TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 2,2011
Secretary Vilsack announces general signup MCGG fueling the future
period for Conservation Reserve Program
S p eak in g at N a
tional Pheasant Fest 2011,
Agriculture Secretary Tom
V ilsack an n o u n c ed that
the next general signup for
the Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP) will begin
on March 14 and continue
through April 15. This is
the second consecutive year
that USDA has offered a
general CRP signup.
“Over the past 25
years, support for CRP has
grow n th an k s to stro n g
b a c k in g from fa rm e rs ,
ranchers, conservationists,
hunters, fishermen and other
outdoor sports enthusiasts,”
said V ilsack. “ N ot only
has CRP contributed to the
national effort to improve
water and air quality, it has
preserved habitat for wild
life, and prevented soil ero
sion by protecting the most
sensitive areas including
those prone to flash flood
ing and runoff. Today’s an
nouncement continues the
O bam a A d m in istra tio n ’s
effort to conserve sensitive
areas and improve wildlife
habitat.”
Through CRP, eli
gible landow ners receive
annual ren ta l paym ents
and cost-share assistance
to establish long-term, re
so u rce c o n se rv in g c o v
ers on eligible farmland.
Land can be enrolled for
a period o f up to 15 years.
During the general signup
period, farmers and ranch
ers may offer eligible land
at their county Farm Ser
vice Agency (FSA) office.
Land currently not enrolled
in CRP may be offered in
this signup provided all
eligibility requirements are
met. Additionally, current
CRP participants with con
tracts expiring this fall may
make new contract offers.
Contracts awarded under
this signup are scheduled to
become effective October
1. The general sign-up for
CRP will not affect cropped
acres for this growing sea
son. Acres will be enrolled
in the program in the fall.
To h e lp e n s u re
that interested farmers and
ranchers are aware o f the
signup period, USDA has
signed partnership agree
ments with several conser
vation and wildlife orga
nizations that will play an
active role in USDA’s 2011
CRP outreach efforts. They
include; Pheasants Forever,
Ducks Unlimited, National
Association o f State For
esters, Playa Lakes Joint
V enture (L e sse r P rairie
Chicken/Sage Grouse), and
the Longleaf Incorporated
B o bw hite C o n se rv atio n
Initiative.
The FSA im p le
m ents CRP on b eh alf o f
Commodity Credit Corpo
ration. FSA will evaluate
and rank eligible CRP of
fers using an Environmen
tal B enefits Index (EBI)
that show s the e n v iro n
mental benefits to be gained
from enrolling the land in
CRP. The EBI consists o f
five environmental factors
(w ildlife, water, soil, air
and enduring benefits) and
cost. Decisions on the EBI
cutoff will be made after
the sign-up ends and after
analyzing the EBI data of
all the offers.
In addition to the
general sign-up, CRP’s con
tinuous sign-up program
will be ongoing. Continu
ous acres represent the most
environmentally desirable
and sensitive land. For more
inform ation, visit http://
www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.
CRP protects mil
lions of acres of American
topsoil from erosion and is
designed to safeguard the
Nation’s natural resources.
By reducing water runoff
and sedim entation, CRP
protects groundwater and
helps improve the condition
of lakes, rivers, ponds, and
streams. Acreage enrolled
in the CRP is planted to
resource-conserving veg
etative covers, making the
program a major contribu
tor to increased w ildlife
populations in many parts
o f the country. T hrough
the 2008 Farm Bill, CRP is
authorized for a maximum
enrollm ent o f 32 m illion
acres. USDA estimates that
contracts on 3.3 million to
6.5 million acres are sched
uled to expire an n u ally
between now and 2014.
Morrow County Court weekly meetings held
The Morrow Coun
ty Court met on January 19
in Boardm an with Judge
Tallman and Commissioner
Grieb in attendance. Fol
low ing is a sum m ary o f
the meetings provided by
Leann Rea.
