A4
East Oregonian
Saturday, May 18, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Tip of the Hat,
kick in the pants
A
tip of the hat to the Pendle-
ton Underground Tours on
their 30th anniversary. Memo-
ries and stories about the popular tourist
attraction abound.
In the late 1980s, a group decided to
open up one section of tunnels for tours.
They would add furnishings from the era
and tell the story of Pendleton in bawd-
ier times. The idea distressed some. The
tour, especially after an above-ground
bordello was added, would shine a spot-
light on a messy history.
“Saloons and brothels were our main
industry,” said local realtor and organizer
Greg Brooks in an early East Oregonian
story about the ribbon cutting. “We were
the entertainment capitol of the North-
west. Such a capitol should not be forgot-
ten. The unfortunate thing about the type
of history we’re trying to recreate is that
it’s a kind of history that no one has ever
cared to record. And we believe all his-
tory should be recorded whether you like
it or not.”
Early organizers pushed past the
detractors and got busy. More than 300
volunteers pitched in, clearing debris and
helping with construction during 113
full-day work parties. Organizers had
predicted that development of the Under-
ground would take around $50,000,
but the restoration actually cost $1,000
because of all the volunteerism and dona-
tions of time from local contractors. The
attraction opened in September of 1989.
About 12,000 visitors took the tour
that first year. In 2018, almost 18,000
people visited. Ticket sales for 2018 were
$255,785.
It’s easy to take it for granted, but it’s
a unique attraction that has brought thou-
sands of people to Pendleton over the
decades and helped establish Pendleton
as a tourism destination.
A kick in the pants to legisla-
tion introduced on May 16 by House
Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland. A
day after state economists revealed the
largest “kicker” tax rebate in Oregon’s
history, Kotek introduced a plan to cut it
in half.
In her bill, roughly half of the esti-
mated $1.4 billion tax rebate would be
kept by the state and spent on a set of
transportation initiatives the speaker
argues will benefit public safety, air qual-
ity, and job creation.
“It’s been something I have been sit-
ting and thinking about for several weeks
listening to all the needs and conversa-
tions in the Capitol,” Kotek told Oregon
Public Broadcasting. “It is important that
if there is any discussion to redirect any
portion of that, that it has to be based on
some very sound reasoning.”
Under the plan, $260 million would
go toward seismic upgrades of the Aber-
nethy Bridge on Interstate 205. Those
upgrades are part of a transportation
package lawmakers passed in 2017, but
the bridge work is waiting on the possible
implementation of tolling before it moves
forward. Kotek said Thursday she’d like
to begin sooner.
Beyond the bridge, Kotek is propos-
ing spending roughly $220 million on an
existing “Clean Diesel Engine Fund” to
help freight carriers in Oregon transition
Staff photo by E.J. Harris,File
Actors point guns at each other in the Shamrock Card Room while simulating a standoff over
a poker game during the Pendleton Underground Comes to Life on May 20, 2017, in Pend-
leton.
to cleaner-burning diesel engines. Both
California and Washington have strict
diesel standards, which have pushed
higher-emissions engines into Oregon.
An additional roughly $220 mil-
lion would go into a new “Zero Emis-
sion Fund” which would create the infra-
structure to help the state transition to
zero-emission vehicles, like electric cars.
Kotek said she decided to move for-
ward with her proposal after hearing the
magnitude of the expected kicker refund.
She contended that, even with half the
money stripped away, the money flow-
ing back to taxpayers would be compa-
rable to other recent refunds. Oregon has
triggered a kicker in each of the last three
bienniums.
“This is a historic-level kicker,” Kotek
said. “What I think the opportunity we
have here is to have a conversation with
voters of, ‘You’re still going to get a very
sizable kicker.’”
It’s a bad argument and insulting to
voters who enacted a kicker to have their
tax dollars returned if state revenue out-
paced expectations by a wide margin.
A tip of the hat to the people who
showed up to the Hermiston City
Council meeting on May 13 to offer
their time in helping rebuild the city’s
burned Funland playground instead of
deciding it wasn’t worth rebuilding again
after another fire.
Sue Daggett volunteered the help of
the Altrusa Club. Tami Rebman of the
Columbia Basin Board of Realtors said
they were on board to help however they
could. Phillip Spicerkuhn, president of
the Lions Club, said the Lions were “pas-
sionate about helping make sure this
resource continues to be a part of the
community.” David McCarthy, president
of the Hermiston noon Kiwanis Club,
offered similar assurances.
“This is the kind of project both our
money and our work likes to go to,”
McCarthy said.
Tony Garber of the Rotary Club said
Rotarians were ready to help as well.
He shared memories of taking the vari-
ous youth sports teams he has coached
to the park for after-game celebrations.
His wife, a physical therapist, often takes
young patients there and watches them
play to assess their mobility.
Mayor David Drotzmann thanked
everyone for their generosity, noting he
had hoped to see his future grandchildren
play at Funland.
“This community rises to the occa-
sion when it comes to children,” he said.
“I think we will have no problem reach-
ing whatever target we need to reach to
rebuild.”
Hundreds of volunteers from local
churches will be cleaning up litter Satur-
day, restoring flood-damaged sections of
Riverfront Park and doing other beautifi-
cation around town as part of the annual
I Love My City event. We tip our hats to
them as well.
OTHER VIEWS
Head-scratching over
new forest permits
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
whitehouse.gov/contact/
GOVERNOR
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
Bend Bulletin
T
he U.S. Forest Service has decided
to build a wall of permits and
fees to dramatically reduce pub-
lic access to wilderness trailheads in
the Deschutes and Willamette national
forests.
It will issue a limited number of per-
mits at 19 trailheads for day use and 79
trailheads for overnight use. And it will
start charging a new fee.
What’s the fee? The Forest Service
hasn’t decided.
That’s the first of many problems with
the new permit system: The public was
asked to react to the plan without know-
ing the fee. How can anyone decide if
a permit system is fair without know-
ing what it will cost? It can’t. Moreover,
any fee beyond a nominal charge makes
access more difficult for many people.
Congress would have to change fed-
eral law so that a fee is considered at the
same time as the permit system, but Ore-
gon’s delegation has not championed any
change. Thanks for nothing.
A second problem is the Forest Ser-
vice’s approach. In its decision, the For-
est Service writes: “We need to strike a
balance between implementing manage-
ment actions that will reduce recreation
impacts, while at the same time are min-
imal actions necessary.” But these are
not the minimal actions necessary. The
Forest Service could have gone on a pub-
lic relations blitz to publicize that wilder-
ness access would be limited unless peo-
ple stopped being so careless with trash.
It could have ramped up enforcement
and rangers on the trails. It made no such
push. It went right to restricting access
and charging a fee.
There is also a loophole in the For-
est Service’s decision thawt people could
exploit. Some hunters would not be
required to get a permit. Hunters with a
“General Archery Deer hunt tag will be
exempt from day use limits and be able to
scout and hunt in these wilderness areas
without a limited entry day use permit.”
It makes you wonder how many people
will suddenly get a newfound interest in
“scouting” hunting locations.
Americans support protection of
their public lands. But if people can’t get
access to it, support for its protection will
erode.
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies
for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights
of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime
phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published.
Send letters to the editor to
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801