East Oregonian : E.O., April 21, 2022, Image 1

$1.50
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022
146th Year, No. 77
DRE ADE
WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
INSIDE SPRING 2022 SPECIAL SECTION ON AGRIBUSINESS
Hermiston
Food Pod
fi lls up
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Taking a rare
break during a busy day, Patrick
Hunt leaned against his food truck
and chatted about the success of the
Hermiston Food Pod.
The pod, a collection of food
trucks at 240 S.W. Third Street,
across from the
post offi ce, is full.
Its nine trucks are
present and open
for business. The
final holdout was
K r ack Bu rger,
wh ich o p e n e d
Friday, April 15.
Hunt
Hunt manages
the pod, coordinating the individ-
ual business owners and acting as a
liaison with the city of Hermiston.
“I’m grateful to the community
for making this happen,” Hunt said.
He added he was appreciative to
city government, too.
The pod had been closed so
the city could renovate the prop-
erty. Plumbing and electricity
were added, making it possible for
additional trucks to set up shop. In
recent months, the pod reopened,
with between two and four trucks
present at any given time.
Hunt’s mobile restaurant, South-
ern Twain BBQ, was among the few
that opened early. At the restaurant,
he cooked and served sausages,
sandwiches, nachos and more.
Slowly but surely, more trucks
hooked up until the lot was full.
The fl eet of trucks off ers a vari-
ety of food: barbecued ribs, grilled
hamburgers, kalua pork, tacos,
biscuits and gravy and more,
depending on the particular truck
from which one wants to dine.
Hunt said the diversity of foods
was important to him. Many restau-
ranteurs wished to open at the pod,
he said. He added he turned some
down, just because he wanted to
avoid having redundancies.
“We can’t have too much of the
same stuff ,” he said. “There were
vendors who wanted to off er more
tacos and I had to tell them that I
was sorry, but we weren’t going to
do that.”
Such a situation, he said, would
have made things worse for both
customers and vendors.
He said his goal is to create fun.
A Hermiston resident, Hunt said
he wished for the pod to be a lively
place for people, children and
families, in particular, to gather.
Music plays, and banners wave.
The pod, he said, is an attraction
for people who might not have
anything else to do.
See Food, Page A7
DROUG D
CONTIN HT
UES
DOWNTOWN PENDLETON
Improvement pains
Businesses
report losing
customers due
to upgrades to
infrastructure
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
P
ENDLETON — The
Oregon Department
of Transportation’s
signal upgrade proj-
ect in downtown
Pendleton has left some busi-
nesses short of customers.
Work has progressed on Court
and Dorion avenues to replace
traffi c lights with new ones or
stop signs and to make sidewalks
accessible under the Americans
with Disabilities Act. The project
has aff ected blocks around The
Marigold Hotel, 105 S.E. Court
Ave., reducing traffi c to one lane
and making sidewalk access
diffi cult.
Kristine Taylor owns ReRide,
a Western resale store at 108 S.E.
Court Ave., across the street from
the hotel. She took to Facebook
on Sunday, April 17, to express
how the construction is aff ecting
her business.
“Until further notice: Due to
construction beyond our control
we will only be open for sure on
Fridays and Saturdays,” accord-
ing to the post, “and that’s only
if we can get to our front door.”
She told customers the shop
may be able to open in the
evenings or for private shopping,
so message ReRide and see its
website and social media pages
for some store merchandise.
“And just to be real, it’s
literally crazy how ODOT can
do construction that almost
completely blocks off a store for
at least six weeks,” Taylor posted,
“and there’s no fi nancial help …
or any kind of relief plan.”
ReRide “contacted everyone
we can think of,” she continued,
and all it got was sympathy.
“Sympathy is not going to
keep our store open,” Taylor
stated in the post, “so if anybody
has an ‘in’ to an Oregon state
offi cial or a really good attorney
that would want to take a case
pro bono. We’re sure that we’re
not the only ones being aff ected.
This is not something the state of
Oregon should just be able to do.”
Jeannine Camden of Robbins
Rockin Boutique tanning salon,
104 S.E. Court Ave., on April 18
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Zach Drew, of HP Civil, uses his measuring tape on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, while working on sidewalks
in front of the Hamley Western Store & Saddle Shop. The construction work has narrowed traffi c fl ow to
one lane and reduced sidewalk access.
