Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, November 30, 2022, Page 7, Image 7

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    Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 30 , 2022 -- SEVEN
Morrow County commissioner nitrate meeting
-Continued from PAGE ONE money back.
for water consultation ser-
vices but only received one
proposal from GSI Water
Solutions, Inc. A committee
interviewed GSI represen-
tatives Nov. 21. Mabbott
said they were “Very capa-
ble. A lot of depth in terms
of their skills.”
Mabbott said it was a
very exciting project and
that the company would
address issues of water
quantity, water quality and
domestic well issues. The
projected work start date
in would be in January,
and the cost for a two-year
contract would be approxi-
mately $140,000.
“A lot of water issues,
obviously, happening in our
county, which is why the
board wanted to have some-
one that helps us navigate
that, what the county’s role
might be in terms of policy
or lobbying or funding
one of their first proposed
work orders,” she said.
Commissioner
Don Russell
Commissioner Don
Russell moved to authorize
the planner to announce the
intent to award and proceed
with drafting a contract
with GSI for further review
by the board, though he ex-
pressed disappointment that
the county had not received
more proposals.
“I was always thinking
that it would be one person,
and individual, who could
become staff, and I was
disappointed when all we
heard from was corpora-
tions or entities,” Lindsay
said. “But I was quickly
convinced that this could
potentially lead us to that,
that this is the better op-
portunity because it’s go-
ing to bring the broader
knowledge of the basin,
and an organization that
really understands and has
touched many of these areas
already.”
Mabbott said she
thought GSI brought a
neutrality that would bring
different stakeholders to
the table. She also said they
made it clear that it is the
12,000-plus constituents in
the county, not just the gov-
ernment, who they viewed
as their customer.
“The Committee tasked
them with some really
tough questions, and they
came back with some really
great answers,” she said.
Also at the meeting,
Commissioners heard from
Morrow County Emergen-
cy Management Director
Paul Gray, who presented
a breakdown of the ni-
trate fund expenditures so
far. He said the total was
$125,002.41 up to Oct.
10. The largest portion
of that went to filter pur-
chases and installations at
$57,309.75. Water delivery
totaled $24,436.15, but
Gray said that will be reim-
bursed completely through
an Oregon Dept. of Hu-
man Services (DHS) grant,
which allows up to $55,000
to be reimbursed if spent on
water deliveries.
Gray said he is still
working with the business
coalition to see if funds for
the filters and installation
can be covered. He “guess-
timated” that they’re look-
ing at just under $80,000
total, including the upcom-
ing installations, but he’s
hoping to get all of the
“That will help us to at
least cover some of these
expenditures and it won’t
be a big shock to the coun-
ty’s funds,” he said.
Russell said he knew
the business coalition had
set aside funds for that
purpose and wondered
what the holdup was on
either getting reimbursed
or having the coalition pay
directly for the filters and
installation. Gray said they
were originally going to
pay for the testing but then
decided to deal with filters
and installations. He added
that they have actually paid
a couple of filter invoices
Gray sent out. He informed
the commission
Debbie Radie
Boardman Foods
that Debbie Radie, Vice
President of Operations at
Boardman Foods, met with
the business coalition and
Gray was waiting to hear if
they needed invoices. The
coalition had been asking
for invoices to make sure
the filters are going to the
people who need them.
“They just want to have
two sets of eyes on it,” Gray
said.
Russell asked Mor-
row County Counsel Justin
Nelson if the information
Radie was requesting was
protected in some way.
Nelson said they were look-
ing into it, but the county’s
concern was giving out too
much personal information
about names and addresses
of people who received
filters. Doherty agreed and
referenced an article in
the Gazette on Aug. 3 in
which a homeowner was
displeased over his data
getting out.
“That is a real con-
cern,” said Doherty.
Russell said he had al-
ready seen information like
that in various publications
through statements from
public officials.
“So, the county’s al-
ready putting that infor-
mation out there for pick-
ing and choosing. Why
not make it easy on the
business coalition to re-
imburse us, especially if
the business coalition is
primarily responsible over
time for the problem?”
he asked. “They want to
help, but we’re making it
difficult for them to help.”
Commissioner
Jim Doherty
Doherty said he would
again lean on county coun-
sel to determine the legality
of releasing names and if
that information was a mat-
ter of public record.
“Again, I would say if
county counsel looks at it
and says this is absolutely
public record, and goes
back and reviews some of
the discussion in the Ga-
zette, if he’s comfortable,
I’m comfortable.”