The court reviewed
and approved the minutes
o f January 11, 2011.
The court reviewed
and approved the account
payables and payroll pay
ables in the net total amount
of$ 1 2 5 ,943.02.
Road Department
Ice and snow: The
crew has b een p lo w in g
snow as n eed ed county
w ide, but m ostly on the
higher elevation roads. The
crew was all geared up for
the major snow storm that
w as p re d ic te d to arrive
overnight on January 11
and into January 12. Fore
casts were calling for five
to seven inches o f snow,
then that was backed off to
two to four inches o f snow.
A ctually only received a
skiff up to a h a lf inch in
the north end, then it turned
to freezing rain before the
transitioned to just rain.
B ru s h c re w : A
four perso n b ru sh crew
has continued with brush
removal in the north end
of the county. The crew is
currently w orking in the
Irrigon area.
C ulvert cleaning:
The crew continued with
cleaning out culvert inlets
and outlets in the Ione-
G ooseberry and L iberty
School areas. Later they
will be moving back to Spur
Loop road to finish cleaning
out and extending some
culverts in that area. Some
utility locates needed to be
done before this project can
be finish.
Road grading: The
graders have been assist
ing with snow removal as
needed. M ost areas were
too soft and wet to do much
grading. However, the crew
did get a chance to build up
the shoulders along Pleas
ant View Road in Irrigon.
Currently a grader is grad
ing the roads in the West
Glenn subdivision, while
another one is working in
the Baker Lane area, and
one is working in the Dee
Cox Road area.
R oad signs: The
crew has been working on
sign replacements and re
pairs, county wide, as well
as putting object markers on
some of the bridges.
P erm its: On the
rec o m m e n d a tio n o f the
road department approved
P e rm it #O H X b e tw e en
Um atilla Electric and the
county for an o v erhead
electrical line on Paul Smith
and Kunze Roads.
B r i d g e s : M r.
O ’B rien reported to the
court that there are three
bridges in the county that
need w eight restrictio n s
posted on them. On bridges
is on Big Butter Creek and
two of the bridges are on
Rhea Creek.
Olson Road: Held a
general discussion regard^
ing assisting the City o f
Boardman with work that
needs to be done on Olson
Road w hich w ill be the
primary access for the new
Ag Center Facility.
T h e c o u rt c o n
ducted the following busi
ness: Authorized a purchase
preau th o rizatio n for the
Road and Weed D epart
ment to put a 500 gallon
poly spray unit on a Ford
F-450 in the am ount o f
$9,030; The court received
an update report from JR
Cook regarding the prog
ress of the Umatilla Basin
Water Commission towards
the water restoration proj
ect being proposed in the
County Line area; The court
heard the second reading of
the zone change proposal
from the Port o f Morrow.
The court then ad o p ted
the change and requested
that the C om prehensive
Plan be amended to reflect
this change; The court ap
pointed Vem Frederickson
to another three year term
to serv e on the B udget
Committee. The court also
rev ie w e d and a p p ro v ed
the budget calendar for the
2011-2012 budget dates;
Greg Sweek, Assessor/Tax
Collector provided the court
with information regarding
a new program for Assess
ment and Taxation that is
currently being used in 11
o th er O regon C ounties.
A discussion on how to
finance such a change was
discussed.
Various correspon
dences and upcoming meet
ing notices were reviewed
and discussed.
If you would like
to be placed on the list to
receive county m inutes,
c o n ta c t K aren W o lff at
(541)676-5620.
The Morrow Coun
ty Court met on January
26 in Heppner with Judge
Tallman and Commission
ers Grieb and Rea in at
tendance. Follow ing is a
summary o f the meetings
provided by Leann Rea.
The court reviewed
and approved the minutes
o f January 12 and 19.
The court reviewed
and approved the account
payables, retirem ent tax
es and the fourth quarter
SUTA taxes in the net total
amount o f $65,633.85.
