Ribbon Cutting ceremony highlights land transfer at former Umatilla Chemical Depot

Photo By John Hughel | Members of the Columbia Development Authority and other key stakeholders cut a ceremonial ribbon to officially highlight the transfer of property to the CDA during an ceremony held at the Rees Training Center, near Hermiston, Ore., on July 12, 2023. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)  

HERMISTON, OREGON, UNITED STATES

08.01.2023

Story by John Hughel 

Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office

HERMISTON, Ore. – A ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Raymond F. Rees Training Center on July 12, 2023, highlighted the transfer of property from the former Umatilla Chemical Depot to the Columbia Development Authority. The redevelopment plans began over 30 years ago when the Depot was first slated for closure in 1988 under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).

During a ceremony held in September of 2022, the depot was formerly renamed to honor retired Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, a Helix resident and former Adjutant General of the Oregon National Guard. With the transfer of property from the U.S. Army, nearly 17,000 acres will be used for both National Guard training as well as industrial development in Umatilla and Morrow counties in Eastern Oregon.

Representatives from Colombia Development Authority, along with other state and federal partners took part in the ribbon cutting event after first making remarks at Oregon National Guard Regional Training Institute underscoring the historic transfer process of multiple agencies.

As the Executive Director of the Columbia Development Authority, Greg Smith discussed the lengthy process and introduced many of the key members that helped forge the transfer that officially took place in March. One of the most challenging aspects was the right to water usage.

“Through collaboration with the Oregon Military Department, over a number of meetings, we were able to reach an agreement — where the Oregon Military Department had all the water they needed and the remaining water, approximately 74.6 percent, would be transferred to the CDA,” Smith said. “I’ll tell you what — nobody thought that this could be done.”

The counties and ports plan to develop over 9,500 acres of industrial areas that the CDA now owns, while the tribes aim to restore wildlife habitat and preserve cultural and historic sites. The National Guard will use a large portion for multiple training purposes.

Other significant agreements involved over 4,000 acres of land for the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, which involve vital environmental issues for all of the key stakeholders.

“One of the things we did to be good neighbor was to make sure we were protecting the habitat,” Smith detailed another important collaboration process was conducted. “At the end of the day an agreement was reached, where each and every tribal council member and each CDA board members unanimously signed off on the final agreement. This is some of the most prime industrial land in the Pacific Northwest.”

The CDA includes five partners through an intergovernmental agreement, including the Port of Umatilla, Port of Morrow, Umatilla and Morrow counties, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

With the final agreements in place, the Oregon National Guard can move forward on other long-term projects that will support new missions.

“The Oregon Military Department has a debt of gratitude and owe a substantial thank you including the Columbia Development Authority as well as tribal and other local leaders,” said Jim Arnold, Oregon Military Department, Deputy Director of Installations. “The Rees Training Center began as a vision of the Oregon Military Department nearly three decades ago, with the intent to create the premier National Guard training center here on the former depot.”

The initial Construction of the Umatilla Chemical Depot began in January 1941, less than a year before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. There were 1,001 weapons storage igloos built to stock and safeguard ammunition as well as store other military supplies. The depot took on its chemical weapons storage mission in 1962 during the height of the Cold War. By 2011, all of the munitions had been safely destroyed as the base closure operations were completed in late 2022, while at its peak — more than 7,000 people worked at the depot.

The spirit of collaboration and cooperation were sacrosanct in these Government-to-Government issues between all parties in forging the final transfer agreements.

“We have a lot of ongoing activities with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation at the Rees Training Center, which includes access to the Coyote Coulee and the management of the Western Burring Owl,” Arnold said. “The Oregon Military Department looks forward to being a strong, positive and engaged presence in the local community well into the future and completing the final stages of the BRAC process.”

• Date Taken: 08.01.2023
• Date Posted: 08.02.2023 18:08
• Story ID: 450557
• Location: HERMISTON, OREGON, US