EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 1, 2022
County vote sends Amazon
money to BMCC
Reverses earlier decision to stop the
$627,517 payment
By David Sykes
The Morrow County
Commissioners voted to
change direction again last
week, this time voting to
send $627,517 funding on
to Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College. The decision
was the third time the com-
mission had voted on the
funding, and the second
time it had reversed its de-
cision on whether BMCC
should get the dollars. The
money was part of a larger
$11.5 million “gift” pay-
ment received earlier from
Amazon, Inc, the county’s
largest taxpayer.
A history of the deci-
sions, changes and reversals
about the funding began in
March of this year when
the county was informed
it would receive the $11.5
windfall payment from
Amazon. It was discov-
ered that the company had
incorrectly underpaid its
property taxes for several
years and had then decided
to pay the county for the
uncollected taxes anyway,
even though it did not have
to. The payment was clas-
sified as a gift, not a tax,
which gave commissioners
wide latitude on how to
spend it. Amazon operates
numerous data centers in
the Boardman area and is
by far the largest taxpayer
in the county.
After much debate by
the commissioners a plan
was developed and passed
unanimously to disburse
the large bonanza across
all taxing districts in the
county. Commissioner Me-
lissa Lindsay, even though
at that time voted in favor,
said she didn’t like the
action because the county
should not be sending the
Amazon money to entities
like BMCC located outside
the county. “I love BMCC.
I love the work they are do-
ing, and I know their budget
is in trouble,” Lindsay said
then. “However, I don’t
want to see six hundred
thousand dollars going to
Pendleton via BMCC.”
(The college’s general fund
would have gotten approx-
imately $468 thousand and
its bond payment another
$159 thousand.) “I think
this was for a county-wide
disbursal,” Lindsay said of
her earlier understanding of
how the county would pay
out the Amazon funds. “My
goal is to eliminate those
that are not local,” adding
BMCC was not where she
intended the money to go.
Even with her misgiv-
ings, however, Lindsay,
along with the other two
commissioners, voted in
favor of the disbursal and
county financial officials
began making plans to
disburse the funds to the
college. The check was al-
most cut when, at an April
20 commission meeting,
Lindsay again brought up
the $627,517 payment, this
time saying since the March
23 vote to approve the fund-
ing, she had heard that
BMCC might be scaling
back its work force training
program in Morrow Coun-
ty. This concerned her and
she began pushing other
commissioners to vote in
favor of stopping payment
to the college.
“Over the last week I
heard some news BMCC
has transitioned somewhat
away from work force
development (in Morrow
County). I understand they
have budget issues,” she
told the other commission-
ers. “But I grew ever more
uncomfortable and want to
again talk about those dol-
lars. I would like to see us
hold on to the BMCC dol-
lars,” she said in requesting
the stoppage. Lindsay said
she had talked to BMCC
officials who apparently
told her the money would
be spent in Morrow County,
but she wasn’t convinced.
Lindsay told commis-
sioners she also had talked
to workforce development
officials at the Port of Mor-
row and was told they were
putting together a meeting
between the Port, county,
BMCC and some industry
people to “see where this
is headed. I would like to
see us hold on to those Blue
Mountain dollars until we
know where Blue Mountain
is headed in Morrow Coun-
ty,” Lindsay told commis-
sioners in asking them to
back the payment stoppage.
She said she also wanted to
talk about how BMCC in-
tended to spend the money
in the county.
Lindsay subsequently
convinced fellow Commis-
sioner Jim Doherty to go
along with her in blocking
the funds, and this time the
vote was 2-1 with Commis-
sioner Don Russell being
out-voted to stick with the
original plan and send the
money to BMCC.
Russell explained his
vote, saying withholding
the funds was “over-reach”
by the county. “I think its
over-reach on our part.
Had not the state of Oregon
errored, BMCC would have
gotten more than we allo-
cated to them because they
are a taxing district in the
tax code area,” he said of
the Amazon payment. Rus-
sell said the college “has a
board of directors elected
by the public to oversee
their budget. They decide
where to spend those dol-
lars and where they think
it benefits the most peo-
ple. Now it is three county
commissioners to weigh in
and say we don’t like how
your elected officials are
running your budget, so we
are going to withhold tax
dollars that probably were
rightfully yours. I think it’s
wrong and over-reach on
our part,” Russell said.