A p p eal o f P la n
ning C om m ission D eci
sion on Rem and Review
o f Condition o f Approval
1 Conditional Use Permit
CUP-N-213 (Wind Tower
Noise). The court reviewed
and approved for signature
the “Order” which upheld
th e P la n n in g C o m m is
sio n ’s decision regarding
the William’s residence and
overturned the Planning
C o m m is s io n ’s d e c isio n
legarding the Wade, Mingo
and Eaton residences.
Bid Opening: The
court opened three herbi
cide bids from Wilbur Ellis,
Crop Protection Services
and Morrow County Grain
G row ers. The bids were
turned over to the Road and
Weed Department to check
for c o m p leten ess. O nce
that process is completed
a recommendation will be
provided to the court.
P u b lic H e a rin g :
The public hearing regard
ing the naming o f McCabe
Lane was called to order
and after receiving all in
form ation regarding the
change, the court approved
changing a portion of Olden
Lane to McCabe Lane and
the extension o f McCabe
Lane from Brenner Canyon
Road to L iberty School
Road.
P u b lic H e a rin g :
T he pu b lic h e a rin g for
the “ Recreation Elem ent
A m endm ent” was called
to order and after som e
discussion it was decided
that there were additional
lodgings in the county that
needed to be referenced.
After making these addi
tions the planning director
w ill bring the adoption
order back to the court for
signature.
H e a lth D e p a r t
ment: Sheree Smith, Direc
tor provide the court with
an update on activities in
her Department. A report on
immunizations for school
age children was provided,
stating that February 16
is the cut exclusion day
for children who have not
received their necessary im
munizations. Smith stressed
the importance for the im
munization for Whooping
Cough, citing some death
numbers. If you have ques
tions regarding immuniza
tion you should contact the
county health department.
Smith requested that she
be considered for a replace
ment vehicle. Her vehicle
needs were then discussed
and the court assured her
that her request would be
given serio u s c o n sid e r
ation.
The court conduct
ed the following business:
Reviewed a request from
Justin Nelson, District At
torney for one o f the ve
hicles being rotated out o f
the sh e riff’s departm ent.
The court assigned one o f
the Dodge Durangos to the
D. A. with the use of vehicle
to take place immediately.
R eview ed and approved
two property tax refunds.
The first was to John and
Janna Vandenbrink in the
amount o f $2,129.83 due
to an overpayment of taxes
after BOPTA stim ulated
agreem ent and the other
to Finley Buttes LTD Part
nership in the amount o f
$8,114.12 due to overpay
ment o f taxes after a revised
value transmittal sheet from
the Oregon Department o f
Revenue. After a lengthy
discussion and reviewing
o f past records, the court
approved the payment o f
$8,500 to the Boardm an
Cemetery for a “Needs and
Issues A w ard” th at was
o rig in a lly a p p ro v ed for
the Boardman Community
Development Association
in 2006.
Various correspon
dences and upcoming meet
ing notices were reviewed
and discussed.
If you would like
to be placed on the list to
receive county m inutes,
c o n ta c t K aren W o lff at
(541)676-5620.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 RM.
I
(
John Ripple (center) with Morrow County Grain Growers
presents a check for $982 to Heppner Elementary School
Principal Matt Combe (left) and Heppner High School Prin
cipal Daye Stone (right). The money donated is from Morrow
County Grain Growers Fueling the Future program. -Photo
by Sandy Matthews
City of Irrigon to adjust water rates
The City o f Irrigon
will be adjusting water rates
to cover the loan payments
that financed the Water Im
provement Project.
That project includ
ed drilling of two new wells
that are essentially free of
nitrate pollution, a 1.5 mil
lion gallon water reservoir
and many miles o f new and
larger distribution piping.
