Good crowd turns
out for hometown
author’s book
signing
50¢
VOL. 140
NO. 42
10 Pages
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Lexington housing growth depends on
additional water, infrastructure
County Planner Tamra
Mabbott talks infrastructure
with town council. -Photo by
David Sykes.
ber Will Lemmon said. The
town has only one well and
in the past has looked at
ways to develop a second
one, not only for backup
but to provide more supply
for new homes. The town is
on a central water system,
but each home has its own
septic system.
Lemmon also ques-
tioned if the town had
enough available vacant
land for building. “We don’t
really have that much space
to build in this town, do
we?” he asked. Lemmon
pointed out that some pri-
vate developers have al-
ready been doing some
housing development but
wondered if there is vacant
land available. Mabbott
pointed to a 2019 buildable
lands study that showed
Lexington has 19 partially
vacant acres and 29 vacant
acres that could support
development, however 25
of those acres being diffi-
cult to serve without infra-
structure. She said more
building lots could be made
available in Lexington if
the town were to consider
expanding its urban growth
boundary. In any case it
was generally agreed for
the town to grow with new
housing and residents, it
would need another water
source, such as a second
well.
Mabbott was asked
about the recently enacted
county rural residential
lot ordinance, allowing 10
acres of land to be created
from larger farm parcels for
residential building. While
that option is available,
she said the state of Ore-
gon makes it very difficult
to create the smaller lots.
“Creating rural residential
minimum 10 acres; I have
talked to some people (in
Morrow County about it)
but nothing has developed
yet,” she told the council. “I
spent 20 years as a planner
in Umatilla County, and we
did two of them,” she said
of the difficulty in creat-
ing the lots. However, she
says if it was done, making
the smaller building lots
could help with the housing
crunch. “It just takes plan-
ning and paperwork, but it
is possible,” she said.
Mabbott said there is
also a state land use law
that allows even smaller
lots than 10 acres to be
created from larger farm-
zoned parcels, but that is
even harder to accomplish.
Vaccine mandate
Health District not expected to
lose staff; School District says
no impact on education
Oregon Governor Kate for Teachers and School know that the mandates are
Brown has mandated that Staff was put into effect frustrating given the lack
in order to keep their jobs, making it unlawful for of local control, but staff is
all health care workers and school districts to employ, determined to give students
school employees receive contract with or accept the the best education experi-
the COVID-19 vac-
volunteer services of ence possible,” he said.
cination or provide
any individual over
Emily Reynolds Rob-
accepted proof of
the age of 16 that is erts, Interim Health District
a medical or reli-
not fully vaccinated Administrator, said the dis-
gious exemption.
or have a documented trict intends to fully comply
That mandate went
medical or religious with governor’s vaccine
into effect on Mon-
exception,”
mandate and the
day. In anticipation
School District
Oct. 18 federal
of the mandate the
Superintendent
mandate. Roberts
Gazette-Times con- School
Dirk Dirksen
said the mandate
tacted both the med- Supt. Dirk
told the Gazette.
affects all 180 (ap-
ical and school dis- Dirksen
“We current-
prox.) employees
tricts for comment
ly have 306 full
of the district.
on the effect the mandate time employees and
When asked
was expected to have on roughly 60 substitutes
if the district ex-
staffing and operation of the that the mandate will Interim
pected to lose em-
Health
districts.
affect. With the dead- District
ployees, Roberts
“Yes, on August 25 th , line of October 18 th Admin.
said, “We hope
Vaccination Requirements still upon us, we cur- Emily
(and expect) that
rently do not know Reynolds
we will not lose
what staffing impact Roberts
any employees.
that we might have,”
We are working
he explained. “We continue closely with each of our
to work with all employees employees and volunteers
to support them in any per- to ensure that we have ap-
sonal decision they make, propriate documentation,
while complying with the which would be either proof
law. We are not planning of vaccination or a docu-
on there being any impact mented religious/medical
on student education. We do accommodation,” she said.
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“There is a way to create
smaller acres in Oregon, but
I don’t know anyone who
has done it,” she pointed
out. Since most of the cities
in south Morrow County
are surrounded by large
farm parcels, not being able
to create smaller building
lots is contributing to the
rural housing shortage.