MORE
INFORMATION
You can visit the traffi c signal
and curb upgrade project
webpage at bit.ly/3u9H87u
and visit TripCheck.com for
up-to-date traffi c impacts
during construction.
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
Subcontractors work Tuesday, April 19, 2022, on the installation of
electrical systems for traffi c signal upgrades at the intersection of
Southeast Court Avenue and First Street in downtown Pendleton.
Kristine Taylor, owner of ReRide, a Western resale store, says the proj-
ect, which includes upgrades to curbs, is aff ecting her business.
said the the construction is aff ect-
ing business.
“Of course business is way
down,” she said. “People can’t
park anywhere. It’s hard to
deliver. You can’t come to the
front door. There are no side-
walks. It hurts all the way
around.”
Owner Robbin Ferguison
said, “The work has defi nitely
aff ected our business, especially
the boutique. We’re off about
80%.”
She adds, “Originally they
expected to be done by the end
of April, but there were delays,
so it may be longer. I wonder how
many legs will be broken or rocks
will come through my window.”
She said she hoped the upcom-
ing Mothers’ Day sale may help
regain some losses.
Her building mates, Shannon
Reinhart of Hello Honey hair-
dressing and Jennifer Harrison
of Jennifer’s Nails, also said they
have lost customers.
“There’s no access to come
in. Clients think we’re closed,”
Reinhart said. “Handicapped
parking is nonexistent. Elderly
and handicapped in wheelchairs
or with walkers can’t come to the
side door. There’s a step up.”
Although it’s an ODOT proj-
ect, Reinhart concluded, “It
would be nice if the city had
contacted us ahead of time.”
“We heard nothing from the
city,” Harrison added. “Boom!
Wham! It’s been at least two
weeks on this side (of Court).
Normally we’re busy. Clients
call to cancel or ask if we’re even
open.”
Reinhart’s client on April 18
was Harrison.
The city in late January sent
a news release to local media
and posted on its Facebook page
about the traffi c signal upgrades
and ADA curb ramps ODOT
was starting the week of Feb. 7
on Southeast Court Avenue and
First Street, which also is Inter-
state 84/U.S. 30.
“Later this week the contrac-
tor will start to move in construc-
tion equipment and set up traffi c
control,” the city reported at
the time. “Starting next week,
traffic on U.S. 30/S.E. Court
Avenue will be reduced to one
lane. Crews will also start the
removal of existing signals and
sidewalks.”
The East Oregonian published
a news brief about the work on
the paper’s website on Jan. 30 and
in the print edition on Feb. 1.
ODOT Project Manager Alan
Davis said the department is
working with businesses.
See Upgrades, Page A7
Events commemorate 80th anniversary of Doolittle Raid
Airmen training in early days of World War II
at Pendleton Field played a signifi cant role
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The Unites States
was less than fi ve months into World
War II and needed a serious boost.
That came April 18, 1942, when 16
Army Air Force B-25 Mitchell bomb-
ers took off from the aircraft carrier
Hornet in the north Pacifi c. The 80
airmen raided Tokyo and other parts
of Honshu. This unprecedented joint
service operation was America’s fi rst
off ensive action of the war.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle — later a
four-star general — planned and led
the raid. Of the 16 planes and crews, 15
crashed, ditched or crash-landed. One
landed in the Soviet Union.
Still, the raid showed the U.S. mili-
tary could reach the far shores of Japan.
And the Pendleton Field military base
was central to the eff ort.
According to oregonencyclope-
dia.org, in November 1941, 14 North
American B-25 bombers arrived
at Pendleton Field on Pendleton’s
Airport Hill, and in December, planes
from Pendleton Field fl ew antisub-
marine patrols along coastal areas as
part of the 2nd Air Force air defense
for the Northwest Pacifi c coastline.
That changes in January 1942, when
Pendleton Field was assigned the task
of providing heavy bombardment unit
training. The airfi eld was one of four
bases with runways long enough to
fulfi ll the training requirements.
See Doolittle, Page A7
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Images of the airmen who trained in the early months of World War II at
Pendleton Field for the Doolittle Raid line hang on a wall Monday, April 18,
2022, during the Pendleton Air Museum’s dinner and fundraiser on the 80th
anniversary of the raid.