[8:18] did that. That review was success
[8:28] Uh we actually got a commendation for
being embedded in the community and
[8:33] being a good community partner. And I
think um
[8:37] I think the results of that um can be
shown in myriad ways, but one of them I
[8:41] think is joining together this evening
to discuss issues um and um
[8:47] all the services that we actually
provide. Uh we gave you all a kind of
[8:52] two-pager here on this economic study
that we recently had completed
[8:57] for Eastern Oregon University. And I
think what it leads up to you is how
[9:03] critical we are to this community and
its economic well-being. As you can see
[9:08] here, uh we're investing $9 million
annually in capital projects that
[9:13] directly result in local work, local
contractors, construction workers,
[9:19] suppliers, professional services, and
over 45 million just between 2021 and
[9:25] 2025.
So, in addition to commencement, there
[9:29] are these long-term investments in our
community that we see over and over
[9:34] again year over year.
I also wanted to share some of that
[9:37] larger economic impact outside of our
capital improvements, which you can see
[9:42] right next to that first box on the
right. Uh we're one of the largest
[9:46] employers in the community, and that
means that we're generating about a $76
[9:50] million economic impact just within
Union County, supporting 830 jobs that
[9:56] are again keeping this community lively
and supported.
[10:01] Again, as I mentioned commencement at
the beginner, we have nearly 20,000
[10:06] visitors come to this community every
year. And again, they need a flat tire
[10:11] and they
>> [laughter]
[10:13] » may have have other issues. They may
need a pair of glasses.
[10:17] Um and all of this is going to result in
uh business for the community. You can
[10:22] see some of our our top majors there.
So, we're also supporting the community
[10:27] in the development of jobs.
And then, if you turn the page, I would
[10:31] also point out to you um one of the
things that really impressed
[10:36] our our accreditors is our support for
youth and education in Union County and
[10:41] in fact in all of Eastern Oregon through
projects like those STEM, which make
[10:46] actual science materials available to
small communities and larger
[10:51] communities. Our reading clinic is
helping support the literacy rates of
[10:55] youth, which as we know in this state
have been declining dreadfully. And so,
[10:59] we're really embracing teacher education
as well as student tutoring in new and
[11:04] meaningful ways. Um there's listed here
the FLBA, FFA, STEM, but also athletics
[11:11] isn't even listed on this. The number of
visitors we just bring to this community
[11:15] through athletics. And to be clear, we
are dominating. We are number one in the
[11:20] Cascade Collegiate Conference for all
sports right now. And as a result of
[11:25] that, we were able to host more schools
coming to this community to use our
[11:30] services and compete. When we're not
number one, they go to other
[11:34] universities and and the games are
hosted there. So, we're really playing a
[11:39] a vital role in bringing those two
communities and helping to lift this
[11:44] community up.
Now into the deep end, John.
[11:48] Um our board has just approved
um additional capital project spending.
[11:54] This spending will come from what we
call auxiliaries. So, it doesn't come
[11:58] from dollars, for example,
it will come from auxiliary and sports
[12:03] lottery dollars that come to the
university via the state.
[12:08] And we have a pretty tight budget. And
as a result, we are creating a pretty
[12:14] pared-down ball field complex. So, right
now, um our men's volleyball does not
[12:20] play on campus, and this poses real
issues in terms of our ability to host
[12:25] games, to bring other students into the
community. It also poses issue in terms
[12:31] of travel costs for the university.
It's hard to attract students when you
[12:36] share a space with others. So, having um
a facility of our own will help us
[12:41] attract better baseball Well, not
better, but um
[12:44] more holistic
baseball athletes. And I'm not sure how
[12:49] much each of you keeps up with the AU
sports, but softball has been a national
[12:53] a national player for several years now.
And so, we're also upgrading that
[12:58] facility. As John has mentioned, him and
Director Weisenfluh, our athletic
[13:03] director, have been talking about some
of the issues that this project raises.
[13:07] There is a water main that runs through
sort of the eye of the softball field
[13:14] and then right alongside the outside of
where the baseball field will be
[13:18] located. This is a critical
critical line for
[13:24] uh La Grande residents. And
um you know, we are looking to have a
[13:30] partnership and a collaboration with the
city.
