The City of La Grande Main Street Program is looking for downtown building owners interested in doing a renovation or restoration project this summer.

The city has up to $14,167 in grants to assist, according to Community and Economic Development Director Charlie Mitchell.

“While we have a limited amount of funding right now, we anticipate launching our own local facade grant program this summer, meaning that we’ll have funding to do many more downtown building renovation projects in the near future,” Mitchell said.

CONVERTED ANTIQUE: La Grande resident Ken Bruce, center, bought and restored an antique two-wheeled cart, then donated it the Union County Chamber of Commerce to display at local events. The cart will be set up as an information center at the La Grande Farmers Market this year. Others in the picture include farmers market members Karl Sutton, Kathleen Evergreen and Randy Moore (left), and, (right) farmers market member Darci Jones, Rona Lindsey of the chamber and Janet Rose Marie, farmers market manager. The Observer/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

Preparations for another year are pretty much complete, so mark Saturday, May 16, on your calendar. That day, the market returns for another season.

The market is many things, but mainly it’s a chance to buy local produce from local growers, said Janet Rose Marie, a La Grande resident who is stepping in as manager this year.

The Oregon Main Street Program, a program provided by Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, has awarded a grant of $6,667 to the City of La Grande’s Main Street program for facade and building improvements within the downtown revitalization area.

A total of $100,000 in awards has been given to 11 Oregon Main Street communities that were selected into the program on September 26, 2008.

The award is intended to help La Grande address some of the most important priorities in its downtown that will help preserve heritage assets, stimulate the local economy, encourage additional public or private reinvestment and help implement local work plans.

MEN AT WORK: Workers from Swaggert Brothers Construction were busy last week on the new silos being built at the Pendleton Grain Growers Alicel shipping facility. The project, which also includes extension of the rail siding, got under way in January and is expected to be complete in July. The Observer/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

Crews have already begun work on two new silos that have the capacity for storing 755,000 bushels of grain. In addition, the rail spur at the facility will be extended a quarter-mile, making room for more cars.

Backers of the project say loading time will be cut in half, efficiency will be vastly improved and local grain producers will realize savings on their shipping costs.

A group of Eastern Oregon legislators have teamed up to promote the second annual Entrepreneur Day at Eastern Oregon University April 24.

The event will be held at EOU’s Badgley Hall, One University Blvd, in La Grande. It runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a special awards ceremony luncheon.

The day is designed to help existing small business owners and those who want to start a new business venture, said state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.

agri-tourism confab: During a break at the agri-tourism summit, Ron Jensen of Stange Manor (seated, left) talks with Rich McDaniel, owner of Rich’s Portable Cabins in North Powder. McDaniel builds log-cabin style studio homes mounted on trailers. Observer photo/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

About 20 people attended, picking up practical advice from panelists about adding a visitor or tourism component to an agricultural operation.

“I think it was very good meeting,” La Grande farmer Jon Bruck said during a break. “Something like this gets people thinking about the options.”

People in Third World countries have many of the same hopes, dreams and ambitions folks in more developed nations have. Certainly they want a secure home, enough to eat, a good education, a chance to better themselves.

Kelly McGee, owner of Marie Josephine — A Mercantile Company, at 1304 Adams Ave., helps by offering handcrafted “Fair Trade” items made in places as far away as India and Peru.

“It’s important to me, because I feel like I’m helping out in the way I know how, by buying and selling,” McGee said.

A PLACE FOR LEARNING: Worksource Oregon Office Manager Debbie Gargalis shows off a newly added training room where job seekers can brush up on computer skills. Observer photo/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

“I’m very pleased. The layout is conducive to good customer service,” Erhardt said as a large crowd of well-wishers came through the doors for an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony arranged by the Union County Chamber of Commerce.

The ability to deliver good customer service is especially important during a recession that has left nearly 15 percent of Union County workers without jobs.

Should local incentives, above and beyond state-mandated tax breaks, be continued?

“The big issue is local incentives,” Community and Economic Development Director Charlie Mitchell told the council. “The staff recommendation is to take them out, and that raises some philosophical and political issues.”