FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 27, 2022
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School bond will pay
Voters are the winners Put faith and trust in
the editor;
$11.5 million dollar Ama- Lindsay
for important upgrades To Melissa
Lindsay is zon payment would be di-
To the editor;
The ballots will be
mailed out this week. A
bond measure for Morrow
County Schools will be on
the ballot. This bond will
pay for important educa-
tional and safety upgrades
at every school in the dis-
trict. This is the first bond
request from our school
district in 20 years. The
last bond had very little for
Heppner. This bond makes
up for that.
We will be improving
schools in all communities
by adding more secure en-
tries, updating technology,
increasing classroom size,
basically creating a more ef-
ficient learning experience
for our children.
All of these improve-
ments allow for growth in
every community. There is
improved separation, added
gym and locker room space.
In Heppner the changes
allow for a more efficient
use of staff, and it includes
space for services for stu-
dents; i.e.: CARES, coun-
seling, SRO, etc.
Passing this measure
has challenges. Some see it
as costly, which at the onset
it appears to be. However,
Morrow County is experi-
encing exponential growth
and as we grow the cost of
the bond drops dramati-
cally. We saw this with the
last bond, which decreased
from about $3 per $1,000
of assessed value when the
bond was passed to about
75 cents in the last years
that it was being paid off.
Industry will pay over 48
percent of this bond and in
a few years that number is
projected to jump to nearly
70 percent.
There is opposition
from some in the north end.
We can’t count on support
from Ione as they are not a
part of our district. Lexing-
ton and Heppner and Ione
have, without fail, support-
ed the students. We need to
do it again. We need to vote.
Please vote for Bond
Measure 25-87. This is
important for our children.
If you have questions
about the bond, you can
see the full project on the
school website morrow.
k12.or.us or watch a video
at www.yesformorrow-
countyschools.org.
Kim Cutsforth
To the editor;
I believe that Jeff Wen-
holz deserves your vote for
Morrow County Commis-
sioner position #2.
Jeff has lived most of
his life in Morrow County,
has worked in this county,
and has served on sever-
al committees within the
county such as the Morrow
County Solid Waste, the
Morrow County Planning
Commission, and also the
Morrow County Budget
Committee. I was still
working for the county
when Jeff joined the budget
committee and I found him
to be fair, thoughtful, pre-
pared and concerned with
the details. He will speak
up if he sees something
going on that just doesn’t
seem right.
I believe we need a
change of leadership for the
commission. The county
has been going through
such a high turnover of
department heads and em-
ployees in the last six years
that something needs to
change. You might ask a
current or former employ-
ee of the county for some
input of what I believe is
just chaos. When I retired
a little over a year ago,
there was no trust, no ca-
maraderie, just suspicion
on what’s going to happen
next between the majority
of the offices and the county
commissioners, and now
the county is being sued. I
believe Jeff will work hard
running for re-election as
county commissioner and
Morrow County voters are
the winners. Good news
seems to be lacking lately
but Melissa’s decision to
run for re-election is defi-
nitely good news. She has
many accomplishments in
the past six years, including
being instrumental in creat-
ing CREZ 3 which resulted
in an equitable county-wide
consideration of Port of
Morrow/County negotiated
enterprise zone fees. She
supports the Morrow Coun-
ty Broadband action team
which improves broadband
access for all of the county.
She was determined the
vided fairly among county
entities and communities.
Melissa has been a tire-
less worker for Morrow
County and all the commu-
nities within the county and
feels there is still more work
to be done. Problems facing
the county are foremost in
her mind and finding solu-
tions in a clear and concise
manner is one of her many
strengths.
Seldom has there been
a candidate who deserves to
be re-elected more than Me-
lissa. Join us in casting your
vote for Melissa Lindsay
for County Commissioner.
Te r r y a n d K a r e n
Thompson, Heppner
Yes on bond measure
to help heal the wounds and
make the county work bet-
ter as a whole.
I don’t think it’s im-
portant how many gen-
erations your family has
been living in the county,
what is important is what
the person elected to this
position brings to the table
and to the future of Morrow
County.
