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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2017)
Let’s hear it for the red, white and blue HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 136 NO. 24 8 Pages Wednesday, July 12, 2017 The Ione American Legion color guard pauses for the National Anthem, sung by MaLinda Morter, during the Fourth of July parade on Ione’s Main Street last week. For more photos from the Independence Day festivities, see PAGE EIGHT -Photo by David Sykes Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Undersheriff gets word out on eclipse Heppner gets $3 million in state funding crowd effects on Morrow County Traffic, fire hazard, shortages and trespassing some of the problems to for road improvements Rep. Smith helped ‘develop and expect pass’ the transportation bill By David Sykes Ask Undersheriff John Bowles if he is becoming an expert on the upcom- ing total eclipse set to hit Oregon on Aug. 21, and he will only say that he has learned “a lot” about the rare phenomenon when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, totally or partially blocking the view of the sun and causing total darkness in the middle of the day. But then he adds, with a smile, “It is pretty interesting.” Bowles has become the go-to guy on all things eclipse in the county, devel- oping a PowerPoint presen- tation and taking it around to various groups in the county. He is making an ef- fort to prepare local people for what is coming their way on Aug. 21, and some of it may not be positive. Bowles says local res- idents can expect up to 14,000 cars per day to travel through Heppner prior to the event, pointing out that on an average hunting sea- son day there are about 2,500 coming through. He says most of the people, Morrow County Undersheriff John Bowles last week gave a presentation about the upcoming eclipse to the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. Bowles has been traveling around the county giving programs on what residents can expect if thousands of people show up to view the Aug. 21 event, which will look similar to the inset photo. -Photo by David Sykes some coming from around the United States and even the world, will be heading for spots south of Hep- pner where the eclipse will be 100 percent. People in Heppner who stay put and watch will see a 98 percent blockage, he says. The path of totality will be approximately 70-90 miles wide and last ap- proximately 2-3 minutes, and the county’s Off High- way Vehicle park (OHV) in the mountains on highway 207 will be in that total path. The sheriff’s depart- ment is setting up a mobile command post at the park to monitor activity and improve communication around the county. Last week a meeting was held in Heppner to -See ECLIPSE PRESENTA- TION/PAGE THREE Smith brings transportation funds to county By David Sykes The Heppner City Council was delighted to hear Monday that a ses- sion-ending transportation bill passed by the Oregon legislature included $3 mil- lion for “pedestrian safety and road improvements” for the city of Heppner. Although there had been talk the money was coming, it was not confirmed until the legislature passed the final transportation bill at the recent end of its session. “This session I helped develop and pass a $5.3 billion Oregon Transporta- tion Package. Within the package I included more than $32 million of direct investments for District 57,” Representative Greg Smith said in a letter to con- stituents and to the Heppner city council. (See related story.) Heppner Mayor Cody High was pleased with the announcement and said the city is “waiting for the rules” to see how the money can be spent. “This is good news but we are waiting for the rules. Sounds like streets and sidewalks to me, but we are waiting,” he told the council. In other business at Monday’s meeting the council finalized an agree- ment with former city man- ager Kim Cutsforth resolv- ing a dispute about vacation pay she claims was owed during her four years of employment with the city. Cutsforth had earlier filed a claim with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and In- dustries (BOLI) saying the city owed her $1,882 in unpaid vacation benefits for the period of Sept. 1, 2013 to Feb. 28, 2017. She resigned the city manager job to become executive director of the Howard & Beth Bryant Foundation in Heppner. The city had disputed the vacation pay claim, but eventually the council decided to pay and -See CITY COUNCIL/PAGE FOUR Rental rehabilitation grants now available WCVEDG starts $100,000 program to boost South Heppner, Port of Morrow, Irrigon, and county receive funding County rental units By David Sykes Morrow County Com- Commissioner Jim into real tangible projects,” Representative Greg Smith was successful in se- curing state funding for sev- eral county entities in the final transportation funding package approved by the just-concluded state legis- lature session in Salem. As an example, both the cities of Heppner and Irrigon received $3 million each in funds for “pedestri- an