City of Hermiston provides outdoor dining options for restaurants

HERMISTON, Ore. — The Hermiston City Council has approved a plan that will allow restaurants in downtown Hermiston to use portions of city-owned parking lots available for private use.

On November 25th, Gov. Kate Brown placed Umatilla County in the “Extreme Risk” category for COVID-19 spread, prohibiting indoor dining. However, outdoor dining is permitted for “Extreme Risk” counties along with carry-out and delivery.

While Umatilla County remains in this risk category, the city will allow restaurants to use delegated areas of downtown parking lots for seating, fencing, canopies, space heaters, and other dining amenities. These areas will be treated as city parks and require rental and use agreements from the business owners, but rental fees will be waived.

The City is also providing $15,000 to the Hermiston Downtown Association to help cover some of the cost of setting up outdoor dining.

“Our downtown businesses and restaurants are part of what makes this community special, and it’s our priority to make sure they have every chance to succeed in these difficult times,” said Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann. “As they get creative and find new ways to serve their customers, I encourage residents to make an effort to shop local and support our friends and neighbors.”

At the November 9th City Council meeting, Mayor Drotzmann read a Small Business Saturday Proclamation, promising to supporting the efforts of small businesses year-round. According to the United States Small Business Administration, 62% of small businesses say they need to see consumer spending return to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2020 in order to staying in business, and 65% said having their “regulars” return would be the most helpful to their businesses.