After much discussion,
Mabbott said the town clerk
Janette Eldrige had agreed
to serve on a technical ad-
visory panel to work with
the consulting company
on the project, but she was
asking for additional cit-
izens to volunteer. “Any
grant that comes from the
state of Oregon now has
an emphasis on addressing
populations that are under-
served, and that includes
people of color and people
of low income and very
low income,” Mabbott told
the council. “If there are
folks that you think need
housing or whose voice is
not represented very well,
we would do everything we
could to address those hous-
ing needs at every level,”
she said. The study will not
cost the cities any money as
the consulting firm is being
paid for with a state grant.
At the Heppner City
Council meeting it was
brought up that many peo-
ple who could volunteer
for the advisory committee
hold full time jobs and are
not available to meet during
working hours. Mabbott
said she would take that into
consideration.
In other business at the
meeting the council heard
a report from Eldrige who
said she had finished a re-
port to Willow Creek Valley
Economic Development
Group detailing what work
was done with the $3,549
grant the town received.
The town painted, carpet-
ed and installed a new air
conditioning unit in the
town hall building. She also
reported that the town’s
new billing system was up
and running and working
well. “It’s easy to use,” she
told the council of the new
system.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Bestselling author Scott McEwen signs one of his books for
Jean Collins, while Flood Town Books owner Andrea Nelson
looks on. -Photo by David Sykes
Hometown author
Scott McEwen, now of San
Diego, was back in Hep-
pner Saturday for a book
signing at the new Flood
Town Books bookstore on
Main Street.
A good crowd turned
out to visit and have their
books signed by McEw-
en, who so far has written
10 books, including his
first one American Sniper,
which is based on the life
of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.
American Sniper, published
in 2012, was an immediate
New York Times best sell-
er, remaining at number
one for three months. It
was eventually turned into
a very successful Holly-
wood movie directed by
Clint Eastwood and starring
Bradley Cooper. McEwen
said it has become the high-
est grossing war movie of
all time.
McEwen, who grad-
uated from Heppner High
School in 1979, told the
crowd he is very concerned
about the direction of the
country, and that he is cur-
rently working on a new
book about the second
amendment.
Morrow County
deputies graduate
Pictured (L-R): Collin Brill, Jacob Stutzman and Zachary
Kilgore.
Jacob Stutzman, Collin
Brill and Zachary Kilgore,
all Morrow County dep-
uties, graduated from the
Department of Public Safe-
ty Standards and Training
(DPSST) at the Oregon
Police Academy on Friday,
October 15.
According to the
MCSO press release, the
training is normally com-
pleted in a 16-week time-
frame, but due to COVID
delays the training was
20 weeks. Each deputy
will also complete a 12-
week field training program
with he sheriff’s office and
the additional required 84
hours of training over the
next three years.
Robbery suspect
arrested
Jace Allan Hendren,
28, was arrested following
a robbery of the Irrigon
Shell Station on Monday,
October 18. The Morrow
County Communications
Center received a 911 call
reporting the robbery at
approximately 2 a.m. Depu-
ties were close by and were
on the scene within one
minute of the call.
Deputy Miguel Flores
and Deputy Ivan Dike be-
gan the investigation and
within 30 minutes had de-
tained Hendren in a nearby
home that he had entered
uninvited. The property
and money from the Irrigon
Shell Station was recovered
Jace Allan Hendren
and returned.
Hendren was arrested,
charged with Burglary I,
Theft II, Criminal Trespass
II and Criminal Mischief III
and lodged at the Umatilla
County Jail with bail of
$57,000.
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NEW
2022
FOR
By David Sykes
To see more housing
growth in Lexington the
town needs more water,
county planner Tamara
Mabbott was told at a town
council meeting last week.
Mabbott was at the
meeting to explain a new
program she’s developing
to remove roadblocks and
find funding for housing de-
velopment in south Morrow
County. She has already
spoken to and received
approval from the Heppner
City Council, (See Oct. 13
G-T), and was now laying
out the details to the Town
of Lexington.
Under the plan, con-
sulting firm ECO North-
west will work with Hep-
pner, Lexington and Ione
to find money for new in-
frastructure and increase
available housing lots.
Mabbott said the number
one obstacle to developing
new housing in south coun-
ty is infrastructure. Streets,
sidewalks, gutters, water
and sewer lines as well as
water sources and sewer
facilities are needed before
homes can be built in south
county. You can have all
your land but if you don’t
have infrastructure, it’s not
going to happen,” Mabbott
said. She said Boardman
and Irrigon are “growing
like gang busters” so don’t
need the help with housing.
At the Lexington meet-
ing Mabbott was told new
water sources are what’s
needed for additional hous-
ing development. “We need
more water,” councilmem-
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