A8
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Boom:
Continued from Page A1
“We’re going to preserve
the historic district,” Farmer
said. “The exterior of the old
HQ building will be main-
tained, but the interior will be
thoroughly modernized.”
Regional training
institute, more
Camp Umatilla hosts an
Army National Guard training
institute capable of providing
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
individual and group school- An Abrams tank and an armored recovery vehicle bask in the sun Wednesday, July 27, 2022, Maj. Tim Merritt, left, and Lt. Col. Alan Gronewold, right,
on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at Camp Umatilla, explain the
ing for infantry units up to at Camp Umatilla near Hermiston.
training center at the military facility near Hermiston.
battalion size — 300-800
“Negotiations with the live munitions and contain- According to the U.S. Army
soldiers. The site contains
a weapons fi ring range and Navy started in 2002,” ers, each holding 1 short ton Chemical Materials Activity, line, fi rst to 2016 and then to ment Authority to improve
spaces for small maneuvers Farmer explained, “but a of GB or VX organophosphate the facility destroyed 220,604 2017 and into 2018, due to access from Interstate 82.
The Confederated Tribes
and tracked vehicle driver tentative agreement wasn’t nerve agents or HD sulfur munitions and contain- complications during cleanup.
training. Its infrastructure reached until 2012. Environ- mustard blister vesicant. ers containing 3,717 short After decommissioning and of the Umatilla Indian Reser-
supports weekend and annual mental impact statements From 1990 to 1994, the facil- tons of GB, VX and HD via transfer of land, about 7,400 vation also is a stakeholder
drill periods while simultane- and COVID slowed us down, ity reorganized to prepare for high-temperature incinera- acres of the depot went to the in former depot lands. Its
ously hosting regional training but now in 2022, it’s fi nally eventual closure, shipping all tion, representing 100% of the Oregon Military Department 20,000 acres covered ancestral
institute classes.
fi nished.”
conventional ammunition and base’s stockpile.
for a training facility.
Umatilla tribal hunting and
Every state has an RTI, but
A military and civilian supplies to other installations.
Dismantling of the chem-
Some 5,600 acres were gathering grounds, including
Camp Umatilla’s center is one unmanned aerial vehicle
The Umatilla Chemical ical disposal facility began in transferred to the national religiously-signifi cant Coyote
of only two infantry schools fl ight test facility is coming to Agent Disposal Facility was August 2013, and the base was wildlife refuge system and Coulee. CTUIR Economic
west of the Mississippi capa- the Navy bombing range this designed for the destruction expected to be transferred for around 4,000 to industrial, Development Director Bill
ble of housing and feeding year as well.
of the weapons at the depot. state and private use by early agricultural and right of way Tovey told Oregon Public
120 soldiers at a time. Class
The Depar tment of It was completed in 2001. 2015. The Columbia Devel- development. A transportation Broadcasting in 2019 he was
cycles vary in duration, from Defense maintains 74 STAR- The Army began weapons opment Authority, the local package passed by the Legis- eager to see the land returned
fi ve-day tactical certifi cation BASE Academies at Active, disposal on Sept. 8, 2004, and organization redeveloping the lature in 2017 set aside money to the tribes so they can begin
courses to 19-day advanced Reserve and Guard armed completed it on Oct. 25, 2011. depot, pushed back the time- for the Columbia Develop- rehabilitating it.
leadership courses, which take forces bases in every state
place monthly throughout the and Puerto Rico. The military
used them to encourage fourth
year.
Oregon
T r a i n i n g to seventh graders to study
Command and National science, technology, engineer-
Guard units use the regional ing and math. Oregon has four,
training institute facilities including at Camp Umatilla.
“Kids have so much fun
during non-class times to
fulfill weekend and annual that they don’t notice they’re
training missions. Tactical learning STEM disciplines,”
skills trained include weapons Farmer said. “We’re happy
qualifi cations, land navigation to give back to local commu-
and wheeled and tracked vehi- nities which support us so
cle driving.
much.”
A new, specially designed
STARBASE Umatilla
More than half of Oregonians with HIV
RTI was built in 2020, but conducts two fi ve-day sessions
its dedication ceremony was each summer, at which
live outside Portland, often in suburbs or
not held due to the pandemic, students build and program
small towns like this one.
Gronewold said. The conti- BattleBots to fi ght each other,
nental U.S. has only nine OMD Public Aff airs Offi cer
But with today’s advances, HIV isn’t what it used to be.
infantry RTIs. The rest are Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar said.
devoted to schools for diff erent
P
People with HIV are living longer, healthier lives, with the
History of the site
combat and supporting
help of medication. By talking about HIV, we can support
V I H t u o b arms.
a g n i k l a t y B . n o i t a c i d e m f o p l e h
“The school is state of the
The installation began life
our community. Testing and early treatment protect you
art,” he said. “Units from all as the U.S. Army’s Umatilla
and your partner. Help is available if you’re HIV+.
over the West come here to Depot in 1941, before Amer-
Learn more and find free testing at endhivoregon.org
train here. The only compa- ica entered World War II. Its
rable facility is in Mississippi. mission was to store and main-
Active Army and Reserve tain a variety of military items,
infantry, as well as Guard from blankets to ammunition.
cycle through here.”
The depot took on its chem-
A new, $12 million heavy ical weapons role in 1962,
machine gun fi ring range on storing 12% of the nation’s
the Navy’s nearby Boardman stockpile. Eight other depots
bombing reservation is near- held the rest. Chemical weap-
ing completion.
ons stored there consisted of
People with HIV
are our neighbors.
Safety:
Continued from Page A1
off of safety,” Headings said.
“Our goal is to make sure that
Pendleton School District is
up to speed on safety.”
Mulvihill said he is
hopeful the summit will
strengthen the relationship
between school districts
and their local law enforce-
ment agencies. As for school
safety, Mulvihill made clear
his goals for the summit.
“I hope the districts are
going out into this school
year with confidence that
they have put in the time
to make sure everything is
secure and safe.”
— East Oregonian news
intern Antonio Arredondo
contributed to the article.
MORE
INFORMATION
The summit will be
closed to the public. but
InterMountain Education
Service District Superin-
tendent Mark Mulvihill
encouraged community
members to look to their
local law enforcement
and media outlets for
more information about
the outcome of the
event.
For more information
about the summit, email
Mulvihill at mark.mulvi-
hill@imesd.k12.or.us. To
learn about standardized
protocol terminology,
visit www.iloveuguys.org.
To learn how to report
school safety threats, visit
www.safeoregon.com.
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