EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Community enhancement grants awarded
WCVEDG gives out $171,727 to local organizations
By David Sykes
Over $171 thousand in
community enhancement
grants were recently given
out by the Willow Creek
Valley Economic Develop-
ment Group (WCVEDG)
board of directors. The
money came as part of this
year’s disbursement from
the Columbia River Enter-
prise Zone. Following is
a summary of the projects
and amounts funded:
1. $50,000 to Heppner
Community Foundation for
a new business incubator
center. The foundation is
purchasing the Heppner
Gazette-Times building for
renovation as a place “to
assist startups and small
businesses to grow and be
successful” the application
said. The new facility will
also include a commercial
kitchen for public use. The
Gazette-Times business
is not being sold only the
building, as the newspaper
does not need as large a
structure and is in the pro-
cess of purchasing a smaller
office to move into. Total
project cost is $1,220,000.
2. $6,000 to Neighbor-
hood Center of South Mor-
row Count. This grant will
be used to purchase food to
disburse in emergencies to
local families in need. Total
project cost is $12,000.
3. $50,000 to Heppner
High School for construc-
tion of an indoor pitching
and batting practice build-
ing. The 40 X 80 ft heated
facility will include turf,
netting and equipment.
The facility will be used by
Heppner High and Junior
High baseball programs in
which Ione students also
participate. There are cur-
rently 16 boys participating
in the baseball program, the
application said. Total cost
of the facility $309,000.
4. $4,949 to Heppner
City and Rural Fire Depart-
ment for the purchase of a
generator and a high-pow-
ered saw. The saw will be
used for extraction at vehi-
cle accidents. The generator
will be placed at the firehall
and used to open bay doors
and provide lighting during
power outages. Total cost of
the equipment $9,899.
5. $2,936 to Heppner
Day Care to “replace and
improve creative and dra-
matic play furnishings and
accessories,” for the chil-
dren. Total cost of the pur-
chases $5,872.
6. $4,492 to the Oregon
Trail Pro Rodeo Boosters to
install either a concrete slab
or a portable dance floor in
the Spur ‘Em Barn at the
rodeo grounds. The group
has had to rent flooring in
the past and this will allow
them to host dances during
rodeo with crowds between
600-700 people. Total cost
of the project $12,500.
Conditional Grants
In addition, WCVEDG
awarded more grants if
certain conditions were
met by the applicants. They
include:
1. $10,000 to the town
of Lexington for landscap-
ing improvement at town
hall to improve the lawn,
add fencing, picnic tables
and possible access to a
restroom. The grant was
approved on condition the
town provide a budget and
a 50 percent match on the
project. Total cost $20,000.
2. $10,000 to the local
FARM Foundation of the
Morrow County Museum.
The money will be used
to repair the mural on the
side of the large build-
ing in Heppner. Grant is
awarded contingent on the
Foundation providing more
information, a budget and
a 50 percent match to WC-
VEDG. Total cost of the
project $20,000.
3. $18,500 to the Wil-
low Creek Country Club
golf course. The money
would be used for a new
concrete floor in the shop
High school football players
honored at Shrine luncheon
Pictured (L-R): Kason Cimmiyotti, Conor Brosnan, Jace Coe, Brock Hisler and Taylor Rollins
were honored at a luncheon Sunday. -Contributed photo.
Local football play-
ers who were chosen for
the 2022 East-West Shrine
game were honored by the
Tri-County Shrine Club at
a luncheon on Sunday, May
15 at the Masonic Lodge.
The players chosen and
honored were Kason Cim-
miyotti, Conor Brosnan,
Jace Coe, Brock Hisler and
Taylor Rollins. Local mem-
bers Herman Winter, Merlin
Hughes and Gene Orwick
hosted the event for the
players, coaches, parents,
grandparents, families and
friends.
Guests were given a
tour of the 1916 Masonic
Hall as Rod Thompson,
Pendleton Shriner, shared
history and explained that
to become a Shriner, one
must first be a member
of the Masons. He also
Town & Country 2022
An Evening With the Stars
The Town & Country Event will be May
19th 2022 at the Gilliam & Bisbee building.
Dinner by Chef Alvin Liu. No host bar by
Bucknum’s Bar & Grill. Door prize donated
by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation.
Tickets are limited! $35 per person.
Available at the Chamber Office, City Hall,
Murray’s Rx and Bank of Eastern Oregon
• Man of the Year
• Woman of the Year
• Educator of the Year
• Student of the Year
• Business of the Year
shared information about
the Shriner’s hospitals and
burn centers where children
are treated for free all over
the world.
Heppner’s Brock Hisler
was chosen as a player in
the Shrine game to be held
Saturday, August 6 at Bak-
er City. Heppner players
Cimmiyotti, Brosnan and
Coe and Ione’s Rollins were
selected as alternates.
and to bring in equipment
to hydro-seed the greens.
According to the applica-
tion the equipment “aerates
the greens, plants new seeds
and waters all at once.”
Also, to purchase a new or
used mower to be used as
a backup. Total cost of the
project $37,000.
4. $8,658 to the Mor-
row County Fair for pur-
chasing new equipment
used during fair and rodeo
and throughout the year.
Examples given were: New
tarp, partitions, metal tables
and inside tables. Total cost
of purchases $8,658 and the
grant is contingent on re-
ceiving a budget and proof
of 50 percent match.
