PENDLETON — Funding for two regional projects are back in Gov. Kate Brown’s budget proposal, but success is still far from certain.

In 2018, both Blue Mountain Community College’s FARM II facility and a Umatilla County Jail renovation project were proposed by the governor and approved by the Oregon Legislature. But both projects had their funding tied to Oregon Lottery revenues, and with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many video poker machines to go dark, the states told local governments over the summer that the money wasn’t available.

Despite the setback, local legislators and political leaders continued to lobby the governor’s office on funding the projects in the 2021 legislative session, a tactic that paid off when she included $13.7 million for FARM II and $1.8 million for the jail renovation in her Tuesday, Dec. 1, budget announcement.

“It has been a long haul full of hopes and frustrations, and while being in the initial budget proposal isn’t a sure thing, in the long run, it is certainly an important milestone,” a Wednesday, Dec. 2, city of Pendleton press release states.

The three legislators that will represent Northeast Oregon in the upcoming session were all pleased the governor included the two projects in her budget proposal.

Bobby Levy, the Republican representative-elect for Oregon House District 58, said they were among the projects she advocated for when House Minority Leader Christine Drazan solicited input on capital construction projects.

Levy said FARM II, a proposed agricultural classroom building combined with an indoor rodeo arena west of the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds, would be an important tool to bringing new students to BMCC. And the Umatilla County Jail renovations would provide new infrastructure for people dealing with mental health issues, she said.

“Mental health is huge in our state,” Levy said. “We have a crisis.”

Although political lines are already being drawn over issues like funding for hospitals and the Oregon Department of Corrections, State Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, said these projects would only compete with other capital construction projects if they continued to be tied with lottery funds.

Hansell said there’s been discussion about prioritizing projects that have already been vetted and approved by the Legislature, which would benefit the two projects in Pendleton.

Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock, a member of the local group that lobbied for the projects, said another point in favor for the jail renovation is the county has already done the planning for the project and is in position to start construction as soon as it secures the funding.

“We can’t start tomorrow, but we’d be darn close,” he said.

But Hansell said no one knows what the 2021 legislative session will look like during the pandemic, and lawmakers will still need to look at upcoming budget forecasts before making financial decisions.

Having seen FARM II funding fall short before, BMCC President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier said he was “cautiously optimistic” the college would secure the money.

State Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, will play a significant role in shepherding the projects through the Legislature through his position on the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.

While he supports both projects, Smith said there will be dozens of other legislators with projects of their own to contend with.

When the projects come before him on Ways and Means, Smith said he plans to evaluate each project on its merit, regardless of whether it was approved in the last session.

And while being included in the governor’s budget can be a huge boost to a capital construction project or initiative, he said the budget that emerges from the Legislature can be significantly different, referencing the old adage, “The governor proposes, the Legislature disposes.”