VIEWPOINTS
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
A5
Big changes coming to Oregon State Capitol
OTHER VIEWS
Dick Hughes
I
f you were building a state capitol,
would you construct it on stilts?
Probably not. But such an idea
would borrow from the mind of Salem
native A.C. Gilbert, who invented the Erec-
tor Set in the early 20th century.
More than a century later, the Oregon
State Capitol is not actually being erected
on stilts. Still, that is a handy image for
visualizing the steel shoring that will hold
up the massive 1938 portion of the building
while base isolators and new columns are
installed underneath.
A base isolator is key to reducing dam-
age in an earthquake.
“Think of it as the building sort of sitting
on a springy cushion. What it allows it to do
is the building stays put while the ground
moves under it,” said Jodie Jones, the Cap-
itol Accessibility, Maintenance and Safety
project director.
Major seismic upgrades are part of phase
3, now underway. Phase 2 has included seis-
mic work in the legislative office wings, hear-
ing rooms and underground parking garage.
Compared with what I’ve heard from
politicians, Jones offered a realistic answer
when I asked how a seismically reinforced
Capitol might fare in a 9.0 Cascadia quake.
“You can’t really just pick a number and
say this is seismically safe up to such-and-
such a level. The reason for that is, it all
depends on where the original earthquake
happens. What the epicenter of it is and
how close it is to where you are. How many
aftershocks,” she said.
“People always want to say, ‘Are you
safe to a Level 9?’ Well, I can’t say that
because a Level 9 under the building is dif-
ferent than a Level 9 that’s 50, 100, 300
miles away.”
When a quake happens, the seismic
upgrades have two aims: 1) Enable the
occupants to safely exit the building, and
2) Get the Capitol back up and running as
quickly as possible so the work of govern-
ment can continue, which is doubly import-
ant during a disaster.
All this is part of making the “People’s
House” safe for the people.
How to get in: The Capitol’s main
entrances are closed due to the construction,
but signs direct people to one door each on
the east and west sides.
Parking around the Capitol is prob-
lematic due to the construction and other
reserved spaces. Meanwhile, construction
continues across the street at the Justice
and Supreme Court buildings, although that
work should wrap up this year.
Jones said she appreciates the patience
shown by the public, legislators and
employees in dealing with the noise, dust
and inconvenience. Phase 3 requires the
1938 portion of the Capitol — including the
rotunda and governor, secretary of state and
treasurer offices — to be vacated for two
and a half years.
Still, she said, “We’re trying to get this
done as quickly as possible.”
And within budget and on time.
Other improvements: The half-bil-
lion-dollar project includes:
• Bringing the electrical, plumbing
and HVAC systems up to code, including
improved air circulation that meets the lat-
est standards.
• Improved lighting. LED is being
installed wherever possible, including the
Senate and House chambers.
• Two new staircases to the lower level,
which will be called the concourse instead
of the basement, and additional staircases
on the north side.
• Four additional hearing rooms, which
will be on the concourse level.
• A new, larger cafe for the public.
• A new private lounge for all legislators,
replacing separate eating areas for the Sen-
ate and House.
• Accessibility improvements through-
out, including building entrances and ramps
on the dais area of the Senate and House
chambers.
• Two new courtyards on the first floor,
replacing ones in the basement. The base-
ment is being gutted, so everything there is
being redone or moving, including the press
room.
• Fire-suppression systems and improved
fire-detection throughout the Capitol.
• Resealing and repairs throughout,
including exterior cleaning.
• Installation of an emergency generator
with expanded capacity.
Legislative schedule: Committees will
meet virtually for Legislative Days, Sept.
21-23. The Senate will have an in-person
floor session Sept. 23.
The Senate and House wings are open
to the public, including all member offices.
(Being a legislator theoretically is a part-
time job, so don’t count on finding your
lawmaker in the office during the interim.)
The format for the December Legislative
Days has not been announced.
Although virtual testimony options will
remain available, in-person committee
meetings are planned for the 2023 Legisla-
ture. Hearing Rooms A-F, 170 and 174 will
be available for committees, but not rooms
in the old part of the Capitol until construc-
tion finishes in late 2025.
The House and Senate chambers will be
open during legislative sessions. Jones said
public access will be limited for fire safety
due to construction.
———
Dick Hughes has been covering the
Oregon political scene since 1976.
OTHER VIEWS
John Nalivka
Federal
lands
grazing
challenge
G
razing is the foundation of the U.S.
beef industry. And, regardless of the
source, whether private or federal
lands, the total forage base of this country is
the single factor making the greatest contri-
bution to the success of the industry.
There are 770 million acres of rangeland
in the U.S. One half of those acres are pri-
vately owned while 43% are managed by
the federal Bureau of Land Management
and U.S. Forest Service. Grazing is permit-
ted on about 50% those federal lands.
Given that all grazing acres are critical to
the U.S. beef industry, I have always firmly
believed it is important to pay close atten-
tion to any appeal by the various environ-
mental groups to limit grazing on any of
these acres, regardless whether federal or
private.
While climate change may be the lead
headline to “justify” the elimination of cat-
tle grazing in the U.S., I recently read an
article that brought into focus another hot-
topic discussion — wolves — and tied it to
grazing. The article presented management
changes proposed by Oregon State Univer-
sity to increase the number of wolves and
beavers — I repeat, beavers. They have
added a new dimension to the discussion!