[13:33] Um we have to do a lot of infrastructure
work in that field to ready it for the
[13:39] ballpark. Uh
so, for example, our EOU softball team,
[13:43] one of the only major games that they
lost this year is when they were forced
[13:48] to move from our softball facility to
the Grands. And while I don't blame the
[13:53] Grands facility for it, there were, you
know, that's kind of upsetting to to the
[13:58] team, right? They're used to playing on
this field, and and I think it created
[14:01] some some issues in in their flow. And
so, we need to do infrastructure work to
[14:06] make sure there's no flooding there. Um
but the excavation does go below the
[14:10] existing water main line. And so, this
is going to cause issues in the longer
[14:15] term, particularly once we have the turf
up. Um if you have issues with your
[14:20] water line through those facilities,
you're not going to want to have to go
[14:23] through our softball and baseball
fields. That's going to be a
[14:27] considerable expense. And so, we had
hoped to have a conversation with John,
[14:33] um
and and others about um collaborating on
[14:37] this to reduce costs, so that we can
successfully get this field up and
[14:42] running for play. And that was what I
was going to share with John. And if
[14:45] you'd like to
>> Yeah, so um going back a few weeks ago,
[14:50] we met and had some conversation on it.
Um
[14:54] the uh and
>> White Foot?
[14:57] » Yeah, White Foot um met with us.
Um absolutely shared what their budget
[15:01] looked like that was going to allow to
be able to contribute to the work in
[15:05] that
um in that effort.
[15:07] Um
unfortunately, the estimates that we're
[15:10] getting in regards to materials um are
significantly higher than what they they
[15:15] appear to have to be able to come to the
table with.
[15:18] Um and so, that's where some of the rub
is. But I can tell you this our team is
[15:22] eager to find ways to be able to make
sure that we can be those good partners
[15:27] that they need us to be
while at the same time making sure that
[15:30] we're covering the costs that we have.
We're not talking about just simply the
[15:33] work costs
but most more of anything from our side
[15:37] of it the material costs.
But I'll pause there for a second and
[15:40] let Kyle
and his team talk about that here.
[15:48] » He doesn't want the camera on him.
>> But I'll listen over here closely to
[15:51] whoever's talking to me. He's already on
camera.
[15:55] » So
we did have the meeting with Angie and
[15:57] what I discussed with him
as John said you know I know public
[16:01] works is always
for senior your project's success.
[16:08] The the biggest difficulty that I run
into in my position in public works is
[16:13] this was a similar stance to what we had
in the freshman year.
[16:18] Is that my job is not to let the other
people influence the project that we're
[16:22] needing to
And so looking at the opportunities in
[16:26] which I can come forward without putting
the burden of the cost of this
[16:29] not putting the cost of
moving this thing onto my rate payers.
[16:34] It's it's looking at things like you
know
[16:37] paying actual costs versus estimates.
Getting the the approval of council to
[16:42] go away from one of my ordinances and
things how we operate.
[16:45] Trying to find any
overlaps in those things. But I know
[16:50] based on our original estimates
I think Jake had an agreement this last
[16:54] week where we're at 90,000 just parts.
[17:01] It's a it's a significant amount.
Um on top of that is it's we did I think
[17:07] we did have a discussion with Angie and
John
[17:10] John Barwick who's the head of
maintenance and
[17:13] facilities and things.
And
[17:16] we began that conversation. I want to
say around November.
[17:19] And so we got the real go-ahead
somewhere
[17:22] in the last two or three months.
[17:25] We didn't figure it through our
budgeting process.
[17:27] So I'm not saying it's impossible but if
we find a way to move forward but
[17:31] it was definitely one that we didn't
figure into the
[17:35] table in the previous 12 months.
So
[17:38] those are those are initial figures that
we got.
[17:41] But
I always like to end on a good note.
[17:45] Again, we we are a good partner as I
said. We showed up on your house.
[17:49] We will push out this project forward
and we stand behind it from a public
[17:52] utilities
and we'll do it again. We shall do it to
[17:57] the best of our abilities because we do
want
[17:59] the partnership between our
organizations grow and
[18:02] better and watch you guys find success.
>> How long do you think you need to get
[18:08] permits for such a project?
>> Easy peasy think about.
[18:13] I'm not 100% sure. We talked about how
much footage but we just ordered
[18:18] and I want to say that it took
around two months.
