Heppner sees surge of criminal
mischief
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 136
NO. 19
10 Pages
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
City, law enforcement seek public’s help to
stop vandalism, juvenile mischief
By Andrea Di Salvo
The City of Heppner
has experienced a rash of
vandalism over the past
couple of months, much
of which law enforcement
says can be traced to ju-
venile mischief. Morrow
County Undersheriff and
Heppner City Councilmem-
ber John Bowles says the
sheriff’s office has received
16 juvenile complaints and
six criminal mischief, or
vandalism, complaints Heppner city workers replace the basketball hoops at Hager
Park, which had to be taken down, rewelded and put back up
-See VANDALISM/PAGE after they were damaged in a recent rash of vandalism at city
FOUR parks. -Photo by David Sykes
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Rollie
$22,327 Community Enhancement
Marshall Grants awarded
named
new Ione
school
principal
Former Heppner resi-
dent Rollie Marshall will be
returning to the community
after several years away.
He has accepted a position
as principal
of the Ione
School and
will begin
his new job
on July 1.
M a r-
shall and his
wife Deb- Rollie
b i e , b o t h Marshall
graduates
of Wallowa High School,
raised their three children,
Candis Smith, who now
lives in La Grande, Brandi
Sweeney and Kristen Mar-
shall, both of Heppner, in
Heppner.
Marshall was in the
banking industry for 29
years and was previously
employed by the Bank of
Eastern Oregon in Heppner.
He has nine years of educa-
tion administrative experi-
ence at Weston-McEwen
High School, Nyssa High
School and Nyssa Middle
School.
Marshall said he was
very excited to become part
of the instructional team at
the Ione School District and
“is looking forward to con-
tinuing the strong tradition
of academic and athletic
excellence in Ione.”
The Willow Creek Val-
ley Economic Development
Group (WCVEDG) dis-
bursed $22,327 in Commu-
nity Enhancement Grants
to eight local organizations
last week. The grant funds
came from the Columbia
River Enterprise Zone’s
commitment to provide
money to better the local
communities in the county.
In South Morrow
County, the following
grants were distributed:
City of Heppner, $1,000 for
a 30-yard dumpster for resi-
dents to use in a city-wide
cleanup that coincides with
Mustang Mop-Up; also,
City of Heppner, $1,760
to provide for Main Street
beautification with hanging
baskets; Heppner Chamber
of Commerce, $600 for
a project spearheaded by
John Edmundson to re-
habilitate the Welcome to
Heppner signs on Hwy. 74
and Hwy. 207/206; Little
League, $10,541, which
they will use to replace
the sprinkler system, lay
new sod in the outfield and
-See COUNTY COURT/
PAGE TEN
-See MCSO PROMOTIONS/
PAGE TWO
“We are very pleased
to be able to give out these
grants for the betterment
of our South County com-
munities,” said WCVEDG
President David Sykes.
“We are able to help with a
wide range of projects and
we know the money is be-
ing put to good use.”
Irrigon, Boardman, buy or build
By David Sykes
The Morrow County
Commission is moving
closer to deciding on where
to put new offices and ser-
vices in the north end of the
county. Commissioners and
staff have been talking for
the past six months about
of human resources, will
now become executive di-
rector of HR; Jack Johns,
who was a special educa-
tion counsellor, will now
become special ed director;
Matt Combe will remain
director of facilities; and
a position for director of
educational services has
recently been posted.
Dirksen also an-
nounced the winners of
the Crystal Apple awards
among MCSD employees:
Jessica Lynch, who is an
ed assistant for Heppner
Jr./Sr. High School; Janice
Huddleston, who is the
maintenance coordinator
for the district office in Hep-
pner; Curtis Johnston, head
custodian at Sam Boardman
-See SCHOOL DISTRICT/
PAGE TEN
expansion and building
plans for services and facili-
ties, including the planning
commission, VA, county
clerk, parole and probation
and sheriff’s department.
They agree the county
needs more and newer fa-
cilities in Boardman and
Irrigon, but so far, no agree-
ment on where those offices
should be located.
At issue is whether to
construct new in Irrigon
and keep the services cur-
rently located there, or to
purchase an empty Blue
Mountain Community Col-
lege building in Boardman
and move the offices there,
or a combination of both.
The frustration of continued
talks on the issues, includ-
ing several meetings with
concerned Irrigon residents,
came out last week.
“We have spent six
months talking about this.
We need some clarity and
get some numbers together,
and move forward,” chair
Mellissa Lindsay said at the
May 3 meeting.
Commissioner Don
Russell also urged the com-
mission to decide. He has
been a proponent of taking
a hard look at purchasing
the BMCC building, which
he says could be had a very
Ballots due next week
With a low turnout so
far in this year’s Special
Election, voters are urged to
get their ballots in by next
Tuesday. On the ballot this
month are elections for lo-
cal special districts. All bal-
lots are due by 8 p.m. Elec-
currently aren’t any; also to
the Heppner library, $4,400
to upgrade internet capa-
bilities; and to the Town
of Lexington, $1,500 for
beautification of both parks
with flowers, brick retainer
wall, bark dust for flower
beds, native ground cover
and blooming shrubs.
