Business View Civil & Municipal l November 2022

28 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 PREFERRED VENDORS/PARTNERS n Umatilla Electric Cooperative www.umatillaelectric.com façade grant opportunities for business owners up to 50 percent of their costs with a cap of $10,000. That city hall was relocated downtown, making it a staple of that community, and providing business owners in the district with direct access to city contacts. “We want our downtown to be an epicenter of this region,” Smith says. “It is becoming a destination community with new business activities as well.” As part of the creation of the Hermiston 2040 visioning plan the city is hoping to find the right balance between steady growth and residential comfort. Adding sustainable infrastructure is important given the relatively remote location compared to large cities in Oregon like Portland, Eugene, and Salem. The new city hall for example includes a solar array on its roof that can power that building for the majority of the year, save for some unseasonable hot days. New EV charging stations were added to some of the redone parking lots downtown that is being used daily, Smith says. Future plans include the construction of an indoor aquatic facility, likely in conjunction with the nearby city of Umatilla. Other investments to preserve yet provide reasonable access to outdoor attractions will also continue. “We have the perfect mix (of outdoor beauty and convenient amenities) for our residents and employers but we have to continue to maintain that balance,” Smith says.