BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
Umatilla county says goodbye to exotic dancers
IN THE WORKS
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Photo contributed by Larry Fetter
A rendering shows a draft of what the Funland playground will look
like, although parks and recreation director Larry Fetter said designers
are still making adjustments.
New playground
coming this fall
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
S
ome projects
in Hermis-
ton have been
put on hold thanks
to COVID-19, but
Jade
Larry Fetter, direc-
McDowell
NEWS EDITOR
tor of Hermiston’s
parks and recreation
department, says the new Funland
playground at Butte Park is still
expected to fi nish this fall.
Playgrounds will remain closed
under Phase One of the state’s
reopening plan, so the parks
department is keeping their fi n-
gers crossed that Umatilla Coun-
ty’s COVID-19 numbers are good
enough to move on to higher
phases this fall, since, as Fetter
said, it would be sad for the city to
fi nish a brand new playground, and
then have to tell children they’re
not allowed to play on it yet.
The rendering attached to this
column shows a general idea of
what the new playground will look
like, although tweaks are still being
made to the design and colors.
Playcraft Systems of Grants Pass
is doing most of the work on the
playground, with some specialty
pieces, such as the giant water-
melon slice being manufactured by
a company in Colorado.
The city got about $700,000
from its insurance company after
the former Funland playground
burned down, and Fetter said local
companies and individuals have
contributed another $700,000 so
far. Engraved fence pickets are still
for sale, at $100 for an individ-
ual or family’s name and $250 for
a business name, online at bit.ly/
funlandpicket.
Look for more information
about who donated and more
details about the playground’s fi nal
design in a future edition of the
Hermiston Herald.
Hermiston is also getting a new
Vietnamese restaurant, although it
is unclear when it will open. A sign
went up on the former Walker’s
Farm Kitchen building at 920 SE
Fourth St. near Rite Aid this spring
announcing Pho Quan Vietnamese
cuisine coming soon.
Michael Dang and Vandal Dang
registered the business with the
Secretary of State in January. I’ve
reached out to them about their
plans, but haven’t heard back yet.
I’m also waiting to hear from
the new owners of the former
Mike’s Market building on 905 W
Hermiston Ave. Renovations are
currently underway to transform it
into Pepe’s Market.
The business was recently reg-
istered with the Secretary of State
by Rafael Muniz.
Maxwell Market, Hermis-
ton’s farmers market, is currently
in talks with Umatilla County offi -
cials about what will be allowed
when the market opens. Stay tuned
for more information next week
about plans for this year’s season,
which organizers plan to go ahead
with in some form.
The Riverside Sports Bar has
been closed for COVID-19, but once
it reopens it will no longer feature
exotic dancers.
The change means Umatilla will be
strip club-free for the fi rst time since
the Riverside opened in 1994. When
the town got its third adult entertain-
ment business in 2014, it caused out-
cry from residents who petitioned the
city council to fi nd a way to keep that
category of business out.
Riverside owner Daren Dufl oth
said he and his wife Paulette have
been aware of the discomfort that
some people in the community felt
over the issue, and they had been
talking for “many years” about
removing the lounge section of the
bar. When COVID-19 presented an
opportunity to spend some time reno-
vating the building, it seemed like the
right time to fi nally take the stage out.
“We’re moving forward to a fami-
ly-friendly environment,” he said.
The Dufl oths aren’t guaranteeing
that side of the business will be gone
forever — they could reassess some-
time in the future if their new busi-
ness model isn’t working out. But for
the foreseeable future, the shiny gold
poles have come down, and will stay
down when the rest of the business
reopens.
Dufl oth said once things “get back
to normal” the newly renovated for-
mer lounge area will provide a gath-
ering space for community events,
business meetings or private parties.
They’re also “revamping” the
menu, creating more of a bistro feel,
and are looking at changing their
name in the coming months.
“We’re very, very excited about
it,” he said.
