Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2021)
EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Sheriff’s Report ...continued from page six July 6 (cont.): Morrow County Sheriff’s Office re- ceived a report on Marshall Loop, in Boardman. Male fell off the roof -MCSO received a re- port at Heppner Market Fresh on N Main St., in Heppner. Caller advised of a male running around without a shirt on and yell- ing. He believes he went behind the supermarket ***MCSO responded, un- able to locate subject -MCSO received a re- port on Rock Ave, in Irri- gon. Caller advised there are two dogs loose in his yard, one is a rottweiler. He is inside his chicken coop and can’t get back to his house. MCSO responded and dog owner was located and put dogs up. -MCSO received a re- port at Flynn Apartments on Nw Gale St., in Heppner. Caller advised her husband was beaten up. Wants to speak to a Deputy July 7: Morrow Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office received a report on I 84 W, in Boardman. Dog took off from a female alongside the freeway and is getting into traffic. Referred to other agency. -MCSO received a re- port at Willow Creek Park District Fitness Park on Nw Riverside Ave., in Heppner. Coyote at the fit park that is seriously injured. -MCSO received a re- port on S Willow St, in lone. Subject is causing a disturbance, yelling at his mom and throwing things, 32 yoa male, Caller is in her bedroom, male is outside the house with a female -MCSO received a re- port on Highway 74, in Heppner. Threw a cup out the window - vehicle is all over the road - 4 wind motor home only going 40 mph - on his cell phone when passed .. Disposition: referred to other agency. -MCSO received a re- port on Park Ave Nw, in Boardman. Vehicle is being repossessed at this address. July 8: Morrow Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office received a report on Wagon Wheel Loop, in Irrigon. Pick up without a license plate. Has backed in a new fifth wheel trailer into their neighbor’s property. They are con- cerned that it is stolen. -MCSO received a report on W Main St, in Lexington. Caller advised that the neighbor’s dogs are barking again. -MCSO received a re- port on Columbia Ln, in Irrigon. Caller advised that his ex-girlfriend is at his house refusing to leave and is damaging his belongings. -MCSO received a re- port at Agri Northwest on Paterson Ferry Rd., in Ir- rigon. Caller reports that someone backed into his pickup in the parking lot and dented his pickup. -MCSO received a re- port on Se Utah Ave, in Irrigon. Bright Blue P/U w/ a matching Canopy and white sign on both doors. Spun its tires on Eighth, ran stop sign on Seventh went at a high rate of speed towards California to Tenth. Caller advises vehicle is heading back towards his res. Unable to locate. -MCSO received a re- port on Sw Second St, in Irrigon. Caller is advising that his ex just left the residence with all of his belongings. -MCSO received a re- port on Depot Ln, in Ir- rigon. Caller is advising that there is 3 dogs tied to chains with no shade and no water. The house is yellow in color. PORT-COUNTY MEETING not a dire situation saying Amazon would self-regu- late and not keep opening server farms here if there wasn’t enough employees. Lisa Mittelsdorf, economic development director, at the port, said Amazon can bring in employees from other locations to regulate the work force. It had been mentioned earlier that some jobs on the Amazon web site had been there for sev- eral years, perhaps showing a lack of employees. She disagreed, explaining those jobs get filled and new ones are put up when a new serv- er farm is built. Port chairman Rick Stokoe said the job employ- ment shortage is not as dire as some people make out, and that the community has indicated it wants to grow. “The turnover rate isn’t as high as being discussed. We have these issues but if these businesses weren’t coming here there wouldn’t be any jobs,” Stokoe em- phasized. “We wouldn’t be making the wages in the county that are being made. So, the idea to quit creating business is asinine,” he said. “The community has said we want to continue to grow, and they want to continue to have good pay- ing jobs. And we want to be able to take care of our families and how do you do that if you stop bringing in business? The port is an economic developer. That is what we do. We bring in business, we bring in growth,” he emphasized. “When I was growing up there were 170 people here with two potato processing facilities with minimum wage,” Mittelsdorf said. “We are the fourth highest for wages in the state of Oregon now. We ought to be proud of that. The way to continue to grow our community and citizens is to continue to get better jobs for them so they do want to stay here.” Neal said more plant managers are looking to locate in the county and that is a good thing. “We are starting to get managers to live here again,” Neal said. “We lost that for a long time and that is integral to making the whole county better because they are in- vested in the county. It has taken a lot of hard work and coordination, but we feel that we have some positive momentum going on a lot of these fronts,” he said. Doherty wanted to know how much industrial property the port needs. “I am compelled to add an additional 2,000 acres to the largest port in Oregon (Port of Morrow) with already the most available indus- trial property in