Along the Street: Locals receive Mid-Valley COG honors

The former Sheridan city manager and members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde all were honored this month by the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments.

MWVCOG recognized local leaders at its virtual annual meeting, which was sponsored by the Confederated Tribes. McMinnville City Council member Sal Peralta, 2021-22 chair of the COG’s board, served as emcee of the event.

Also on the board of directors are Lisa Leno, tribal councilwoman for the Confederated Tribes; Woodburn Mayor Eric Swenson and Jackie Franke of the Chemeketa Community College Board of Education.

Peralta presented the 2021 Chairs’ Choice Award to the Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center for its “dedicated work to provide health and wellness services to the members of the Confederated Tribes and to the greater community of Polk, Yamhill and Marion counties.” The center reached its 25th anniversary this year.

The annual award can go to a person, project or group selected by the board chair.

Former Sheridan city manager Frank Sheridan received the 2021 Wes Kvarsten Professional Award for “distinguished service by a staff person or volunteer.”
COG members noted Sheridan’s “long and storied career in public service.” He was Sheridan manager for more than 16 years, retiring in 2021.

“Those who worked with him found him to be a unique and wonderful leader, person, peer and mentor,” COG members said.

They said Sheridan usually was the first or one of the first people to reach out to new city managers in the region. He offered help, support and expertise.
“He would pick up the phone and be there in any way needed for his fellow city managers,” they said.

In particular, they noted his work with neighboring jurisdictions, including Willamina and the Confederated Tribes to create a regional identity and a wayfinding plan. “He has dedicated much of his life to the betterment of his community and beyond Sheridan’s city limits,” they said.

In addition to serving as city manager, Sheridan was a member and past president of the Sheridan Rotary Club. He served on the boards of the Yamhill County Affordable Housing Corporation and the Yamhill County Transit Authority.

Mid-Willamette Valley Cog’s annual meeting can be viewed online at www.mwvcog.org/event/2021-mwvcog-annual-meeting/.

 
Spring gardening

Yamhill County Master Gardeners will host “Spring into Gardening,” a series of hands-on workshops.

Four segments will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays at various locations in McMinnville. Costs vary.

Dates and topics will include:

- March 26, seed starting, at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds, with Sue Nesbitt, $15 general, $10 students.

- April 16, hanging baskets, fairgrounds, with Melissa McLaughlin, $35 per person.

- June 4, raised beds, with Tom Canales, at Ohana Garden and Hydroponics, 2147 N.E. Cumulus Avenue, McMinnville, $15 general, $10 students.

- June 11, irrigation, with John Stables and Jeff Fahey, at Botten’s Equipment Rental, 2800 N.E. Lafayette Avenue, McMinnville $15 general, $10 students.
Oregon State University Extension Service is helping with the workshops.

Registration is required. To register or find more information, call 503-434-7517 or go to ycmga.org/event/sig-2022.

Zwickelmania Feb. 26

ForeLand Brewery and Heater Allen Brewery in McMinnville participate along with breweries around the state in Zwickelmania, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

Zwickelmania is sponsored annually by the Oregon Brewers Guild for beer-lovers to meet brewers, get a close-up view of operations and sample beer via the Zwickel — the tap brewers use to check their wares directly from the tank. (Details at oregoncraftbeer.org.)

At ForeLand, 777 N.E Fourth, visitors will get to meet head brewer Aaron Copelin, tour the brewery, and taste the debut Atomic City IPA, introduced for Zwickelmania. The taproom will be open.

At Heater Allen, 907 N.E. 10th, the brewery’s first issue of its Northwest Alt will be available for sample. Brewmaster Lisa Allen said the beer is a new take on the Alt style, substituting traditional German hops for Northwest varieties: Cascade, Mt. Hood and Willamette. The taproom is not open, so visitors can get samples only, no full pours. Overhead doors will be open so dress warmly.

Masks are required at all Zwickelmania events when not drinking or eating.

 
Chamber Greeters

The McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce will offer a Greeters program at Sears Hometown, 1621 N.E. Baker St., on Friday, March 4. The program will run from 8 to 9 a.m.

The Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce in Newberg will hold a Greeter’s program on Friday, March 11. Greeters will run from 8 to 9 a.m.

For more information, go to the McMinnville Chamber website, mcminnville.org, or the Newberg one, at www.chehalemvalley.org.

 
Newberg retail

Crestview Crossing, a new retail development under construction in east Newberg, has announced that two tenants have signed up: MOD Super Fast Pizza and Starbucks.