[18:23] » It's been a long time.
A year and a
[18:25] » Yes,
it is. It's slowly crawling to that.
[18:30] » So when is this project
supposed to be
[18:33] » As soon as the fairgrounds are complete
the
[18:36] the
company is going to come over and start
[18:39] their work you know, obviously we can
work a little bit around the timeline of
[18:44] the city to get this project under
undertaken. But of course EAU just
[18:49] simply can't pay the entire cost of
moving the water main line for all of
[18:53] the
We're one of the rate payers as well.
[18:55] We're more than happy again to
collaborate on costs but we won't be
[19:00] able to lift up the entire project.
We simply just don't have the funds and
[19:04] so you know like I said we're we're
happy to work on timelines and we're
[19:08] happy to work on even locations of the
lines um that are most cost effective
[19:15] for the city.
But I think you know, we need this
[19:18] conversations to move I think sooner
rather than later and
[19:23] find ways that that no one is kind of
over burdened with the project.
[19:29] » So we're moving the water main
with moving the water main because I'm
[19:33] moving it to a narrow street or is it
moving it around the ball park?
[19:38] » Yeah, we'd be moving it from through
the ball park area over to the right
[19:43] away along
C and Gifford.
[19:46] So it's
Yeah, it's the proposal
[19:49] that has been put out there is to to
bring it along the right away of C
[19:53] down to C and then along
C Avenue.
[19:55] So
>> And we're okay with it still remaining
[19:58] on parts of our property too as well.
We're not saying, "Hey, you have to move
[20:01] that."
You know, we we're part of this
[20:04] community, too. But we just need it
to not run through the property.
[20:10] But And you don't want it there, either.
I mean, trust me, you don't want it
[20:12] there, either.
>> Has that been a problem? Has that been
[20:14] an issue? I mean,
with what I've been going through this
[20:17] year and
>> We have massive drainage issues out
[20:20] there. Whether or not your water pipe is
causing it, I am not the right person to
[20:24] ask. Um John is an engineer, he would be
able to know more about it. To the best
[20:28] of my knowledge, your water line is is
okay. I feel like some of your residents
[20:33] would have noticed because it is at such
a critical juncture. I feel like you
[20:36] probably would have heard complaints.
But we do have just massive drainage
[20:41] issues out there. Um and that's why we
have to go deeper even than the water
[20:46] pipe. But I'm not aware of your pipe
having existing issues out there.
[20:51] » Yeah, for the most part. I mean, you can
get small trickle leaks.
[20:54] » Yeah, I mean, I don't know if you can
get
[20:58] » [laughter]
>> Yeah.
[21:02] » How long has that main line been there?
It's been there for a long time before
[21:06] it was built, before Maple Street was
constructed.
[21:09] » Yeah, and he was in well before that.
>> 40 40 plus years.
[21:12] » It was before we even had that property,
before we even bought that.
[21:17] » That used to be
a street. There used to be houses back
[21:21] there.
>> Yeah.
[21:22] » I had no idea.
>> Can you give us an estimate?
[21:26] » What's the plan?
>> I assume you have an estimate that would
[21:29] be encompassing for that.
>> For with the equipment and material.
[21:33] » And you've got labor and everything else
in there.
[21:36] » Yeah.
>> So, what are we
[21:38] » Okay.
>> Bottom line number was around 260,
[21:41] 265, 270.
[21:45] » That's costly.
>> Do you know how much of that the
[21:48] university can contribute?
>> When we met with Andy, um she said that
[21:52] the
absolute worst-case scenario ceiling for
[21:56] them would be 175.
>> Yes, it's extremely generous.
[22:05] So, basically, you're talking about
$100,000.
[22:08] » That's on the estimates, though.
So, that's where That was where some of
[22:12] our conversation was
difficult, too, is because we're trying
[22:15] hard to make sure we're giving good
estimates, but it's very possible that
[22:19] it could end up costing more than
desired. We do the best we can to make
[22:22] it cheaper,
but there's some things we can't
[22:25] control.
>> Timeline's not going to be
[22:28] » Um when we spoke about it, we all felt
like we could meet the timeline, no
[22:32] problem.
>> Um did you guys have a goal to have it
[22:35] all be done by November, right?
>> Yeah.
[22:36] » Yeah.
