SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 19, 2022
PORT OF MORROW Engineers proceed with Lexington water
-Continued from PAGE ONE
A long-time expert and
advocate for water usage
in the area, Reeder laid out
his qualifications in seek-
ing a unified front to the
problems. A wheat farmer
in the Helix area he has
spent most of his career
working with irrigated ag-
riculture ground in Mor-
row County. He is the vice
president of Hale Compa-
nies which own and oper-
ate large, irrigated farms in
the Buttercreek area, and
has history in dealing with
public problems and diffi-
cult issues. “I have been in-
volved with unionization,
several food recalls, lead-
ership changes, controver-
sial leadership changes on
boards, consulting work
with farmers in the area,
and when it comes to pub-
lic issues, I know what I
am talking about,” he ex-
plained. Reeder said there
may be leadership changes
that come out of the DEQ
charges. “Will there need
to be leadership changes?
Probably. I am not saying
who or what those leader-
ship changes are, but that
is usually what happens
when there is a controver-
sy like this.”
As co-founder of the
Northeast Oregon Water
Association, Reeder has
been part of a long-time
effort to improve water us-
age and access in the area,
and said he is voicing con-
cerns by many who feel
the DEQ charges against
the port may set back those
hard-fought battles. He
pointed out that recent ad-
vances in water usage were
made through cooperation
of many entities in the
area. “Through that pro-
cess when we finally came
together as a region in the
last three years we built
the first new pump station
on the Columbia River,
got the state’s largest water
right, and we put over $100
million of infrastructure in
the ground. I can tell you
that the collaborative effort
works,” he said in urging
the commissioners to work
with the port.
Reeder asked the
county to withhold com-
ment about the alleged
contamination violations
and fines until more facts
come out on what actually
happened. “Nobody in this
room has all the informa-
tion to determine exactly
as to what happened there.
There is no possible way
anyone could have that
information. Only been
out one day and there are
two sides to each story,”
he said. Reeder also wants
discussions about the al-
leged contamination and
fines, and what to do about
it, to take place in private
and not before the public.
“We have a lot of heavy
lifting to do. And We are
not going to do it by point-
ing our fingers at each other
in public forums and tear-
ing each other down,” he
said. “There is a right and
a wrong way to do it and
public chiding or chastis-
ing before all the informa-
tion is gathered especially
when it is one of our own
is not a constructive way to
move the needle forward.”
He said discussion on what
happened and what to do
about the problem should
be done “in appropriate fo-
rums”. Reeder said the let-
ter from businesses asking
for county and port unity
would be going out soon
and be put into the “public
record,” however he did
not say what that record
would be.
“Those that are ac-
tively trying to move the
needle and proven that we
can move the needle are
starting to get a little bit
frustrated and we want to
know if there is anything
we can do to support uni-
fication of the county and
the port and all the other
resources and stakeholders
that we have in the area,”
he said. Reeder said there
are people in the region
that want to “move the ball
on the big picture items
which are water quality,
water quantity, economic
development and protect-
ing our way of life,” he
said.
Reeder was not on
the county agenda for
last Wednesday’s meet-
ing, and he spoke under a
section reserved for pub-
lic input and comments.
Commission
Chairman
Jim Doherty pointed out
because the alleged vio-
lations and their impact
on the county are such an
important topic, he had
given Reeder 10 minutes
to speak as opposed to the
normal three allotment for
public comment. Doherty
also disagreed with Reeder
on how debate on the sub-
ject should take place, say-
ing discussion about the
port’s alleged violations,
fines and friction with the
county should be done in a
public forum. “It’s a huge
topic and I would disagree
that we need to work be-
hind the scenes and out
of the public view. That is
kind of what has led us to
where we are today,” he
said.
& sewer study
By David Sykes
Engineering firm An-
derson Perry has made
agreement with the Town
of Lexington to move for-
ward with a water and
sewer system feesability
study, the council affirmed
at its monthly meeting last
week. President and Senior
Engineer Brad Baird was
at the meeting to give a
rundown on how the study
will proceed, what will
be learned from it and the
benefits to the community.
Baird said when com-
pleted the two studies will
give the town a complete
picture of its water and
sewer systems and what
could be needed in the
future. Lexington has a
central water system with
well, but each individual
home and business is on its
own septic system.
The study will start in
March, and it should take
around nine months to
complete, Baird told the
council. He said company
representatives will meet
with the council in two or
three work sessions and
talk about the current con-
dition of the water system
and what the town think it
will be needed in the next
20 years. He said after
they gather the informa-
tion they will come back
with a plan and its costs
for the town to consider.
Baird says he company un-
derstands Eastern Oregon
and the cost
infrastructure
studies
limitations
and work.
