Page 8A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
PORT: Connect Oregon grants used to build docks, rails, facilities
Continued from 1A
Neal, referring to the TIGER
(Transportation Investment
Generating
Economic
Recovery) grant.
In the past few years,
Davis said, the port has
received several state grants.
They include five Connect
Oregon grants, ranging
from $1.1 million to $8
million, to fund everything
from barge dock and rail
improvements to building
some new facilities. She said
the port also received a $1
million ODOT grant, used
to fund road improvements
for business expansions, as
well as a public works grant
and loan. The grant was for
$500,000, and the loan for
$2.2 million, with funds used
to make improvements to
fresh water and wastewater
facilities in the East Beach
industrial park.
Neal said one of the
challenges the port has faced
is the competitive field for
recurring grants.
“Competition for these
resources tends to be pretty
aggressive,” he said. “The
port’s been pretty successful,
but we have a proven track
record of getting results.”
The port has plans to
expand its footprint as well,
Neal said.
“We’re planning for an
additional industrial park,”
he said. “I think in five to
seven years, we’ll have most
of our property developed.”
Neal said the exact loca-
tion of the industrial park
hasn’t yet been decided, but
it will likely be either the
southwest corner of the Army
Depot, or at the Patterson
Ferry Interchange. The port
has also broken ground on a
115-acre site for a new data
center.
“It’s planning,” he said.
“Putting investments in today
for things you need five to 10
years out.”
The port has several
existing industries — among
them food processing, ware-
housing and distribution,
ethanol production and data
centers. Neal said the port
will look for a variety of
tenants as it grows.
But he said there are a
couple of consistent projects
the port will work on. One
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The Port of Morrow has been making upgrades to its infrastructure to keep up with demands for tenants, both
current and future, at the port in Boardman. Internet Parkway cuts through a largely undeveloped section of the
port’s lands and is lined with street lights and power lines.
Staff photos by E.J. Harris
ABOVE: Whey sits in stacks at the Port of
Morrow’s dry goods warehouse waiting
to be exported overseas.
RIGHT: With water being a vital resource
for food processing and data centers, the
Port of Morrow has made investments in
expanding their water infrastructure.
is a wastewater pipe that
is transporting water from
various industries at the
port to Madison Farms,
about 15 miles south. That
project, Neal said, cost about
$20 million and is almost
finished.
“We supply water to all
our industries,” Neal said.
“We also take the processed
water and do land applica-
tion.”
They are also building
a storage pond at the farm,
which will be able to hold
350 million gallons of water.
Neal said the port has
done this with several farms
over the years.
“Water rights are difficult
to come by,” he said. “When
you’re trying to find water
to grow crops, you aren’t
BUDGET: New revenue sources
will kick in beginning in 2019
The county plans to
keep
up its preventative
departments. He called the
maintenance
program. Pahl
approach
“right-sizing.”
said
that
should
come to
Reorganization has stream-
about
$200,000,
and
wind
lined management, he
farm
revenue
is
the
likely
stated, and the quality of
county employees matters source for the money.
Pahl also said he needs
more than quantity.
an
answer on whether the
Pahl said the county
county
would continue
anticipates a 4
giving $400,000
percent increase
a year to the
in revenue this
Oregon
State
year, which is
U
n
i
v
e
r
s
ity
“more
aggres-
Extension
sive” than recent
Service if voters
years but achiev-
approve a taxing
able. Even so, it
district to fund
would mean the
the
service.
county keeps pace
Murdock
said he
with increases in
would
have
that
Givens
employee, service
discussion
with
and
equipment
the
extension
costs.
service.
“If our tax
The
county
revenue
goes
could
save
up 4 percent,”
$100,000
if
it
Murdock added,
stops
funding
“that
doesn’t
the
Oregon
mean we should
Water
Resources
have a feeding
Department. The
frenzy.”
county struck a
Murdock
The
only
deal last year to
exceptions
to
have the state
new staff could
department
come in commu-
absorb
county
nity
justice,
employees,
and
human services,
the
county
would
developmental
provide the funds
disabilities,
to ensure a water-
public
works
master
in the
and some parts
Milton-Freewater
of public heath,
area.
all of which Elfering
“That
has
rely on grants
not
happened,”
or other outside funding.
