The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center authority board discussed the implications of the city of Hermiston’s $600,000 contribution during its Friday meeting.

The city council voted unanimously on Monday to kick in the $600,000 toward construction costs with the stipulation that a city administrator join the EOTEC board.

During Friday’s EOTEC meeting chairman Ed Brookshier said he and the other executive committee members “absolutely” felt that city administrator should be Byron Smith, and that he should replace Brookshier on the board when his term is up at the end of December.

Brookshier, who was Hermiston city manager himself when he first joined the EOTEC board, said he felt confident that Smith is committed to making EOTEC a success and would be a good addition to the board.

Kim Puzey said while he agreed that Smith would make a great addition to the board, he also wanted to express that Brookshier’s vision had been crucial to the project, as had his willingness to step up into the chair position after former board chair Chet Prior died.

“You certainly have my appreciation,” Puzey said.

Don Miller agreed, noting that he was concerned about losing Brookshier’s expertise and wondered if a non-voting “ex-officio” position could be created.

Brookshier assured them that no longer being a member of the board would in no way lessen his commitment to the project. He would continue to attend meetings and was available to help see issues like the water rights negotiations through to the end.

“I am absolutely willing to help any way I can,” he said.

During the public comment section of the meeting, former board member Dennis Doherty said he was disappointed Brookshier was going to step down and said it was worth asking the city and county more about what they wanted out of the project so that “they can take some ownership.”

He said he thought the board was doing the right thing by taking the time to do more fundraising and he didn’t think they should be criticized for that.

George Anderson said that the intergovernmental agreement he drafted for the city and county to form the EOTEC board listed December 2016 as the end of the lease with the school district. He characterized the board’s later decision to shoot for hosting the August 2016 fair and rodeo and publicize that date as something the board was trying for, but said December 2016 was the real deadline.

“When people are saying ‘Oh my goodness it’s not on schedule!’ It’s exactly on schedule,’” he said.

Puzey said he was also disappointed in the “naiveté in the commentary” about EOTEC’s decision to not move the fair and rodeo until 2017.

“One thing I find frustrating is optimism has been interpreted as deception,” he said.

The meeting also included a brief update from business manager Heather Cannell and project manager Gary Winsand of Frew Development.

Cannell said the new design for www.eotechermiston.com was complete and the website was once again functional. She said she was working on making arrangements for flooring, paint, furniture, kitchen appliances, electrical outlets and audio-visual technology for the exhibitor and event center.

Winsand said the center, which is currently under construction by G2 Construction, is on schedule to be completed in March 2016. He said design work on the barns is underway and design for the rodeo arena is expected to be finished in February 2016. The arena will take seven to eight months to build, Winsand said, necessitating a “very aggressive” schedule once the design is complete.

Brookshier said the EOTEC board should have the additional $2.2 million it is seeking by then.

The city of Hermiston has already given $600,000 and the EOTEC board plans to approach the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners for the same amount. According to what board members told the city on Monday, local hoteliers have offered to raise their $1 per room per night Tourism Promotion Assessment to $2 per night and use the extra revenue to incrementally pay off a $1 million municipal bond at a rate of about $100,000 a year.

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of help from the outside and it’s time we step up and do this right,” Brookshier said.