In other business
of
small
councilmember Katie
towns. “An-
Imes said she was check-
derson will
ing into grants for put-
propose
ting in sidewalks along
something
Main Street, which is
that you can
Hwy 74, through town.
afford and
She said the town’s
that works,” Brad Baird,
President/Senior transportation
system
he said.
plan probably needed to
T h e Engineer
be updated so it could be
studies cost
$40,000 each. The town used to apply for the mon-
has received a grant from ey that is available. It was
Business Oregon for half discussed that with side-
that cost, and also received walks along the highway it
money from the Colum- would be safer for people
bia River Enterprise Zone to walk around town espe-
(CREZ) to pay for the cially up to the gas station
rest. In 2020 Lexington mini mart where much or
received $200,000 from the activity in town is.
CREZ that can be used for
Council hears reports, makes appointments
The Heppner city
council at its January 10
meeting made committee
appointments for 2022,
heard reports from various
departments and approved
leases and franchise agree-
ments with several busi-
nesses.
In a unanimous vote
the council agreed to re-
new a solid waste dispos-
al service agreement with
Miller and Sons Disposal
of Heppner. The rates set
in the agreement for resi-
dential customers for one
can per month is $22.50.
Rates for one commer-
cial dumpster is $80 per
month. Retrieval fees for
garbage cans not brought
to the curb by residential
customers is $5, and for
each additional garbage
bag, which does not fit
into the garbage can and
requires additional pickup
the cost will also be $5.
The exclusive franchise
agreement with Millers is
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for 10 years and expires on
December 31, 2031. The
previous agreement ex-
pired on Dec. 31, 2021.
In other action the
council approved a lease
agreement with Tim Dick-
enson of Dickenson Chiro-
practic for office space in
the city-owned building at
133 May St attached to city
hall. The lease is a renew-
al of the exiting agreement
and is for $450 per month
for the space. Dickenson in
turn sub-leases part of the
office to Licensed Massage
Therapist Kaley Patterson
for $150 per month.
In other lease action
the council approved re-
newal of a lease with Kim
Cutsforth administrator of
the Howard and Bryant
Foundation for office space
owned by the city and lo-
cated next to city hall. The
Lease is for one year and is
$450 per month.
The council review a
January 3 planning com-
mission decision approv-
ing a minor property par-
tition for John Murray on
a tax lot located on Main
Street. Murray was rep-
resented at the planning
commission meeting by
Real Estate Agent David
Sykes who presented the
request to divide off 91
feet of the lot. The city
council did not oppose the
planning commissions de-
cision. The property will
need a survey for final ap-
proval of the partition by
the city.
In other action the
council made numerous
appointments to city com-
mittees. Personnel Com-
mittee: Jim Kindle, Dale
Bates, John Bowles and
Greg Sweek. Utilities
Commission: Tom Wolff
and Dale Bates. Police
Commission: Carl Laurit-
sen, Merle Cowett, John
Bowles and Adam Doherty.
Fire Dept. Advisory Com-
mittee: Andrew Jonson,
Trevor Rhea, Adam Berg-
strom, Doug Johnson and
Mike Jones. Budget Com-
mittee: Ralph Walker, Joe
Perry, Tom Wolff, Steve
Rhea, Rick Worden and Al
Scott. Planning Commis-
sion: Patti Allstott, Don
Stroeber, Tripp Finch, Jeff
Bailey, David Sykes, Diet-
er Waite and Dave Fowler.
In other reports the
council heard that the city
had completed a lot pur-
chase on Chase Street from
Jason Patterson, and was
negotiating to purchase a
lot on Riverside to be used
as a dog park. Also heard
from Fire Chief Steve Rhea
last month the department
responded to three calls to
secure the life flight he-
licopter landing zone, a
two-vehicle motor vehicle
accident with injuries, one
flue fire and one lift assist
call from EMS.
You are not forgotten.
We are here for you.
We would like to thank any veteran who served in Afghanistan
from the bottom of our hearts for your sacrifice to our country
and dedication to preserve the freedoms that we cherish so
deeply here at home.
We are proud and honored for your service in defending this
great nation with courage and bravery that our military has been
known for throughout history.
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Words cannot express the gratitude that we have for you.
However, we understand that words are not enough to adequately
express the emotions that many of you are feeling. We veterans
have our ways of dealing with our struggles. Some choose not to
talk about it, but others just need to find the right person to listen
to them.
You may not be ready to talk. You may still need time to
understand your experience, or at least to try to understand.
Please know that we are here for you with open ears, and our
thoughts are with you.
Your support is a just phone call away. Here are some resources
that you can reach out to for support and assistance.
• Veterans Crisis Line, aka Lines for Life
(all options 24/7) 1-800-273-8255, Press Option
#1, or Text 838255, or Chat online at
www.linesforlife.org
• Veterans Federal Housing Assistance
1-877-424-3838
www.va.gov/homeless/for_homeless_veterans.asp
• Oregon Department of Veterans Administration
800-692-9666 or 503-373-2085
www.oregon.gov/odva/Pages/default.aspx
Know that you are not alone. We will get through this together.
You are now our mission.
Please contact the Morrow County Veterans Service Office
541-922-6420