>> Well, I I was thinking
[22:38] for grants or other things that you can
apply for.
[22:41] » Oh.
>> Yeah, and we hadn't
[22:44] We hadn't found I mean, we we do a
pretty good job, I would say, scouring
[22:48] for grants for for work, and
this
[22:52] I think athletic complexes are not
great for great investments, generally
[22:57] speaking.
Do you want to speak to that?
[23:00] » Yeah.
Yeah.
[23:01] » Well, this isn't revenue generating, and
so it would be hard to get grants for
[23:04] it.
[23:42] So, you're you're replacing
new pipes with old pipes.
[23:48] They're old. But, I know but you're What
here means replace with new, you're
[23:53] hooking up the new to the old. Is that
No problem. Okay.
[24:04] No, no, no. I'm not saying to reuse
them. I'm just saying wouldn't that open
[24:08] up more issues?
I mean, they can always potentially open
[24:12] them up, but not like
[24:22] So, how long will
[24:25] What do we have? 2,000 lineal feet I
think we estimated.
[24:58] So, I have a question. So, basically if
you do move the water line
[25:02] basically it just affects EOU, no
residents whatsoever during that time
[25:08] with their water and all that stuff. Is
that what you're saying or
[25:13] » It would be a short
>> It would probably it would be very
[25:15] minimal. I mean,
a day. Some residents may be out of
[25:19] water to do certain tie-ins, but as far
as the overall construction, no.
[25:23] » I think the idea is that
the
[25:26] water isn't turned off from this side
until the new one is put in and so there
[25:31] isn't that
disruption.
[25:34] » But so far it would be a couple of days
is what you're talking about.
[25:37] » To do the tie-ins. That's all.
>> Yeah.
[25:39] » So, there would be a couple of days
you'd be out of water.
[25:50] » So, I guess what we're trying to
eventually have to discuss is if it's
[25:54] going to be a good fit in our budget or
not. You know, we need to stay with the
[25:58] water lines and stuff, right?
>> With the self-enterprise funds,
[26:02] um
we do have a healthy enterprise fund.
[26:06] Um
the question is is
[26:08] do we Are we okay with
um
[26:12] utilizing funds that
that a greater population, arguably a
[26:17] greater population,
um
[26:20] put money towards
um in order to cover to subsidize the
[26:24] cost.
>> So, what would we have any idea how much
[26:27] that would leave us in that fund
after
[26:30] » Yeah. I mean,
we're in the middle of drilling a new
[26:33] well, so
that
[26:36] that project could go higher, it could
go lower. It's
[26:39] haven't been bid
It's still in design, so
[26:43] that's one of those where
just as with this project, those
[26:46] projects sometimes take a natural
[26:50] And the well comes off the return
And we have such tight
[26:55] which that
I mean for this
[27:02] Possibly. I mean we haven't really
[27:06] we can get that.
[27:14] So my official answer is we would
consult with the
[27:17] to determine the best place to
the reserve
[27:22] for a situation
[27:24] our problem
[27:27] that we
[27:30] Yeah, I mean
budget that that
[27:34] talking about
work
[27:38] is we are always budgeting
So
[27:46] So there there areas
It's not comforting that tap
[27:53] August budget
period and
[27:57] you're taking
operations
[28:03] And that's not
so if
[28:08] So we
So we need to
[28:10] Heather
[28:16] Yeah. I think we're optimistic that we
It's this It's more a matter of not
[28:21] feeling comfortable with the idea doing
it
[28:25] whether we can figure out
Well
[28:28] figure out
But you're right. We need to come back
[28:32] with that
exactly
[28:35] I think
[28:37] how
where this comes
[28:41] And we can
We can put that up discussion with the
[28:45] council
But that
[28:47] » employer
budget
[28:53] » budget
>> Yeah, pretty I'm confident we can do it
[28:57] within
[29:00] » Dr. Bryan, could you speak a little bit
the second floor down the stage
[29:06] address how this might benefit the
community overall
[29:11] to your point John, this is a very
narrow use of funds
[29:16] and and that's
we like to consider that we we do have
[29:20] to realize that these are taxpayer
dollars that are drawn from a much
[29:23] broader base and so
the responsibility this council has is
[29:27] to make sure that we're spending money
in a way that addresses the needs of
[29:32] all all of the constituents here.
