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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