HEPPNER
G T
50¢
Shepherds Flat looks to
replace turbine blades
Eighty-eight-foot longer blades will produce more
electricity
azette
imes
VOL. 138
NO. 24 8 Pages
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
City may get stuck with
cleanup bill
$18,000 plus to remove burned out house
Morrow County residents may see more of these on the road if an application for new windmill
blades is approved. -Photo by Cathy Smith.
This house on 485 Linden Way was gutted by fire April 2. Over two months later it still has
not been removed. -Photo by David Sykes.
By David Sykes
The city of Heppner
may get stuck paying the
tab for cleanup of a burned-
out house on Linden Way,
the council was told Mon-
day night. The house was
burned on April 2 and, after
more than two months,
there has been no effort to
clean up the mess. Neigh-
bors have been complaining
of smell and the structure is
unsafe and dangerous.
After contacting the
insurance company with no
luck, and hearing that the
property owner is not co-
operating, the council had
enough and authorized City
Manager Kraig Cutsforth to
budget $18,000 for cleanup.
And, even that may not
be enough. Cutsforth said
Miller and Sons Excavation
and Disposal turned in a bid
that included an asbestos
assessment. If asbestos is
found the cleanup tab will
be even higher since asbes-
tos removal must be done in
a special, more expensive
way.
“Why did the cleanup
become the city’s respon-
sibility?” councilmember
Dave Gunderson wanted
to know. He was told the
insurance company has
refused to pay for it, and
the owner of the proper-
ty isn’t cooperating and
can’t even be found. In
January property owner
Megan Futter was arrested
on two counts of felony
methamphetamine distri-
bution and is currently out
on bail awaiting disposition
of her case. City attorney
Bill Kuhn said neither the
insurance company nor
Futter are cooperating in
any way for cleanup of
the property. Undersheriff
John Bowles, who is also a
councilmember said Parole
and Probation at this time
doesn’t even know where
Futter is.
Neighbor Jay Keithly
asked the council if any
other toxic substance tests
would be done on the prop-
erty. Only asbestos, he was
told. Fire Marshall Rusty
Estes said because of a pos-
sible asbestos presence, the
fire department can’t even
burn the rest of the house
down.
There is a possibility
the city could recover some
of the cleanup costs through
the legal system. It has the
power to place a lien on
the property for cleanup,
and, if the lien isn’t paid,
foreclose and sell the land.
Gains from the sale, how-
ever, most likely will not
cover the legal process and
cleanup bill. “If we don’t
do anything it will just
sit there,” Bowles said in
urging the council to move
forward. “Let’s just do it
and get it taken care of,”
another councilmember
urged. They voted unani-
mously to move forward
with the cleanup.
In other business the
council voted to have city
hall closed on Friday, July
5, the day after the fourth
of July holiday. They also
voted to approve the city
budget.
In other action, they
voted to move forward
with vacating a portion of
Gilmore Street, formerly
known as Jail Street, that
lies across the creek from
Hager Park between Balm
and Cowins Streets. That
portion of Gilmore has nev-
er been used and is not now
being used as a street ease-
ment or access to anyone’s
property. The Willow Creek
Valley Economic Devel-
opment Group is currently
building two duplexes on
property there and needs the
street vacated for better use
of the property.
Honor Society inducts new
members
The Heppner High
School chapter of the Na-
tional Honor Society held
their induction ceremony
and luncheon for the new
members on Wednesday,
May 29 in the high school
library. Mrs. Payne, the ad-
visor, and current members
led the ceremony with the
lighting ritual and pledge.
This year’s new inductees
are Roy Collins, Jayden
Wilson, Kellen Grant, Mad-
elyn Nichols, Alexis Cuts-
forth and Hannah Palmer.
The National Honor So-
ciety is the nation’s premier
organization established to
recognize outstanding high
school students. More than
just an honor roll, NHS
serves to honor those stu-
dents who have demonstrat-
ed excellence in the areas
By David Sykes
The Shepherds Flat
wind energy facility, with
116 towers located on
11,769 acres in Gilliam and
Morrow counties, has made
application to put new big-
ger blades on its turbines,
the Oregon Dept. of Energy,
ODE, has announced.
