REGION
Thursday, May 12, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Pendleton airport
Farmers Market opens Friday renovation begins
PENDLETON
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
2022 Pendleton Farmers
Market opens for business
Friday, May 13, a week later
than it planned.
The market operates on
the 300 block of South Main
Street in downtown Pend-
leton. The volunteer-run
nonprofi t operates 4-7 p.m.
on Fridays from May to
October. The open-air
market is closed only on the
Friday of Round-Up week.
Masks are not required this
year.
The market was sched-
uled to open on May 6,
but was cancelled due to a
thunderstorm. Vendors sell
produce, eggs, baked goods,
crafts and other products.
Live music at the market is
common.
C h e r yl Mo n t g o m -
ery manages the Pendle-
ton Farmers Market and
described how the market
weathered the pandemic.
“In 2020 we were able
to still operate at a differ-
ent location, the former
Elks Lodge, now Electric
Sundown,” she said. “The
owner (Lance Leonnig)
graciously off ered his park-
ing lot. We were still able to
operate as farmers markets
were considered an essential
business.”
Montgomery rated that
year “respectable” for the
East Oregonian
East Oregonian, File
People wander a sun-spotted Main Street in downtown Pendleton on the opening day of the
Pendleton Farmers Market on May 7, 2021. The market’s 2022 season begins Friday, May 13.
market financially, with
mixed comments from shop-
pers about the temporary
location.
“The pandemic did aff ect
our vendors and shoppers,
just like everywhere else,”
she added, “as we had to
modify how we operated
with sanitation and social
distancing put into practice.”
In 2021 the market was
able to return to downtown.
Normal operations resumed
among the outdoor pod seat-
ing, which enhanced the
social atmosphere.
“Looking at this year,
we have returning and new
vendors scheduled,” she
concluded, “so come down
to the market.”
The market participates
in Oregon’s Supplemen-
tal Nutrition Assistance
Program, formerly known
as food stamps. It uses a
wireless terminal to transmit
transactions from a SNAP
recipient’s Oregon Trail
swipe card. Small $1 wooden
tokens are issued to recipients
to purchase fresh produce,
vegetable starts and pack-
aged bakery items. Vendors
collect the tokens at the end
of the market and return them
to staff for reimbursement in
cash the same day.
SNAP tokens are $1,
with no minimum purchase
or surcharge. Customers
can spend the tokens only
at the Pendleton Farmers
Market. They can purchase
fresh fruits, vegetables,
mushrooms, beans, herbs,
vegetable starts and pack-
aged bakery items. There
is no expiration date on the
wooden tokens.
The Double Up Food
Bucks program of Oregon’s
Farmers Market Fund
provides a match of up to $20.
The program gives recipients
who spend 20 SNAP dollars
at a participating farmers
market another $20 to buy
more locally grown produce.
Local voters cast ballots on three bond measures
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Local
voters decide on three ballot
measures for bonds in the
Tuesday, May 17, primary
election, and the biggest by
far is in Morrow County.
The Morrow County
School District has proposed
Measure 25-87, a $138
million bond to remodel and
improve existing educational
facilities and build new ones.
The bond also would allow
the district to upgrade tech-
nological infrastructure and
make facilities accessible
for people with disabilities.
The school district has a
website with more informa-
tion about the measure here:
www.morrow.k12.or.us/
page/bond-information.
The 20-year bond would
cost $2.67 per $1,000 of
assessed value per year. A
home valued at $200,000
would pay $534 annually.
If voters pass the
measure, the school district
would received a grant from
the Oregon School Capi-
tal Improvement Matching
Program of $4 million.
The other two local
measures are in Umatilla
County communities.
Voters in Milton-Free-
water consider a $500,000
bond to improve recreational
facilities, Helix voters weigh
a $1 million bond to install
a new public pool and the
Morrow County School
District has proposed a $138
million bond to improve its
facilities.
Measure 30 -150 in
Milton-Freewater is asking
voters to consider renewing
a tax measure of $100,000 a
year for fi ve years at a rate
of 32 cents per $1,000 of
assessed value to replace
or repair city recreation
facilities, according to the
“Umatilla County Voters’
Pamphlet,” including the Joe
Humbert Family Aquatic
Center, Yantis Park Play-
ground equipment and city
ballfi elds.
If the measure passes, the
city would begin the capital
projects in fi scal year 2024.
The Helix Park & Recre-
ation District has proposed
Measure 30-151 to raise $1
million to design and build
a new public pool, splash
pad, pump house, improve
the bathhouse and exterior
restrooms and pay the cost
of bond issuance.
According to the bond
information, Helix property
owners would pay 37 cents
per $1,000 of assessed value.
The bond would mature in
21 years or less from the date
of issuance.
If the bond passes,
the project needs another
$500,000. Park & Recre-
ation is looking toward
fundraising and grants to
provide the funds.
Corps to connect McNary Dam, Umatilla wastewater
East Oregonian
UMATILLA — U.S.
Army Corps Of Engi-
neers announced construc-
tion begins this summer
to connect the wastewater
systems of McNary Dam
and the city of Umatilla.
