LOCAL NEWS

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Friday, September 30, 2005

National Forest looks for space with CSEPP

By Terry Murry
of the East Oregonian

PENDLETON — The Umatilla National Forest is exploring the possibility of relocating its Interagency Communications Center to the CSEPP facility in Pendleton.

The Umatilla County Commissioners heard a report on the issue from Emergency Management Director Tom Groat.

County officials have met with Bill Aney, the fire and aviation staff officer of the Umatilla National Forest, to discuss the feasibility of the relocation.

Groat told the commissioners that the CSEPP facility can’t provide the ICC with the square footage it requires for its operations.

Aney estimated his dispatch service would require 1,500 square feet for its dispatchers and another 500 square feet for office space. That much space is not available on a continuous basis at CSEPP, which is housed at the Umatilla County Justice Center off Westgate.

“We were very interested in this proposal for several reasons,” Groat said. When CSEPP finishes dismantling and burning the weapons at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, they will also cease to pay $55,000 to $60,000 a month for the Pendleton facility, he said. The Umatilla National Forest would have paid $30,000 a year to lease the space.

The Umatilla National Forest needs to find housing for the dispatch center by the end of October, Aney said.

While Groat said there was theoretically enough room, if everything is normal, he said both parties felt it would be untenable if a large wildfire occurred at the same time an emergency occurred at the Depot.

“Conceptually, I think it’s a great idea,” Aney said. “But the timing is off.”

“If we were down to where we just had mustard gas left (to burn), I’d be willing to entertain it,” Commissioner Doherty said. “We would be subjecting ourselves to a lot of criticism for using the space built with federal funds (if an emergency occurred).”

Aney is required by federal policy to find space that would offer a 10-year lease. The commissioners said they hoped, when that lease was running out, that he would reconsider the CSEPP location.

The Umatilla National Forest’s communications center is located in the supervisor’s office.

In other action the commissioners:

• Approved the Sheriff’s Department taking $25,000 from its contingency fund for use in the civil section of the budget, due to unforeseen circumstances.

• Instructed staff to recommend three people to serve on a committee established by the Oregon Department of Forestry to study wildland fires in interface areas.

• Approved allowing county employees to donate one day of vacation to the fund established to help county and parish employees in the areas impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, if the employees’ unions also agree. They have agreed verbally, Commissioner Hansell said.