Nelson added that if
the information was to be
released, it would have to
be considered information
that could be release to any-
body, not just the business
coalition. He also pointed
out that, with the press as-
pect, there was a difference
between having a person
aware that their information
was out there and being
okay with it versus having it
released when they thought
it would be confidential.
“I just worry about the
individual who says, ‘Hey, I
thought I was getting some
help here, the county helped
me, I really appreciate it,
but I didn’t realize there’s
a list online that has all the
nitrate levels, my house,”
he said, adding that there
was a line between giving
away the information freely
and giving it out per public
records law, at least in the
liability aspect.
Gray added that since
Boardman foods had orig-
inally helped with testing,
they probably had around
three quarters of the infor-
mation already.
“The person did not
pick it up from public
health. They did not pick
it up from the government
offices, so they were not
necessarily under the as-
sumption the county was
doing anything,” he said.
“I don’t know what privacy
concerns those individuals
had if they were taking the
tests back to Boardman
Foods.”
Boardman Foods was
having test results sent to
them until September, when
the county requested all in-
formation be sent to them.
Gray said the information
is now only being reported
to public health and certain
individuals in the county.
“I’m not even getting
the results,” he said.
Gray said that, within
the last month, Gray and
public health started certi-
fying invoices for well with
nitrate levels higher than
10 parts per million (ppm).
He said Radie had previ-
ously gone to public health
and verified that filters the
coalition paid for had been
installed at addresses with
more than 10 ppm but had
received no other informa-
tion and nothing had been
written down.
“I don’t know legally or
otherwise, but I feel a moral
obligation to protect these
people and protect their
information,” said Com-
mission Vice-Chair Melissa
Lindsay. “To protect their
property values, to protect
them from repercussions
from people who don’t like
them making a stink over
nitrate levels.
“I don’t understand
why names and addresses,
when we have county staff
who have certified them
properly,” she added. “I’d
rather just pay for it than put
these people’s livelihoods
and their property values
on the line. “The county’s
emergency manager, PIO,
and public health certify-
ing that information is not
enough?”
Gray said he was wait-
ing to hear back on how the
Commissioner
Melissa Lindsay
meeting with Radie went
and whether he and another
county official could just
sign off on it.
“I’m trying to make it
so there’s just me and Ana
signing off, so there’s two
pairs of eyes, and if they’re
getting an invoice, it’s not
the copy of the invoice from
the vendor, but it’s an in-
voice we’re creating,” Gray
said. “As long as we can
sign off on that, hopefully
the business coalition will
agree and we can continue.”
Lindsay asked if the
county could redact cer-
tain parts of the invoices.
Nelson said that would be
possible if the business
coalition agreed.
The Commission also
agreed to sign off on an Or-
egon Department of Human
Services grant agreement
for nitrate emergency water
deliveries. The agreement
reimburses the county for
all water deliveries from
July 1, 2022, till March 30,
2023, up to a maximum of
$55,000. Doherty said orig-
inally the state had wanted
to begin reimbursements
from October and set a
limit of $36,000 but had
been convinced t go higher.
He also said if the state got
fully on board with taking
care of things, the $55000
would be sufficient,
but if the county continued
to have to bear the brunt of
the cost, it would need more
than that.
Before ending the dis-
cussion, Lindsay added
that she wanted to thank
Debbie Radie and the vari-
ous entities in the coalition
for stepping up and helping
find solutions.
“I don’t want my con-
cerns to shadow over my
sincerest thank you for the
work that’s being done and
those coalition members
that are coming forward and
doing some great work,”
she said.
Irrigon man
arrested for
rape
An Irrigon man is still
in Umatilla County Jail on
charges of rape.
Hermiston police ar-
rested 20-year-old Gerardo
Aguilar on Nov. 17 on one
count of rape in the first
degree, as well as several
other charges. He is still
in jail, awaiting a pretrial
conference on Dec. 12 in
Hermiston before Judge
Daniel Hill. Bail is set at
250,000.
According to state court
records, a Umatilla County
grand jury on Aug. 30 ac-
cused Aguilar of the assault
and rape of one woman on
Aug. 23. The grand jury
indicted Aguilar on seven
counts in all. Aside from the
charge of rape, Aguilar was
indicted on one count of
reckless endangering, one
of misdemeanor fourth-de-
gree assault, two counts of
felony fourth-degree as-
sault constituting domestic
violence and two of felony
strangulation constituting
domestic violence. The rape
was also listed as domestic
violence.
Police also arrested
Aguilar for violating pro-
bation. According to the
Hermiston Herald, he began
serving a five-year term
of probation in May 2021
after he pled guilty to an
attempted armed robbery
outside Hermiston.
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