PENDLETON — Private sector activity may have slowed down, but public projects are still moving forward, particularly at Pendleton City Hall and Blue Mountain Community College.

Late last week, work crews from Silver Creek Contracting began working on repairing the staircases to the Vert Auditorium, which was jointly funded by the Pendleton Development Commission and a state grant that was obtained by the Pendleton Downtown Association.

Members of the Pendleton City Council approved the nearly $103,000 project last year, but the project has been gestating for months as the city figured out what the grant would and wouldn’t cover, according to a report from commission Associate Director Charles Denight.

The project now covers the repair of the crumbling steps that lead to the Vert’s main entrance and the Southwest Fourth Street entrance, in addition to a disability access ramp.

The old staircases were heavily damaged from years of weathering deicing chemicals. Acting as the development commission, the council will consider adding $5,400 to its local match for the contractor to install heating coils underneath the entrance steps to keep the steps clear during the winter without use of salt or other chemicals.

Facilities Manager Glenn Graham said the city is using the opportunity of Silver Creek being on-site to have crews do work outside the grant around the city hall block.

Graham said some of the other projects include an access ramp to the Pendleton Recreation Center, some brick removal near the rec center, and new stairs to the Foundation Room.

While the pandemic has negatively affected residents and businesses around Pendleton, Graham said the slowdown has actually worked to the advantage of the city hall projects because there’s less foot traffic to deal with.

Graham said the deadline for the grant-funded projects is June 27, but he anticipates the work will be done well in advance.

Across town at BMCC, the college is tearing down its tennis court rather than trying to repair it.

Casey White-Zollman, BMCC’s vice president of college relations and advancement, said the court had been inactive for about a decade and had become a bit of an “eyesore.”

White-Zollman said BMCC maintenance crews are handling the demolition while Pendleton Electric is removing the light poles from the court.

In exchange for keeping the light poles for itself, White-Zollman said Pendleton Electric is doing new lighting for the road leading up to the college and the BMCC sign.

“We’re taking advantage of some good timing,” she said.

Once the court is gone, White-Zollman said the college plans to leave the ground bare and let it return to a grassy area.