Greta Pass, director of real estate at MOD Pizza, said the company is expanding to Newberg because “this is a beautiful, vibrant and growing community, and we have received numerous requests over the years to come to the market.”

Crestview Crossing is a 37,000 square-foot development that will have a mix of retail, restaurants and services. It will comprise five mixed-use buildings, ranging in size from 4,390 square feet to 13,201 square feet each. The parking lot will include 169 spaces.

Gramor Development is building the site, located at Highway 99W and Crestview Drive, just north of the hospital.

Gramor also built Parkway Village and Langer Farms Shopping Center, both in Sherwood, and Wilsonville Old Town Square.

Crestview Crossing is adjacent to J.T. Smith Companies’ new residential development, which will contain 244 single-family homes and multi-family housing units.

 
What’s going up

Here are some building projects under way in McMinnville:

- Construction and remodeling for Linfield University’s new science complex are on time and on budget, President Miles Davis said.

He’s especially pleased about the “on budget,” part. Project managers pre-ordered many of the materials, thereby avoiding steep price increases and supply chain backlogs.

Opening for spring semester 2023, the W.M. Keck Science Center will include a new building and remodeled versions of two existing buildings, Graf Hall and Murdock Hall. It will make room for chemistry, physics and other sciences, along with Linfield’s Wine Studies program.

The Keck Center will include classrooms, offices and research areas with “natural interaction” for use by students, faculty members and collaborative teams, as well.

“Linfield has a long history of science and collaborative research,” Davis said, noting the strides made by the Linfield Research Institute in the 1960s.

- The old Pizza Hut building on north 99W in McMinnville has been gutted as crews work on converting it into a Starbucks coffee shop. The remodeling project is valued at $1.25 million, according to city permits.

McMinnville also has a free-standing Starbucks on Southeast Baker Street near Albertsons, and outlets at Linfield University and inside Safeway.

- Walls are up on more tiny home lodgings at the new Boutique Retreat Wine Country Vacation Cottages, which plans to open this spring at Ninth Street and Alpine Avenue.

- Pebble Dental’s foundation is compete at Ninth Street and Lafayette Avenue. It will be home to Dr. Sarah Post’s new pediatric dentistry center.

- The City of McMinnville issued a building permit in January for work that will convert the former J.C. Penney building into a Home Goods/Ulta Beauty store.
The location, 2180 N.E. Highway 99W in the McMinnville Plaza, has been mostly empty since J.C. Penney closed its McMinnville store in 2020. It was a temporary location for a Halloween store in fall 2021.

A representative of Home Goods would not comment on the company’s plans. Home Goods also has stores in Tualatin, other parts of the Portland area, and Salem.

- A 2,700-square-foot, three-story “mixed commercial use” building is going up at 629/631 N.E. First St., McMinnville, just west of the post office parking lot.

- A huge black rock was recently moved into the restaurant space being remodeled at 618 N.E. Third St., McMinnville, a new building between the Troon tasting room and the venerable Taylor-Dale Hardware building. Owners say they soon will reveal more about the new restaurant, which is known on building permits as “Taylor Dale Restaurant.”

- Awnings have been added as the Granary Row food court building gets close to being finished at 1039 N.E. Lafayette Avenue.

- Organic Valley Creamery’s new plant on Highway 99W in McMinnville is expected to open this spring. It will be the first time in a year that the plant has been able to accept milk from organic dairies in Oregon and Washington. The old plant burned down in April 2021. 

- Remodeling continues at Humble Spirit, a new fine-dining establishment at 411 N.E. Third St. The space was home to the 411 restaurant until the sudden death of its chef/owner, Rick Drakely, in March 2021.

- Willamette Valley Vineyards’ new sparkling wine facility is nearing completion beside Highway 99W near Archery Summit Road, just west of Dundee.

- Oregon Department of Transportation is building a new diversion, or temporary bridge, on Three Mile Lane across the South Yamhill River, and expects to open it to vehicle and pedestrian traffic in mid- to late-March. ODOT plans to demolish the existing bridge this year, replacing it by summer 2024.

- On Highway 18 at Gopher Valley Road, work continues on a new convenience store, coffee shop and Chevron gas station. Developer Paul Johal said it is expected to open in early spring.

- Black Dog Vineyards is building a new tasting room on its Pinot noir vineyard property at 8085 N.E. Oak Springs Farm Road, just east of Carlton. Wine tasting will be offered in a 1,500-square foot building and on a 1,668-square foot patio and roof area. Mark Proden is the owner and winemaker. 

Send business news to Starla Pointer at spointer@newsregister.com.