HEPPNER
G T
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azette
imes
VOL. 139
NO. 16 8 Pages
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
County and Port fail to
reach agreement on new
enterprise zone
Health District requests two
additional ventilators from
State of Oregon
The Morrow Coun-
ty Health District has re-
quested two additional
ventilators from the State
of Oregon for use at the
Pioneer Memorial Hospi-
tal if needed to treat any
COVID-19 virus patients
it may receive.
Hospital Administrator
Bob Houser says the district
currently has two ventila-
tors both in working order.
One had been down for
about one week awaiting a
part but is now operation-
al. Houser said they have
requested from the State of
Oregon two more ventila-
tors, which are a key piece
of equipment in treating
the Coronavirus, through
the Morrow County Emer-
gency Management and
the County Public Health
Department.
Houser was asked if he
thought Oregon Democrat
Governor Kate Brown’s re-
cent gift of 140 of Oregon’s
ventilators to the State of
New York, would cause any
delays or problems having
the local health district’s
request being filled. “The
state has made no promises
in this regard, but in check-
ing with Shelley Wight
(County Health Dept.) and
John Bowles (Undersher-
iff) whom the order went
through, both indicated it
looked good for us getting
our two, but no date of de-
livery at this time,” Houser
told the Gazette-Times last
week.
Ione and Heppner join
stadium lighting trend
Decisions on economic development, disbursement
of funds at stake
Stadium lights at Les Payne Field in Heppner are turned on at 20:20 each Thursday and re-
main lit for 20 minutes to honor the class of 2020.
Port of Morrow Chairman
Rick Stokoe
By David Sykes
The Port of Morrow
and Morrow County failed
to reach agreement Monday
to form a new enterprise
zone. The current enterprise
zone expires June 30 and
several proposals are on the
table to either keep the cur-
rent zone structure or make
changes. How the zone is
structured will have a big
impact on new businesses’
negotiations and how the
tax money generated will
be spent in the county.
The three members of
the current 10-year-old
Columbia River Enterprise
Zone II (CREZ) are the
Port of Morrow, county
government and the city of
Boardman. The major hang
up in negotiations is wheth-
er Boardman should be part
of the new enterprise zone.
The port wants it the same
with Boardman as a mem-
ber, and the county wants
just the port and county
involved.
The impasse began
while CREZ manager Greg
Sweek was working on a
reapplication of the current
enterprise zone, when at a
recent meeting the county
commissioners announced
their proposed changes.
Commissioners Melissa
Lindsay and Jim Doherty
are in favor of changing and
Commissioner Don Russell
wants to remain the same.
On Monday the port
and county held a joint on-
line meeting in an attempt
to work out an agreement.
Lindsay presented a plan
she says would include all
of the cities in the county
and not just Boardman.
Lindsay said only the port
and county should be mem-
bers of the new zone and
cities would become in-
volved when a business
development is proposed
near their city. She says
since the enterprise zone
board can make decisions
on business development
and money disbursement
throughout the county, it
is not equitable for just
the city of Boardman to be
involved making decisions
in all areas of the county.
Lindsay wants all cities in
the county to be involved in
decision making that affects
their areas.
County Commissioner Chair
Melissa Lindsay
Boardman City Manager
Karen Pettigrew
The current enterprise
zone covers about 12 square
miles, mostly encompass-
ing the Port of Morrow
where all the new develop-
ment is. New and expand-
ing businesses receive tax
breaks for locating in the
zone. Some of the busi-
nesses who have located
there and taken advantage
of the tax breaks include
Amazon, Lamb Weston and
Tillamook Cheese.
Lindsay’s plan includes
a provision to include “in-
fluence zones” within the
county that would allow
other cities to become part
of the enterprise board and
make decisions if business
developments were pro-
posed near their city. “Why
can’t Morrow County and
the Port apply as joint spon-
sors with agreements where
all our cities in the county
are at the table,” Lindsay
says.
The current zone is ten
years old and expires July
1. Over the past ten years
it has generated over $20
million in revenue in lieu
of taxes and in the coming
ten years is expected, with
current contracts in place,
to take in over $100 mil-
lion. The current enterprise
board will decide how the
money will be spent and so
far in the past it has made an
effort to disburse the money
across the county, giving
grants to cities and econom-
ic development groups such
as the Willow Creek Valley
Economic Development.
Lindsay says her proposal
is not about the money, but
to involve all the cities and
make enterprise zone deci-
sion making more equitable
across the county. Regard-
less of the structure of the
new zone, disbursement of
the $100 million coming in
over the next ten years will
be the same with the current
CREZII board, Boardman
included, making those de-
cisions on where the money
goes. In the past the board
has distributed the money
into four broad categories:
education, housing, com-
munity development and
public safety.
