BOARDMAN, Ore.-Igloos at the former U.S. Army Umatilla Chemical Depot are now available to lease.
Igloos are 80-foot-long, 30-foot-wide storage bunkers with 14-foot rounded ceilings and 5-foot by 10-foot steel doors, about 10 miles outside Hermiston.
“This is another significant milestone for the Columbia Development Authority,” said Kim Puzey, Chair of the Columbia Development Authority (CDA) and Port of Umatilla General Manager. “We encourage local citizens to seize this unique opportunity.”
Traditional military ordnance and chemical weapons were housed at the site while it was in operation. At its peak, the Umatilla Chemical Depot stored about 12 percent of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile.
The last of the chemical weapons at the depot were incinerated in 2011, and igloos available to lease for commercial or industrial uses have been thoroughly cleaned and cleared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Access to the igloos will be straightforward and user-friendly; however, there are certain restrictions on their use,” said Greg Smith, CDA Executive Director. “For instance, igloos are not permitted for any form of habitation. The Army explicitly prohibited such use when they transferred the property.”
The igloos will cost $300 a month to lease, with a minimum 1-year term. A $1,000 refundable cleaning deposit is required; renters must also have proof of a general liability policy in the minimum amount of $100,000.
Those interested in leasing an igloo should contact the CDA at columbiadadirector@gmail.com.
The CDA Board plans to allocate the proceeds generated by leasing the igloos at a future meeting.
Of course there’s no habitations. We wouldn’t want to actually solve homelessness issues.