Heppner High
sports events begin
Attendance limited by location
specific COVID risk factors
Heppner High School contact tracing for everyone
will begin season two who is allowed into our
contests this week, start- contests.”
ing with volleyball and
Schools have agreed to
cross country on Thursday, have limited parent/family
March 4. “The ability to be in attendance only at their
a spectator at these events home events in Morrow
has completely changed,” and Umatilla Counties. At
advised HHS principal Matt this time- Umatilla County
VOL. 140 NO. 9 8 Pages
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Combe. Attendance will be schools cannot have any
limited by the risk factor of spectators until they are at
the county where the event the low or moderate risk
is held.
level. “I know this will be
By Bobbi Gordon
Attendance at home a huge change to our par-
Andrew Kilgore has
contests while Morrow ents and fans as we have
been operating his aerial ap-
County is in the moder- the most loyal following of
plication business, or crop
ate risk category will be any school,” stated Combe.
dusting as most people call
limited to 150, including “We are making every ef-
it, for nine years, with the
participants. “We hope to fort to have video of each
past five seasons flying out
at least stay at the moder- contest made available for
of the Lexington airport.
ate level and hope to get to free so our fans can see the
Kilgore has been serving
low in order to add more student’s events.”
the Columbia Basin area
parent/family attendance,”
“We are excited to fi-
for eight years, following in
said Athletic Director Greg nally get our kids out par-
the shoes of past applicators
Grant. “If we slip into high, ticipating in athletics and
Wayne Seitz, Ron Linn,
it will be participants only.” for families to see their
Lanny West and others.
Attendance guidelines are children participate even if
Kilgore told the Ga-
set by the Oregon Health it is on a limited basis.” For
zette, “Most do not know
Authority and the gover- more information regarding
the average age of aerial Andrew Kilgore stands next to his Thrush 710 crop duster.
nor’s office. The OSAA the guidelines please refer
applicators (crop dusters)
across the US is 70. That comfort zone. With a little little luck. But mostly, it’s going to air shows with manages the guidelines and to https://sharedsystems.
may seem odd for a job bit of training and some a passion for aviation that the family and watching is providing guidance to dhsoha.state.or.us/DHS-
requiring good eyesight and luck, I was able to make it goes all the way back to the crop dusters spray our help schools put on events. Forms/Served/le3461.pdf
“We are issuing tickets and or www.osaa.org.
fast reflexes. The question work.” In the fall of 2020, being a four-year-old boy farm.”
is, who is going to step in he was able to purchase a
and become the next gen- larger Thrush 710, which
eration?” Kilgore says he has more capacity and pow-
hopes to be one of those er. According to Kilgore,
those are all good things in
pilots.
Kilgore originally lived the ag aerial spray world.
on his family farm in Echo, The airplane is powered by
later moving with his par- a turbo prop Prat & Whit-
ents and sister to his grand- ney PT6-67 engine, capable
parent’s farm in Condon. of 1,300 shaft horsepower.
Andrew’s father, Patrick, The aircraft has a 700-gal-
owned a ground spray- lon spray tank and a 54-foot
ing operation for 20 years, wingspan. It also has a dual
which is where Andrew be- cockpit, which allows for
came interested in spraying. transport of mixers from
A new duplex is being built in Ione at the Emert Addition #2
“Aerial spraying is similar one airport to another.
A new duplex is being tion. WCVEDG is provid- for the duplex has not yet projects. The construction
Although Andrew has
in all aspects except for the
is meant to help ease what
speed and the 10 feet of been spraying out of the built in the Emert Addition ing the funding and Grow been announced.
WCVEDG receives is seen as a chronic rental
Lexington airport for five #2 in Ione. The units will Ione donated the lot. The
altitude,” Andrew noted.
He graduated from seasons now, many resi- be two story with three bed- duplex is similar to the two the funds to build the du- housing shortage in the
Condon High School in dents are not familiar with rooms and two baths. Each WCVEDG built in Heppner plexes from the Columbia south Morrow County area.
on Cowin Street. Allstott River Enterprise Zone II. WCVEDG serves, and has
2003 and immediately his plane. “If you have seen will have its own garage.