>> Yeah, I'd be happy to to address that.
[29:37] And I would also again remind you
we've put up a substantial number of
[29:42] dollars to get this project moving
for something that doesn't only affect
[29:47] EOU and we are one of your largest
ratepayers as well. So so I I would ask
[29:52] you to consider that among other issues.
Yeah, so I mean EOU has provided space
[29:57] for this community for many things from
uh Senator Merkley's recent visit to any
[30:03] number of
uh
[30:04] opportunities for local youth and
adults. Uh and among those opportunities
[30:10] are our tremendous athletic facilities.
As you are probably aware, throughout
[30:15] the summer many of our hotels and
Airbnbs are booked by local folk who
[30:21] come or non-local folk who come and drop
off their kids all throughout Eastern
[30:25] Oregon for camps that we host throughout
the summer. Local kids also get the
[30:29] opportunity to take part in those
events. Just this year we hosted as a
[30:34] partner to Grant uh the volleyball
championships. And so now we would be
[30:40] able to support the Grant and others in
baseball as well to expand the ability
[30:46] of the fields so we can
currently have even on to our
[30:49] facilities. And so, it is a great
opportunity. We have never boarded our
[30:54] facilities. We've always been
extraordinarily generous in hosting any
[30:58] number of events or organizations, but
truly our athletic camps are highly
[31:04] desired and always almost always sold
out. And so, this really increases those
[31:10] opportunities
for any number of
[31:15] of
of softball, baseball related
[31:18] um events. And and again, it also
preserves our ability to bring other
[31:24] individuals to this community to support
them through things like hosting our own
[31:28] baseball games more frequently
rather than being
[31:38] » I'm just wondering if there's been any
discussion
[31:41] methods of
[31:44] you know, possibly
like get raised ticket prices to the
[31:48] softball games
$2 $3 over a amount of time,
[31:54] you're getting return on that
investment.
[31:56] Uh just curious if that's been a part of
the discussion at all.
[31:59] » We've talked about
We've talked about fundraising for
[32:03] athletics, certainly.
Um
[32:06] um a recent conversation I had with
several community community members
[32:10] suggested that. But, I think as you can
tell from that overhead view of the
[32:15] fields, these are not closed-in spaces
where it's easy to kind of funnel people
[32:22] through entrances and exits.
And
[32:26] I will share, I'm a little averse um and
and obviously I would work with Director
[32:32] Weisenthal on this, but we're both a
little averse to charging for those
[32:36] particular events.
Um right now, softball
[32:41] and and hopefully baseball. Baseball
does get some good crowds, but not like
[32:46] they would with our new fields. Um but
people bring their lawn chairs and they
[32:51] bring they go to the local stores and
they bring takeout and it is like a cool
[32:56] family
free activity. Um sometimes they park
[33:00] their pickup trucks along the side of
the road and they watch from the back.
[33:04] People bring up their dogs and just
chill out for like 45 minutes and leave.
[33:10] And I like that about Yucaipa. I like
that we create spaces for our rural
[33:15] community to come together and enjoy
athleticism and community. And I don't
[33:20] know. I That's one of the things I mean
this is not like a state-of-the-art
[33:24] park, to be clear. This is pretty basic
infrastructure, but I like what we're
[33:29] offering there.
And I also, you know, I I come to you as
[33:33] a collaborator and I come to you as
someone who's bringing a lot to the
[33:36] table. And this is city infrastructure
at the end of the day and and we're
[33:41] willing to pay for part of it, a
substantial part of it, but I do think
[33:45] the city owns some part of this cost.
And I'm hopeful that we can find a
[33:49] resolution together that represents the
value that Yucaipa brings to this
[33:54] community. Um
Yeah, I guess that would be my my
[33:58] thoughts.
>> In our previous conversation I was to
[34:02] listen
we'll discuss the different work that
[34:06] they're doing up on the field. Um
they're not they're not building it as a
[34:10] state-of-the-art field that has all the
bells and whistles. Um they're literally
[34:16] they're making it nice, but they're
making it bare minimum nice. Um because
[34:20] they're
their budget is something.
[34:24] Um and so
>> There's not even a transformer
[34:27] scoreboard.
[34:29] We're we're putting what we can into
this project and then Tim is supposed to
[34:33] find ways to help.
>> Yeah,
[34:38] really.
