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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2018)
REGION Friday, July 27, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON High and dry river development plan frustrates $100,000 incentive has gone untouched since 2010 By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian For the past several months, Ed Miltenberger and a group of fellow Court Ave- nue business owners have been going to Pendleton City Council and Pendleton Plan- ning Commission meetings to complain about the lack of action on the Pendleton River Quarter. The council didn’t take any action Tuesday, but some members started to publicly share Miltenberg- er’s frustration over a lack of movement on the issue. The 2010 River Quarter Enhancement Plan, which covers Court Avenue from Southwest First Street to Southwest 10th, uses land use laws to encourage multi- story apartments, retail stores and restaurants along the Umatilla River. Despite a $100,000 incen- tive to build in the river quar- ter, a lack of new develop- ment prompted an advisory committee to recommend scrapping the plan in 2015 and starting over. The council instead decided to revise the plan instead of repealing it, but little has changed in the ensuing three years. Miltenberger, who owns Sign Men, has long opposed the plan and thinks it’s sti- fling new business. “The river quarter is prob- ably a great name for it,” he said. “But other than that, it’s a big boondoggle that was probably brought up by people who did not want to participate with me from the very beginning.” Some councilors echoed Miltenberger’s frustration with the drawn-out process. “We’ve got a real mess and it’s because peo- ple’s issues are not being addressed,” Councilor Becky Marks said. Councilor Dale Primmer echoed her comments. “It drives me nuts to lis- ten to what a bureaucratic process it takes to make changes. You have people who want to develop and use their property. They put it on hold waiting for some poli- cies or some description of what they can and can’t do EO file photo The city of Pendleton adopted the River Quarter Plan to develop properties on the north side of Court Avenue between downtown and the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds. To date, no new development in the River Quarter zone has broken ground. and God knows how long it’s gonna take to get.” Councilor Paul Chalm- ers said the river quarter plan was impeding development and any changes to it needed to be approached with a sense of urgency. “Whatever we have to do to expedite this, we owe that to our citizenry to make sure it happens as quickly as pos- sible,” he said. “Three years is too long in my book.” City planner George PENDLETON National Night Out parties expand around town, at least 10 The council may not have taken action on the river quarter, but there were sev- eral other issues they did take action on. • The council unani- mously approved a $7.7 mil- lion construction cost for the new fire station. Adding consultant and owner fees, the city is cur- rently committed to spend- ing $9,429,487 for the total project, only $2 over the sta- tion budget set in August Health advisory issued for Willow Creek Reservoir East Oregonian Residents are advised to avoid Willow Creek Reservoir in Morrow County as the water has been found to have high levels of toxins harmful to humans and animals. The Oregon Health Authority has issued a recreational health advisory for the res- ervoir, just east of Heppner, stating there are high levels of cyanobacteria, a harm- ful algae bloom, which can cause dizzi- ness, numbness and tingling, and can lead to breathing difficulty and heart problems. The toxin is especially harmful to children and pets. Those who get water directly from Wil- Ten party packs distributed by police department By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Pendleton used to have one event for National Night Out. This year there will be at least 10. The Pendleton Police Department in years past hosted a community-wide party at Roy Raley Park or the aquatic center for National Night Out. Free hot dogs and ice cream floats enticed plenty of turnout but did not necessarily foster National Night Out’s get-to-know- your neighbor principal. Jes- selee Leachman said tapping into that is why he was one of the 10 who registered to host gatherings. He signed up for Roy Raley Park, just down the street from his home. “I love giving back to the community with events like this,” Leachman said, plus this provides a fun way to bring together law enforcement and Pendleton residents. Leachman is the owner of the notorious “Zombie Out- break Response Team” car. He said he will have it at the party. If you’re not sure where to go, he said, just look for the flashing green lights. Shelly Studebaker is the police department’s com- munity services officer and coordinated the revision for National Night Out, which takes place Aug. 7. She reported the people who reg- istered receive a “party pack” that includes hot dogs, buns and more, all from local ven- dors. She said the 10 gath- erings, which run 6-8 p.m., have an estimated attendance of nearly 800 residents and are throughout the town: •Aldrich Park neighborhood •Kiwanis Park neighborhood •May Park neighborhood Cress said the commis- sion had recently reviewed the plan and had a number of suggested changes. He added that staff is in the pro- cess of turning those verbal suggestions into a document. Before the plan is adopted by the planning commis- sion and council, Cress said Miltenberger and the other Court Avenue entrepreneurs could participate in pub- lic hearings to solicit their opinions. EO file photo Lexi Bowen and Aubrey Lehnert prepare snow