Both the Port of Mor-
row and City of Boardman
expressed opposition to
excluding Boardman, say-
ing the current enterprise
zone has worked fine and
should not be tampered
with. Port board member
Marv Padberg of Ione said
there has sometimes been
contention and complain-
ing when the Port does a
project in a certain city or
area, but with the CREZII
he thinks it has brought
the county together and
that “it makes no sense” to
change anything. Port board
member Joe Taylor said he
would “hate for us to walk
away from something that
is working and go down an
unproven path.” Port Board
Chair Rick Stokoe, who is
also Boardman police chief,
said the enterprise zone is
important for the port and
the people in the region. He
pointed out how the CRE-
ZII board distributed large
amounts of money around
the county for housing,
schools, community devel-
opment and public safety,
and that there is nothing
wrong with the way the
current board operates. “We
need to continue CREZII
as it stands and move for-
ward,” he said. Heppner
City Manager Kraig Cuts-
forth weighed in and said
the money coming into the
Heppner community from
CREZ and distributed by
WCVEDG “has been a tre-
mendous boon and I hope
it continues.” Irrigon City
Manager Aaron Palmquist
said he wanted the current
enterprise structure to con-
tinue unchanged also. Both
Lindsay and Commissioner
Jim Doherty argued that if
the Port partners with only
the county, nothing would
change and the port would
still have the enterprise
zone to use in negotiations
with new companies locat-
ing here.
As far as the enterprise
zone as a business recruit-
ment tool Stokoe and Port
Manager Ryan Neil both
pointed out the Port would
be at a great disadvan-
tage without it to entice
-See ENTERPRISE ZONE/
PAGE FIVE
Heppner and Ione high
schools have joined many
other schools around the
country in the “Be the
Light” movement. Many
high school stadium lights
across the state are coming
on at 8:20 p.m., which
is 20:20 military time, to
honor and support the 2020
graduating classes. Many
spring sports athletes and
high school seniors have
had their last semesters
upended thanks to the coro-
navirus pandemic.
The stadium lights at
Les Payne Field will come
on at 20:20 every Thursday
and will remain on for 20
minutes in support of the
Heppner High School se-
nior class. Stadium lights
at the Ione field will come
on at 20:20 on Friday nights
and will remain on for 18
minutes in honor of the 18
seniors.
The bright stadium
lights were turned off too
soon for every senior across
the state. The coronavi-
rus pandemic has forced
campuses around the state
to shut down for the re-
mainder of the school year,
taking away what some
might have understandably
taken for granted: final
spring sports seasons, se-
nior proms and walking the
stage for graduation.
A spokesperson for
Heppner said, “We want
to honor all our students
with this symbol of hope
and support and let them
know we are thinking of
them.” J.J Rosenberg of
Ione posted on the booster
club Facebook page, “Rest
assured, just because the
season may be over, our
Cardinal pride can never be
extinguished.”
The lights will continue
to be turned on each week
to honor and say thank
you to all of the students.
Lighting the stadium will
let everyone know the com-
munity is missing seeing
the students perform and
they look forward to seeing
them again.
Morrow County reports more
COVID-19 cases
In a press release on
April 8, Morrow County
Public Health reported a
third individual in Morrow
County had tested positive
for COVID-19. An updated
press release the following
day confirmed two more
had tested positive, bring-
ing the total for the county
to five.
It was reported that
cases four and five were
identified during the pub-
lic health investigation
from a previously reported
case. Both individuals are
self-isolating at home.
The third individual
who tested positive had
recently relocated to Ore-
gon from out of state and
was in Morrow County for
a limited amount of time
before being hospitalized
out of the county. The case
is unrelated to previous
positive cases in the county.
Morrow County has
reported positive cases in
both north and south coun-
ty and would like to re-
mind everyone to continue
practicing safe distancing
guidelines, wash hands
often and stay home.
The CDC recommends
a non-medical face mask
for those who venture out
for work or essential needs.
The mask is for the pro-
tection of yourself as well
as others. People can have
the virus and spread it to
others before showing any
symptoms.
The most common
symptoms of COVID-19
are fever, cough and short-
ness of breath. If you are
experiencing any illness,
you should stay home, and
stay in contact with your
healthcare provider. If med-
ical care is needed, call first.
Be extra cautious to limit
your contact with people
who are at higher risk for
severe illness.
Morrow County Public
Health wants to assure citi-
zens that all precautions are
being taken and screening
and testing are continuing.
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
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