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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
Housing grants re-funded HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 134 NO. 24 10 Pages Community Counseling Solutions to purchase land for building Community Counsel- ing Solutions has begun the process of purchasing property for a new building in Heppner, a representative has announced. CCS, which currently leases space in the Gilliam- Bisbee Building on Hep- pner’s Main Street, is in the process of signing an earnest money agreement for property adjacent to the Christian Life Center off Morgan Street in Heppner. CCS Executive Director Kimberly Lindsay said the property has some “zoning issues,” which Community Counseling Solutions will have to work through with the city. She also said CCS has engaged the services of We- naha Group; if everything stays on track, she said, construction will begin in the summer of 2016. Boardman teen drowns in Columbia The cause of a Board- man teen’s drowning death last week is still under in- vestigation according to local law enforcement. This was Morrow County’s sec- ond drowning death in the river this summer. Friday at 3:53 a.m., Morrow County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting that Gavin Ryce Roberts, 18, of Boardman drowned in the Co- l u m b i a River. The incident oc- curred near the Umatil- la National Gavin W i l d l i f e Roberts Refuge in the McCormick slough. Roberts was a 2015 graduate of Riverside High School in Boardman. MCSO, Irrigon Ru- ral Fire Protection Dis- trict, Irrigon EMS, fish and wildlife, Umatilla fire, and Skamania County (WA) Sheriff’s Office Dive Res- cue all responded to the scene, and MCSO, fish and wildlife, and Umatilla fire department launched boats into the water. The dive rescue team recovered Roberts’ body around 11:13 a.m. that morning. The incident remains under investigation. Wednesday, July 15, 2015 CREZ injects $40,000 into south county housing program By David Sykes The Columbia River Enterprise Zone (CREZ) gave an additional $40,000 to the Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group (WCVEDG) last week, to enable the group to continue with its success- ful grant program for home purchases. Previously WCVEDG had been given $195,000 for the program, which sees grants of up to $5,000 made to people buying homes in the Heppner, Lexington and Ione areas. Boardman and Irrigon both have similar programs funded by CREZ. In making the request for additional funding, WC- VEDG thanked CREZ and told of the success of the housing program. “We have received a total of $195,000 and have exhausted all of these funds for residential home pur- chases in South Morrow County,” WCVEDG said in its letter. “We funded a total of 39 grants, 7 rentals, 5 are building new residences Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon City moves forward with bond for new fire hall An artist’s sketch of the new proposed fire hall was passed out at city council Monday night. By David Sykes The city council voted unanimously Monday to move forward with a bond issue to build a new fire hall near the city limits of Heppner. The exact amount of the bond is not known at this time, but the fire hall is expected to cost $930,000 and the cost will be split 40/60 between the city and the rural fire district, with the city responsible for 60 percent of the cost. The city administration knows it will be a push, but wants to try and get the bond request on the ballot for this November’s elec- tion. “Also, we are still working with the rural fire hall to join with us for this project; they have not voted to support a bond measure on the ballot yet, so that is still pending. This project will depend on the support of the rural fire district,” Heppner City Manager Kim Cutsforth told the Gazette- Times Tuesday. If approved by voters the hall would be located at the intersection of Riv- erside, Fuller Canyon and Hwy. 74 just outside the city limits of Heppner. Land for the hall will be donated by the Morrow County Grain Growers. The pres- ent fire hall is located on Willow Street in down- town Heppner. Because of the congestion and limited space, the area is not con- sidered a good location for a new, larger facility. Health District asks for parks smoking ban In other business the council heard from Mor- row County Health District Smoking/Tobacco Cessa- tion coordinator Shelley Wight, who asked the coun- cil to consider a smoking ban in all city parks. Wight said second- hand smoke at the parks is a health hazard for other peo- ple in the park, especially children, and also cigarette butts cause littering and are a threat to children and wildlife. Wight passed out a pamphlet that listed what she said are 40 communities and park districts in Oregon that already ban smoking. She also said the ban would discourage certain people from gathering in the parks after dark. “Twelve percent of Morrow County citizens smoke. You need to look at the 88 percent that don’t. They are the ones you want down there,” she said about park usage. One year ago city man- ager Kim Cutsforth had proposed a similar smoking ban that would have out- lawed smoking on all city streets and parks; however, the city dropped that idea after a backlash from the public. “When we tried it on the streets of Heppner we got tremendous backlash against that proposal,” said Mayor Skip Matthews. At Monday’s meet- ing the council did not discuss or pass any motion on Wight’s proposed park smoking ban, but agreed to further discuss the proposal at its January goal setting session. In other action the -See CITY COUNCIL/PAGE FOUR New law to implement legal pot includes broad sentencing changes Oregon rewrites marijuana criminal code to reduce most felonies to misdemeanors and to make prior convictions eligible to be cleared July 1 Governor Kate Brown signed H.B. 3400, an omnibus bill to imple- ment Measure 91, the mari- juana legalization initia- tive adopted by voters