County Commission moves toward
facilities decision
MCSD announces
resignation of Mendoza
By April Sykes
At Monday night’s
board meeting, Morrow
County School Superin-
tendent Dirk Dirksen an-
nounced the departure of
assistant superintendent
George Mendoza, who is
accepting a job as superin-
tendent of the La Grande
school district. Dirksen
commended Mendoza and
wished him luck in his new
endeavor.
“This is by far the best
job I’ve ever had in my
life,” commented Mendoza
of his stint with MCSD,
adding thanks to Morrow
County educators and Dirk-
sen.
With Mendoza’s depar-
ture, Dirksen has announced
some staff changes. He said
that Erin Stocker, director
on what the cost will be to
prepare it for the county of-
fices. He said if the BMCC
building were bought, the
county could move out of
the Docken building where
some offices are currently
located in Boardman.
Lindsay said she is
thinking of a combination
of purchasing the BMCC
building to house the ser-
vices currently located in
Boardman, and building
new for those services cur-
rently in Irrigon. “I don’t
want to move out of Irrigon.
I am committed to not hurt-
ing Irrigon and their econo-
my,” she said. “But we need
to make a decision.”
Several members of the
Irrigon community came to
the last commission meet-
ing and urged the county
to leave the current offices
in Irrigon, which they say
helps an economy that does
not have a lot going for it.
In other discussions,
the commission talked
about how to divide up a
proposed $200,000 grant
program amongst the five
cities in the county. They
seem to be settling on giv-
ing a basic amount to all
Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office has announced
it has restructured the com-
mand staff. Morrow County
Sheriff Ken Matlack says
the driving force behind the
move is “to be more fiscally
responsible and decrease
the overtime budget, while
operating as efficiently as
possible.”
In view of those goals,
Matlack has announced the
following promotions:
Terry Harper, Opera-
tions Lieutenant. Harper
has been with the sheriff’s
office since 1989 and has
been in law enforcement
since 1985. He has served
as a patrol deputy, detective
and detective sergeant. As
operations lieutenant, he
will supervise the criminal
and patrol divisions, as well
as the Court Security Unit,
OHV Park Unit and the
Search & Rescue Unit.
Dan Robbins, Correc-
tions Lieutenant. Robbins
has been with the sheriff’s
office since 2010 and in law
enforcement since 1993.
He will supervise the com-
munity corrections division
deputies, including commu-
nity service supervisor. The
corrections division staff is
currently supervising 115
offenders.
Kristen Bowles, Com-
munications Lieutenant.
Bowles has spent her whole
law enforcement career
with the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office, beginning
in 2004. She worked as a
dispatcher and was later
promoted to communica-
tions division sergeant, then
communications division
director. She will supervise
the communications/911
division, consisting of a
communications sergeant
and eight communications
deputies.
Melissa Ross, Admin-
istrative Lieutenant/P.I.O.
Ross also has spent her
law enforcement career
with the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office. She started
in 1999 with about a year
in dispatch, then took a
hiatus before returning in
2005. She has worked in the
communications division,
records unit, civil unit and
the management assistant
position for the sheriff. She
will supervise the adminis-
trative division including
Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group Director Sheryll Bates presents a grant
check to Jason Hanna of the Heppner Little League. Also accepting the check are Little League
board members Jeromy and Jennifer Wilson. -Photo by David Sykes
install fence adjacent to
highway; Neighborhood
Center, $1,487 to replace
aging water supply pipes
and plumbing and relocate
a water line and meter; Or-
egon Trail Library District
Heppner branch, $1,039
to replace existing blinds
and add blinds where there
tion Day, Tuesday, May 16.
Ballots must be received,
not simply postmarked, on
that day. Morrow County
Clerk Bobbi Childers says
election results for Mor-
row County races will be
available online that night
at http://www.co.morrow.
or.us/clerk.
For voter convenience,
24-hour ballot drop boxes
are located in each commu-
nity throughout the county.
good price.
“This basically comes
down to new in Irrigon or
a combination of build-
ing in Irrigon and/or buy
the BMCC building in
Boardman,” Russell said.
“BMCC is not going to sit
there forever,” he warned.
He said another unnamed
government entity is in-
terested in the facility but
BMCC has agreed to hold
off at least for a while for
the county to make up its
mind.
Russell said the BMCC
building is 3,5000 square
feet and could be purchased
for $250,000 for a “mini-
mum $1/2 million savings.”
He says new construction
is going to cost the county
between $300 and $380
per foot. “It’s hard to look
people in the face who have
pot holes in front of their
homes, and we are going to
spend a half million more
than we need too.” Russell
said.
Commissioner Jim
Doherty said the commis-
sion still does not have all
the information it needs to
decide.
“We still need figures
and analysis on the value
of the BMCC facility,” and
MCSO
announces
new
structure,
promotions
MOTHER'S DAY SPECIAL
-Hanging Baskets Planters
20% F
-Color Bowls
OF -Montana Silver Jewelry
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)