EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 26, 2022
POWER LINE
-Continued from PAGE ONE general agreement, and I’m
have wind farms on their
land but would lose the
economic opportunity if
the power lines are built
too close. Then the question
came up if the high voltage
lines can be “tapped” and
used to carry renewable
energy generated in the
county out to the grid. Ida-
ho officials said it could be
done but it is very expen-
sive to put in a substation
to gather the wind and solar
power generated here and
upload it to the B2H line.
Some landowners and
a county commissioner
said adding the capability
to tap into the line might
then take the line from
being a liability to an asset
for the land owner and the
county. With wind farms
and solar facilities having
the ability to upload their
power directly to a nearby
transmission line it would
cut transmission costs and
make the county more at-
tractive to the wind farms
and solar companies who
may want to locate here. Es-
timates to build substations
to do the upload are $20 to
$40 million each, but Idaho
Power did not completely
rule out the possibility of
it happening. One member
of the audience suggested
Idaho Power make the up-
loading substations part of
the project. “Maybe you
could engineer this into the
project so that I can see we
are going to work together,”
one landowner said. “We
then are going to be partners
instead of you just coming
through saying you are go-
ing to send your solar from
Idaho on your line,” he said
indicating it would give the
company more credibility
when negotiating with land-
owners for easements.
County Commission
Chairman Jim Doherty said
he would be in favor of
the commissioners signing
on to ask for “taps” into
the line. “Not only do the
landowners want some just
compensation and partner-
ships, but the county is in
happy to do that for what it
is worth,” he said.
Commissioner Melissa
Lindsay also was in favor
of working for taps on the
line. “If it (the power line)
is coming and you can’t
stop it, what benefit can
you get from it?” she asked.
She wanted to know if
landowners could “micro
site this easement to say, “I
want you off this ridge be-
cause it might be a site for a
wind project.” “Can we put
something in the easement
that says if we get this wind
project will you put that
“spigot” that allows us to
come on to this line?” She
said that would add poten-
tial and the power line could
then be a positive attractor
of a wind farm or solar
project because the trans-
mission line would already
be there. “Micro siting can
be part of an agreement
where we work with that
landowner,” Idaho power
said. “A developer would
pay for that substation but
possibly Idaho power will
do some cost share. But I
don’t think the three of us
can commit to that today.
But I think that is something
we can have in dialog,” the
company said.
Lindsay also asked if
Idaho Power could work
with the local Columbia Ba-
sin Electric Co-op (CBEC)
and bring some benefit to
the local economy. “Can
we negotiate to bring some
power to CBEC and the
Willow Creek Valley?” she
wanted to know. “Some of
our small towns are dying
and if we could get some
power there, people might
all like to see that happen.”
Idaho Power said they did
not think they could do
that. “We can work with
Columbia Basin Electric
(and) maybe have some
meetings, but I don’t know
how that would work,”
they said. “We can bolster
the opportunity to offer
economic development,
but that would not be with
landowners; that would
be an agreement with the
county and the local co-op,”
they added.
Commissioner Doherty
also asked if landowners
should not be compensated
much more for being part
of bringing a large amount
of power into the Boardman
area, mainly for use by
industry.
“If this train is coming
down the track, we want
the least damage or at least
get you guys (landowners)
compensated to a level,”
Doherty said. He suggested
that maybe the economic
development that results
from the increased power
come back to the landowner
instead of just a onetime
payment. “Maybe you all
have to get together and say,
“We don’t want it, but if it’s
going to come, sit down and
get it somewhere else.” He
said the power company
will say “We can’t pay you
$1 million but we can still
bring this through here.”
“That’s a tough nut to crack.
That is tough to swallow.
We have got to stop advanc-
ing stuff in Morrow County
on the backs of you folks,”
Doherty said to the gathered
farmers and ranchers. He
said there “are hundreds
and hundreds of millions
of dollars coming into and
moving around this coun-
ty” because of the indus-
try being developed here
using the electrical grid,
and he suggested county
landowners should benefit
more from it.
County students eligible for
AWS scholarships
Amazon Web Services
(AWS) recently announced
the opening of the 2022
applications for the AWS
InCommunities Scholar-
ship Program, which offers
grants to high school se-
niors in designated districts
of California, Oregon, Ohio
and Virginia who plan to
pursue a STEM-related
subject at a higher educa-
tion institution. A total of
$100,000 in scholarships is
open to students enrolling
in courses such as electrical
and electronic engineering,
computer science, artificial
intelligence, biochemis-
try, software engineering,
physics and much more.