Remember gray wolves were put back
on the endangered species list in January
2021 after being delisted in October 2020.
OSU’s research paper was titled “Rewilding
the American West.”
Without going into the weeds of this arti-
cle concerning “rewilding” the habitat, there
were a couple of statements that I thought
truly stood out.
First, “the authors determined the most
common threat was livestock grazing,
which they say can cause stream and wet-
land degradation.”
A second statement was “we suggest the
removal of grazing on federal allotments
from approximately 285,000 square kilome-
ters within the ‘rewilding’ (my quotes) net-
work, representing 29% of total 985,000
square kilometers of federal lands in the 11
western states that are annually grazed.”
I would submit that whether it be wolves,
riparian areas, wild horses, climate change
or beavers, just to name a few, this is a seri-
ous continuation of the challenges faced
by cattlemen in the race to eliminate cattle
grazing.
The challenge to federal lands grazing
has been in the courts for decades and it is
far from ending. Cattlemen, whether graz-
ing federal or private land, must remain
vigilant to the challenge if the beef indus-
try is to remain a solid contributor to U.S.
agriculture, the food industry and the U.S.
economy.
———
John Nalivka is president and owner of
Sterling Marketing Inc., an agricultural
economic research and advisory firm in
Vale. He has provided market research and
advisory services for the livestock and meat
industries since 1991.
Take care of yourself and each other
IT’S ABOUT
HEALTH AND
WELLNESS
Ann Bloom
T
here’s a song with a line that
goes, “they say all good things
must end someday.”
And so, it is with me.
This is my last column for the Chief-
tain as a nutrition educator for the Ore-
gon State University Extension Service.
I will officially retire the end of this
month after almost 18 years with OSU.
To say it’s been the experience of a life-
time would be an understatement.
I’ve met some amazing people over
the years; some I am now happy to call
friends. I’ve learned a great deal, too.
When I started with Extension, I didn’t
know what the word “riparian” meant.
Now, I do. When I started, I didn’t
know the finer points of delivering a
calf — now I do, the basics anyway.
I’d still call the vet. But now, I have a
starter for dinner parties when there is a
lull in the conversation. Thank you, Jill.
Did I get it all right, all the time?
Hardly. I made plenty of mistakes along
the way; we all do. It’s part of learning.
A teacher I greatly admire, who is now
retired, had a sign in her classroom that
read: F.A.I.L. It means First Attempt In
Learning.
I have had the honor and privilege
of having worked with some remark-
able people. It would be hard to thank,
impossible really, each person without
running the risk of leaving someone out
(plus there is a limit to these columns).
So, one “thank you” will have to suf-
fice, and I’m sure those people know
who they are anyway. I’m grateful for
the support and love of my family,
for the faith the OSU Extension Ser-
vice showed by hiring me (and keep-
ing me) and for all the encouragement
and help I received along the way from
all the teachers and staff with whom I
worked. You are a wonderful and amaz-
ing group.
In reflecting on my time as a nutri-
tion educator for OSU Extension, I have
been asked some interesting questions
“OF ALL THE THINGS
I WILL MISS, I WILL
MISS YOU, THE
STUDENTS, MOST OF
ALL. YOU ARE THE
REASON I WANTED
TO GET UP EVERY
MORNING TO GO TO
WORK FOR THE LAST
17 PLUS YEARS.”
over the years. A few come to mind.
One student wanted to know if illegal
substances had calories. I had to throw
the teacher under the bus on that one.
Someone else wanted to know what
food group you put a coconut in. It’s
not a nut, so it doesn’t go in the protein
group where other nuts go. The “milk”
inside isn’t really milk, so it doesn’t
go in the dairy group where other milk
products go. So, what is it? It turns out
that a coconut is categorized as a fruit,
because it has more of the vitamins and
other characteristics of the fruit food
group. It’s also botanically considered
a seed and a nut. It gets a little confus-
ing to explain all that to a third grader,
so we just say it’s a fruit and let it go at
that.
To my students, I hope you have
learned a thing or two over the years
about nutrition. If anything, I hope you
have learned that there are no good or
bad foods, it’s all food. It’s about mak-
ing healthy choices (as in it’s OK to
have one or two cookies, just don’t eat
the whole bag at once). That it’s import-
ant, in addition to eating a healthy diet,
to get enough physical activity. And, to
enjoy your food. Eating good food is
one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Of all the things I will miss, I will
miss you, the students, most of all. You
are the reason I wanted to get up every
morning to go to work for the last 17
plus years. You made it fun, interesting,
challenging, funny and, at times, even
heartbreaking. Working with you was
never dull. I’ll miss the “I love yous,”
the hugs and the sound of your voices
and laughter. I’ll miss the sound of your
feet running down the hall. I’ll miss
seeing your artwork along the walls. I’ll
miss your funny stories and jokes.
I’ll still be around, though. As we all
know, once Wallowa County gets into
your soul, it never leaves. I’ll be writing
and I’ll be doing some traveling. So,
in closing, as my favorite news anchor,
Lester Holt would say — “please take
care of yourself and each other.”
———
Ann Bloom lives in Enterprise and has
worked for the OSU Extension Service
for 18 years as a nutrition educator. She
studied journalism and education at
Washington State University.