden. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, listens during a conference with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis- consin, at Intel’s Ronler Acres campus in Hillsboro Aug. 23. expensive, and we saw those costs continuing to rise.” Even so, repealing the law “didn’t make any sense to me because the American public would be losing the few gains we had in starting to look at bringing down the cost of health care,” she said. “The frustration to me was that the whole discus- sion was about politics and Obama and trying to get rid of it, as opposed to talking about the problems with health care and trying to fix it.” The only woman who has filed for election to the seat (and is still in the race) is Jamie McLeod-Skinner, 50, of Terrebonne, a retired city manager and planner. She announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination July 5. Rachel Scdoris-Salerno, a legally-blind dog sled racer from Bend, dropped out of the race in July, after announcing in May. She has endorsed McLeod-Skinner. Candidates have until March 6 to file for the primary election. Others who have filed for the Democratic nomination are Michael Byrne of Parkdale (near Hood River), James “Jim” Crary, who lives near Ashland, and Tim S. White. Walden has “led the charge in dismantling health care” and in supporting the tax bill and supported the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal rules that prohibited internet providers from discriminating against certain websites, McLeod- Skinner said. “He really seems to have turned away and forgotten where he comes from,” she said. “He’s really focused on campaign donors and not the needs of his district.” The Democratic Party of Oregon has amped up fund- raising to support Democrat candidates who could defeat Walden. Criticism of his votes for bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act and give permanent tax breaks to the wealthy have fueled their fervor. Walden still has the constituent support and financial wherewithal to win reelection, said Spokesman Justin Discigil. Voters in his district “have consistently and strongly supported Greg Walden as their voice in Congress because they know he is a powerful force standing up for our veterans, working across party lines to fix broken forest policy and helping hardworking taxpayers keep more of what they earn,” Discigil said. “Oregon has no stronger voice for the ranching, farming and small business way of life that dominates the east side of the state.” Prominent national Democrats such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also have empha- sized the importance of more women winning elected office to combat discrimi- nation in politics. Clinton spoke to a full house at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland Dec. 12 – the same night Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore, a former judge accused of initiating sex with underage girls, in a special election in Alabama for a U.S. Senate seat. Page 3A City Hall is only at the start, Patterson said, and ulti- mately could come down to city council’s decision. The trio at Hamley’s said clearing snow from roads also would make it easier for tourists to get around, such as the Australians and New Zealanders who came into the store on Wednesday. Lapp and Erb said the travel group stated they had never seen winter like this, and they did not have the right footwear to explore anywhere else in town. Still, the weather has upsides, they said, such as customers who decided to do their Christmas shopping in town rather than brave the roads to the Tri-Cities or Walla Walla. And French said having snow on Christmas day brightened attitudes and brought smiles. Molly Turner, the executive director of the Pendleton Downtown Association, said businesses reported strong sales during the holiday stroll on Dec. 9, but she hasn’t heard much yet about how the snowy roads have affected post- Christmas sales. Betty Adair works behind the bar at the Rainbow Café, 209 S. Main St., and said the after-break- fast crowd of four tables was about average for the middle of the week, in spite of the snow. Business slows down the first day or two after a winter storm hits, she said, but then people return to routines and the locals make it back to the bar and restaurant. However, freezing rain and black ice change the situation, she said. The Rainbow shut down one day during the January winter storm that sealed much of the area under ice. Nothing that bad has happened this winter, so far. Adair has worked at the Rainbow for 36 years and said she remembers when the city plowed the snow. Crews would pile the berm down the center of Main Street, she said, and that was a hassle. She also said it did not make sense to her for the city to own snow removal equipment for use just a few days a year — if that. “I’d rather see them spend the money on fixing up the roads and potholes,” she said. Roughly a dozen children and adults laughed, scurried and played Thursday morning at the Children’s Museum of Eastern Oregon, 400 S. Main St. Joanna Engle, executive director of the hands-on museum since February, said it was difficult to judge how much of a role the weather played into attendance. Local grandparents with children have been a common sight this winter, she said, and the museum draws visitors on long road trips, providing a fun place for children and parents to let out some energy before having to get back in the car. The museum’s store did well with Christmas sales, Engle added, and some of those were to adults who were seeking educational toys for themselves. She also said she has thought some about the benefit of a city snow plow. She grew up in La Grande, she said, and before coming to Pendleton for the museum job spent 40 years in the Willamette Valley. This winter weather that landed on Pendleton would have stopped everything there, she said. But over here, people find a way to get around. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. BRIEFLY Violin lessons start Jan. 3 HERMISTON — Representatives from Inland Northwest Musicians are offering violin lessons. The twice-a-week sessions are Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30- 4:30 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The classes begin Jan. 3. The cost is $40 per month for Hermiston residents or $50 for non-residents. For more information or to register, contact Hermiston Parks & Recreation at 541-667- 5018 or stop by the parks office. For more about the Inland Northwest Musicians, visit www. inlandnorthwestmusicians. com. Stanfield library expands Friday hours in 2018 STANFIELD — The Stanfield Public Library is updating its hours in the new year. Beginning Jan. 1, it will be open Monday through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 180 W. Coe Ave. The library previously closed earlier on Fridays. People are encouraged to stop by to check out a book or learn about library programs. For more information, call 541-449-1254, visit www.stanfieldpubliclibrary. com or search Facebook. Tamástslikt to close Jan. 8-20 for maintenance MISSION — Due to repair and maintenance projects, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute has announced plans to be closed Jan. 8-20. During the closure, submissions for the 2018 ArtWORKz Junior Art Show & Competition will be accepted at the front entrance. The museum, which showcases American Indian culture and art, is located near Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission. Tamástslikt’s regular hours are Monday through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $6 for youths 6-17 and free for ages 5 and under. For more information, go to www.tamastslikt.org or call 541-429-7700.