The Oregon.gov law defines the purpose of urban renewal as to “act on plans and projects to remove blight. Examples of blight include buildings that are unsafe or unfit for occupancy or the existence of inadequate streets.” That description fits the Edwards Apartments to a “T” — unfit for occupancy and empty for decades.

After first ignoring the issue, a solution was finally reached. With a few cosmetic changes, and despite remaining uninhabitable, they simply declared the building “unblighted.”

How rebuilding Til Taylor Park qualifies as “blighted” property is a mystery. To justify this project, a video was produced to show how unsafe the playground equipment was for young children.

The Pendleton Development Commission (PDC), in this particular project, is fully funding a new dog park. However, grants for roof replacement on historic buildings are off limits. A building without a sound roof eventually becomes an empty money pit, much like the Rivoli Theater.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on Pendleton’s restaurants. It’s being suggested that the PDC provide grants to those restaurants on the verge of failure. The PDC funds urban renewal projects through bank loans repaid with those property taxes. Funding for the Economic Development Department is from the city’s regular operating budget. A review of that budget would find that the City Hall probably spends far more on toilet paper and overhead for management of the URD than the Economic Development Department.

Blight elimination, with economic development as a byproduct, should be PDC’s role within city government. City management has created a slush fund using urban renewal funding for projects that have nothing to do with blight elimination.

Perhaps it’s time to consolidate Pendleton’s economic development under a single program. Use Steve Chrisman, a man with a proven record, and create a fully-funded department solely focused on job one. Every well-run organization has a contingency fund. Why are our leaders not using “ours?”

Rick Rohde

Pendleton