[34:46] The setup, you know, we're waiting and
pushing these things out to try to try
[34:49] to come up with additional dollars from
this
[34:53] to fund those projects.
[35:00] For our alumni
The fields are yeah, pretty important.
[35:04] It will help drive
not only enrollment
[35:07] but
yeah, the activities that Landers got.
[35:10] You go to campus during the summer and
you see pretty much a lot of students
[35:14] all kinds of camps up there. So, we're
looking at how we can drive more
[35:17] students in these camps.
[35:30] » Yeah, I mean as soon as the week after
graduation you start seeing the
[35:35] » Excuse me?
>> grass
[35:36] » turf
turf
[35:40] » The outfield will be
>> Yeah, it can handle the
[35:43] the rain
um
[35:46] And then also like like the football
field we added that and we made it that
[35:49] synthetic turf.
That increased the usage
[35:52] I don't know, 10 15 fold. We have teams
that are now
[35:56] coming in this fall football teams that
are men's football teams they're coming
[35:59] over and having
rounds of playoff games in this region.
[36:03] in the town that's because we had a
synthetic turf field.
[36:08] It's beat up and then it was like you
can't have it prepared and then you go
[36:11] back in.
So, this will be
[36:16] And when you put those down then that's
kind of like you don't want to
[36:20] cut them.
So, we don't put down our tents at the
[36:23] stadium for graduation.
[36:29] Are you saying
>> It's very It's unfortunate that
[36:36] » I heard you spoke really fast
[36:40] » You could just That's one of the beauty,
right? You can sit out there and see
[36:43] who's coming in and who's coming in and
out.
[36:49] So, the conversation that we've had this
evening, unless there's more that you'd
[36:53] like that you want to be had,
what I'm willing to and understanding
[36:57] from this is that we will put together
the
[37:01] the route and the path and costs
associated with that.
[37:05] Um on the assumption that 175 is what
you're bringing to the
[37:09] to the table.
Um and then give you the ability to make
[37:13] the decision on that at the council
one way or the other.
[37:17] Um at the next at the our next one, I
believe is the
[37:20] is it the
>> Second. Sorry, the first
[37:22] » July July
>> No, it's first.
[37:25] The first Oh, yeah.
>> July 1st.
[37:27] » Yeah, July 1st.
[37:30] » I really appreciate
this uh
[37:33] and
this this I think is
[37:37] very useful for us to keep in mind
as we look at the opportunities we have
[37:42] department
I've been on the council for 5 years and
[37:45] I think every single day we've talked
about how
[37:49] the brand
doesn't yet feel like a
[37:52] university town, not the way that other
university towns do.
[37:56] And how do we
make it feel that way? How do we
[37:59] integrate it so that everybody in the
brand knows when there's a football
[38:02] game, a softball game, whatever going on
at the university.
[38:06] So that everybody's
you know, what brand is synonymous with
[38:09] building. And how do we how do we do
that? I I don't know the answer to it,
[38:13] but I think
these are hopefully small steps forward
[38:18] toward that sort of a
change in the paradigm around
[38:23] what you only needs to the city because
I hear things you probably don't really
[38:27] appreciate the benefits that come to
all of our residents by having your
[38:33] organization here.
>> Yeah. And you know, I I believe David
[38:36] hearing you say it it reminds me when I
was here last, I think we promised to
[38:40] create kind of like a bookmark or
you know, like a small of the main
[38:45] events that that happened and then and
we still need to fulfill that part of
[38:48] the contract, you know, giving you
things like, you know,
[38:52] our volleyball games are packed with
this community. I don't know how many of
[38:55] you have been out to see them.
The
[38:58] the basketball games as well.
Particularly, you know, in the winter
[39:01] when it gets cold, it's it's a good
wholesome activity to do and um you
[39:05] know, we need to get um get you all a
card cuz I think there's little things
[39:09] we can do like that to enhance the
relationship and make sure that that
[39:13] it's known and maybe put those
roundabout town. Um we had mentioned
[39:17] dropping them off at the hotels at one
point, too.
[39:20] I think people will see them and it's
all probably good for us anyway.
[39:23] » Yeah, yeah. We will.
>> I think we have electronic schedules for
[39:26] them.
>> Yeah.
[39:28] Mhm.
