Green: City will operate FARM II
By Terry Murry on Friday, May 14th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – State funding for Blue Mountain Community College’s FARM II project next to the Pendleton Convention Center is still in the state budget so far. BMCC Interim President Connie Green said there has been a change in how the project will operate.
The college will use the building for classrooms and its indoor arena will be home from the award-winning rodeo team. However, the operation of the facility as a community event center will be done by the city of Pendleton, according to a new memorandum of understanding. Green says that change makes sense.
“They do marketing for their event space,” she said. “They already have a way to schedule it and crews to do work. So, they’re going to do the operational piece. We will still have classes there.”
Green said the college and its FARM II partners will have the site shovel ready two years after the funding is received. What classes will be held remain undetermined.
“We’re going to think what we can, quote, bring down there, once we see what’ areas are growing that we will need space for,” she said.
Green said classrooms could be for the college’s relatively small veterinary technician program if it shows signs of growth, or for the UAS program it is working to create in partnership with the Pendleton UAS Test Range.
