Pendleton Development Commission approves grants for security cameras and lighting

By Griffin Beach on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The Pendleton Development Commission approved $10,000 Tuesday night for a new grant program aimed at helping downtown property owners install security lighting and cameras.

The funding, provided by the Pendleton Urban Renewal District, offers commercial property owners up to $500 and residential owners up to $250. The grants cover exterior security lighting, cameras or a combination of both.

The program applies to the downtown area spanning from the Umatilla River to the railroad tracks, between Southwest Sixth Street and Southeast Sixth Street.

Under the program requirements, property owners must register their cameras with the Pendleton Police Department and provide footage to officers upon request.

“Security of the downtown could be advanced by a private-public partnership to equip downtown businesses, commercial buildings and residential buildings with security cameras and lighting upgrades,” according to the resolution.

The commission added several technical requirements to the program to ensure the equipment is effective:

Minimum resolution of 2K.
Night vision capabilities.
Outdoor and waterproof ratings.
Hard-wired connections (to prevent Wi-Fi jamming).
Date storage capabilities.

Addison Schulberg, a city councilmember and chair of the PDC, said the specifications protect the city’s investment.

“My goal was to make sure that we get a minimum technical specification to secure our interests as we are spending taxpayer money on this,” Schulberg said. “We want to make sure we have longevity and uniformity in the quality of the data, and also to protect against tampering.”

City staff will begin marketing the grant to the intended audience in the next couple of months.

Photo of downtown Pendleton at South Main Street/Dorian Avenue Intersection looking north.