SALEM — The Oregon Legislature again is playing the role of early Santa Claus as the 2021 session winds up, with plenty of projects in Eastern Oregon on the path to receive big dole outs.

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means is considering House Bill 5006 — the “Christmas Tree Bill” that is the collection of local projects and programs that buoy individual lawmakers. The bill is especially large this year because of $240 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

In Umatilla, a $1.8 million appropriation will help fund the Minority Entrepreneurial Development & Business Center. The Port of Morrow is getting $4.3 million for a training facility. And the spending bill includes $1.75 million for a long-anticipated renovation of the Umatilla County Jail.

Umatilla City Manager David Stockdale said the city is planning to create the approximately 21,000-square-foot center by adding on to and remodeling the former post office building on Sixth Street next to city hall. He called it a “one stop shop” for business in Umatilla.

“We should provide all the tools people need to grow their business,” he said.

The city’s community development department will be housed in the building, giving people a place to access building permits, business permits and more.

The first floor of the two-story building will contain more than 2,500 square feet of “business incubator” space where entrepreneurs can start their own business. Stockdale said they’ll be given space at “significantly under market value” while they get their business up and running in exchange for agreeing to participate in trainings at the center that will help them develop skills to make their business more successful.

The second story will have more permanent commercial tenants to help drive foot traffic to the newer businesses downstairs. The building will include space for trainings, community events and private events, with a commercial kitchen. Part of the business center project also will include free Wi-Fi and water, sewer and electric hookups for food trucks at Village Square park outside. The final piece of the project is street improvements to I Street and the alley along the building.

Stockdale said the city has been working with the federal Economic Development Administration, and it looks like it will be able to get a $3 million grant from there, in addition to the $1.8 million from the state, an additional $2.5 million the city has saved up and possibly some additional economic development funding from Umatilla County.

“I think it’s pretty remarkable to get an $8 million project done without borrowing a penny to do it,” Stockdale said.

If all goes well with getting the EDA funding, he expects construction to start in early 2022 and wrap up in summer of 2023.

Port of Morrow Manager Ryan Neal said the $4.3 million for the Cultural Alliance and Training Center at SAGE will “provide a community space to assist our regional education and industry partners with additional programs and events,” including workforce initiatives, continuing education, regional conferences and youth programs.

Both Neal and Stockdale expressed their appreciation to Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, for his efforts in helping them fund the projects.

Jail funding returns

Local officials have been pushing for state funding for years to renovate the Umatilla County Jail to accommodate people suffering addiction or mental health crises. County Commissioner George Murdock called the allocation an exciting development.

“We’re going to be able to have all the facilities that we need to handle the population that we’re now seeing on a daily basis at the jail,” he said.

The new facilities will allow jail staff to separate people struggling with mental health or addiction from people who have been arrested for violent crimes, which Murdock sees as a major benefit.

The renovation is part of an ongoing effort in the county to relieve law enforcement of mental health responsibilities and replace them with trained professionals. The county is also trying to create more recovery facilities for people struggling with mental health or substance abuse.

Murdock called the approval of the jail renovation funds “a nod in that direction of providing us with the help we need.”

“We still are not perceiving it as our long-term solution for mental health,” Murdock said. “But it’s the only alternative we have at the moment as a place to house mental health patients.”

The $1.6 million project was originally approved in 2020 provided by the sale of lottery bonds. But when the pandemic hit, those lottery funds suffered a steep decline, killing funding for dozens of state projects like the jail renovation. Then the price of materials increased, forcing the county to go back and get a second approval to approve the renovation.

“This has been a long, long process,” Murdock said, adding that the county has already made the necessary designs and preparations for the project to begin. He expects construction to begin sometime next year.

For Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, getting the project the funding it needed after years of lobbying was rewarding.

“It’s a good reminder to stick with it,” he said. “We thought we had it, but then the pandemic came, over which we had absolutely no control. We were able to resubmit it, but the need was always there. It’s another example of a team effort.”

Other projects

The city of Echo is getting a bit more than $7 million for water and wastewater improvements. City Administrator David Slaght said seeking the funding was the first time he had lobbied for anything, so he didn’t expect much, and he and the city council were thrilled with the results.

“We’re super excited,” he said. “I’m still numb that it’s even happening.”

The $1.5 million for wastewater improvements will help the city pay back money it borrowed for a soon-to-begin project that includes dredging Echo’s wastewater ponds, placing fountains in the ponds to help water evaporate faster, and building a pipe to send extra recycled water to Stanfield when needed.

The $5.53 million for water improvements will cover a range of projects in the city’s new master plan, Slaght said, including replacing aged water meters and possibly adding a new water tower.

And the Facility for Agricultural Resource Management project at Blue Mountain Community College, Pendleton, is getting a $3 million grant. The entire cost of the multi-use facility at the Pendleton campus is about $13 million. The structure would allow the college’s rodeo team to practice in the winter, provide teaching space and another space for community events. Connie Green, the college’s interim president, said this is a “long-term commitment to do something that benefits all, not just one.”

— East Oregonian news editor Phil Wright contributed to this article.