The project increased the
system reliability and the
ability to provide adequate
water for fire fighting. The
improvements also allow
the city to maintain a safe
source o f water in an emer
gency when electric power
is out. The water now pro
vided by the City of Irrigon
exceeds all state and federal
standards for purity and is
am ong the highest qual
ity drinking w ater to be
found.
The annual loan
payments are now $ 167,974.
If paid for according to wa
ter sold, the cost just for the
debt service would be $ 1.08
per 1,000 gallons. Or, if the
costs were divided accord
ing to the number o f meters,
the cost would be $22.80
per month per meter for the
debt service.
The Irrigon C ity
Council has proposed ap
portioning the added cost
o f the loan payments with
a portion being applied to
the number o f meters and
a portion to the cost o f the
water sold. The council is
proposing to set the base
rate for w ater service at
$24 per service and allow
up to 5,000 gallons of wa
ter with the base rate. The
cost o f water sold above
the 5,000 gallons would be
set at $1.80 per thousand
gallons. This rate structure
would put Irrigon into av
erage territory with other
East Oregon cities. Many
users would actually see a
decrease in the cost of their
water under the new simpli
fied structuring.
Although the City
o f Irrigon records and bills
water usage in cubic feet,
the City has chosen to use
g a llo n s for co m p a riso n
as m ost people are more
familiar with gallons as a
term o f water measurement.
One cubic foot o f water is
equivalent to 7.48 gallons.
A public hearing
will be held on February
15 at Irrigon City Hall at 6
p.m. regarding the change
in water rates. If customers
have questions regarding
what their water bills might
look like under the new
rate structure, they are en
couraged to visit City Hall
at 500 NE Main Avenue,
Irrigon Oregon, or to call
541-922-3027.
Sheriff’s Report
The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office reports
handling the following business:
Dec. 2 cont.: -MCSO arrested Don Caraway
Weems, 53, on a Morrow County Circuit Court warrant
for Failure to Appear/Possession of Meth. The subject
was also wanted on a Umatilla County warrant.
IN V IT A T IO N T O B ID
FOR
MORROW COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS
23 Portable toilet self contained
free standing units
Sealed bids for twenty three ( 23) portable restroom
units (Porta Potty's) will be received by Morrow
County, Public Works Office, P.O. Box 428, 365
West Highway 74, Lexington, Oregon, 97839.
Until the bid closing time of 4:00 p.m., on the 22rd
day of February 2011. Bids will be publicly opened
and read at the bid opening time of 9:30 a.m. On
the 23rd. day of February 2011..At the Morrow
County Court house, 100 Court St., Heppner, OR.
Morrow County Public Works requires the units to
be serviced on a mid week schedule on a weekly
basis. Units are located at various locations in
Morrow County, locations and numbers of units
are as follows.,
•1 Unit South end transfer station
57185 Hwy 74, Lexington, OR 97839
•1 ADA Unit North end transfer station
69900 Frontage Ln, Boardman, OR. 97818
•2 Units Cutsforth Park
58430 Willow Cr. Rd., Heppner, OR. 97836
•1 Unit Ansonwright Park
47500 Hwy 207-Spray, Heppner, OR. 97836
•16 Units OHV Park
71000 FS Rd. 21, Heppner, OR. 97836
3 of 13 units at remote locations
Harrington Creek, Day use
(Grant Co. Portion) and Rock Pit (lake).
•1 ADA Unit OHV Park
71000 FS Rd. 21, Heppner, OR. 97836
•1 Portable wheeled Unit
Various road project locations
Bids shall be bid by monthly basis. Morrow County
réservés the right to reject any and all bids or to
postpone the award of bids for thirty (30) days from
the date of opening. The County will award the
yearly contract with in twenty (20) calendar days
of the bid opening at that time units will need to
be readily available and in place. Morrow County
does not discriminate on the basis of age, religion,
race national origin, sex or handicapped status in
hiring or the provision of services. For additional
information and concerns please contact Morrow
County
Public Works (541) 989-9500.
2-2-3c
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