THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021
ty
un
and M on orrow Co
Scenic Umatilla
and Eastern Oreg
146th Year, No. 24
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WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
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THE BEAM THAT KEEPS
ON GIVING
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
P
ENDLETON — Two
downtown Pendleton
projects are hoping a
century-old wooden
beam from an old theater will
pay major dividends.
In early December, Parley
Pearce hauled off two parts
of a 50-foot beam that once
graced the Rivoli Theater
balcony. Pearce wants to put
the beam to work again as
a feature of the Oak Hotel
as he looks to reopen the
defunct brothel as a boutique
hotel. The Rivoli Resto-
ration Coalition thinks the
antique architecture could
help as a fundraising item
as the nonprofi t continues its
ongoing quest to reopen the
historic theater as a perform-
ing arts center.
The coalition acquired the
Rivoli in 2012 and has spent
the past several years in the
early stages of renovating its
interior. Work crews from
Kirby Nagelhout Construc-
tion Co. retrieved the beam as
a part of the renovation eff ort,
and the coalition has long
tried to fi nd someone to sell or
donate the beam to.
The coalition found a will-
ing partner in Pearce, who has
made it a priority to restore
another historic downtown
property. After removing the
beam pieces from the Rivoli
property, Pearce sent them to
a mill in Adams to be restored.
“Heavy items are my
personal hobby,” Pearce said.
A part of the beam will be
returned to the Rivoli once its
fi nished, although coalition
President Andrew Picken said
it won’t be reinstalled or repur-
posed at the theater. Counting
the rings on the wood used for
the century-old beam, Picken
estimated the Douglas fi r used
for the beam was 400 years old
at the time it was cut down.
The coalition is hopeful the
antique quality of the beam
means it could be a fundrais-
ing tool by auctioning it off .
“We didn’t chop it up and
put it in a landfi ll,” Picken said.
Additionally, the coalition
gave a much smaller section
of the beam to an instrument
maker, who intends to build
new instruments out of the
wood and then auction them
- Milton-Freewater
OSAA REDISTRICTING
Pendleton
moves to 4A
Bucks will play in the GOL with
La Grande, Baker and Ontario
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
The grain on a beam from the Rivoli Theater in Pendleton is visi-
ble Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, before Eric Sederburg mills the beam
at his operation in Adams for use in the Oak Hotel in Pendleton.
off for the benefi t of the Rivoli
restoration.
Pearce intends to put his
own section of the beam back
to work in the service of the
Oak Hotel. Built in 1904,
Pearce, a former owner of
Hamley & Co., said the Oak
began its life as a brothel at
a time when the sex industry
was common in the downtown
area. Even after prostitution
was outlawed in town and the
Oak converted itself to a hotel
and boarding house, Pearce
said the business continued to
operate a brothel illicitly for
years.
The Oak Hotel has since
fallen into disuse, but Pearce
has amassed a large collection
of antique furniture and art in
the building with the goal of
turning it into a boutique hotel.
Under Pearce’s vision, the
hotel would include 25 rooms
and be restored to evoke the
turn of the 20th century. The
Rivoli beam would be repur-
posed to support the Oak’s
balcony.
While the pandemic pushed
back the project’s timeline,
Pearce said he already has
obtained a permit from the
city to start some work on the
building with the intention of
starting construction in 2022.
See Beam, Page A7
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Eric Sederburg on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, demonstrates how he intends to mill a large beam from Pendleton’s Rivoli The-
ater at his sawmill in Adams.
PENDLETON — Pendleton Athletic Direc-
tor Mike Somnis knew about six weeks ago the
Bucks were destined to drop from 5A to 4A and
join the Greater Oregon League.
The executive board of the Oregon School
Activities Association made that fi nal Monday,
Dec. 13, when it approved the last recommen-
dation of the Classifi cation and Redistricting
Committee. The decision will bring changes
to several leagues throughout the state starting
with the 2022 fall season.
“I think everyone is excited and ready to
make the move,” Somnis said. “We have been
very competitive at the 5A level. The reality of
it is, with Hermiston going to the WIAA, and
Hood River going to 5A and to the Northwest
Oregon Conference, if we stayed, we would be
in the Bend league. It will be a seamless fi t.”
Pendleton will join GOL teams La Grande,
Baker City and Ontario. McLoughlin is moving
down to the 3A Eastern Oregon League.
La Grande and Baker are ecstatic that Pend-
leton is joining their league.
“We are very pleased to have Pendleton in
our league,” La Grande AD Darren Goodman
said. “It will help strengthen our league. Every-
one will have to raise their game, for sure.”
“The GOL will defi nitely be more competi-
tive now,” Baker AD Buell Gonzales Jr. added.
“The issue with the scheduling is still there with
just four teams. Losing Mac-Hi and gaining
Pendleton, our league is more competitive and
balanced. We didn’t want to lose La Grande.
This worked out the best for everyone involved.”
Pendleton is one of a handful of local teams
the redistricting aff ects.
In addition to Mac-Hi moving to 3A, Irri-
gon will drop down to the 2A Blue Mountain
Conference, and Pilot Rock will drop to the 1A
Old Oregon League with Griswold and Nixy-
aawii.
The Mac-Hi, Irrigon and Pilot Rock moves
benefi t the schools, which have recently seen
enrollment drop.
See OSAA, Page A7
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Pendleton’s James Thatcher leads Braxton
Bisenius, of La Grande, in the 1,500 meters race
at the Pendleton Triad track meet on April 30,
2021. Pendleton High is dropping to 4A in the
fall of 2022 and joining La Grande, Baker City
and Ontario in the Greater Oregon League.
Oregon lawmakers OK rent, drought relief
BY PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon lawmakers cleared
the way in a scripted special session for $100
million more in state rental assistance and
$100 million more for local eff orts to prevent
evictions.
During the one-day special session on
Monday, Dec. 13, lawmakers also approved
$25 million for enforcement against ille-
gal cannabis-growing in Southern Oregon
and $18 million for resettlement of up to
1,200 refugees who fl ed after the Taliban
takeover of Afghanistan. They also released
$100 million already set aside for relief from
the continuing drought in outlying areas of
Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon.
Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro and Beaver-
State Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, encourages her colleagues
to vote for a bill to extend Oregon’s safe harbor protections ton are among the 14 cities that will receive
from eviction during a special legislative session Monday, $1 million each to deal with homelessness.
Gov. Kate Brown called the special
Dec. 13, 2021.
session, the year’s second, to approve more
rental assistance and extend the grace period
for evictions stemming from the coronavirus
pandemic. But the fi nal agenda came together
just a few days beforehand, when Brown and
legislative leaders from both parties agreed
to include a few other items.
“There was no plan. No agreement.
Success was not guaranteed. Your Legislature
worked hard since that day,” Senate President
Peter Courtney, the veteran Salem Democrat,
said. “Oregonians can be proud of their legis-
lators today, Democrat and Republican. We
came together to send relief — hope — to
Oregonians in crisis.”
Minority Republicans had resisted a special
session, though not the rental assistance,
which they said could have been approved by
the 20-member Emergency Board.
See Lawmakers, Page A7