Sidewalk
completion delayed
until spring
Contractor can’t do red brick
stamping before winter
50¢
VOL. 140
NO. 45
10 Pages
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Friends and community will help family
through local man’s deployment
Filling in the section between the sidewalk and gutters, like
this section on Gale, with simulated red brick concrete is last
part of big street project.
Danielle, Garin, Justin and Colden Hoeft at the mobilization ceremony held prior to Justin’s deployment. -Contributed photo.
go to Germany, where his
parents lived at the time, to
attend their dad’s retirement
ceremony from the Air
Force. Danielle was able to
go as well, describing it as
“an awesome experience.”
While they were in Ger-
many for those two weeks,
they became engaged.
When asked how Jus-
tin’s deployment affects
the family, Danielle noted,
“Although we are very
used to the military life as a
family, this will be the first
long-term deployment our
boys have seen. I am sure
there will be hard times,
but I am confident we will
get through it with so much
support from our very large
families, all of our friends
and a community that is so
supportive.”
“The boys will be kept
busy with the usual things
we do, such as hunting,
fishing, riding dirt bikes,
camping and sports,” Dan-
ielle continued. “We also
have a lot of support from
the military family we have
gotten to know over the
years. Being a National
Guard family brings its own
set of challenges. We do
not live on bases with other
families going through the
same thing, but we do still
have those connections. We
are just more spread out. It
comes with its challenges
for the soldiers as well. I
like to explain to people
that Justin can go from three
weeks in army camo during
annual training in the desert
on Sunday to HiVis safety
wear and work boots on
Monday when he goes back
to his ‘regular job.’ We
wouldn’t trade his service
for anything though. We
completely support what he
does and are very proud of
him,” Danielle noted.
Justin’s family attended the mobilization ceremony. Pictured (L-R): Justin’s brother Josh (who
deployed with Justin in 2010-2011) Justin, his dad, Kevin and his other brother Travis Hoeft.
Justin Hoeft (left) with the other soldiers in formation.
council heard a report from
Barb Orwick about work
being done at the Neighbor-
hood Center. “Last month
w gave out 132 food boxes
which helped feed 341 peo-
ple,” she said.
The holidays are a busy
time at the center and Or-
wick said the recent canned
food drive was a success.
“The football players went
out and picked up food from
people and we received 809
cans,” she said. Orwick
also said donations of win-
ter coats, boots, mittens,
scarves and “any kind of
winter clothes” is needed
now at the center.
She also said they
would be doing their kids
shopping day this year
where children get to go
out and shop for their sib-
lings for Christmas gifts.
There is also going to be a
giving tree at the grocery
store in Heppner with or-
naments naming specific
gifts needed by children and
young people up through
high school age in the com-
munity. People who would
like to give, can pick off
the ornaments and then
take the suggested gift to
the Neighborhood Center
in time for distribution to
the families before Christ-
mas. She also said anyone
knowing of someone in the
community that would be
eligible for food baskets,
to urge them to come by
the center and sign up for
the gifts program.
In other business the
council heard from Kim
Cutsforth of the Bryant
Trust, who asked the coun-
cil to purchase a piece of
land on Riverside for use
as a dog park. She said the
trust would reimburse the
city for the cost of the lot.
Several community
members have been look-
ing for a spot to put a dog
park and Cutsforth said
the 12,000 square foot lot
-See SIDEWALKS/PAGE
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Danielle and Justin when he returned from deployment in Iraq.
NEW
2022
FOR
By Bobbi Gordon
Local man and Oregon
National Guard Staff Ser-
geant E6, Justin Hoeft, has
been deployed to Kuwait,
along with men and women
from other Oregon units.
Hoeft is with the Badger
Company 3116, Hermiston,
and is a tank commander
with a four-man crew, in-
cluding himself. The guards
will be going under Mon-
tana’s flag at this time,
starting off in Texas for
training before being sent
to Kuwait.
Justin joined the Ore-
gon National Guard in 2005
and was deployed to Iraq
in 2010-2011. This will be
Justin’s second mobiliza-
tion deployment and will
last for about 14 months. He
has traveled to many differ-
ent places for training over
the years and was once sent
to Romania for a couple of
months to do training exer-
cises with other countries.
Justin and his wife,
Danielle, met in 2010 and
married in 2012. They soon
added two boys, Colden,
now age 9, and Garin, age 6,
to the family. Danielle was
born and raised in Lexing-
ton and Heppner. Justin’s
dad was in the Air Force, so
he grew up all over, before
settling in the Pendleton/
Pilot Rock area in 2004.
Justin and Danielle met
shortly before his deploy-
ment to Iraq, and she was
able to travel to Georgia
to spend time with Justin
while he was there vis-
iting his brother. While
Justin was deployed with
his brother, Josh, they were
able to leave on R&R to
By David Sykes
The final piece of Hep-
pner’s $2.7 million street
renovation project, filling in
the gaps between sidewalk
and street with red brink
stamped concrete, probably
won’t be completed until
spring, the city council was
told Monday night.
City Manager Kraig
Cutsforth said between
COVID-19 shutdowns and
changing out street water
fixtures, the project was
delayed, not leaving enough
time for contractors to pour
the brick-looking red con-
crete between gutters and
sidewalks. The long strips
of bare ground waiting for
the concrete, mostly on
Gale Street, must be poured
before freezing winter tem-
peratures set in.
Cutsforth said the con-
tractor offered to complete
the work now without de-
lay, but it would be a grey
“brushed” job instead of
the decorative red simulat-
ed brick called for in the
original contract. Coun-
cilmembers agreed they
didn’t want that however
and opted to wait until
spring and have the project
done as intended. “It’s what
people wanted and are ex-
pecting,” councilmember
Corey Sweeney said in
urging the council to stick
with the original plan. “This
project is for a long time,
and we all have to look at it.
Let’s do it right,” he urged.
But the bare ground
spots cannot be left “as is”
through the winter, and city
crews will need to fill the
gaps with gravel for safety.
Snow would cover over the
dirt areas and not be safe
for the public, Cutsforth
explained. Public Works di-
rector Chad Doherty said it
won’t cost the city anything
since the gravel purchased
would be used elsewhere
later. “I’m always needing
gravel somewhere,” he
said.
In other business at
Monday’s meeting the
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information
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