>> Can we do anything with the app with the
[39:31] new app for the city?
Or you know,
[39:34] what what the city uses for events and
things? Is there Is there a way we can
[39:38] get some university things together?
I've taken my kids before to chemistry
[39:44] shows. I've taken them to multicultural
nights and and they're tremendous
[39:50] enriching experiences
for my kids, for our family. We've taken
[39:55] them to the theater events there, but I
found that it's difficult sometimes to
[39:59] know when those things are going on. I'm
not sure how we
[40:03] how we get that a little more available,
a little more accessible for our
[40:07] residents.
>> But I can say we absolutely could
[40:12] leverage the app.
We're working through right now. That is
[40:15] one of the things that got cut in the
budget.
[40:18] So technically that runs out in
December,
[40:21] but I feel like we're starting to
identify and realize some savings in
[40:25] areas that we didn't before see. So I'm
intending to try and keep that alive
[40:31] because I think over time it's going to
end up being highly valuable to us.
[40:35] » No
the chamber is trying to do the same
[40:37] thing.
They're trying to tie in
[40:39] » Yeah. Yeah, okay.
It so
[40:43] yeah, one way or another I feel like we
make that at least some level of
[40:47] additional value.
>> And it's good timing for that too I
[40:50] think.
What I'm hearing from the prosperity
[40:54] council is that they're really taking a
look at tourism
[40:59] and and how towns are are building out
place and you know, having a having that
[41:05] kind of calendar you suggested. I was
just looking at like trying to be like
[41:08] is there a band playing this weekend?
You know, like you know, like and and
[41:11] then I found
you know, what not. But
[41:14] you know, I I do think things like that
matter and and that was a really good
[41:17] area to look at for
the time.
[41:20] Oregon is just looking for those types
of things.
[41:24] I did have one other item.
I think that's all right.
[41:27] » That's it.
>> Um so you have your third sheet to look
[41:30] at.
And thank you again to my colleagues for
[41:32] creating such a beautiful set of
worksheets for y'all to look at. And the
[41:37] last one's about our workforce readiness
and our public assets. And I wanted to
[41:42] let you know that you know, EOU is
really trying to maintain our basic
[41:46] infrastructure which is the buildings in
which we we teach our students. And so
[41:52] recently we put forward three projects
to the Higher Education Coordinating
[41:57] Commission for bonding.
And one of them which we have listed
[42:01] here on the back page which is the Loso
Hall Student Access and Resiliency
[42:05] Project
was ranked number three in the state.
[42:09] Um while it remains unseen at this point
whether or not number three is a winner,
[42:15] because there are only so many state
dollars that the state is willing to
[42:20] invest in university infrastructure,
community college infrastructure.
[42:24] There's a finite amount. It is Tim and
my job in the coming months, uh no
[42:29] doubt, and in the new year, to advocate
that this project, among others, really
[42:34] move to the forefront of the list.
Uh Tim and I believe that we have a good
[42:38] argument. Um the first two projects that
are ranked are from the University of
[42:43] Oregon and Oregon State University. And
while we have no arguments with our
[42:47] peers, we do think it's a little more
difficult to put forward an attractive
[42:52] project proposal with the kinds of
staffing levels and budget that existed
[42:56] here at the U versus massive
universities. And so, as an argument for
[43:01] equity, and I think in our case, having
been looked over several years in a row,
[43:07] um we're going to really push for this
project to get to get funded. And while
[43:11] it remains unseen whether or not this
will be funded, we are going to work
[43:16] hard to bring those dollars to the
community. When we, as I kind of
[43:19] mentioned earlier, when we get a project
in this community, that means local
[43:24] contractors. That means local supplies.
That means bringing a lot of money into
[43:30] this community. And so, um we're
continuing to invest in our buildings
[43:35] and by such also investing in our
community. So, dollars are going to flow
[43:39] right through here. And we're also in
discussion about perhaps putting forward
[43:43] emergency funding for Bachman Hall
because there are pretty big HVAC and
[43:46] electrical issues in that building.
Um so, we're continuing to invest in the
[43:52] university to make sure that the
buildings are
[43:56] viable.