Larry
That would depend on Commissioner
how much they receive, Givens stressed, and if the
of course, and Pahl said state does not plan to keep
he would not allow grant its word the county has no
programs to creep into the reason to give the cash.
Some construction proj-
general fund for money.
ects
remain in the county’s
The county is working
plans.
The largest would
on building a cash reserve
modify
the county jail at a
of $5 million. Pahl said
there’s about $4.5 million cost of about $1 million so
in that fund now. The it can handle more inmates.
county relies on the reserve The sheriff’s office has
to keep programs solvent increased inmate capacity
during economic down- from about 160 to more
turns or when state and than 200, but the intake
federal agencies are slow area needs security and
operations upgrades.
on making payments.
Continued from 1A
Another $300,000 would
continue
improvements
at the county courthouse,
where contractors rebuilt
sidewalks this winter. And
the county fair also needs
storage.
Murdock
in
his
December budget message
also mentioned the possi-
bility of creating a taxing
district to fund dispatch
services, which primarily
relies on the general
fund and contracts with
Pendleton,
Hermiston
and multiple other cities
and districts. That notion,
however, may be a year
or more away, Murdock
stated, and would require
the approval of county
voters. He contended
the passage of a special
district would benefit the
county and local commu-
nities.
The commissioners and
budget office meet again
Jan. 31 to discuss the draft
of the budget. Pahl said
the county aims to have
the budget in the final
stages by March 21. The
county’s budget committee
holds meetings April 18-20
to review the document.
The final steps comes in
June, when the board of
commissioners hold public
hearings and considers its
adoption.
The county’s budget
picture gets a bit brighter
starting in 2019, when
major
development
yield benefits to coffers,
including the expansion
of Lamb Weston’s french
fry making operation in
Hermiston and the Wheat-
ridge Wind Energy Project.
Murdock and Pahl said
the developments deliver
a small increase, maybe
as much as 5 percent. Pahl
said the county still would
need to stay frugal.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
going to get water rights out
of the Columbia River. So
additional water sources like
this are good.”
The port is also working
to expand its rail services.
“We were awarded a
$6.5 million grant in the
transportation budget passed
last legislative session,” he
said. “We’re adding another
24,000 feet of track.”
He said while the barges
and river transport systems
serve many bulk producers
and the natural resource
economies between the ports
of Morrow and Portland, rail-
ways are useful because they
provide a distribution center
throughout the country.
“We always try to make
sure we have good roads,
good rails,” he said. “A lot of
time, our shippers are using
two of those options, even
three.”
Neal also credited some of
the port’s growth to their use
of enterprise zones.
“We’ve been able to
increase the average family
wage in Morrow County,”
he said. Neal said that due
to port jobs, Morrow County
now has one of the highest
average household incomes
in the state.
“If you negotiate a longer
enterprise zone agreement,
you have to pay a little higher
average family wage,” he
said.
The port continues to look
at regulatory challenges,
Neal said.
“The regulatory process
is not necessarily what’s
in writing, but people’s
interpretation,” he said.“You
submit a request for a permit
and follow the directions,
you should be able to get a
permit. But that’s not neces-
sarily what happens — it’s
political.”
He recalled some of the
backlash the port received
when the coal terminal was
being discussed.
“Things
are
getting
more political,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I think the
dynamics are getting more
complicated.”
The port employs mostly
commuters.
While the port and its
tenants employ more than
8,000 people directly and
indirectly,
Boardman’s
population growth has been
slower, hovering around
3,000.
While Neal said the prox-
imity to Interstate 84 makes
commuting the preferable
option for some, the city and
port are working on making
Boardman more livable,
trying to expand housing and
other services.
“With the rec center and
the Early Learning Center,
there are a lot of things
offered that weren’t here
before,” Davis said, noting
two facilities on port prop-
erty.
–——
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan at 541-564-
4534 or jramakrishnan@
eastoregonian.com.