cones during Pendleton’s National Night Out event in 2017. •Roy Raley Park neighborhood •Vincent Park neighborhood •100 block of Southeast Seventh Street neighborhood •1400 block Southwest 44th Street neighborhood •1800 block Southwest 18th Street neighborhood •3100 block South- west Marshall Avenue neighborhood •Vista Village residents “Each of these gatherings is hosted by folks who live in the individual areas,” Stude- baker stated in an email. “If community members live in one of these areas and wish to participate in their neigh- borhood gathering, I would ask that they network with their neighbors for informa- tion specific to their neigh- borhood or email PPD at NationalNightOut@ci.pend- leton.or.us and I can provide contact information.” City police and the pub- lic library also are holding a Facebook Live event to draw from one of these locations for the library’s “Campfire Stories” presentation. And Studebaker said the NNO coloring contest for children is accepting entries through Aug. 1. For more informa- tion about the contest, email NationalNightOut@ci.pend- leton.or.us. Studebaker explained the deadline passed to get a party pack, but locals still can coor- dinate with the police depart- ment to host a party, which includes police officer or fire department personnel visit- ing the gathering and assist- ing with street closures for traditional block parties. Leachman said the Roy Raley party is open to the public, and he encouraged anyone who comes to bring activities for others to enjoy. He said he received positive feedback about the event, and people are looking for- ward to “that community time again.” Some folks, however, were unaware of National Night Out, so this is an opportunity for them to learn more. “It’s just get to know your neighbors, get to know your law enforcement and emer- gency providers,” he said, “and build a sense of com- munity. In a time when everybody is so divided politically, it’s nice to have something we all can come together on.” For more informa- tion, check out the Pend- leton Police Department’s National Night Out webpage, ppd.pendleton.or.us/nation- al-night-out, or email Natio- nalNightOut@ci.pendleton. or.us. 2016. Public Works Director Bob Patterson said the stay- ing within budget should allow the city to purchase a new fire engine for the department. • The council also approved a $9.8 million loan from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The loan will cost the city $602,000 per year for 20 years and will pay for it using recent sewer rate hikes, and the money will be used for sewer projects identified in the city’s mas- ter plan. • The council passed an ordinance that adds new pen- alties to the transient room tax and change its name to the Lodging Room Tax. The 8 percent tax is col- lected from hotels and helps pay for the Pendleton Con- vention Center’s budget. City Attorney Nancy Kerns said the tax will be expanded to cover vacation rentals like Airbnb and allow the city to charge hoteliers if they fail to pay the tax. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. low Creek Reservoir are advised to use an alternate water source, as drinking water from the reservoir is dangerous, and tox- ins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating the water with camping-style filters. According to OHA, those planning to eat fish caught in water with cyanobacte- ria blooms should remove all fat, skin and organs before consuming them, as toxins are more likely to collect in those tissues. People are advised to avoid swimming, water skiing and power boating in affected areas. Boating is safe, as long as it does not create water spray, which can put people and pets at risk of inhaling the water. BRIEFLY Wilson Prairie Fire grows, community meeting planned HEPPNER — A community meet- ing has been scheduled in Heppner to update the public about the Wilson Prai- rie Fire after it grew to 437 acres Thurs- day morning. The fire is burning through timber and grass on private land and the Umatilla National Forest in south Morrow County approximately 23 miles south of Heppner. It was considered 10 percent contained on Thursday. Fire managers will be available to pro- vide updates and answer questions Friday at 5 p.m. at Heppner City Hall, 111 North Main Street. According to an update provided by the U.S. Forest Service, resources on the fire include 275 personnel, three helicopters, four bulldozers, 12 engines and four water tenders. A temporary flight restriction is in place over the fire area, making flight (manned and unmanned) over the area illegal. All air operations must be halted any time a drone is seen over the TRF area, which would hinder fire suppression efforts. Trails, roads and forestland in the Bull Prairie Lake and Wilson Prairie areas are closed, including several forest roads intersecting with Highway 207. A map is available at any Umatilla National Forest Office and online at inciweb.nwcg.gov/ incident/6028. The fire is under investigation and sus- pected to be human-caused, according to the Forest Service. Man accidentally stabs self while cutting vegetables HERMISTON — Hermiston Police responded to reports of a man with a stab wound Wednesday evening and found a man with an unintentional, self-inflicted injury. According to police chief Jason Edmiston, a 50-year-old male was cut- ting vegetables and stabbed himself in the abdomen. He said when the police were notified, the wound was two hours old. “The family tried to provide neces- sary first aid, but after a couple of hours it became clear he needed immediate atten- tion,” Edmiston said. He said the man was taken to the hos- pital, but, against advice, left on his own. 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