Public comment on new
wind generation project
due by April 15
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
Umatilla
County
Map showing proposed Wheatridge wind generation project
300 windmills proposed near Heppner
VOL. 132
NO. 13 8 Pages
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Nelson family suffers double
hardship; bank fund established
The John and Alita Nel
son Family of Heppner is
in need of assistance fol
lowing the auto accident of
their daughter Kellie, 17,
and John’s diagnosis of a
life-threatening illness.
Kellie, a senior at Hep
pner High School, was in a
near head-on collision on
March 17 on the Umatilla
River Road. According to
Shannon Boor, a family
friend, Kellie was trans
ported to Good Shepherd
Medical Center in Flerm-
iston with a fracture of her
left femur in two places, a
fracture of a vertebrae and
a shattered knee cap with
tendons, ligam ents and
muscles in the knee dam
aged. Kellie has undergone
surgery.
Kellie was transferred
from Good Shepherd to
Kadlec Medical Center in
Photo of Kellie Nelson's vehicle after the accident
Richland, WA, on March
23, so that she could get the
physical therapy she needs.
According to Boor, the doc
tors at Kadlec believe she
now has an infection and
is likely to have to undergo
more surgery.
The fam ily also re
cently found out that John
Nelson has a bone marrow
disease and will require a
bone marrow transplant
to survive. According to
Boor, John’s siblings are
being contacted in hopes
of finding a donor within
the family. After they find
a donor, it is expected that
John will be off work for a
year during the process.
A nyone who would
like to help the family out
may donate to them through
a medical fund that has been
set up at the Bank of East
A Sunrise Service will
ern Oregon under “Nelson
be
held
Sunday at 7 a.m. in
Medical Fund.”
the grandstands at the Mor
row County Fairgrounds.
The service is open to the
According to a legal
description of the project,
the land comes to within 2
miles of the Willow Creek
Country Club golf course.
From the top of Dee Cox
Canyon Rd. it is about one
mile to the project’s nearest
property line. As the crow
flies, the property comes
to within about 2.5 miles
of Lexington. The northern
most piece of the Wheat
ridge West component lies
along the south border of
the U.S. Naval bombing
range. Wheatridge East is
approxim ately 16 miles
northeast of Heppner, cross
ing the Umatilla County
line.
The number and size
o f turbines has not been
determ ined but, accord
ing to a notice filed by the
Oregon Department of En
ergy, there could be as many
as 300 1.7 - 3.0 megawatt
turbines.
Included in the plan
is a number of supporting
facilities including a col
lection system; collector
substation; com m unica
tion system ; operations
and maintenance building;
perm anent m eteorologi
cal tower; access roads, a
temporary concrete batch
plant and rock quarry and a
temporary staging area.
More information about
the project is available on
line at: www.oregon.gov/
energy/S it i ng/Pages/W R W.
aspx or at the Oregon Trail
Library, Heppner.
Public comments are
due by April 15 and must
be submitted in writing by
mail, e-mail, hand delivery
or fax. Please send com
ments to: Andrea Goodwin,
Siting Analyst, Oregon De
partment of Energy, 395 E.
Highland Ave., Hermiston,
OR 97838. E-mail: andrea.
goodwin@state.or.us.
Sunrise Easter service at fairgrounds
Jerry Archer retires as
lone school principal
The lone School board support that ICABO and the
reluctantly accepted the Education Foundation has
resignation o f Principal given the lone Community
Jerry Archer at their March School, as well as to me,
19 meeting.
has been outstanding as we
The much-loved prin wouldn't have been able to
cipal, who has been with move forward so quickly
the lone district for the without their generosity.
past three years, said, “It
“You have a district that
is tim e,” in his resigna you should be extremely
tion letter to the board. “I proud of and I am honored
know myself well enough that I was able to be a part
to know when it’s
of it. Thanks for the
time to make a
great memories.”
personal change.”
“You just came
Archer had been
and fit in so well,”
officially retired
r e s p o n d e d 1SD
prior to his stint
Board Chair Anne
with lone.
Morter. “Jerry, you
Archer com
were just what the
mended his staff Jerry Archer
doctor ordered.”
for their hard work
An official letter
and the lone community for from the district noted that
its support, saying, “It takes Archer had received his
a team to make this happen. third very favorable review
I’m going to look back on at the February board meet
these last three years ex ing and commented that
tremely fondly.” He com “Jerry has been a consum
mented that the “lone board mate professional whose
was the most visionary experience and passion
leadership team I had the significantly moved the
pleasure of working with lone School District for
in my career. It has been ward.” The letter credited
truly rewarding to see what Archer with an increase
can happen when everyone in student achievem ent
really works together in based on district goals,
supporting the needs o f completion of an extensive
students.”
bond project and facility
“I can honestly say that upgrades, completion of
working with lone staff, district compliance in state
parents and com m unity and federal programs and
members has truly been the establishment of com
one o f the highlights. The munity networks to obtain
As many as 300 new
windmills could grace the
skyline north of Heppner
if the Oregon Department
of Energy approves a plan
submitted by Wheatridge
Wind Energy, LLC.
W heatridge filed a
Notice of Intent with the
state for a 500 megawatt
wind generation facility on
March 13 and residents are
encouraged to comment on
the proposed plan before an
April 15 deadline.
The proposed p ro j
ect has three components:
Wheatridge West, Wheat
ridge East and an “intrac
onnection” corridor con
necting the two. In all, the
development would cover
approximately 50,000 acres
of private land.
Wheatridge West will
be located entirely in Mor
row County and will lie
approximately seven miles
northwest of Heppner.
outside funding for one-to-
one computing project.
The letter also com
m ended A rcher for his
“ strong work ethic and
ability to forge positive
relationships” thereby cre
ating a “students first” cul
ture within the district and
his “even-handed and high
energy leadership which
pulled the staff, students
and community back to
gether and put the lone
School District back on the
right track.”
The d istrict is also
facing the retirements or
resignation o f three oth
ers. Long time employee
Vickie Wagenblast will be
retiring after 18 years with
the district, and Dale Hol
land and Mike Garrett have
announced that they will
resign as coaches.
In other business the
board:
-heard a positive finan
cial update from Super
intendent Mark Mulvihill
who reported that the cur
rent state funding projection
is a healthy $6.55 billion
for kindergarten through
12lh grade schools. Oregon
schools are currently fund
ed at $5.7 billion. Mulvihill
said that the rosy projec
tion does not even include
-Continued on PAGE
SEVEN
public and is sponsored by
the South Morrow County
M inisterial Assoc. Naz
arene Pastor Norm Lee
will present the sermon
with participation by other
members of the clergy. A
good-will offering will be
taken for the Ecumenical
Ministerial Fund.
Easter egg hunts set for Saturday
The annual Easter Egg
Hunt, sponsored by the
Heppner Elk’s Lodge, will
be held on Saturday at the
City Park in Heppner. Pre
school and kindergarten age
children will begin at 10
a.m. and first and second
grade students will follow
at 10:30 a.m. Third and
fourth grade students will
begin at 11 a.m. The Easter
Bunny will be on hand dur
ing the festivities.
lone’s Annual Easter
Egg Hunt will also held Sat
urday at 10 a.m. in the lone
City Park. Children up to the
fourth grade are invited to
participate.
Cal Sherman delivered the
Easter Bunny to Heppner.
File Photo
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