ARENA: Could bring off-season events
Continued from 1A
the Round-Up Foundation to
lease property on the rodeo’s
sprawling campus, which
recently expanded to both the
south and west. She added
that the college would be the
sole owner and operator of
the building.
Although
the
exact
location is uncertain, Preus
shared a rendering and floor
plan of what the indoor arena
could look like.
Current plans call for a
two-story,
87,092-square-
foot building with three
classroom and lab space, a
rodeo team room, bleacher
seating for 1,035 people and
a 37,500-square-foot arena.
Turner said the national
championship-caliber rodeo
team is in need of an arena
following years without a
permanent home.
“It puts us in the ranks of
Alabama and Georgia and
Clemson and Oklahoma [in
terms of football],” he said.
“And yet we have no place
for our team to stable their
horses or even practice on a
day-to-day basis.”
While BMCC will be free
to schedule events for most
of the year, Turner said the
Round-Up would be given
priority scheduling for two
weeks during its annual
rodeo. During those weeks,
the Round-Up could use
it for things like warm-up
space and temporary offices.
In an inteview before the
meeting, Round-Up Publicity
Director Randy Thomas
said discussions with the
college haven’t advanced
beyond “generalities,” and
is waiting for more definitive
plans from BMCC before
proceeding.
Although the Round-Up
Association recently acquired
more property, Thomas said
the exact location of the
indoor arena is still being
determined by a facilities
committee.
Pendleton
Convention
Center Manager Pat Beard
is a FARM II advocate,
saying an indoor arena could
bring events during the
lean tourism months from
November through March.
If the arena brought
in 10 events during those
months, Beard estimated it
would bring in $2 million in
direct tourism spending and
$40,000 in direct revenue to
the city through its two taxes
on hotel rooms.
While most of that money
would go to the convention
center for maintenance and
operations, about $6,300
would go to the general fund,
according to Beard’s calcula-
tions. The general fund pays
for services like police, fire,
the public library and parks.
Councilor Paul Chalmers,
the Umatilla County director
of assessment and taxation,
said the city would also lose
some revenue because the
arena would be exempt from
property taxes.
After the state committed
$5 million, Umatilla County
and the Port of Umatilla each
agreed to chip in $150,000.
Preus is asking the city to do
the same.
To raise the rest of the
money, Preus and Turner
said BMCC would eventu-
ally have to mount a public
fundraising campaign.
City Manager Robb
Corbett said the city would
have to use money set aside
from the sale of the Keystone
RV property, which has a
current balance of $400,000.
Councilor Neil Brown said
the city would be investing
in a project without a lot of
direct return back to the city
in the form of funding for
essential services, like street
repair. He said Pendleton
was playing the role of party
host that required them to get
everything ready. Councilor
Scott Fairley said he was
uncomfortable spending that
much money given the city’s
current budget.
Councilor Dale Primmer
said these views were looking
at the project the wrong way.
“We talk about what these
investments cost us rather
than what the value to the
community is,” he said.
“They’re not the same thing.”
Primmer said it might hurt
the community more to see
projects go out of town rather
than stay in Pendleton if the
council passes on investing
in them.
Corbett said BMCC’s
$150,000 request could be
considered at the next council
meeting on Feb. 6.
Top official resigns after false missile alert in Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) —
Hawaii’s emergency manage-
ment leader has resigned and
a state employee who sent
an alert falsely warning of
an incoming ballistic missile
has been fired, officials said
Tuesday, after the mistake
caused widespread panic
earlier this month.
Hawaii
Emergency
Management Agency Admin-
istrator Vern Miyagi stepped
down Tuesday, state Adjutant
General Maj. Gen. Joe Logan
said. A second agency worker
quit before disciplinary action
was taken and another was
being suspended without pay,
Logan said in announcing
results of an internal investi-
gation.
The fallout came the same
day the Federal Communica-
tions Commission revealed
that the worker who pushed
out the alert thought an
actual attack was imminent.
It was the first indication the
Jan. 13 alert was purposely
sent, adding another level
of confusion to the misstep
that left residents and tourists
believing their lives were
about to end.
The state emergency
agency worker believed the
attack was real because of
a mistake in how the drill
was initiated during a shift
change, the FCC said in a
report.