The project is a joint Construction is general The enterprise zone gives members on its board of di-
joined the Air Force, where a red and white turbine
he served as an aircraft spray plane, that is me,” venture between WCVEDG contractor on the project as money around the county rectors, from the three cities
structural mechanic. After Andrew reported. He said and Grow Ione, which de- it was for the Heppner du- for use, among other things, in south county, Heppner,
his honorable discharge, he is beginning to pick up veloped the Emert Addi- plexes. A completion date on housing development Lexington and Ione.
he attended Central Oregon more customers in the area
Community College’s flight after one of the local ag
program and learned to pilots, Wayne Seitz, retired.
fly helicopters. Following “Wayne Seitz kindly took
several years of training and the time to introduce me to
becoming a flight instructor, some of his long-term cus- By David Sykes
Morrow County has
in 2012 he went to work for tomers,” Kilgore continued.
Kilgore has been spray- closed a deal for $6.9 mil-
a helicopter spraying com-
ing seed potatoes for CSS lion in financing to pay for
pany in Minnesota.
In 2013 Andrew re- potato and sprays for sev- its new office facilities now
turned to Oregon and start- eral dryland wheat farmers under construction in Irri-
ed his own spray business, in the area. He also works gon. The Commerce Bank
K2 Aerial Application. He off the airports in Boardman of Portland with its affiliate
began his business with and Hermiston, serving Zions Bancorporation of
helicopters for the first three farmers in those areas. He Salt Lake will be providing
years, even owning a Huey. lives in Echo and his plane the 15-year loan at 1.79
Kilgore said, “It was a great lives at the Hermiston air- percent interest.
The loan will be a
machine, but the mainte- port, where he is currently
non-secured promissory
nance costs for helicopters building a hangar.
Kilgore ended by say- note pledging revenue in-
was just not sustainable.”
Deciding to take a risk, ing, “People ask me how I come from the county’s
he switched to fixed wing got into this job. The first general fund for repayment,
aircraft, saying, “It wasn’t thing I think of is a lot of which means no county
easy and was a bit out of my work, a ton of risk and a property was used as se- Construction has started on the new county office buildings in Irrigon.
curity to obtain the loan. marine boat for emergen-
When obtaining the commissioners at a Febru-
Payment terms are semi-an- cies on the river. The only financing, the county ary 24 meeting.
nual.
other county office in the paid James Shannon of
Gives fuel contract
The new mixed-use north end is the health de- Mersereau Shannon LLP
In other recent county
office space now being built partment with an office in law firm of Portland to han- business, the commission-
in Irrigon will house a mul- Boardman and they will dle the details of the loan. ers approved a fuel bid
titude of county offices and stay there. The rest of the Shannon said the county got to supply the county with
departments including the county services will be a good deal on interest rates
-See NEW IRRIGON
Morrow County Health Please call 541-676-5649, Justice Court, Planning De- consolidated in the new and “it’s a pretty straight
FACILTY/PAGE
FOUR
Department continues its or email COVIDVaccine@ partment, Sheriff’s Office, building.
forward deal,” he told the
efforts to inform residents co.morrow.or.us for more County Clerk, Surveyor,
of the importance of get- information. Public health and Parole and Probation.
ting vaccinated against officials urge all residents The county seat is still in
COVID-19. Vaccine clinics interested in being vaccinat- Heppner and no offices
are now open for appoint- ed to complete an eligibil- will be closed there. The
ment to persons 65 and ity form online to help the new Irrigon facility is just
older. Public health will county distribute vaccines an expansion to service the
also continue to vaccinate in an organized and equita- growing north end of the
additional age groups, es- ble manner. This form and county.
sential workers, and the other important COVID-19
The building is 12,500
general population in co- information can be found square feet and will also
herence with the Oregon at www.co.morrow.or.us/ have room for the county
Health Authority’s (OHA) publichealth. Those who commissioners to meet
still need to receive their there. The sheriff’s office
phase requirements.
The Morrow Coun- second COVID-19 vaccine north end offices will all
ty Health Department is dose, please follow up with be consolidated in the new
currently administering the office to verify appoint- building. Also, the Sheriff
350 Main Street
vaccines by appointment. ment.
will have storage for their
50¢
Crop duster operates out of Lexington
New duplex going up in Ione
County makes $6.9 million loan deal for
new Irrigon facility financing
COVID-19
vaccinations
available for 65+
Going On Now!
20% off all In Stock Apparel
30% off Select UTV/ATV Winches
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