MCHD Board
responds to recent
changes and events
New interim CEO announced
50¢
VOL. 140
NO. 26
8 Pages
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Curbs and sidewalks going in
Emily Roberts
Workers began installing curbs and sidewalks Tuesday on the north end of Gale Street. The crews will be starting at 5 a.m.
to beat the heat. Where were you in 1941? Heppner City Manager Kraig Cutsforth (inset) holds a 1941 automobile license
plate uncovered during the street renovation project now going on in Heppner. Cutsforth says nothing too “unusual” has been
unearthed during the renovation project. -Photos by David Sykes
Heppner saw the sec-
ond phase of its big street
project get underway Tues-
day, when workmen began
laying curbs and sidewalks
on the north end of Gale
Street. City Manager Kraig
Cutsforth says there are
three different crews that
will come into Heppner to
do the total street project.
The first crew who has been
working here for some time
already, tears out the streets
and sidewalks and lays
the new sewer pipelines.
Another crew is now in to
do the sidewalks, curbs and
gutters, and a third compa-
ny and group will come in
last to do the asphalt work.
He says the work tear-
ing out old asphalt on Chase
is going pretty smoothly
except when the crew found
a large fiber line in the road
they did not know about,
Residents seek relief as record
breaking heat wave expected
to last through Sunday
which caused some delay.
Cutsforth also said they ran
into a lot of underground
water on Chase Street, but
not a lot of rock like what
was found on Gale Street
earlier. He says overall the
entire project is going well,
and it may be a little bit
ahead of schedule.
The curbs and side-
walk crew uses a machine
(above) to pour and form
the gutters. The concrete is
coming from local contrac-
tor Miller and Sons.
In a recent press re-
lease, the Morrow County
Health District (MCHD)
Board of Directors an-
nounced that Victor Van-
derDoes, who served for a
brief time as Interim CEO,
resigned from his position
effective Friday, June 18,
2021. Mr. VanderDoes’ de-
parture was a direct result
of his unauthorized pre-
sentation to the Boardman
Chamber of Commerce.
In a statement to all staff
following the event, the
board shared the following,
“We must convey that his
[VanderDoes’] conduct and
the context of his words and
actions in no way reflect
the board’s sentiments. We
deeply regret the harm his
comments may have caused
to those present during that
session, those participating
in the event on social me-
dia, and to all the valued
community partners he
mentioned during his pre-
sentation.” Board members
John Murray, Chairman,
Carri Grieb, Diane Kilken-
ny, Aaron Palmquist and
Marie Shimer emphasized
that neither they nor mem-
bers of the executive team
had prior knowledge of
Mr. VanderDoes’ intent or
the content he presented.
They also stated that under
no circumstances would
VanderDoes be permitted
to continue in his role had
he not resigned.
Immediately after the
events of last week, the
MCHD Board began work-
ing on a plan to address
the vacancy in the CEO
position while also ensuring
the district’s stability. In
the letter from the board to
staff on Wednesday, June
23, 2021, the following was
included, “I want to share
what we as a board believe
to be the most positive
news and outcome we could
have imagined emerging
from this situation. We are
pleased to share that Emily
Roberts, MCHD’s current
compliance officer, had
expressed an interest in
pursuing an opportunity to
become our newest Chief
Executive Officer.” On June
23, Roberts accepted the
position as Interim CEO
and immediately began
working with staff.
According to the press
release, in her first dis-
trict-wide communication
as interim CEO, Roberts
shared, “I am honored to
be writing to you as the dis-
trict’s interim CEO, a role
that I take very seriously. As
the interim CEO, I will give
my best every day to regain
your trust and to restore
community confidence in
our organization.”
In addition, Roberts,
a health care compliance
professional, has a back-
ground in behavioral health
and acknowledged the dis-
trict’s current challenges.
She pledged the following,
“Here is who I aspire to be
for you: an authentic, re-
silient and energetic leader
that puts the needs of the
district first.” She went on
to say that she is “as enthu-
siastic and committed to
-See MCHD CEO/PAGE
THREE
Ione schedules events for 4 th of
July celebration
S atu rd ay , J u ly 3, 2021
When the thermometer
hits 110 it’s time to head
for the pool, which a lot
of people did this week to
cool off from this record
heat wave that has this past
week covered the Pacific
Northwest including Mor-
row County. The National
Weather Service says the
heat wave is expected to
be with us until Sunday
and to expect temperatures
between 105 and 115.
The NWS also says the
extreme heat will “signifi-
cantly increase the potential
for heat related illness-
es, particularly for those
working or participating in
outdoor activities.” It said
there is “the possibility that
all-time record high tem-
peratures will be reached
or exceeded during this heat
wave.”
Wind towers red blinking light
system changed
The steadily blinking
red light system on the top
of the towers of the new
wind project in Morrow
County, has been changed.
The warning system that
sees the red lights blink
on and off simultaneously
all night long, warning
night airplane pilots away
from the towers has been
replaced with a new system
where lights only come on
when an aircraft is detect-
ed in the area. The steady
blinking lights were con-
sidered an eyesore.
Morrow County offi-
cials were informed the new
lighting system had been
installed in a June 16 letter
from Wheatridge Wind II,
LLC a division of NextEra
which owns and operates
the project. Commissioner
Don Russell, himself a
pilot, has been pushing
for installation of the new
on-demand light warning
system for some time.
Replacing the always
blinking red light warning
system with the “Aircraft
Detection Lighting System
(ADLS)” was required by
Morrow County in order
for Wheatridge to receive
its Strategic Investment
Program (SIP) tax abate-
ment deal approved earlier.
“If the ADLS system is not
operational by July 1, 2021,
then the SIP exemption
would be null and void,” the
company letter to Morrow
County Assessor Mike Gor-
man read. “As the projects
have installed the ADLS we
have met this requirement
and look forward to utiliz-
ing the SIP exemption as
agreed.”
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