last November. The bill was approved by the Senate and the House of Representa- tives prior to receiving the governor’s signature. Measure 91 legalized possession, use, and cul- tivation of marijuana by adults 21 and older and regulated commercial pro- duction, manufacturing and retail sales of marijuana. Legalization for personal use took effect July 1, 2015. As of that date adults 21 and older can legally pos- sess up to eight ounces of marijuana at home and up to one ounce of marijuana outside the home. They may also grow up to four plants at home, as long as they are out of public view. The regulatory structure for commercial retail sales will not be up and running until next year. In addition to address- ing the implementation of Measure 91, H.B. 3400 contains broad sentenc- ing provisions that extend beyond the elimination of criminal penalties for pos- session of marijuana and cultivation of up to four plants. The new law reduces most marijuana felonies to misdemeanors or lesser felonies with significantly reduced sentences. These changes allow eligible per- sons with prior marijuana convictions to have their convictions set aside, sen- tences reduced, and records sealed. “A felony drug convic- tion carries significant col- lateral consequences that can mean the loss of public assistance, educational op- portunities, employment, and housing,” says Tamar Todd, Director of Mari- juana Law and Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. “With this new law, Oregon is not only taking a bold step forward to end the war on drugs, but is actively addressing and reversing the terrible consequences of that war.” However, while the changes are cause for cel- ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. ebration among marijuana proponents—not to men- tion those who now have the chance to have their convictions set aside—it raises concerns for state and local officials who have been responsible for seeing that laws are followed and lawbreakers prosecuted. One of those, Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson, said that set- ting aside prior convictions is a concern for him. “Prior to the passage of these new laws, Oregon had a system in place for setting aside convictions,” says Nelson. “It required a defendant to wait a specific period of time, then apply to the court for setting aside the conviction and/or ar- rest. I wish the legislature would have let that part stay in place, and not allow a separate path for expunging a conviction.” The changes made by H.B 3400 will apply to thousands of Oregonians who were previously con- victed of marijuana-related felonies. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, there are approximately 78,319 marijuana convictions in- cluded in the Oregon Com- puterized Criminal History file that have the potential to become eligible for the set-aside process. In 2012, more than 12,000 people were cited or arrested for the possession of mari- juana. “These defendants knowingly committed a crime at the time of their conviction. The laws were on the books, and it was very clear what the laws was. These defendants then decided to break the law, and they were held account- able for that,” Nelson says. “The defendants are being held accountable for the law they broke at the time, -See LAW CHANGES POT SENTENCING/PAGE FIVE and the rest were owner occupied.” The letter was signed by WCVEDG board members Jeff Bailey, Kim Cutsforth, Marcia Kemp, Nancy Snid- er and David Sykes. WC- VEDG executive director Sheryll Bates administers the grant program and was at the CREZ meeting last Friday with Cutsforth to make the request. The way the program works is that anyone who has a written agreement to purchase a home can take the agreement to Bates at her office next to city hall, and be put on the list to receive up to $5,000 in grant money. The money is put into escrow and goes toward the purchase at clos- ing. Farmers Home Admin- istration (FHA) loans are not eligible for the grants. The main stipulation in the program is if the home is sold within three years the buyers agree to pay WCVEDG back the grant money. On Friday the CREZ also added another stipula- tion: the grant money can- not go toward the purchase of a rental by an investor. “We always wanted this program to benefit the individual home owner,” CREZ chairman Don Rus- sell said in asking the group to make the change. Also receiving funding was the city of Irrigon for its similar grant program. Aaron Palmquist, Irrigon City Manager, was on hand to ask CREZ for additional funding and was grant- ed $42,000. The city had previously been awarded $50,000, which it had ex- hausted. Boardman to open new splash pad Boardman will soon open its new splash pad. The grand opening is set for 10 a.m., July 17, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and free snow cones at the new splash pad located on NE Front Street. City leaders decided to add a splash pad to an exist- ing park area after former councilors, Mark Pratt and Neil Livingston, pitched the idea in 2011. A com- mittee was formed, made up of council members. Councilor Brenda Profitt was successful in obtaining a grant from the Wildhorse Foundation. That grant, along with city funds, made the splash pad a reality. The 3,500-square foot, bubble-shaped pad features multiple jets of streaming water and over three dozen water features. The splash pad is part of a park area that includes a soccer field and skate park. Like these other park areas, there is no admission to use the splash pad. This park area will get new pic- nic tables and benches later this summer. The splash pad will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Labor Day. It may stay open through the fall, depending on the weather. This will be the first pub- lic splash pad in Morrow County. NURSERY CLEARANCE SALE! ALL SHRUBS, PERENNIALS &TREES NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY! SAVE BIG - 30% OFF Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net