After stopping the
funding, Lindsay said she
subsequently met over cof-
fee with BMCC president
Mark Browning for a “re-
ally great conversation”
about what BMCC’s plans
are for Morrow County.
She also said the bigger
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meeting that was held May
23 between the college,
industry representatives
and the port was also pro-
ductive in discussing “what
was working and what was
not” in BMCC’s workforce
training in the county.
Lindsay said the whole
on-again-off-again mon-
ey transfer she initiated
between the county and
BMCC “wasn’t intended
to control the college’s
budget” or “tell them what
to do. I knew very little; I
just knew there were con-
versations not happening”
and “that slow walking of
these dollars was crucial
to having the opportunity”
to have discussions with
BMCC about its future in
work force training in the
county, she explained.
BMCC president Mark
Browning, who attended
last week’s commission
meeting, echoed that the
larger meeting between
industry, the
college and
the coun-
ty was very
beneficial.
“We had the
right peo-
ple at the
table and
BMCC pres- e v e r y b o d y
i d e n t M a r k kind of laid
Browning
down their
agendas,”
Browning said. “I think it
was very productive and
one of the best I’ve had in
the year that I have been
here,” said Browning, who
is new to the job as the col-
lege president. Browning
added that BMCC does
have a future providing
work force training in the
county. “There is an op-
portunity to move things
forward here for Morrow
County and the industries
that serve Morrow County,”
he told commissioners.
Doherty said he was
moved to change his mind
and vote in favor of sending
the money after receiving a
call from a former influen-
tial instructor he had while
attending BMCC. “Paul
Davis called and left me a
message. ‘I understand you
suspended those dollars,’”
Doherty related Davis told
him, ‘And I know how spe-
cial Blue Mountain is to you
and the time we had there. I
want to let you know that at
the end of the day you are
going to do this, and you
are going to do the right
thing,’” Doherty recalled
of his former instructor’s
message to him.
Long-time college sup-
porter and BMCC board
member
Chris Brown
of Morrow
C o u n t y
was also at
last week’s
commission
meeting and
said he is
c o m m i t t ed BMCC board
to keeping member Chris
the seven- Brown
year-old
BMCC work force training
center going in Morrow
County. He related how he,
along with the late county
Judge Louis Carlson, began
working on opening the
center in 2013 and, “I am
going to assure that (closing
the center) doesn’t happen.”
Brown said there may be
changes to the program,
but they would be “targeted
changes,” adding he was
“comfortable these funds
(Amazon money) would
stay in Morrow County.”
Following the wide-ranging
discussion, the commission
voted unanimously to send
the funds on to BMCC.
Mustangs, Antlers slug it out in
first round action
By Blake Carter
Saturday morning the
OSAA rolled out its 2022
state championship bracket
for the 2A/1A baseball state
championships. Back in
2019 the OSAA expanded
from its original 16 team
bracket, to include 22 teams
in the annual baseball and
softball state champion-
ships. After just one year
of the expanded bracket,
the pandemic struck and
canceled two straight years
of the OSAA sanctioned
state championships. Now
that the sports schedule has
returned to normal, so has
the bracket. Heppner has
faced a year of turbulence,
seeing multiple players go
down with injuries. Af-
ter the chaotic season, the
Mustangs have finally be-
come as healthy as they can
heading into the postseason.
The Mustangs were able to
finish third in their league,
behind the number four
overall seed Dufur/South
Wasco Rangers, and fifth
overall seed Weston McEw-
en Tigerscots. Unfortunate-
ly, Heppner wasn’t able to
secure a bye into the round
of 16 and became one of the
12 teams vying for six spots
in the round of 16.
Heppner was placed at
14 in the 2022 state cham-
pionships and earned the
right to host one last base-
ball game. Their opponent
made the long drive from
the southern side of Ore-
gon, the Bonanza Antlers
came as the second place
team from special district
six. The 13-7 Antlers didn’t
come to eastern Oregon to
see their season end. This
set the stage for a slugfest
first round matchup, with
the winner living to see one
more game. Heppner ended
the game in six innings with
a 13-3 run rule victory.