Please join me in voting
for Jeff Wenholz.
Gayle L Gutierrez
To the editor;
As a mother of children
attending Morrow County
schools, and local REAL-
TOR®, I am voting “Yes”
on Bond Measure 25-87.
In 2015, my family
moved to Oregon for a ca-
reer in Boardman, when the
total number of homes sold
was six. Like 70 percent
of employees, we com-
muted until purchasing a
home here. Since becom-
ing a REALTOR®, I have
helped dozens of families
do the same. Between 2017
and 2021, home sales in
Boardman increased 132
percent. Based on data and
construction developments
underway, we are on track
in 2022 to meet or exceed
the sixty-five homes sold
in 2021. This growth will
directly affect our schools
and demands immediate
attention.
We m u s t h e l p t h e
schools catch up and get
ahead of the curve. It has
been twenty years since the
district last requested our
support and, in that time,
structural functionality has
deteriorated making utility
upgrades necessary. Securi-
ty issues have dramatically
changed, requiring critical
updates for student and staff
safety. Outdated classrooms
need to become functional
with improved and modern
learning opportunities.
County-wide, our
schools are the hearts of
our communities that need
our support to provide safe
and adequate spaces for
students and teachers to
thrive. When they thrive,
our communities do too. In
addition, improvements this
bond supports will foster a
sense of pride in our towns,
energize students, increase
teacher retention rates and
attract more families to call
our county home.
Look for Bond Mea-
sure 25-87 on the May
ballot. Learn more at http://
www.yesformorrowcounty-
schools.org and vote “Yes.”
Leslie Pierson
Boardman
By Doris Brosnan
The Willow Creek Ter-
race Community is viewing
with pleasure the change
to warmer weather recent-
ly, and they enjoyed the
warmer, sunny break in the
snowy days in April timed
perfectly for Easter Sunday.
They held their traditional
indoor Easter egg hunt and
special lunch that day. And
added to those was the hunt
for the special Easter Bun-
ny, which Ginger O’Brien
found. She and Rita Bow-
man won the traditional
Guess-the-Number-of-Jel-
ly-Beans-in-the-Jar contest.
Residents and staff will
celebrate four more special
calendar days in May: Cin-
co De Mayo on the 5 th will
include a menu of South-
of-the-Border selections.
Will Mother’s Day on the
8 th see flower deliveries,
visitors, boxes of candy?
Mothers will surely be the
morning discussion topic.
Nurses Appreciation Day
on the 9 th will provide an
opportunity for the com-
munity to demonstrate how
fortunate they feel to have
great nursing care. And
Memorial Day on the 30 th
will feature a BBQ (fingers
crossed for good weather),
a discussion of memories,
possibly visitors.
The one birthday on the
May calendar belongs to
Randall Peterson. Randall
moved to the Terrace on
Monday, so he will be well
settled before he celebrates
with his new neighbors at
his favorite birthday lunch
on May 2. Randall has
known most of his new
neighbors for years, but
possibly new to him and
to the other residents is the
recent addition to the staff
at the Terrace: They have
welcomed Tara McLaren.
Of course, a few foods
have their special calendar
days in May, so everyone
can look forward to choc-
olate chips in something
on the 15 th , pizza for lunch
on the 20 th , and cherries in
some concoction on the
26 th .
As the weather warms
and the days grow longer,
everyone is aware that June
is not far away, so they
are getting ready to kick
off their information for
their “Rocking the Longest
Day” fundraiser for the Alz-
heimer Association. More
about that June 21 event
will soon follow.
So, soaking up some
sunshine and vitamin D,
enjoying the flow of the
routine at the Terrace,
celebrating special days
that add special pleasure,
maintaining independent
apartments amid nearby
friends…. These are viewed
by some residents as some
of the benefits of living in
this close community.
Jeff Wenholz deserves
your vote
A View from the Hill
To the editor;
As we approach the
May election and consider
the future leadership of our
county and its communities,
I urge you to again put your
trust and faith in Melissa
Lindsay and vote for her
to continue her service as
a county commissioner.