Local high school seniors in
Umatilla County, Morrow
County and Members of the
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion (“CTUIR”)/ Nixyaawii
School qualify and are be-
ing encouraged to apply for
the available scholarships
through the deadline of
March 29, 2022. The AWS
InCommunities Program
exists to make a positive
impact through communi-
ty-based programs, specif-
ically in the regions where
AWS builds and operates
its global infrastructure.
Information on applying
for the scholarships can be
found at https://learnmore.
scholarsapply.org/awsin-
communities/.
In 2021 a Morrow
County student, America
Pacheo, Boardman, was
selected as a recipient of
one of the AWS scholar-
ships. America is currently
studying computer science
at Oregon State University.
Her course of study has a
particular emphasis on cy-
bersecurity, a topic Pacheco
only discovered her passion
for recently.
“Growing up, I didn’t
see many women in tech
careers,” she said. “I never
thought of myself doing
anything STEM-related
until I got to high school.”
Everything changed
when Pacheco attended a
series of introductory com-
puter science classes, which
captured her imagination.
“I was so intrigued. Each
week was a different proj-
ect. It challenged me, but it
also gave me opportunities
to be creative, which I real-
ly enjoyed.”
While the classes
sparked Pacheco’s interest
in cybersecurity, she devel-
oped a passion for it during
the pandemic.
“I was at home con-
stantly, and I was bored,”
she said. “During that time,
I decided to take a couple
of free online computer
science courses offered by
Amazon. At first, it was for
a bit of fun, but I got to a
point where I discovered I
really liked it and wanted
to continue growing these
skills.”
As she began to plan
for university, Pacheco
reviewed her finances and
realized she would proba-
bly need to work part time
to finance her degree. “I
thought college was doable
if I worked part time and
during summer breaks,
but this isn’t ideal when
you want to focus on your
studies. When I received
my Amazon scholarship, I
was so excited. It’s helped
me so much. I can worry
a little less about finances
and concentrate more on
my studies and enjoying my
college experience.”
Although she has
moved across state for
college, Pacheco remains
focused on her local com-
munity. “The population of
Boardman is about 5,000,”
she said. “Amazon and
AWS have played a big
part in its growth since
building a data center here,
in addition to many other
data centers across Oregon.
That growth is something
I always wanted to be part
of. Although I’m in a com-
pletely different part of
Oregon right now, I want to
return home and give back
to my town in some way in
the future.”
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Sykes Publishing • 188 W Willow St, Heppner
541-676-9228
541-676-
9228 • david@rapidserve.net
$125,000
$750,000
$150,000
NEW LISTING!
Owner/Broker David Sykes
188 W. Willow
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
david@sykesrealestate.net
541-980-6674
$300,000
SALE PENDING
INVESTMENT PROPERTY
New Two -3 bedroom 2 bath 1,270 sq ft duplexes (four to-
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515 E COWINS ST Heppner
195 N GALE ST Heppner
535 ELDER ST Heppner
INVESTMENT PROPERTY
Brand new two unit duplex. Two total units with 3 bedrooms
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DELBERT ST Ione
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Nice 3 bedroom 1 bath home in good condition located on
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385 W UNION ST Heppner
340 E HILL ST Heppner
$130,000
$59,000
SALE PENDING
SALE PENDING
-bumpable
Large living room, 2 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, one
bedroom and bath downstairs. The workshop has a cold stor-
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currently in the process of moving out.
SALE PENDING
You've always wanted the white picket fence house. Well here
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$235,000
A classic beauty in Heppner. From the front sitting room thru
the woodworked dining room and open kitchen with island,
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Call for an appointment to see this!
$365,000
PRICE REDUCED - MAKE AN OFFER!
This is a fixer upper in Lexington being sold as is. Call
for a tour and see what the condition is. Will be a cash
sale with conveyance via Special Warranty Deed.
150 EAST ST Lexington
SALE PENDING
Cute little two bedroom one bath home on a quiet street
in Heppner. Has been completely redone and is in
good condition. Will make a good home or a rental unit.
Stove and refrigerator included so it is ready to move in
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340 E AIKEN ST Heppner
Buyer Agent Services
Buying a home in a For Sale By Owner can be complicated. I would like to help you through all the details involved in the
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David Sykes
• Sykes Real Estate
Licensed Oregon Principal Broker
541-980-6674 Cell (call or text) • 541-676-9228 Office
david@rapidserve.net
188 W. Willow St • Heppner, OR 97836
Broker license: 990400057 • Real Estate Business license: 201106044
I Have Buyers Looking!
I have buyers looking for homes in the Heppner, Lexington and Ione area. Now is the time to sell! Call, text or email me.
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