Census data shows
Heppner population
down, Boardman up
50¢
VOL. 141
NO. 14
8 Pages
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Ione moves closer to getting a sewer
system upgrade
Central system will pump up Johnson Grade to large drain
field on the hill
By David Sykes
The city of Ione is mov-
ing closer to an upgrade on
its sewer system that will
remove individual drain
fields from homes and busi-
nesses and be replaced with
effluent collected and then
pumped up the hill to a large
drain field above town,
volunteer project manager
Jerry Rietmann told the
county commissioners.
Rietmann said recent
good news from the De-
partment of Environmental
Quality (DEQ), giving the
city a tentative go-ahead for
planning on the new sys-
tem, encouraged the council
to hire engineers Anderson
and Perry to start work on a
design and permitting plan.
Under the plan, homes
and businesses would still
have individual septic hold-
ing tanks on their properties
but would no longer require
drain fields on each lot.
Instead, the tanks would
drain to a large tank at the
end of town where effluent
would then be pumped
up Johnson Grade to one
large drain field overlook-
ing town. The entire system
would be underground with
no settling ponds or above
ground treatment facilities,
Rietmann explained in re-
sponse to a question about
smell. He emphasized there
would be no smell.
Ione community lead-
ers have been working for
some time on a way to re-
Boardman
Growth Rate:
17.25%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
3,220
3,828
Median Household income:
$ 60,039.00
Percent in Poverty:
16.20%
Heppner
Growth Rate:
-8%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
1,291
1,187
Median Household income:
$48,571.00
Percent in Poverty:
8.20%
Ione
Growth Rate:
Ione’s proposed new sewer system to pump effluent up Johnson Grade to large drain field
place the individual septic
systems now on each town
lot, and Rietmann agreed
to head up that effort. “We
have homes in Ione where
their only choice will be to
put in a $40,000 sand filter
system if their septic fails,”
he said in explaining the
need for the new method
of waste disposal. The DEQ
is trying to phase out septic
drain fields on small city
lots, and if the town is to
grow or just maintain its
existing housing base, the
community knew it had to
make a change. Rietmann
said without a new central-
ized system there would be
homeowners with failed
septic systems that could
not afford the required ex-
pensive sand replacement
systems “and that means
they will abandon their
homes and the last thing we
need is abandoned homes,”
he told the county commis-
sioners.
Rietmann estimated the
cost of the entire project
would be around $5.2 mil-
lion, and said the city still
needs to find “from $1.5 to
$2.5 million” to finish out
the funding. He said so far
ICABO (Ione Agri-Busi-
ness Organization) has
committed money to the
project, as well as funding
coming from the Columbia
River Enterprise Zone and
financial commitment from
the local school district.
Rietmann said the
schools will soon be “in
the middle of a $24 million
building project,” and part
of that construction will
be sewer disposal. He said
if the new system comes
together the schools have
agreed to tie in and partic-
ipate with the city with a
commitment of $1 million.
He said the new system
will need to be permitted
by the end of this calendar
year or early 2023 to coin-
cide with the new school’s
end-of-construction time-
line of the summer of 2024.
Irrigon to have own police department again
Will end 18-year relationship with sheriff
contract for police services.
The city also purchases a
car for the sheriff’s office
every three years, which
the sheriff returns to the
city after three years. The
contract, which is similar
to the deal Heppner has
with the sheriff, will expire
on July 1 of 2022. The city
will now purchase a new
car and renovate an office in
city hall for the new depart-
ment. Under the plan there
will not be round-the-clock
seven-day coverage for the
city of over 2,000, but the
sheriff will still offer some
services.
In a statement released
Monday, the sheriff’s office
said “This means the sheriff
and his deputies can enforce
state laws in any city in the
county. If a city has their
own police, the sheriff and
his deputies can assist the
city police when needed,
Ione fitness center to
open soon
The Ione School District is one step closer to opening its new
fitness center. -Contributed photo.
The Ione School Dis-
trict is one step closer to
opening the fitness center to
the community. In March,
Alpine Alarm was able to
complete installation of
the security system, includ-
ing security cameras, fiber
connection, control panel
installation and the card
reader system.
The fitness center has
received many donations
and contributions for this
entire project. Specifically
for the security system,
grants were received from
T h e Wi l d h o r s e F o u n -
dation, Morrow County
Grain Growers, The Land
O’Lakes Foundation and
ICABO. The security sys-
tem cost over $30,000 and
could not have been ac-
complished without support
from the community and
regional organizations that
helped fund it.
Eventually procedures
and protocols for commu-
nity use of this facility will
be created, staff training
on the card system will be
completed and an official
ribbon cutting will be held.
but the city police are the
primary in their city. If
the city police are off duty
and an emergency call is
reported, they should be
called out as the primary
law enforcement in the
city and may be assisted
by county deputies. If a city
doesn’t have a police force
then the sheriff or depu-
ties will respond to per-
son crimes and in progress
crimes as resources allow,”
the statement, which was
signed by Sheriff Kenneth
Matlack and Undersheriff
John Bowles, said.
Other points made by
Irrigon Mayor Anderson
were the new department
would bring “local own-
ership and autonomy of
an officer and improved
follow through on calls and
responses. This is not a fis-
0.97%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
329
337
Median Household income:
$53,846.00
Percent in Poverty:
20.70%
Irrigon
Growth Rate:
9.60%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
1,826
2,011
Median Household income:
$ 52,054.00
Percent in Poverty:
16.10%
Lexington
Growth Rate:
N/A
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
238
238
Median Household income:
$33,125.00
Percent in Poverty:
8.90%
Source: 2020 US Census
Census data total county
Total Morrow County
Total Population
Growth Rate:
12,186
9%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
11,173
12,186
Median Household income:
$54,269
Percent in Poverty:
14.50%
Unincorporated (outside cities)
Growth Rate:
7.40%
2010 Population:
2020 Population:
cal cut-back but improved
ownership and oversight
by the city council; no new
building is being built or
was built; MC will still
have an officer at the Irrigon
Schools.
“The City of Irrigon
continues to grow and ex-
4585
4,269
4,585
pand to ensure the majority
of service needs are provid-
ed to those within the city
limits. We have not made
this decision lightly or self-
ishly but for the betterment
and growth of Irrigon,”
Anderson said.
E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
NEW
2022
FOR
After 18 years of con-
tracting police services the
city of Irrigon has decided
to part ways with the county
sheriff office and once again
establish its own police de-
partment, Mayor Margaret
Anderson has announced.
The city council vot-
ed unanimously to make
the break at its March 15
meeting, and in a news
release put out last week
they explained why it was
making the move. “So why
bring law enforcement back
in-house? Basically, the
dollars spent are equal to
contracting but provides
improved responsibility,
response and authority,”
Anderson said of forming
the one-officer department.
Earlier the city also made
a break from the county
run Justice of The Peace,
establishing its own munic-
ipal court.
Currently Irrigon is
paying the sheriff’s office
around $95,000 a year to
Data from the 2020 $33,125. Boardman also
census shows Heppner lost held the top spot in total
population over the past population with 3,828 res-
ten years while Boardman, idents.
For the county as a
Irrigon and Ione all gained.
Remarkably Lexington re- whole, the population over
mained exactly the same the past 10 years showed a
at 238 residents from 2010 nine percent increase with
a jump of 1,1013 residents
to 2020.
Other facts from the to a total of 12,186. Unin-
census shows Boardman corporated population, or
w i t h t h e h i g h e s t m e - outside the cities, increase
dian household income showed a 7.4 percent in-
of $60,039 per year, and crease.
Lexington the lowest with
Census data by cities
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