I
I
Harvest yields improving,
still below average
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper l ibran
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
HEPPNER
Pictured: Morrow County Crain (¡rowers employee Taylor Disque oversees the dumping of a
load of v» heat at an MCGG grain elevator as harvest gets underway in Morrow County. Duane
Disque of MCGG says harvest has moved to the Lexington area but that it may be as much as
another week before it moves up around Heppner. He also says yields are improving as they
get further into the season. “They’re still down below the county average but yields are a little
better as they're coming in, better than (he eight to 20 (bushels) we were seeing last week,” says
Disque. “It’s hard saying if we go further south toward Heppner if they'll get better." Disque
said the yields were about what he expected but that he didn't know if they matched others’
expectations. “I don't know what everyone else was expecting—with no rain, and then frost
damage—I don’t know if they were expecting in the 20s.” Photo by David Sykes
VOL. 132
N 0 . 29
8 Pages
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Courthouse crane lift to
cause road closures
The date for the crane
to lift the clock tower and
the bell off o f the Mor
row County Courthouse in
Heppner will be July 23.
This date may be subject
to change if weather condi-
tions or other variables are
not favorable.
Northwest Crane Ser
vice will bring in their 225-
ton crane around 6 a m. and
begin their set-up. If all
goes well, the work should
Speed limit changed
on 207 south
SPEED
be completed well before
noon.
The courthouse will be
closed all day on July 23 for
the safety of the employees,
the public and the contrac
tor. There will be additional
work to be completed after
the clock tower has been
removed; this work can be
best completed while the
courthouse is closed.
Safety zones will be
-See COURTHOUSE ROAD
CLOSURES/PAGE FOUR
Retired lineman recalls 40
years with Columbia Basin
By David Sykes
If you'd rather sit be
hind a desk than work out
side, then don't go near
the job retiring Columbia
Basin Electric lineman Bill
M cDowell has held for
the past 40 years. Whether
rain or shine, snow or fog,
McDowell has rolled out of
bed each morning venturing
out with his crew to make
sure the rest of us have the
electricity so important to
our daily lives.
And making sure we
do have that electricity has
always been the most sat-
Retired lineman Bill McDowell in his earlier days with the
co-op.
isfy ing part of the job for -See MCDOW ELL RETIRES/
McDowell.
PAGE SIX
Boardman fire department not
keeping up with Port construction
Chief says more equipment and manpower needed
¿im
.
:
- r
For those who haven't noticed, the speed limit has changed on
Highway 207 south out of Heppner, also known as the Condon
Highw ay. A 45 mph speed zone now extends outside of the city
limits, to just the other side of Willow Creek Rd.
Local streets,
sidewalk closed for
construction
Workers use heavy machinery to tear out sidewalks on
Quaid street in Heppner. The street, currently closed to
through traffic, is one of three current projects taking place
in Heppner. -Contributedphoto
Construction has begun
on Quaid and Elder streets
in Heppner. These streets
are now closed to through
traffic.
Also, demolition has
begun on the Baltimore
walkway (the sidewalk be-
tween Northwest RV park
and library, leading to the
elementary school).
Residents are asked to
note that the sidewalk is
now closed.
By David Sykes
With all the econom
ic activity at the Port of
Morrow and new projects
com ing down the road,
the Boardman Rural Fire
Protection District is go
ing to need new equipment
and people to meet the fire
protection needs of the fu
ture, Rural Fire Chief Marc
Rogelstad told the Colum
bia River Enterprise Zone
(CREZ) Board of Directors
at its meeting Monday.
Rogelstad said the con
struction of new facilities
by ConAgra and, especially,
VA Data, which is building
new data centers at the Port
of Morrow, is straining the
fire department to its limit.
In the future, he said, it will
not have the equipm ent
or personnel necessary to
fight fires effectively at the
Port.
Rogelstad was at the
CREZ meeting asking the
board for a clear picture of
the financial assistance the
fire district may receive
from CREZ now and into
the future. He was asking
the board because the zone
was formed as an economic
tool to entice new busi
nesses and jobs to the Port
of Morrow. It offers deals
to businesses locating at
the Port with lower “fees”
Fair edition deadline July 31
The Morrow County
Fair and Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo are coming up. That
means the yearly fair edi-
tion of the Gazette-Times
is also upon us.
The G-T would like
to remind everyone that
the article and advertising
deadline for the annual fair
edition is July 31 at 5 p.m.
Fair articles may be
emailed to: editor@rapid
serve.net. Fair advertise
ments can be emailed to
megan@rapidserve.net or
sent to P.O. Box 337, Hep
pner.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
M O NDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
instead of property taxes.
The fees are paid directly
to CREZ, which will in turn
give the money to special
taxing districts— such as
the fire district—directly
impacted by new construc
tion, employees and activi
ties at the Port.
The Enterprise Zone
has been very successful so
far lining up. among others,
new data centers and a large
expansion of the ConAgra
food processing facility.
As fire chief, Rogelstad
said he has kept an eye on
construction to make sure
his department can handle
the expanded fire-fighting
needs of the new facilities.
“Right now I have only
five volunteers 1 can rely
on in this community (to
respond and fight fires),”
Rogelstad told the CREZ
board. “ I have four paid
staff but they were funded
with grant money which has
dried up.”
He also said the new,
taller buildings at the Port
are beyond the reach of his
current fire trucks and he
needs a new $1 million-
plus, 100-foot aerial fire
-See BOARDMAN FIRE
SEEKS CREZ FUNDS/PAGE
SIX
Workers ‘dig into’ fair
preparation
Heppner man Dale Bate* captured this picture of workers finalizing work on the Morrow
County Fairgrounds water system to get it ready for the centennial fair Aug. 14-17. They were
“really getting into it!” Bates said. Contributed photo
H arvest
-
M onday - F riday - 7 a m - 6
S aturday - 7 am -5 pm
Closed Sundays
M o r r o w C o u n ty G r a in G r o w e r s
L e x in g to n 989 -82 2 1 • 1 -8 0 0 -4 52 -73 9 6
I
\
for firm squlpin«nt. tlslt our w«b sit« at
s d