Heppner was efficient
at the plate, scoring 13 runs
on 13 hits. Senior Kason
Cimmiyotti led the way
at the plate, with 5 RBIs
and two home runs. The
first round trip came in the
first inning, as Cimmiyotti
hit a ball all the way to the
fence. The Antler defender
got the ball back in, but
long after Cimmiyotti had
rounded third and headed
for home. Heppner junior
Tucker Ashbeck took the
mound in the Mustangs first
playoff game, striking out
five and allowing no earned
runs. Ashbeck started the
game off with two scoreless
innings and did not allow an
Antler batter to get on base.
This allowed the Mustangs
to score three more in the
bottom of the second in-
ning. Heppner put two run-
ners on with two walks, but
also lined out and grounded
out, putting two outs on the
Mustang offense. After the
runners advanced to second
and third, Ryan Lindsay
added on to the Mustang
lead with a two out, RBI
single to make it 2-0 Mus-
tangs. Cimmiyotti grabbed
two RBIs on a single into
right field, 4-0 Heppner.
Unfortunately, the Antler
catcher would throw the
runner out advancing to
second, ending the rally.
Ashbeck continued
to work on the mound,
picking up two strikeouts
and a ground out. After
seeing all nine batters one
time, Ashbeck allowed no
baserunners, keeping the
Mustang lead solid. The
Antler pitcher settled in
after a rough start, picking
up three quick outs head-
ed into the fourth inning.
Bonanza picked up three
runs in the fourth inning,
capitalizing on a Mustang
error. Another error in the
field from Heppner allowed
Bonanza to steal home,
followed by two singles,
the game was quickly a
4-3 showdown. The two
Mustang errors in the fourth
inning would be the only
blemish on what was a
stellar performance from
every Mustang defender.
The one run lead wouldn’t
last through the bottom of
the fourth inning, however.
Freshman Karver Wilkins
stepped up to the plate and
hit a leadoff double. Carson
Eyenetich followed up with
a triple of his own, scoring
Wilkins and expanding
the lead. Ashbeck helped
himself at the plate in the
very next at bat, scoring a
run on a sacrifice fly ball to
center field. Back to back
singles and a walk quickly
loaded up the bases for the
Mustangs. On a ground ball
through the left side of the
infield, a Mustang runner
was caught in front of the
Antler defender, causing
the Antlers to be unable to
make a throw. This caused
the runner to be called out,
however all of the Mustang
runners advanced. After the
confusion the Mustangs
were up to two outs but
had runners on second and
third. Cameron Proudfoot
would score those two run-
ners on a double, growing
the lead to 9-3. Toby Nation
would take a single into left
field, scoring Proudfoot. A
ground out ended the fourth
inning, 10-3 Mustangs.
Ashbeck gave up a sin-
gle to start the fifth inning
but forced a fielder’s choice
to get one out in the next at
bat. Ashbeck would pick
off the runner at first, and
then force another ground
out bringing Heppner back
up. A quick three outs from
Heppner would send the
game into the sixth inning.
Ashbeck kept the Antlers
quiet, once again to start the
sixth. In the bottom half of
the inning Cimmiyotti hit
his second round tripper
after Lindsay got on base
with a single. Cimmiyotti
sent the ball high over the
center field fence to cash
in his fifth RBI. After a two
out single from Nation, a
hit by pitch and two walks
sealed the game for the
Mustangs.
Heppner will make the
long trip to the northwest
part of Oregon, and Knap-
pa High School to face the
number three overall seed
Loggers. The Loggers start-
ed 1-3 this season, but after
that they won 18 games
in a row before losing the
season finale.
Over the Tee Cup
The Willow Creek
Country Club ladies gath-
ered at 9 a.m. on May 24
for their weekly play. There
were 12 players for the
second time in two weeks.
Low gross of the field
award went to Virginia
Grant and low net of the
field went to Corol Mitch-
ell. Winners of the least
putts of the field were Betty
Carter and Lorene Mont-
gomery.
Karen Thompson had
low gross for flight A. Corol
Mitchell got the longest
drive as well as KP for
flight A.
Low gross for Flight
B was Pat Edmundson and
low net was Pat Dougherty.
Dougherty also got the long
drive and Edmundson got
KP. Shirley Martin had the
least putts.
Kris Lindner was the
winner of low gross for
flight C. Karen Smith-Grif-
fith had the low net and
longest drive. Least putts
for flight C went to Kim
Carlson.
Virginia Grant had a
birdie on #9. The Women’s
Invitational Tournament
will be held June 14.