Local couple starts push for
dog park
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 139
NO. 26 6 Pages
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
‘Greater Idaho’ group gathers
signatures for ballot question
Group seeks to separate Oregon’s rural
counties to join with politically similar Idaho
By David Sykes
A group seeking to
break off rural Oregon
counties and join them
with the more political-
ly like-minded conserva-
tive state of Idaho, had
its petition approved and
nature petitions to move
the Oregon/Idaho border.
Signature collection has
begun in thirteen, soon to
be fifteen counties,” they
said. “If enough signatures
are submitted by August 5,
the issue will be on ballots
both a web site greaterida-
ho.org and a Facebook
page. The website has links
to each county-specific
petition and a copy of the
complete Greater Idaho
proposal.
In other business at the
Sally and Ralph Walker, along with Midge and Daisy, check out the proposed spot for a dog
park. -Photo by David Sykes.
Sally and Ralph Walker
of Heppner have begun a
feasibility study to establish
an off-leash dog park in
Heppner for residents and
visitors. According to the
Walkers, creating an off-
leash dog park has become
a necessity due to many
other fenced areas being
posted with “no dogs al-
lowed” recently. “This only
leaves open public parks,
sidewalks and people’s
yards for dog’s use,” Sally
Walker said.
The city of Heppner
has indicated that a strip
of vacant land between the
old swimming pool park
and Shobe Creek at Can-
non Street and South Main
Street might be a possibility
for the park if it is accept-
able to nearby residents.
“The plan at this time is to
acquire the land and financ-
ing for the development of
the area. We plan to raise
money by selling name tags
of sponsors to be attached
to a fence post, by taking
donations and then ‘in kind’
donations of volunteer help
on the construction,” the
Walker’s told the Gazette.
They estimate the cost to
be less than $1,500.
“Cleanliness, conve-
nience and easy accessibil-
ity are some of the reasons
the planning of a dog park
has begun. The dog park
could be a great addition to
the many other amenities
the city of Heppner has to
offer,” they continued.
For additional infor-
mation, suggestions or to
volunteer, please contact
Ralph and Sally Walker at
541-676-9112.
Ione to hold July 4
fireworks display
If a move-Oregon’s border group gets enough signatures on an already approved petition, voters in Morrow County will see
a non-binding question on the November ballot.
will begin gathering signa-
tures. The group officially
known as “Move Oregon’s
Border for a Greater Ida-
ho,” had asked the county
commissioners to approve
a non-binding advisory
to voters questioning if
Morrow County should
“establish a committee to
investigate and promote
the possibility of making
Morrow County a county
of Idaho?” Commissioners
did not discuss the proposal
at their June 10 meeting, nor
did they call for a vote on
whether to refer the ques-
tion to voters. The group
was not asking commis-
sioners to take a position.
Since the commissioners
refused to refer the question
to voters, the Greater Idaho
group will now be required
to gather the needed 230
signatures to get it on the
November ballot. The ballot
title has already been filed
with the county clerk and
it reads “Shall the Morrow
County Board of Commis-
sioners be required to meet
three times annually to
discuss promoting Morrow
County’s interest regard-
ing relocation of the state
border?”
According to a re-
cent news release from
the Greater Idaho group:
“County clerks in fifteen
Oregon counties, with a
combined population of
710,000 residents, have
given the go-ahead for sig-
in those counties in No-
vember.”
The group was formed
over frustration in dealing
with Oregon’s super ma-
jority Democrat-controlled
legislature and Democrat
governor, whose liberal
political viewpoints vary
greatly from those of rural
Oregon. “Rural counties
have become increasingly
outraged by laws coming
out of the Oregon Leg-
islature that threaten our
livelihoods, our industries,
our wallet, our gun rights
and our values. We tried
voting those legislators
out, but rural Oregon is
outnumbered, and our voic-
es are now ignored. This
is our last resort,” Mike
McCarter, one of the chief
petitioners, said. The group
is hoping rural Oregonians
would prefer Idaho’s more
conservative governance to
the current liberal Oregon.
