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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2021)
Stokoe seeks reelection as POM commissioner 50¢ VOL. 140 NO. 18 10 Pages Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Commissioners ask Brown to declare drought emergency Weather station at Heppner is 1.18 inches below normal By David Sykes The Morrow County commissioners have asked Governor Kate Brown to declare a state of drought emergency in Morrow County. In a resolution passed at their April 28 meeting data shows half of the county is in a severe drought and the rest is either in moderate or abnormally dry designation. “I don’t remember any measurable rain this last month,” Commission Chair Don Russell said. “Half of Morrow County is in severe drought and the rest looks similar to last year,” he added. Commissioner Jim Doherty, who is a cat- tleman, said although “the snowpack was not a terribly bad this year, in the foothills the grazing is pretty rough,” he said of the pasturelands. The county’s request for drought emergency was also backed up with data from the Morrow County Soil and Water Conserva- tion District. In a report to the commission District Manager Kevin Payne said things are not looking good in the near future with the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA) three-month out- look for Morrow County that calls for 33-40 percent probability that tempera- tures will be above normal. He also said the next three- month outlook also calls for a 50 to 60 percent chance rainfall will be below nor- mal. Current statistics show so far this year precipitation at the NOAA weather sta- tion in Heppner is at 2.93 inches, which is 1.18 below normal. Since October of 2020 the water precipita- tion at Heppner has been 6.41 inches, which is 1.76 inches below normal, Payne reported. “There is the potential for Morrow County agri- cultural and livestock, nat- ural resources, recreational, tourism, and related econ- omies to experience wide- spread and severe damage resulting from extreme weather conditions with the County,” the commis- sioners said in their letter to Brown. Being granted disaster status means the county would be eligible for finan- cial and other assistance from the state and its agen- cies. “This may include assistance from the Oregon Water Resources Depart- ment and other Oregon executive branch agencies,” the letter stated. As of Tuesday, the gov- ernor had not responded to the county’s request to be named a drought di- saster area, Commissioner Melissa Lindsay told the Gazette-Times. COVID grants In other action at the April 28 meeting the commissioners approved 22 COVID-19 grants to local buildings totaling $193,192. The grant pro- gram was a joint effort be- tween the county and Tilla- As can be seen from the above map, the north half of Morrow County is in severe drought, while the south half is in moderate. mook Cheese with $92,500 from Tillamook Cheese Company in Boardman, $42,500 from the Morrow County Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Se- curity Act (CARES) federal funds administered by the county, and $68,165 from the Columbia River Enter- prise Zone (CREZ) Resil- iency Fund. All funds were set up to help local busi- nesses hurt by the COVID lockdown. Other rounds of grant funds were given out in the past, but this round was especially geared to help restaurants hardest hit by the COVID lockdown. Restaurants were given added grant amounts in this round. three years. The purchased vehicle is to return to the City of Irrigon after three years. The council says the contracted amount “is equivalent to the cost of a Certified Patrol Deputy with an Intermediate Cer- tificate on step one.” The county also has a contract with the city of Heppner to provide police services. DMV to reopen office to public It was also announced at the meeting that the Or- egon Department of Trans- portation will open its Driver and Motor Vehicle (DMV) office to the public starting May 6 after nearly a yearlong closure due to COVID-19. Morrow County Businesses Receiving COVID grants Business Name Business Type Upper Place Concession Mobile Food Heppner Elks Lodge BPOE #358 Dine In ‐ 4 Days Macarios Mexican Restaurant LLC Dine In ‐ 6 Days Irrigon Moose Lodge #2486 Dine In ‐ 7 Days Bozo Foods Dine In ‐ 7 Days Smiley's Happy Place Dine In ‐ 7 Days 3's Company LLC dba Bucknums Dine In ‐ 7 Days The Sunrise at Boardman Dine In ‐ 7 Days Stokes Landing Senior Center Hospitality Shivam Hospitality ( Boardman) Hospitality Heppner Community Foundation Hospitality James R. Lankford Construction Ind Contractor Styles by Stefanie Ind Contractor Tim Hedman Ind Contractor Hair I Am Ind Contractor Blondee Salon Ind Contractor Equine Elegance NW Ind Contractor Saeskin Home‐Based Peterson's Jewelers Other Neighborhood Center Other TOTAL Irrigon sheriff contract In other business at the April 28 meeting the com- mission approved a contract with the City of Irrigon to provide police services through the Sheriff’s Office. The contract is identical to last year’s, except for a two-percent increase up to $96,822. The