EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 26 , 2022
County seeks water consultant 4-H holds awards night
Will address water quality and quantity
Mitch and Tag Ashbeck
received this year’s Friends
of 4-H Award. -Contributed
photo
Torrie Griggs representing
the SAGE Center, another
Friends of 4-H Award recipi-
ent. -Contributed photo
The Morrow County
4-H program presented
several prestigious awards
during its annual awards
program held Oct. 16, at
the SAGE Center in Board-
man. More than 160 people
attended. The county 4-H
Association collected do-
nations from area citizens
and businesses, allowing
them to present more than
$7,200 in awards.
Eric Orem from The
Farm Kids 4-H club in Ione
was recognized as the Mor-
row County 4-H Leader of
the Year for 2022.
Leaders are nominated
and then voted on by the
4-H Association. As a 4-H
leader he has helped 4-H
members learn skills in
a supportive and hands-
on environment. Eric has
shown the importance of
teaching 4-H members how
to think through the devel-
opment of critical thinking
and decision making skills.
The All-Around
Achievement Award junior
recipient was Mikalie Dun-
can of the Heppner Grow
Em’ and Show Em’ club.
The intermediate recipient
was Ellie Sak of Board-
man’s Boots n’ Buttons.
The senior recipient was
Isabella Orr of the Ukiah
Community Club.
The All-Around
Achievement Award is de-
signed to recognize a 4-H
member who is involved
in all aspects of 4-H. Re-
quirements for applying
for this award include the
following four catego-
ries: participation in public
speaking and demonstra-
tions at the county contest
held before fair, exhibiting
projects at fair, completing
and turning in their record
book, and participating
in an exit interview at the
conclusion of the 4-H year.
The award is broken down
into the three age groups:
junior, intermediate and
senior. This award is a
great accomplishment in a
4-Her’s career and is one
that should receive special
recognition for the hard
work that the members
put forth, not only in order
to apply for, but also to
receive.
This year’s Friends of
4-H Award was presented
to Mitch and Tag Ashbeck
by their grandchildren.
Mitch and Tag Ashbeck are
lifelong 4-H supporters.
Through the years they
have provide and assisted
youth in and outside Mor-
row County. They truly
embody the 4 Hes of 4-H
and strive to make youth
Morrow County Justice
of the Peace Glen Diehl
has released the following
report:
Donita E. Counsell, 47,
of Heppner, was cited for
Violating the Basic Rule
(VBR) and was fined $265.
Donald A. McElligott
24, of Ione, was cited for
Failure to register Vehicle
and was fined $115.
Joshua L. Brown, 36, of
Gresham, OR was cited for
VBR and was fined $1150.
David M. Padilla, 60,
of Hermiston, OR was cit-
ed for VBR and was fined
$165.
Eneida Jamie Navar-
rete, 28, of Umatilla, OR
was cited for VBR and was
fined $265.
Saul N. Lopez, 18, of
Heppner, was cited for
VBR and was fined $165.
Ubaldo Davila Alegria,
42, of Portland, OR was
cited for VBR and was fined
$165.
U STAN
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Every auction, our amazing community comes together and
generously supports our Mustangs at the Booster Club
Dinner and Auction! Thank you to the donors for their
cash contributions and items! Thank you to the bidders
for joining us and purchasing raffle tickets, dinner and
bidding on silent and live items! Thank you to Bucknum’s
Benefit Dinner and Event
for Sharon Miller
Come and enjoy a pasta bar dinner and watch a cornhole tournament
with a calcutta auction of the teams and bid on slient auction items on
Friday November 4th at the Elks Lodge.
Dinner will be at 6pm
Calcutta Auction at 6:30pm with tournament to follow.
Please join us as we show our support for Sharon and her family as she
continues her battle!
If you cannot make it or would just like to leave a donation, you can do so at
the Bank of Eastern Oregon.
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M
Justice Court
S
there are still two open
positions at planning.
State COVID transpor-
tation grant
In other business, the
county approved a $158,529
state COVID grant to sup-
port county public transpor-
tation services through The
Loop. The funding does not
require any matching mon-
ey from the county and will
be available Oct. 1, 2022
through Sept. 30, 2024.
The Loop operates various
buses and vans to provide
needed transportation for
all of Morrow County in-
cluding veterans, seniors,
person with disabilities,
and those with limited or
no transportation.
The county transpor-
tation department also re-
ceived a grant of $45,000
with no county match from
the state Department of Vet-
eran Affairs for use in pur-
chasing services or equip-
ment to provide rides to vet-
erans going to VA-approved
medical appointments.
Amazon data center
road agreement
In other business, com-
missioners approved a road
agreement with Amazon
Data Services for road con-
struction at a new data cen-
ter being built on Bombing
Range Road one mile south
of I-84. As part of the agree-
ment Amazon has agreed
to pay for construction of a
turn lane into their property.