The Corps in a press
release Tuesday, May 10,
reported the work will result
in temporary closures and
detours affecting Third
Street, West Park, Spillway
Park and the Visitor Center/
Juvenile Fish Facility.
Offi cials at McNary Dam
determined through routine
maintenance and inspec-
tions that the current on-site
septic systems for the dam,
Visitor Center/Juvenile Fish
Facility and West Park were
nearing the end of their
service life and need replac-
ing. The Corps decided to
connect to Umatilla’s waste-
water system due to Oregon
Department of Environ-
mental Quality administra-
tive rules.
According to the press
release, DEQ rules state it
cannot issue permits for new
septic systems if a sewage
system is within 4,128 feet
of the property. Utiliz-
ing the city’s wastewater
system also will reduce
maintenance of drain fi elds
for the dam, could improve
groundwater quality in the
area and allows for future
connections as needed.
The Walla Walla District
awarded a $3 million
construction contract to
Crestline Construction Co.
out of The Dalles to connect
the two wastewater systems.
The dam’s parks, nature
area and visitor center has
approximately 290,000
visitors per year, but the
Corps reported it expects
the project will have mini-
mal bother on visitors but
there will be times when
roads must be trenched and
restrooms closed during the
project.
The Corps also contin-
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ues to seek public input on
its update of the McNary
Master Plan, which guides
how the Corps manages
the lands surrounding Lake
Wallula behind McNary
Dam on the Columbia
River near Umatilla. The
master plans only are about
the land and do not address
dam operations, including
spill, fi sh passage, fl ood risk
management or navigation.
The Corps is accepting
comments through June 2.
For more information on
what the McNary Master
Plan covers, the areas in
the McNary Project and
how you can comment,
visit bit.ly/3L0j3Vh.
PENDLETON — Tempo-
rary facilities arrived at the
Eastern Oregon Regional
Airport, Pendleton, on
Thursday, May 5, to begin the
$3.9 million terminal reno-
vation project. Commercial
fl ights and food services will
continue uninterrupted.
Airport Manager John
Honemann said one of the
project goals is to limit the
impact on airport services,
according to a press release
from the city.
“We are really excited
to begin construction, but it
was also very important for
us to make sure services are
uninterrupted,” Honemann
said. “We’ve worked closely
with the restaurant and with
commercial air service to
keep everything open as
much as possible.”
The existing terminal
building is more than 70
years old. A federal CARES
Act — short for the Coro-
navirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security Act —
grant for airports will fund
replacing and updating
aging equipment, including
upgrades to heating, ventila-
tion, air conditioning, elec-
trical and plumbing systems,
according to the press release.
It also includes renovating
bathrooms and the restaurant
kitchen, as well as cosmetic
improvements, such as paint,
fi nishing and fl ooring.
Pendleton City Coun-
cil in February selected
McCormack Construction
Co. as the general manager
and contractor.
The entire project is
expected to last about eight
months, broken up into fi ve
phases to minimize impacts
on services.
Crews from McCormack
on May 5 began installing
a 60-foot temporary termi-
nal and bathrooms. Those
facilities, next to the main
terminal, can be accessed
from the airport parking lot.
They will keep commercial
fl ights operating during the
construction.
Passengers will be
rerouted to the temporary
facilities sometime between
May 5 and May 19, when
construction begins inside
the terminal.
The city also reported
remodeling will not affect
air traffi c control services,
and airport administration
services will operate out of
the World War II hangar.
After installation to tempo-
rary facilities, administrative
staff and tenants will move
out of the terminal.
During terminal construc-
tion, in-terminal access to
Elvis’ Bar and Grill, the
restaurant at the airport,
will be closed, but the front
entrance will remain open,
and the restaurant will
continue to operate.
In coordination with Elvis’
Bar and Grill, the time frame
for the kitchen and bathroom
renovation project has been
identified as mid-Septem-
ber to mid-December. The
timeline allows the restau-
rant to remain open through
the Pendleton Round-Up
in September and then shut
down for renovations.
LOCAL BRIEFING
2 local special
districts receive
$3,000 grants
HERMISTON — One
special district in Umatilla
County and one in Morrow
County received grants to help
cover the costs of summer
internships.
Umatilla County Fire
District No. 1, Hermiston,
and West Extension Irrigation
District, Irrigon, each received
a $3,000 grant from the
Special Districts Association
of Oregon. The local special
districts are among 15 state-
wide to receive SDAO grants
totaling $42,000.
According to a press release
from the association, many
districts off er summer intern-
ships to college-level students
in their area who are seeking to
learn more about local govern-
ment careers. SDAO provides
50% matching grants to the
districts for the internships. The
maximum grant is $3,000 for a
project that would cost $6,000
or more.
For grant consideration,
districts must submit appli-
cations outlining the details
of their project, the bene-
fi ts it will bring to the district
and how they will utilize a
summer intern. At the end of
the summer, recipients must
submit a project summary and
receipts to the Special Districts
Association of Oregon.
Special Districts Associa-
tion of Oregon represents more
than 920 special districts in the
state. For more information,
visit www.sdao.com.
— EO Media Group
5/13 - 5/19
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