Of Oregon’s 36 coun-
ties, only 14 in the Willa-
mette Valley will remain if
the group succeeds. Moving
the border would still be
a tough job as it would
require approval from the
U.S. Congress as well as
the Idaho and Oregon state
legislatures. However, the
group determined that mov-
ing the border would still be
easier than trying to form a
new state as some other ar-
eas of the country in similar
situations have considered.
The group has established
June 10 meeting, the com-
missioners heard a request
from the city of Umatilla
Police Department that the
Morrow County Sheriff
Office contract to handle
their 911 call taking and
dispatching services. Uma-
tilla is currently contracting
with Umatilla County and
representatives at the meet-
ing said the charges for the
service have been going up
steadily and are set to take
a big jump in the next year.
Morrow County Sheriff
Ken Matlack said provid-
ing the service would be a
good thing financially for
Morrow County. City of
Umatilla manager David
Stockdale said he would
like to see a three-year
agreement with Morrow
County for 911 but would
be “more interested” in
a five-year. He said their
current contract doesn’t
expire for another year so
there is time to work out
the details. Morrow County
Commissioners said they
were interested but wanted
to have contract details in
front of them before giving
a final ok.
In other business the
commission heard from
North Morrow Vector Con-
trol District Manager Greg
Barron who gave a report
on activities of the district,
and also asked the commis-
sion to approve an appoint-
ment to the board. Barron
said his district covers a 274
square mile area in North
Morrow County and deals
primarily with keeping the
mosquito “genera Culex”
under control. That breed is
the main disease transmitter
in the area. They use a va-
riety of methods including
surveying mosquito popula-
tions, larvaciding, or elim-
inating in the larva stage,
adulticiding, or controlling
once they reach adult stage
and biological control.
Barron says one of the
big concerns of the vector
district is preventing the
West Nile virus which is
transmitted by mosquitos.
“We are the perfect envi-
ronment with high temps
and a dry climate,” he said,
adding that mosquitos like
dry climates and water to
breed.
Barron said the district
Although this year’s
Ione Fourth of July Cele-
bration festivities have been
cancelled, the fireworks
will still light up the sky,
weather permitting.
Thanks to a grant from
the Morrow County Uni-
fied Recreation District,
a fireworks crew led by
Ed Reitmann will shoot
off fireworks from a hill
overlooking town on the
west side of Ella Road.
The display can be viewed
from most places in town.
Weather permitting, the
first firework will be shot
at dusk.
Fireworks are provided
by Western Display Fire-
works, an Oregon based,
family-owned business.
The Ione Volunteer Fire
Department will be on pa-
trol as well.
Attendees are encour-
aged to follow the existing
phase requirements and pri-
oritize the health and safety
of the community members.
has two full time employees
and six summer techs that
work on mosquito control.
He said they have one of the
best surveillance operations
finding and identifying
mosquitoes as anywhere in
the state. He said once mos-
quito’s density is identified
samples are sent to a diag-
nostic lab at Oregon State
University for analysis.
The district contracts with
a helicopter operator out
of Pendleton when needed.
Barron also said there
was a recent mosquito prob-
lem identified in Irrigon
and they thought part of the
infestation was from Wash-
ington. “If they are hatched
on the Washington side
there is no control,” he says,
so they will come across
the river. After hearing the
report, the commission vot-
ed to approve Pat Tolar to
the board. Tolar is a former
chair of the fair board and
currently works at the Sage
Center in Boardman.
Commissioner Don
Russell is from Boardman
and he recalled how in high
school “I couldn’t go out in
the summer without getting
bit. It’s much better now,”
he said. Russell also point-
ed out that the vector dis-
trict is 100 percent funded
by its own tax base and does
not receive money from the
county general fund.
In business at its June
17 meeting, the commis-
sioners heard a report from
Diane Kilkenny, RN, Com-
munity Health Nurse, who
said she and other health
care professionals in the
county are preparing for a
possible wave of Corona-
virus cases. “We are be-
ing very proactive. We are
trying to be ready,” she
told the commissioners.
Commissioner Russell said
the county seemed “just
lucky” that we had not
gotten a large outbreak
of COVID-19 at the food
processing plants in the
Boardman area. Kilkenny
said Morrow County was
surrounded by outbreaks
and on the edge of Umatilla
County and the Tri-Cities
which have seen quite a
few cases. “We are working
hard at it,” she said about
preparations.
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