5. $20,000 to Ione
School to help fund a full
renovation and remodel of
the music room and stage,
and offices for counselors,
resource officer, CARE co-
ordinator and public health
nurse. According to the
application the renovation
would also include space
for the food and hygiene
pantry and stage renova-
tions to provide meeting
and workspaces. Total cost
of the project is $51,000.
The grant was awarded
contingent on enough funds
being available.
WCVEDG also re-
ceived an additional
$260,950 in community
enhancement grant requests
it was unable to fund at this
time.
WCVEDG receives its
money from the Colum-
bia River Enterprise Zone
(CREZ) which this year
gave a total of $736,273.
The funds came from mon-
ey collected by CREZ in
lieu of property taxes from
several large businesses
situated in the enterprise
zone near Boardman. Four
Amazon data centers are
the main contributors to the
CREZ, which then distrib-
utes the funds out to multi-
ple taxing districts and or-
ganizations throughout the
county. Lamb Weston food
processing plants and Tilla-
mook Cheese in Boardman
also pay into the enterprise
zone as reduced taxes. The
zone’s purpose is to provide
tax reduction to business
who locate there and pro-
vide jobs and economic
development to the county.
The CREZ II will dis-
burse between $15 and $16
million per year throughout
the county over the next 15
years, however there is no
guarantee the money will
continue to be distributed in
same manner, as the CREZ
board has wide leeway how
to spend the funds. Over
the past 10 years, however,
it has stuck to a plan of
putting money into five cat-
egories including housing,
community enhancement,
public safety, education and
infrastructure.
A new enterprise zone,
CREZ III recently began
operation and is currently
negotiating with Amazon
for five additional data
centers. If a deal is struck
and the centers are opened
it would most likely mean
even more large sums of
money coming into the
CREZ III coffers over the
coming years. Amazon is
already by far the larg-
est property taxpayer in
Morrow County, and any
additional centers would
enhance that designation.
The local WCVEDG
has received substantial
payouts from CREZ over
the past years using the
money for not only commu-
nity enhancement but for a
popular housing rehabili-
tation grant program, busi-
ness enhancement grants
and construction of brand-
new housing including new
duplex units in both Hep-
pner and Ione.
Scholarships awarded to local
students
The South Morrow
County Scholarship Board
has announced the recip-
ients of the 2021-2022
scholarships. The 20 re-
cipients are graduating se-
niors from Ione Community
School and Heppner High
School and will receive
$1,000 each to help with
tuition, supplies, books,
rent or other expenses. The
recipients are Julie Dyer,
Kayla Rodriguez, Cecilia
McElligott, Hailey Heide-
man, Julianna Teeman,
Conor Brosnan, ZaBrena
Masterson, Grace Ogden,
Hannah Finch, Haylie Pe-
terson, Jace Coe, Faviola
Juarez, Kylie Boor, Hailey
Cunningham, Taylor Roll-
ins, Blake Carter, Thomas
Rudolf, Cody Fletcher,
Aundrea Pirtle and Brock
Hisler.
The board of directors
include President Adam
McCabe, Vice President
Andrea Nelson, Treasurer
Tricia Rollins, Secretary
Brandi Sweeney, Cydney
McElligott and Carri Grieb.
The South Morrow County
Scholarship, Inc was es-
tablished with the mission
to grow funds to provide
scholarships to graduating
seniors from Heppner and
Ione High Schools and to
take the place of the Tro-
edson Scholarship Fund
which will discontinue in
2023. Tax deductible dona-
tions can be sent to SMCS
Inc, PO Box 102, Ione, OR
97843.
The Coach Del LaRue
Scholarship was developed
in memory of Del LaRue,
a long-time teacher and
coach at Ione High School.
Del had a passion for coach-
ing basketball and track and
field and loved seeing stu-
dents set and achieve their
goals. After retiring from
teaching, Del continued
to coach track for twelve
additional years, during
this time he helped many
student athletes achieve
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188 W Willow, Heppner • 541-676-9228
their goals and was honored
as national Track and Field
Coach of the Year.
Thomas Rudolf is the
recipient of this year ’s
award. After graduation,
he plans to major in com-
munications at Oregon In-
stitute of Technology and
being a student manager for
the men’s basketball team.
Thomas has participated in
track and field, cross coun-
try, basketball, baseball,
FFA and FBLA. He has
volunteered at school and
in the community includ-
ing community clean-ups,
chain gang, clock operator
and line judge for football
games, trunk or treat and
helped at the Cascade Lakes
Relay Event.
This fund awards one
$1,000 scholarship to a
college-bound Ione High
School Senior based on
demonstrated academic
achievement, community
involvement and with pref-
erence given to students
who have participated in the
Ione High School Track and
Field Program. Students
must be continuing their
education at a community
college, trade school, or
four-year college or uni-
versity. Applicants must
have a minimum 3.0 accu-
mulated GPA and shown
involvement in community
activities. The South Mor-
row County Scholarship Inc
Board of Directors awards
the scholarship on behalf of
the family.
CONGRATULATIONS,
HEPPNER & IONE
2022 GRADUATES!
Time is running out!
Join us in honoring and congratulating this year’s Graduating
classes from Heppner and Ione. We will be publishing photos of the
seniors in the May 25th issue of the Heppner Gazette-Times. The
deadline to be included is Monday, May 23rd at 5:00 pm
The cost is $10 to have your name, business or family included.
Email - graphics@rapidserve.net
Call - 541-676-9228
Text - 541-914-2157
Please include your name, family or business as you would
like it to appear on the senior pages.