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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2020)
REGION Tuesday, April 21, 2020 City, BMCC work on public projects By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — Private sec- tor activity may have slowed down, but public projects are still moving forward, particularly at Pendle- ton City Hall and Blue Mountain Community College. Late last week, work crews from Silver Creek Contracting began working on repairing the staircases to the Vert Auditorium, which was jointly funded by the Pendleton Development Commission and a state grant that was obtained by the Pendleton Downtown Association. Members of the Pendleton City Council approved the nearly $103,000 project last year, but the project has been gestating for months as the city fi gured out what the grant would and wouldn’t cover, according to a report from commission Associate Director Charles Denight. The project now covers the repair of the crumbling steps that lead to the Vert’s main entrance and the Southwest Fourth Street entrance, in addition to a disability access ramp. The old staircases were heav- ily damaged from years of weath- ering deicing chemicals. Acting as the development commission, the council will consider adding $5,400 to its local match for the contractor to install heating coils underneath the entrance steps to keep the steps clear during the winter without use of salt or other chemicals. Facilities Manager Glenn Gra- ham said the city is using the opportunity of Silver Creek being on-site to have crews do work out- side the grant around the city hall block. Graham said some of the other projects include an access ramp to the Pendleton Recreation Center, some brick removal near the rec center, and new stairs to the Foun- dation Room. While the pandemic has nega- tively affected residents and busi- nesses around Pendleton, Graham said the slowdown has actually worked to the advantage of the city Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Piles of concrete debris sit in front of the Vert Auditorium in Pendleton on Monday morning as workers begin to remove the stairs and side- walks around the building. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan The derelict tennis courts at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton sit partially demolished on Monday morning as the college begins to remove the unused courts. hall projects because there’s less foot traffi c to deal with. Graham said the deadline for the grant-funded projects is June 27, but he anticipates the work will be done well in advance. Across town at BMCC, the col- lege is tearing down its tennis court rather than trying to repair it. Casey White-Zollman, BMCC’s vice president of college rela- tions and advancement, said the court had been inactive for about a decade and had become a bit of an “eyesore.” White-Zollman said BMCC maintenance crews are handling the demolition while Pendleton Electric is removing the light poles from the court. In exchange for keeping the light poles for itself, White-Zoll- man said Pendleton Electric is doing new lighting for the road leading up to the college and the BMCC sign. “We’re taking advantage of some good timing,” she said. Once the court is gone, White-Zollman said the college plans to leave the ground bare and let it return to a grassy area. VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.EastOregonian.com East Oregonian BRIEFLY Studded tire deadline extended until May 15 SALEM — Oregon drivers will not be required to remove studded tires until 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 15. The deadline had previously been extended from April 1 to May 1. While studded tires are allowed in Oregon by law from Nov. 1 through March 31, the Oregon Department of Transportation decided to again extend that deadline in response to the continuing public health emer- gency of COVID-19. ODOT encourages drivers to have their studded tires removed before May 15 if it can reasonably be done while maintaining social distancing. Three new positive cases identifi ed in Umatilla County UMATILLA COUNTY — Three more cases of COVID- 19 have been reported in Uma- tilla County, according to a press release from Umatilla County Pub- lic Health. The three latest people diag- nosed with the novel coronavi- rus had connections to previous cases, the county confi rmed. All three cases are recovering at home in self-isolation. There are still no reported deaths from coronavirus in Umatilla County. The county also reported that 12 of the previously reported cases are considered recovered. Individu- als are considered recovered when they have been free of symptoms, including fever, cough and short- ness of breath, for 72 hours. The county said there are 15 cases that remain active and one individual, remains hospitalized. Umatilla County’s 27 positive cases come from a total of 479 tests. Kayak Public Transit pushes closure to April 25 PENDLETON — The Con- federated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are extending the closure of Kayak Public Transit due to COVID-19 until April 25, a press release said. The tribes will continue to mon- itor the situation and will make a determination about the follow- ing week on or before April 24, the release said. The closure — in response to COVID-19 — started on Monday, March 23. “Kayak recognizes its role as a lifeline for access to employ- ment, medical and shopping needs throughout the region and we do not take this action lightly,” the release said. Kayak Public Transit operates three fi xed routes and four com- muter bus services in Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Ore- gon, including La Grande, Hermis- ton and Walla Walla, Washington. COVID-19 business assistance program closes Thursday PENDLETON — The Pendleton Development Commission’s eco- nomic relief program for small busi- nesses is now open, but the applica- tion window is closing quickly. The deadline for the commis- sion’s Pendleton Retail and Hospi- tality Relief Program is Thursday, and businesses will have to meet a very specifi c set of criteria to be one of the 50 entities selected for the $2,000 grant. Requirements include: • A Pendleton business license • Location in the urban renewal district — downtown Pendleton and some of the surrounding area • Negative impact from one of the governor’s executive orders shutting down or curtaining busi- ness operations to slow the spread of COVID-19 • Must employ the equivalent of 20 positions or less • Either has applied for or com- mits to apply for small business assistance from the state or federal government • Will either remain open or reopen no later than July 1 • Nonprofi ts are not eligible “Essential” businesses like restaurants, retail and hospitality will be prioritized, and if the city receives more applications than its $100,000 budget, the winning appli- cants will be selected by lottery on Friday. Applications are available in a rack near the entrance of the Pend- leton Chamber of Commerce, 501 S. Main St. — EO Media Group 5 STEPS FOR SAFE DIGGING Working on an outdoor project? Careless digging poses a threat to people, pipelines and underground facilities. Always call 8-1-1 first. Here are five easy steps for safe digging: Source: call811.com 1. NOTIFY Call 8-1-1 or make a request online two to three days before your work begins. The operator will notify the utilities affected by your project. 2. WAIT Wait two to three days for affected utilities to respond to your request. They will send a locator to mark any underground utility lines. 2-3 3. CONFIRM C Confirm that all affected utilities have responded t to your request by comparing the mar marks to the list of utilities the 8-1-1 call c center notified. 4. RESPECT Respect the markers provided by the affected utilities. The markers are your guide for the duration of your project. 5. DIG CAREFULLY If you can’t avoid digging near the markers (within 18-24 inches on all sides, depending on state laws), consider moving your project location. A3 Hermiston Office 750 W. Elm Ave. Hermiston, OR 97838 (541) 567-6414 Boardman Office 400 N.E. Eldrige Drive Boardman, OR 97818 (541) 481-2220 www.UmatillaElectric.com