Photo contributed by Riverside Sports Bar
The lounge at Riverside Sports Bar is currently undergoing a remodel,
including removal of the stage and poles previously used by dancers.
For now, they’re closed com-
pletely, but Dufl oth said they plan to
open back up for takeout around May
18.
The Dufl oth family has owned the
Umatilla business since opening it in
1994. They have been active in sports
boosters, Little League and other
Umatilla organizations, and Daren
previously served as a city councilor,
and then mayor.
He said he understood that there
were people in town that respected
their family for those activities, but
not so much for the adult entertain-
ment side of their business. So he’s
happy now to provide a business
model that is “more palatable to the
community.”
Umatilla School District Super-
intendent Heidi Sipe said she was
thrilled to hear the news. She is one
of those Umatilla residents who has
expressed respect and friendship with
the Dufl oths, but didn’t like the exotic
dancing side of their business.
Sipe and her husband bought out
Umatilla’s other strip club, Honey
Bunnz Hideout, in December, and
rented out the building to a gift shop,
a barbecue restaurant and a fruteria
that is waiting for approval from the
health department to open.
“Our intent was to make sure there
were no adult-themed businesses in
such close proximity to the schools,”
she said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Daren
and Paulette posted a live video to the
Riverside’s Facebook page, show-
ing the dance poles and center stage
being removed.
“We have been closed for seven
weeks now, it will be eight weeks
on Monday,” Paulette told viewers.
“There’s a lot to consider when a busi-
ness has been shut down for this long,
and everything that has surrounded
the reopen with all the restrictions
that have come about ... We at the
Riverside have not taken this down-
time for granted. We’ve done a lot
of remodeling, we’ve done a whole
bunch of fresh new things here and
we still have a lot of projects and a lot
of things still to go.”
county to either keep their jobs or
return to them.
Pendleton businesses received
a majority of the bank’s loans
within the county, with $1.54 mil-
lion through 20 loans. Statewide,
Umpqua helped businesses secure
$750 million in loans to help them
continue paying employees during
COVID-19.
Umpqua is one of several
lenders in Umatilla County that
qualifi ed to process Paycheck
Protection Loans.
According to the Small Business
Administration, which administers
the loans, the second round of the
PPP handed out more than $3.8 bil-
lion to 18,732 business in Oregon,
while the fi rst round awarded more
than $3 billion to 31,119 Oregon
businesses.
Nationally, a total of $530 billion
has been handed out to more than
4.2 million businesses since the
program was announced.
IN BRIEF
Thirty-fi ve Umatilla County
businesses got PPP loans
through Umpqua Bank
Thirty-fi ve Umatilla County
businesses have received Paycheck
Protection Loans through Umpqua
Bank so far.
The bank reported May 8 that
the forgivable federal loans, autho-
rized through the stimulus pack-
age known as the CARES Act, has
allowed about 300 workers in the
5
STEPS
FOR
SAFE
DIGGING
Working on an outdoor project? Careless digging poses a threat to people, pipelines and underground
facilities. Always call 8-1-1 first. Here are five easy steps for safe digging:
Source: call811.com
1. NOTIFY
Call 8-1-1 or make a request
online two to three days
before your work begins.
The operator will notify the
utilities affected by your
project.
2. WAIT
Wait two to three days for affected
utilities to respond to your request.
They will send a locator to mark any
underground utility lines.
2-3
3. CONFIRM
C
Confirm
that all affected utilities have
responded t to your request by comparing
marks to the list of utilities the 8-1-1
the mar
call c center notified.
4. RESPECT
Respect the markers provided by
the affected utilities. The markers
are your guide for the duration of
your project.
5. DIG CAREFULLY
If you can’t avoid digging near the
markers (within 18-24 inches on
all sides, depending on state laws),
consider moving your project location.
Hermiston Office
750 W. Elm Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 567-6414
Boardman Office
400 N.E. Eldrige Drive
Boardman, OR 97818
(541) 481-2220
www.UmatillaElectric.com