HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 135
NO. 19 8 Pages
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
WCVEDG gives out $25,000
in Community Enhancement
grants
The Willow Creek Val-
ley Economic Development
Group gave out $25,000 in
community enhancement
grants last week. There
were a total of 10 grants
awarded to various groups
and governments.
Those receiving funds
were:
Heppner Chamber of
Commerce – $1,750 for
purchase of a copier to ac-
commodate its new ofice
needs.
Creative Care Pre-
school, Ione – $2,000 for
purchase of playground
upgrades.
Heppner Little
League (John Day River
Little League) – $1,541
for purchase of 120 bags
of infield conditioner/top
-dressing, “Beam Clay.”
Heppner FFA Chap-
ter/Heppner Ag Dept.
– $1,650 for construction
of a new chicken coop and
outside run to increase lay-
ing hens.
Wranglers Riding
Club – $706 for purchase
of an electronic sports tim-
ing system.
City of Heppner –
$1,000 for property clean-
up assistance to provide
dumpsters.
City of Heppner –
$1,953 for Main Street
beautiication with hanging
baskets.
City of Ione – $10,000
for purchase of a children’s
play structure in the Ione
City park.
Morrow County Mu-
seum – $1,900 to pay for
-See WCVEDG GRANTS/
PAGE THREE
Bellamys purchase Lexington School Public hearing
Plans include pump shop, ofice space and a place for town
memorabilia
By David Sykes
If Mary Kay Bellamy
of Lexington gets nostalgic
for the old days when she
was back in grade school in
Lexington, she now won’t
have far to go to relive those
old memories. She and her
husband Sam Bellamy have
just completed purchasing
her old school house in
Lexington.
On Saturday they took
a walk through the building
and around the grounds,
talking about her memories
and their future plans for the
newly-acquired property.
“One thing I want to
do is make a memorial, or
museum, to the town of
Lexington,” says Sam Bel-
lamy, standing in the main
hallway of the historic old
building. He says he wants
to take memorabilia like old
photos and other Lexington
town items and have them
on display in the foyer area
of the school. “I don’t think
there is anything like that
now about Lexington, and I
would like to do something
two-story school building,
the adjacent gymnasium,
and about two acres of land,
which right now has open
spaces, a basketball court
and a swing set.
The Lexington town
council earlier approved a
zone change on the proper-
ty, which effectively zoned
one half the property com-
mercial and the other half
residential. The council
also vacated a section of D
street, which bisected the
property and has never been
used, which then connected
a lower school-owned lot to
the main school property.
The Morrow County
School District used the
building as its district head-
quarters for many years,
and then decided to sell the
old school after moving out
several years ago, seeing
no more use or need for the
property.
Sam and Mary Kay Bellamy take a swing break while contem-
“I am just glad to see
plating their new real-estate purchase, the Lexington School
someone
purchase the prop-
building. -Photo by David Sykes
erty and put it to good
like that,” he says.
cial plans for the property, -See LEXINGTON SCHOOL/
PAGE EIGHT
He also has commer- which includes the main
planned on proposed
wind farm
A public hearing on the
proposed Wheatridge Wind
Energy Facility is planned
for Thursday, May 19, at
6 p.m. at Boardman City
Hall, 200 City Center Dr.,
Boardman
The Oregon Dept. of
Energy’s Energy Facility
Siting Council (EFSC) re-
ceived an application for a
site certiicate from Wheat-
ridge Wind Energy, LLC for
the construction and opera-
tion of a 292-tower facility
located on 13,0697 acres
of privately-owned land
within Morrow and Uma-
tilla counties. The EFSC
released a Draft Proposed
Order recommending ap-
proval subject to conditions
listed in the order.
Public comments on
the draft order will be ac-
cepted now through the
close of the public hearing
May 19. Written comments
may be submitted prior to
the hearing to Sarah Ester-
son, siting Analyst, Oregon
Department of Energy, 625
Marion Street NE, Salem,
OR 97301 or by email to
WRW.Comments@state.
or.us. Written or oral com-
ments will also be accepted
during the hearing.
Following the hearing
the council will review the
Draft Proposed Order and
public comments and then
issue a Proposed Order to
either approve or deny the
application.
A copy of the Draft
Proposed Order is available
at the Oregon Trail Library
District Heppner Branch or
online at https://services.
oregon.gov/energy/Siting/
Pages/WRW.aspx.
Summer fun begins at
OHV park
City council votes to increase water,
sewer rates by 5%
Heppner and Lexington gas tax also being considered
By David Sykes
The Heppner city coun-
cil voted Monday to raise
water and sewer rates by
ive percent beginning in
July. The additional money,
estimated to be around
$30,000 per year, will be
collected as a franchise fee
and will be used for fund-
ing street repairs, the ire
department and police pay-
ments. All council mem-
bers voted in favor of the
increase except for Corey
Sweeney, who voted no.