Total cost of the project to
Amazon is $430,000.
The project will include
construction of a right-
hand turn lane on Bombing
Range to minimize traffic
hazards. Signage will be
installed including flashing
signals during poor visibil-
ity conditions. Lights will
also be installed. All costs
of the project will be paid
by Amazon.
G
(OHV).
The hunt is not a spe-
cial hunt organized by the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW), but
only provides permission to
hunt on the land within the
park. This hunt only gives
permission to hunt for Mor-
row or Grant County youth.
“The hunt was established
as a way to give back to
the communities that help
make the park possible and
provide an outdoor expe-
rience to local youth,” the
county said.
Awarded for this year
are: Riley Gregg of John
Day, Darby Spivey of Ione,
Rassadie Griffin of Irrigon,
Katie Spivey of Ione, Mem-
phis Jones of Irrigon and
Preslie Bowes of Irrigon.
The hunt will be held
Nov. 5-13 and the park trail
area will be closed starting
on Nov. 1 in preparation.
Loop promotion
In other action, Trans-
portation Director Katie
Imes announced Heidi Tur-
rell has been promoted at
the Loop from dispatcher, a
job she has held for the past
two years, to operations
supervisor.
“Her new job will be
to supervise and train new
drivers and to assist with
implementing policy and
procedures,” Imes said.
Buried gas tanks in
Ione
Commissioner Don
Russell reported the coun-
ty recently foreclosed for
back taxes on a former gas
station property in Ione, and
it has underground storage
tanks. Russell said there is
a grant program available
for local governments to
find out if there has been
leakage and contamination
from underground tanks.
“Hopefully we can get
it done sometime next year,
and then that property can
be put back into service as
a productive property for
someone,” Russell said.
New planning dept em-
ployee
At the Oct. 12 com-
mission meeting it was
announced that Michaela
Ramirez joined the plan-
ning department staff in
Irrigon Sept. 19 as the new
office manager.
“Michaela has years
of experience and we are
very excited to have her on
the team,” Planner Tamra
Mabbott said. Mabbott also
reported she has a student
intern, Caren Cardenas,
a senior at Irrigon High,
working also. Cardenas’
position is paid for by the
Port of Morrow/Education
Service District internship
program. Mabbott said
B
Morrow County is
seeking to contract with a
water consultant to provide
“technical information” for
understanding and manag-
ing county water issues, it
was announced.
The desire to hire a
new professional, or a firm,
to provide water consulting
was prompted by the recent
heightened awareness of ni-
trate contamination in north
county water wells, and the
job description posted by
commissioners is heavily
weighted towards studying
this particular problem.
The description, or re-
quest for proposals as it’s
called, specifies that a big
part of the job will be about
water quality and quantity,
mainly in the Lower Uma-
tilla Basin Groundwater
Management Area (LUB-
GWMA) in north county. It
says the goal of the studies
will be to “provide tech-
nical information to better
understand water quality
and quantity issues,” and
“foster a sustainable supply
of water for county resi-
dents and industries.”
County Planner Tamra
Mabbott is handling the job
posting and taking in the
proposals, which are due
by Nov. 7. They will then
be evaluated, ranked and
taken to commissioners for
interviews and the contract
awarded by Nov. 23 with a
start date of Dec. 5.
The cost of the con-
sultant was not mentioned
in the job posting, but the
amount will be determined
later, and the money will
come from the county gen-
eral fund.
In a question-and-an-
swer area of the county
website about the contract
it was asked if the county
would consider it a conflict
of interest for a prospective
consultant to “be working
directly with the Port of
Morrow or similar agricul-
tural entity of stakeholder?”
The answer was “The legal
basis is not apparent and the
county is not aware of any
potential conflicts. How-
ever, county reserves the
right to address potential
conflicts in the contract.”
At the Oct. 19 com-
missioner meeting Mabbott
was told to review team to
screen incoming proposals
for the water coordinator
contract.
Youth Elk Hunt
In other county busi-
ness at the meeting com-
missioners approved six
applicants for the annu-
al second season Special
Youth Spike Elk Hunt at
the Morrow/Grant County
Off-Highway Vehicle Park
better.
The second recipient of
the Friends of 4-H award
was the SAGE Center. The
SAGE Center is a constant
supporter of Morrow Coun-
ty 4-H, giving members
a unique opportunity to
learn about local industries
and the technology used
at the Port of Morrow and
surrounding area, and pro-
viding our youth with great
learning opportunities and
working together to truly
make the best better. Rep-
resenting the SAGE Center
was Torrie Griggs.
for providing drinks and the Heppner Community
Foundation for the use of their facility. Finally, thank you
to all the volunteers for their hard work, time and talents!
Our Mustangs are loved.
Heppner Jr Sr High Booster Club Auction Committee
Thank you for
Supporting the Mustangs!