Caithness Energy, LLC,
which owns Shepherds Flat,
says the bigger blades will
“extend the useful life of
the facility; take advantage
of the latest turbine tech-
nology; and produce more
electricity, especially at
lower wind speeds.” The
application also asks to
increase allowed electricity
production from 290 mega-
watts to “beyond 318.”
The current blades are
328.1 feet in diameter and
are allowed blade tip clear-
ance from the ground at 82
feet. If approved the new
blades would be 416.7 feet
long and have minimum
blade tip clearance of 70.5
feet.
Other specifics of the
application say the maxi-
mum volume of concrete
above grade in the turbine
foundations must not ex-
ceed 66 cubic yards, and
the total weight of the metal
turbines shall not be more
than 393 tons per turbine.
The company doesn’t plan
on relocating any turbines
and the project will not
change the original facil-
ity construction footprint,
cause any additional envi-
ronmental disturbance and
will not make any differ-
ence in the sound coming
from the turbines.
No timeline for the
project was announced by
Caithness, however it did
ask the Oregon Energy
Facility Siting Council to
place its application under
the type B review process,
which is faster than would
be required under a major
change or new facility.
Hopeful Saints celebrates
20 th anniversary
Right: Pictured are The Rev.
David Brauer-Rieke, bishop
of the Oregon Synod, ELCA,
Hopeful Saints Pastor Katy
Anderson and The Rev. Pat-
rick Bell, bishop of the Epis-
copal Diocese of Eastern Or-
egon.
Below:Emilia Cavan (left) and
Journey Cavan show off the
new sign at All Saints Episco-
pal Church commemorating
the joining of the ministries of
Hope Lutheran and All Saints.
-Photos by April Sykes.
Both the Episcopal and
Lutheran bishops were on
hand to celebrate the 20 th
anniversary of the joint
ministry of All Saints Epis-
copal and Hope Luther-
an churches in Heppner
on Sunday, June 9, at All
Saints.
County considers airport
courtesy car
By David Sykes
Morrow County is con-
sidering adding a courtesy
car at its airport in Lex-
ington. The car would be
available for pilots who
land there and need to get
a ride into town. Commis-
sioner Don Russell who is
a pilot and flown to quite
a few other small airports
said most of them have
the cars and it would be a
good service to add here.
Russell pointed out that
the amount of grant dollars
available for small airports
depends a lot on how much
the airports are used. “If
you want people to land at
your airport then a courtesy
car is a must,” Russell said.
“As a guy who has flown
around the northwest, I
have used a lot of courtesy
cars. It makes a difference
if I landed there,” he said.
-See AIRPORT CAR/PAGE
THREE
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
350 MAIN STREET, LEXINGTON OR 97839
CONTACT: JUSTIN BAILEY, 541-989-8221 EXT 204
Heppner High School students were inducted into the National
Honor Society. Back Row (L to R): Roy Collins, Jayden Wilson,
Kellen Grant. Front Row (L to R):
Madelyn Nichols, Alexis Cutsforth, Hannah Palmer.
of Scholarship, Leader- been associated with mem-
ship, Service and Character. bership in the organization
These characteristics have since its beginning in 1921.
*Offers vary by model and are subject to availability. Rebate and financing offers valid on select 2015-2019 new
and unregistered Polaris ® RZR ® , RANGER ® , Sportsman ® , GENERAL ® , and ACE ® models purchased between 3/1/19 -
4/30/19, but availability of the offers and the offer terms may vary by State, so see your local authorized dealer for
complete details. "Rates as low as 3.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a
36-month term at a 3.99% APR rate: $29.52 per $1,000 financed; and with a 60-month term at a 6.99% APR rate:
$19.80 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 3.99% APR for
36 months at an MSRP of $12,699 is $374.87/mo. total cost of borrowing of $796.27 with a total obligation of
$13,495.27. 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. © 2019 Polaris Industries Inc.