the state. These are just honest ques- tions that I have to go to my constituents and answer,” he said. Neal answered that the port is planning ahead and looking at its property needs 30 years down the road. “What happens when you do run out of industrial property?” Neal asked. He said with the additional depot land the port would be adding industrial land without “taking out any farmland.” He said the port is trying for grown without having an impact on agri- culture. “Our vision isn’t just today it is into the fu- ture and how do you we do that?” Neal says right now the port has 10-15 custom- ers at any time that could potentially site here at the port. “If they all sited, we are out of land. Our job is to make sure the port is pros- perous and has perspective into the future not just to- day,” he emphasized. “We are to the point now we are running out of property. Its industrial property, and that is what it is for, to develop, to prosper, to add value to the county for the benefit of the citizens. That’s what it is for,” added Mittelsdorf. Speaking of past meet- ings with the port, Coun- ty Commissioner Melissa Lindsay had good words about this joint meeting saying, “This was the first time I have been at the table when there has been spoken dialog and not just canned discussion, where we were then told what to do. I appreciate that a lot and we need to continue these discussions,” she add- ed. “I want open dialog and not 100 percent preplanned conversation, and then you tell us what to do.” She said the relationship be- tween the port and county is a partnership. “This is us now, and if this is how we operate I think we get along nicely,” she said about the meeting. Lindsay added, “Amazing things have been done here (at the port). We want to work together, but it has got to be in the public eye, and not somewhere else,” she emphasized. “We want to all be grownups in the room when important things happen. We want a partnership with all of us working together.” Lindsay said this joint meeting was the first time she have heard both per- spectives on growth and “it is all very interesting. It can be a very good thing, but the days of not working togeth- er are gone,” she said. She said both groups represent Morrow County citizens and that “we are not two separate entities. We are all county-wide entities and representatives. It is one county, and our mission is county-wide, and we have not been doing that,” she stressed. “This is the first time I have felt included in the analysis and I appreci- ate it.” Stokoe said one rea- son the port had taken a strong lead on acquiring the industrial zoned army depot property alone, was because of an agreement made between former coun- ty commissioners that the port could have the land for development. “We thought there was an agreement with the county moving forward. We understood we had an agreement and that is why we were taking the approach we did. The port is not trying to stick it to anybody. There was an agreement and that is how they were moving forward,” he said. That agreement, however, was only a verbal commitment -Continued from PAGE ONE from two previous county commissioners, current commissioners point out. Lindsay also pointed out that the county in a sense already is a partner with the port, saying when the port sites new business- es and the enterprise zone gives the business large property tax breaks that is money not coming into the county coffers. “Over a third of the dollars you ne- gotiate with are the county’s or the school district’s so you can’t ignore that there is already a partnership tak- ing place,” she argued. “We are all a county-wide entity. It’s the county’s money, the citizens of this county’s money. This is not a unicorn that five people (port com- missioners) have made hap- pen. This is about everyone in this county sacrificing something,” she said of the new development coming to the port. Russell noted that the army depot property has been here a long time and never contributed any prop- erty taxes to the county, so any new development would be better. “This prop- erty has been in federal ownership and not con- tributed a dime in county tax revenue,” he said. “If we got a dime out of it tomorrow that would be a dime more than we have gotten before. Whatever entity goes in there, if they get a 50 percent tax break in money, that is still more than we have gotten over the last 80 years,” Russell said. Following the two-hour discussion on the future growth of Morrow County, most of the participants agreed talking together was a good thing and should continue. “We want to make sure that we can work with the county and are on the same page,” Neal said. “We want to be lock and step when we go to recruit (new business). We don’t want angst between the two entities. We have some of the best assets in the world right here, and we want to make sure this is one of the greatest places to live, raise a family and do business,” he concluded. I WANT YOUR STORY! Do you have a community project? Have you started a new, interesting hobby or business? Have you or someone you know hit a significant milestone? Is there something you feel needs to be shared with the community? I want your story! I would love to share it with the Heppner Gazette-Times' readers! Contact Giselle Call or text cell# 541-914-2157 (PLEASE leave a message if I don't answer!) office# 676-9228 email graphics@rapidserve.net
