Two men arrested
on destructive
devices charges
50¢
VOL. 140
NO. 28
8 Pages
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Local woman talks new miniature
golf course
Kim Cutsforth of Bryant Foundation looks at old Heppner swimming
pool site for location
After an investigation
into a report on July 6 of
IEDs (Improvised Explo-
sive Device) in a shed on
property on Shoemake
Rd in the Boardman area,
two men were arrested.
Adrian Lee Ahumada, 37,
Boardman, and Brenden
Kane Strickland, 19, Clark-
ston WA, were charged
with three counts each of
unlawful manufacturing
of destructive device and
possession of destructive
device.
The Boardman Police
Department had received
information that there were
IEDs at approximately 8:39
a.m. on July 6 but since
the location was outside
the city limits, Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office was
contacted. According to the
press release, both BPD
and MCSO approached the
area and observed a man
throwing three objects into
a nearby field.
After the Oregon State
Police bomb squad respond-
ed and made all three devic-
es safe, it was determined
that the objects were indeed
destructive devices. MCSO
interviewed the male who
was at the scene and then
interviewed a second male
who arrived later. Both men
were arrested and lodged at
Umatilla County Jail with
bail of $60,000 each.
A professional miniature golf course company from New Jersey would design the course.
By David Sykes
If local woman Kim
Cutsforth can put her plan
together, Heppner could
one day have a miniature
golf course for people to
enjoy.
Cutsforth came to the
city council Monday asking
for council “blessing” on
her plan to place a miniature
course at the old swimming
pool site at Cannon and S.
Main Street. The proposed
site is about one-half acre
and is owned by the city.
The course would cost
between $350,000 and half
a million dollars to build
and would be paid for with
funds mainly from the
Howard and Beth Bryant
Foundation, of which she is
the administrator. The city
would not own or operate
the course. The Bryant
foundation is a multimil-
lion-dollar fund left by the
late couple for use in com-
munity projects in Heppner.
The Heppner Community
Foundation might also be
involved with operation of
the course.
Cutsforth, who pro-
claimed she is a “big mini
golfer,” told the council the
course would not be owned
by the city and would prob-
ably not be profitable but
would be a great asset for
the community and some-
thing both young and older
people of all ages could en-
joy. She said there would be
memberships for the course
and income would probably
just pay for upkeep and
utilities.
As an example of what
the course might look like
Cutsforth pointed to a mini
course located in Hermiston
behind the former Stet-
sons Steak House and next
to Aaron’s and the Home
Depot. “That is one of my
favorite courses,” she said.
The council also looked at
a flyer she passed around
from a Wildwood, NJ com-
pany called Harris Min-
Hermiston has a miniature golf course located behind the now
closed Stetson Steak House.
The proposed course in Heppner would be on one half acre at the old swimming pool site.
iature Golf which builds
the structures. She said her
first step would be to get
the company to look at the
topography of the site, lay
out a construction plan and
give her an estimate.
The city council was
receptive to the golf course
idea but did discuss that in
June of last year they had
already told Heppner cou-
ple Sally and Ralph Walker
they could move forward
with a plan to put a dog
park on at least part of the
one-half acre site. Cutsforth
told the council she would
need the whole half acre if
she were to put in a mini
golf course.
From a June 20 story
in the Gazette, it was stated
that 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. The
council however has not
heard any follow up from
the walkers since last year
on any progress on the dog
park.
At Monday’s meeting
the council talked about
finding another spot in
town, possibly up below
the dam, on which to de-
velop the dog park if Cuts-
forth’s mini golf project
does moves forward.
Cutsforth said she
doesn’t know if the project
can move forward until
she has a topography study
done on the site, but she was
coming to the council early
to get its “blessing” on the
project before she moves
forward. The council gener-
ally indicated they liked the
idea of the mini golf course.
In other business the
council talked to Ryan and
Sharon Miller, owners of
Miller’s Disposal Service,
about the free dumping
provided by the city to hunt-
ers during hunting season.
Miller Disposal gets paid
to empty large dumpsters
located at the city park on
Main Street during hunt-
ing season. However, they
said the volume of garbage
was exceeding what their
arrangement with the city
paid them and that there
would have to be changes
for them to continue doing
it during the coming hunt-
ing season.
One reason the vol-
ume is higher than anyone
originally expected was
because local people had
been discovered taking
their garbage to the hunter’s
only dumpsters. “When
you find rolls of old carpet
in there you know other
than hunters are using it,”
Ryan Miller said. Sharon
Miller echoed her husband
saying there was “a lot more
garbage last year” than in
the past.
Hunters bring a lot of
money into Heppner during
the season and realizing
they are important to the
local economy; the city has
provided the two dumpsters
for their use by the park as
they head out of town. The
city also provides free water
over at the Heritage Park
for hunters to use. The free
water station has a donation
jar and City Manager Kraig
Cutsforth, while not saying
how much is collected,
did say bow hunters were
the most generous and left
more donation money for
water than rifle hunters.
Ryan Miller told the
council he likes the idea
of free garbage dumping
for hunters and hopes the
city continues it, he just
was saying there had to be
changes since the volume
was more than expected.
He said they were pick-
ing up between 12 and 18
dumpsters in a three-day
weekend period last year,
which was more than the
agreement the city was
paying for. He said every
time his garbage truck driv-
er went to dumpsters they
were full up.
Cutsforth said he had
talked to the Forest Service
about maybe having them
chip in on the cost of the
dumping since any garbage
brought to town for disposal
is less trash left up in the
mountains. Cutsforth said
he had talked to the new
ranger about some possible
financial help.
In other business the
council heard about a plan
to place both asphalt and
concrete in the Thompson
Square Food Court located
next to the Post office where
food vendors are now lo-
cated. The plan is to put
concrete in the front part of
the court out to the sidewalk
and asphalt in the back part
clear to the city shop in the
back. City administration
says it will make the area
a better place for people to
do activities and eat meals
from the vendors.
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