safety and road improve- ments.” The Port of Mor- row Received $6,550,000 in funding for the East Beach Industrial Park Rail Expansion Project, and Morrow County got an ad- ditional $550,000 in road funding this session. “I was able to achieve successes that will bring positive contributions to our district,” Smith said in a letter to constituents. “This session I helped develop and pass a $5.3 billion Or- egon Transportation Pack- age,” he added. “Within the package I included more than $32 million of direct investments for District 57.” In announcing the funding to the Heppner City Council Monday night mayor Cody High said, “This is good news.” mission Chair Melissa Lindsay called the fund- ing a “win” for Morrow County in a statement to the Gazette-Times Tuesday. “The hard work of Rep- resentative Greg Smith in supporting our district will bring increased region- al growth and economic development to Morrow County by improving the infrastructure of our road systems,” Lindsay said. “I appreciate the counties road department managers’ hard work to balance rural coun- ties with bigger metropoli- tan areas and improve the disbursement of moneys. The stability of funding to roads and the local project ear marks included in this bill are a real win for Mor- row County,” she added. Morrow County Com- missioner Don Russell re- leased a statement saying, “For Morrow County it gives us additional reli- able revenue dedicated to roads. The funding formula on the first $5 million in new revenue is a win for counties small in popula- tion with large geography. This means an additional $550,000 to Morrow Coun- ty,” Russell said. Doherty released the fol- lowing statement about the state transportation bill: “I am not one for more taxation, and we certainly cannot pave our way out of the congestion in the Metro area. The challenge is that much of rural Or- egon is facing a backlog of underfunded, much needed infrastructure maintenance. Perhaps less so in Morrow County where we have, in recent years, been blessed with additional Strategic Investment dollars. In truth this is a bit unfair to the constituency of Morrow County. They are sinking an inordinate amount (of) their tax dollars into a network of roads that are not just for the benefit of local trans- portation—as they are used exceedingly by Oregonians as a whole. “With the collective effort of all the counties we were able to craft a formula that is based less on population and more on road miles. This will make it much more equitable for the rural counties. We must be vigilant moving forward and insist that these added dollars the Legislature is seeking make their way ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Doherty told the Heppner Gazette-Times. Other District 57 fund- ing projects in the trans- portation bill include: Ar- lington Pedestrian Safety Improvements, $1,500,000; Dufur Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project, $400,000; Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center (EO- TEC) Access Road Proj- ect, $1,097,000; Hermiston North First Place Project, $4,500,000; Milton-Free- water Pedestrian Safety and Road Improvements, $3,000,000; Port of Uma- tilla Road Construction, $2,000,000; and the Uma- tilla Army Depot Access By David Sykes Those wanting to fix up a home for a rental unit can now get some help to pay for the repairs, the Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group (WC- VEDG) has announced. Under a new program, those wanting to rehabili- tate a home and turn it into a rental unit can receive up to 20 percent of a proj- ect’s cost, up to $20,000, to pay for repairs such as roofing, plumbing, elec- trical systems, flooring, heating and cooling, and more. The grant funds are being distributed by WC- VEDG from the Columbia -See TRANSPORTATION River Enterprise Zone, in FUNDING/PAGE FOUR an effort by both groups to help alleviate a shortage of rental units in South Mor- row County. The funds are available only for rentals in the WCVEDG service area, which includes Heppner, Lexington, Ione and the surrounding unincorporated areas. Recognizing there has been a shortage for some time, WCVEDG has been working to help increase the number of rentals avail- able in the area. At its June meeting the group voted to allocate $100,000 from its housing budget towards the rehab program. WC- VEDG board member Kim Cutsforth is the person to -See RENTAL GRANTS/ PAGE TWO MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWER 350 MAIN 350 MAIN STREET STREET LEXINGTON, OR LEXINGTON OR Restrictions: Offers vary by model. Valid on select 2013-2017 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/1/17- 7/25/17. See your authorized dealer for complete details. Rates as low as 2.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 36-month term at a 2.99% APR rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99%APR rate: $30.87 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion. Warning: Polaris ® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. © 2017 Polaris Industries Inc.