Commissioner Lindsay
has diligently worked to
promote, develop and im-
prove Morrow County for
the past six years and will
continue those efforts in her
next term.
Commissioner Lindsay
is a lifelong Morrow Coun-
ty resident whose passion
and endless energy to serve
make her an exceptional
civil servant and the per-
son we need to ensure our
communities continue to
grow and thrive over the
next four years and beyond.
Her efforts at the county, re-
gional and state levels have
resulted in benefits for our
county and have earned her
the respect of many across
the state.
She has the best inter-
est of every community in
mind and will work pur-
posefully and transparently
for the people of Morrow
County. Please join me in
voting for Commissioner
Melissa Lindsay in May.
Sincerely,
Ken Grieb
To the editor;
I’ve personally known
and worked with Jeff for
over 25 years and can say
respectfully that I know of
no one more in tune today
with the current and future
needs of Morrow County.
Jeff is that someone with
the right experience and
background who presents
himself as a strong candi-
date to become your next
County Commissioner, Po-
sition #2. Therefore, let me
see if I can help support that
case with just a few written
words.
First, when measuring
experience and leadership
to be a county commission-
er—he has years in Mor-
row County (specifically
the Planning Commission;
Budget Committee; Solid
Waste Advisory Commis-
sion).
I also know Jeff to be
someone who will work
across all ideologies to de-
velop the best solutions for
everyone—north or south
county.
If you want a commis-
sioner who has the techno-
logical expertise to identify
and implement complex
solutions necessary to re-
solve challenges in Morrow
County, that person is Jeff.
Maybe you also agree
that it’s time to bring in new
ideas and a fresh perspec-
tive to the Morrow County
Court with a vision toward
the future while still focus-
ing on current management
and budgetary priorities—if
so, that person for me is
Jeff.
Finally, Jeff can bring
that honest and practical
approach to county gov-
ernment and is someone I
know with the intellect and
moral fiber to always stand
by his own decisions, good
or bad.
For these reasons and
more--that is why I am
supporting Jeff Wenholz
for Morrow County Com-
missioner.
Chris Brown
Heppner
To the editor;
I am writing in support
of Melissa Lindsay for
Morrow County Commis-
sioner.
Melissa cares about
Morrow County commu-
nities and has worked dil-
igently to see that they
all receive the resources
that they need. She fought
hard to make sure that the
county administrative office
remained in Irrigon when
there was a push to move it.
She worked through
many of her numerous re-
sources to bring everyone
to the table to help Ione
find a path toward solving
their infrastructure needs.
She fought for funding for
Lexington and all of our
cities to assist with their
needs. She has rallied many
entities to find a solution for
the flood mapping at the
Kinzua Mill Site, that will
allow development. These
are small examples of the
way she has touched us
all. She serves on so many
committees and boards that
I can’t begin to list them.
Know that they are import-
ant and make a difference.
When asked why she is
running again, her answer is
simple. “I am not done yet.”
She has so many projects to
see to completion. Every
one of them will benefit us
in some way. Improving our
neighbor’s lives improves
ours. She will be watching
out for all of us.
I am proud to support
and to know Melissa Lind-
say. Vote for our citizens.
Vote for Melissa Lindsey.
Kim Cutsforth
Why Jeff Wenholz for
County Commissioner?
Support Melissa
Lindsay
COLUMBIA BASIN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.
Heppner - Condon - Ione - Lexington - Fossil
Electric Co-Op to Perform Tree Trimming Operations in Area
Columbia Basin Electric Co-Op, and their subcontractors, Trees,
LLC will be conducting their biennial tree trimming operation
throughout the service territory. Trees, LLC is scheduled to begin
trimming the week of April 25th, and are expected to be in the
Columbia Basin Electric service territory over
the next few months.
Any inquiries about trees obstructing power lines or their
removal may be made to
Brian Kollman or Jake Calvert at 541-676-9146.
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