contract also stipulates that Irrigon will purchase a vehicle every Amount 10,800 14,801 14,801 14,801 14,801 1,396 14,801 10,000 14,801 14,801 5,507 9,801 6,000 9,801 2,372 5,376 3,852 6,872 9,801 8,007 $193,192 In a letter to the coun- ty commissioners, ODOT wrote: “Although the office will be open to the public by appointment for select transactions that require in-person service, we still encourage customers to do what they can online or through the mail. The Heppner office, located at 541 73 Highway 74, will be open weekly on Thursdays. Office hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and closed for lunch from 11 :30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Customers should be prepared to wear a face covering/mask and comply with social distanc- ing restrictions when visit- ing a DMV office per the Oregon Health Authority,” the letter said. Customers can start scheduling May appoint- ments as early as April 28, 2021. To schedule an ap- pointment, go to DMV2U. Oregon.gov and click on “Schedule Appointment.” The online scheduling tool will help you identify the type of appointment need- ed, and will provide options for appointment times and Rick Stokoe Richard Stokoe is seek- ing reelection to the Port of Morrow commissioner po- sition, where he has served for the past six years. “The Port of Morrow’s leaders have always had big aspirations for Mor- row County. They have never settled for just good enough, and their vision for the Port has added jobs, opportunity and much more for the entire county,” Rick Stokoe told the Gazette. He continued to say, “It’s been my honor to serve as a Port of Morrow com- missioner and help continue that story of success. As a county we have seen enor- mous growth, but we know there is a lot more in store.” According to Stokoe, there are more family wage jobs in store, which pro- vide the steady income that builds not only the econo- my but the communities. He says Morrow County is a working county, and as families find opportunity for stronger income they are empowered to give back. There are more in- vestments across Morrow County in store. In recent years the Port has put mon- ey into youth athletic fa- cilities in Heppner, Irrigon and Boardman; housing development in Ione and Heppner; infrastructure improvements in Lexing- ton, Ione and Irrigon; and locations, they said. HVAC contract awarded In other business, the county agreed to sign a con- tract with Bruce Inc. Me- chanical Heating & Air of Hermiston and Kennewick, much more. “We are always looking for ways to invest directly into our commu- nities.” As the port makes in- frastructure improvements that help get agricultural products from this region to foreign and domestic mar- kets, efficiency improves. The Port is a regional pow- erhouse, and its impact will continue to grow. Economic growth will continue as they develop policies that build the local economy by making room for businesses both big and small. “And there is a con- tinued proud legacy for all of Morrow County, as we spend our resources wisely to ensure we are setting up the next generation for success,” Stokoe continued. “This requires cooperation and coordination. We are stronger when we work together, and I value the partnerships we have with the county, all the cities, the school districts, the busi- ness leaders and everyone else who is striving to help Morrow County thrive.” “To that end, I am proud of the Morrow Ed- ucation Foundation, which has distributed more than $3.2 million provided from the Columbia River En- terprise Zone to Morrow County schools, along with all of the other investments in our youth. We know they are the ones who will carry on the good work into the future,” he said. “There has been so much progress and there is still so much potential at the Port of Morrow that I hope to have the privilege of being a part of. I know that the Port is doing its job well if the rising tide is lifting all of Morrow County.” for work done on county facilities. There were two bids received for the ser- vices. It will be a five-year contract and the company will charge the following hourly rates to the county: Ballot drop box sites available Ballots for the May 18 election have gone out and are due back by 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots must be received, not post- marked, by May 18 ac- cording to Morrow County Clerk Bobbi Childers. Of- ficial ballot drop locations are available throughout the county. In Boardman, the drop box is located at 101 NW Boardman Ave. The Irrigon location can be found at 205 NE 3rd St. In Ione the box is located on Spring St., in front of the turn to Third St. and Lexing- ton in the Morrow County Public Works parking lot, 365 West Hwy 74. Ballots may also be dropped in the box at the Bartholomew building parking lot or the clerk’s office, room 102 at the courthouse in Heppner. All locations are open 24 hours, except the clerk’s office where the hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. All locations close at 8 p.m. on election day. 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