There was little dis-
cussion about the rate in-
crease during the meeting;
however, after the council
session City Manager Kim
Cutsforth told the Gazette
she decided on a franchise
fee instead of a straight rate
increase so that the money
could be used in depart-
ments other than water and
sewer. Normally franchise
fees are paid by private
companies using the city
right of ways, such as elec-
tric and phone companies.
The new charge would be
the irst time the city used
the franchise method to
collect money on its own
water billings.
In preparation for the
new fees at its April 21
meeting the utility commis-
sion had voted to recom-
mend the city adopt a lat $3
fee on each monthly water
bill. However, Cutsforth
said Monday she decided
to use the franchise method
instead after consulting
with the city auditors. Audi-
tors told her the franchise
method would allow for the
newly-collected funds to be
used in departments other
than water and sewer. She
also changed the lat charge
to a ive percent fee, which
she says will work out to
an average $2.55 addi-
tional cost per user and raise
$30,000 per year. The city
has about 700 water and
sewer users on the system.
In other tax issues
Cutsforth told the utility
commission at its April
meeting that the city needs
more revenue for streets
and suggested that “a gas
tax may be a way to do this.
The city would only be able
to collect taxes on fuel sold
within the city limits. The
city would not be able to
collect taxes from schools
or some commercial haul-
Above: Riders at the Off Highway Vehicle park have some
dirty fun in the new “mud pit” at the OHV park near Heppner.
Below: Riders line up to register and get ready for the poker
run at the OHV park Saturday. -Contributed photos
-See HEPPNER CITY
COUNCIL/PAGE FOUR
MCSD board tours new Riverside lab at
regular meeting
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
School Board toured the
new Riverside High School
welding and 3-D printing
lab prior to its May 9 meet-
ing at RHS.
Following the tour and
dinner, the board:
-received the follow-
ing attendance report for
May: A.C. Houghton El-
ementary, Irrigon-275; Sam
Boardman Elementary,
Boardman-331; Heppner
Elementary-181; Irrigon
Elementary-189; Windy
River Elementary, Board-
man-216; Heppner Jr./Sr.
High School-160; Irrigon
Jr./Sr. High School-371;
Riverside Jr./Sr. High
School, Boardman-396;
Morrow Education Center,
Irrigon-49; total-2,168.
-approved the follow-
ing recommendations to
rehire classiied/coniden-
tial personnel for 2016-
17 (Heppner listed only):
Ballots due next Tuesday
Morrow County voters
are reminded that ballots
for the primary election
are due by 8 p.m. Election
Day, Tuesday, May 17.
Ballots must be received,
not simply postmarked, on
that day. For voter conve-
nience, 24-hour drop boxes
are located throughout the
county. Locations are as
follows:
Heppner: Courthouse
parking lot (24 hours) or
the Morrow County Clerk’s
Ofice, Room 102 inside the
courthouse. Open 8 a.m.
to noon and 1-5 p.m., M-F
and Election Day (May 17)
from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Lexington: 365 West
Hwy 74 (Public Works
Parking lot). Turn off Hwy.
74 onto Tom Street and left
into the public works park-
ing lot. 24 hours.
Ione: Spring St. (in
front of the turn to 3 rd
Street). 24 hours.
Boardman: NW
Boardman Ave. (24 hours).
Irrigon: 205 NE 3 rd St.
(Irrigon Annex). 24 hours.
People wasted no time
getting into the swing of
summer this weekend, ill-
ing up the local Off High-
way Vehicle park on its
opening day. The fun in-
cluded a poker run and
trying out the new mud pit.
“There were 265 reg-
istered riders, but many
more that just rode along,
and others came up to just
-See MCSD MEETING/PAGE
EIGHT enjoy a beautiful day out
Heppner Elementary: ed
assistants-Jackie Alleman,
Lorna Botefuhr, Rita Britt,
Rebecca Evans, Tami Lien,
Janet Wilson, ed assistant/li-
brary tech-Debra Campbell,
head cook-Kim Carlson,
assistant custodian-Kathy
Cutsforth, Linda Workman,
facilities coordinator-Kelly
Fox, head secretary-Brandi
on the trails,” said a park
spokesperson. “And a few
more that even ventured
into the new mud pit,” she
added.
There were more than
300 people at the park on
Saturday, it was estimated.
There were also others
that made reservations and
came up just for the prime
rib dinner served at The
Landing Saturday.
SPECIAL OFFERS GOING ON NOW!
CALL JASON FOR MORE INFORMATION 541-989-8221
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net