Um and again, um those investments are
[44:02] are are adding a lot of value to this
community, let alone just
[44:07] having a recognized infrastructure for
your local college, which brings in
[44:10] people and jobs. I think this is This is
critical, I think, to what we bring to
[44:15] the
So, I wanted to let you know that these
[44:17] could be coming down the pipeline. These
would be a 2029 project with like a 2027
[44:22] funding.
>> Correct. Yeah, the funding could be
[44:25] released in with the state works, it's
about 2 years, so we get
[44:29] approval and funding in '27, and then
they'll do the bond sales, which is
[44:33] usually
29. A lot of times you can start working
[44:37] and charge against those bonds, but
that's probably
[44:39] So, we'd be looking at moving in maybe
'29.
[44:41] So, yeah, it's 130-something
million dollars on the books, but
[44:46] And they're still on our project list,
but we got to be reporting to make sure
[44:48] that you all
are raised to what's going on, so
[44:50] there's no
no surprises. Oh, they're building a new
[44:53] building?
We're not building
[44:56] renovating a major building on campus
that's going to have a lot of impact,
[44:58] but it is a surprise.
>> And our residence halls this summer are
[45:02] also undergoing construction, which
again is
[45:05] is bringing a lot of work to communities
as well as the supply chain. So, um
[45:10] again, just always investing, always
trying to to keep not state-of-the-art,
[45:15] but certainly up-to-date, safe, pleasing
facilities for to attract students and
[45:20] to keep them here and to make sure that
we're offering a really great
[45:23] educational benefit.
Um and there's a lot to celebrate about
[45:26] UMass Lowell right now, but um we're
certainly on the hustle right now to try
[45:31] and do our best to make sure um we
remain you know, viable
[45:35] community and then that's something we
start for y'all.
[45:38] » And we've had discussions in the past so
the brand economically
[45:44] doesn't exist without UMass Lowell.
[45:47] » Yeah, there's a I mean, the the studies
show that's why I mean, you just look at
[45:50] the economic viability
and the
[45:53] » Even without that study, you can kind of
>> Yeah.
[45:56] I mean, it goes without saying.
Yeah, it's significant.
[46:00] » And all mix is I was thinking you know
what together with the hospital
[46:05] and then they bring in folks and they
they said all right I want to see the
[46:07] university and the educational system
and then you see it and you say oh this
[46:11] is pretty good. This is nice. We don't
see this a lot of times.
[46:14] So when we hear that somewhere around
when we're recruiting faculty and staff
[46:18] and you know in the hospital we
staff up there too. They do the same
[46:21] thing.
When you hired the therapist a few years
[46:24] back who did
research on the area
[46:27] and they wanted a smallish town
athletic and like a rough one
[46:32] and found a lot of places and
you know
[46:35] you had a rock climbing wall and that
was one of his selling points
[46:39] I mean here in town.
[46:43] Great. Yeah.
And we'll get that larger to study to
[46:46] you too once it's it's almost going to
be out and publishable soon and so I
[46:51] think you'll all find it interesting.
We'll make sure you get that to you.
[47:03] So
we're planning ahead for the
[47:08] for the church.
[47:11] I don't have anything that I would like
to contribute personally to this
[47:14] particular dialogue
other than I think that we're
[47:18] Tim's and my intent is to try and do
something like this quarterly
[47:22] or at least twice a year. Yeah,
definitely twice a year probably. Twice
[47:25] a year where we get together and then
some of them wouldn't necessarily be as
[47:28] narrow in topic.
[47:38] Well, that was one thing you talked
about.
[47:40] The more we're in contact the more and
it doesn't they could be conversations
[47:44] with in between with the president,
the deans or other people who might talk
[47:48] about what's happening in the programs
on campus and just so you all know
[47:52] what's happening and then we're also
looking at
[47:53] what's happening in the city too.
And they give us a
[47:57] you guys want to track and give us a
pretty beautiful venue to use for our
[48:01] quarterly town halls too.
So, it
[48:05] takes us from being okay to being
outstanding now that we have that right
[48:09] here.
So, thank you for that.
[48:11] » Sure.
[48:15] That's pretty much it. Do you have any
questions?
[48:18] » I think you're You're going to bring it
back to us, so
[48:21] » Yes, we'll bring it back to you and
we'll give you the the path of the
[48:26] risks
and concerns from the staff
[48:29] as well as
our recommendation.
[48:35] » If there's no more questions,
you're adjourned. Thank you for coming.