Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, April 12, 2023, Page 8, Image 8

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    EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 12, 2023
CTE training Ione School
-Continued from PAGE ONE
that are combined to make
one image that has a more
solid, three-dimensional
feel. Recognition software
interprets the coded pat-
terns on the workpieces and
converts them into realistic
virtual reality, which the
student sees on the screen
inside the helmet.
In other words, while
working with the imple-
ments and digital metal,
the student sees a realistic
representation of virtual
steel plates, welding beads
and flying sparks. It’s as
close as you can get to a real
welding experience without
feeling the heat.
That’s one side of the
equation. The AR welder is
also integrated with Nation-
al Center for Construction
Education and Research
(NCCER) level one and
level two curriculum, and
includes classes, projects
and tests to guide student
learning. The whole setup
also comes with a separate
trainer’s screen, where the
instructor can view the
student’s work in real time
or play a recorded exercise.
The school has pur-
chased both the tabletop
equipment and a smaller,
hand-held version. Ione
School District Superinten-
dent and Secondary Princi-
pal Kevin Dinning says it’s
part of the school’s growing
focus on more Career and
Technical Education (CTE)
opportunities for students.
“If we’re talking about
teaching our kids stuff that
they will find in the work-
force, these are the skills
they will need,” says Din-
ning. “We want to be able
to expose our students to a
broader range of training
materials.”
And that’s not all that’s
happening in the shop class.
Across the building, Ione
student Khira Kreitzer is
experimenting with the
school’s laser engraver,
the Trotec Speedy 400.
Kreitzer has engraved a
kitchen paddle board and
then painted it. Now, she’s
preparing to engrave it
again to see what effect that
will have on the design.
The pattern changes
color under the laser, as
well as becoming deeper.
“It feels more flat if you
just do it once,” explains
Kreitzer, adding that the
design gets deeper the more
times the engraver goes
over it.
She also says that the
engraver has different set-
tings for different materials,
including glass, different
metals and a wide array of
Kelvin Rietmann cutting metal . -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
A student-built shed in progress at Ione High School. - Photo
by Andrea Di Salvo
The school’s laser engraver at work. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
woods. The setting deter-
mines the specific voltage
of laser, or burn, that goes
into the material.
Dinning pulls out some
samples of other engraved
items—granite coasters, a
wood engraving of a trac-
tor—and says the students
have been busy creating a
variety of projects, includ-
ing jewelry, leather and
cups. Dinning says they
want to attempt burning on
jeans, next.
“It’s applying art to
something that’s tangible,”
says Dinning, adding that
many of the items made in
the shop are given or sold to
people in the Ione commu-
nity. “We’re really trying to
get students to the entrepre-
neurial side of CTE.”
By this time, Rietmann
has finished welding and
has moved to working on
a metal project using the
school’s plasma cutter,
which prints and cuts metal
sheeting.
“It lets you be more
detailed without having to
do it by hand,” explains
Dinning.
Other equipment in the
shop includes a heat press
for printing on shirts and
a hat press. The next big
plan the school has for CTE
is for a heavy equipment
simulator.
In back of the shop
sit several storage sheds.
They’re a familiar sight, but
these are special—they’ve
all been built by Ione stu-
dents. Dinning points out a
shed built the previous year
next to this year’s shed,
which is finished except for
the roof. The sheds don’t
just collect out back, either.
They are also sold, even
made to order, for members
of the community.
“We like to build them,”
Dinning says. He says that
the school would eventually
like to work up to building
a house a year. For now,
building the sheds teaches
students the principles of
things like flooring and
studs, “But not having to
do it while you’re building
a house,” he adds.
Dinning says it’s been
great to walk into the school
shop and see all of the
projects happening as the
students learn valuable
skills while also providing
services to the community.
“It’s cool,” he says.
“It’s all built by the kids.”
County approves new SIP
Agreement with Amazon
By Andrea Di Salvo
The Morrow County
Board of Commissioner
approved a new Strategic
Investment Program (SIP)
with Amazon Data Ser-
vices at its regular meeting
last Wednesday, April 5.
Included in the agreement
was a resolution asking
Oregon Business Develop-
ment Commission (Busi-
ness Oregon) to exempt the
development from property
taxes.
The SIP exemption is
for 15 years, and Mor-
row County Assessor Mike
Gorman said it is a “fairly
large” investment that will
trigger $100 million tax-
able value, as well as up to
$2.5 million in community
service fees. Gorman said
the agreement also includes
some negotiated additional
payments, including future
bonding and payments to
benefit local infrastructure.
Amazon has agreed to an
Annual Contribution Pay-
ment equal to $850,000
and an up-front Community
Development Contribution
of $5 million.
According to the agree-
ment, the development will
provide 80 new, permanent,
full-time equivalent jobs in
the county.
Prior to making a deci-
sion, the board went into a
short executive session to
discuss the agreement, after
which it held a public hear-
ing on the SIP agreement.
Wenholz again recused
himself from discussion
and voting due to possible
impact on a company with
which he does business.
Morrow County Coun-
sel Justin Nelson pointed
out that board approval does
not mean the SIP agreement
is a “done deal.” The agree-
ment will now have to go to
Business Oregon.
BMCC announces winter honor roll
Blue Mountain Com-
munity College winter term
2022-2023 honor roll rec-
ognition went to the follow-
ing full-time students from
Morrow County:
President’s List (3.75
- 4.0 GPA): Roselyn Cal-
dera, Lainey Claybrook,
Chad Doherty, Keith Flem-
ing, Jasper Hardy, Clifford
Hauger, Omar Madrigal,
Luke Meyers, Cielo Munoz
Rosales, Monserrat Pache-
co, Caelyn Pullen, Damian
Quiriconi, Jose Romero,
Eleazar Salas, Lucero Zara-
goza.
Vice President’s List
(3.5 to 3.74): Lelila Cam-
bero, Sadie Hasbell, Sa-
mantha Howard, Mckenna
Kendrick, Leslie Lopez,
Carmelita Morrison, Mat-
thew Orem, Jimena Vil-
larreal.
Ambulance service area plan
-Continued from PAGE ONE united from when it came self from discussion and
counsel on the topic. The
board had chosen to table a
request by Hughes to repeal
a 1998 ordinance regard-
ing the county’s ASA plan
until commissioners had
a chance to consult legal
counsel.
At last Wednesday’s
meeting, Morrow County
Board of Commissioners
Chair David Sykes thanked
everyone for their input on
Morrow County ambulance
services and said the county
had engaged an attorney
who was very knowledge-
able on ASAs. The attor-
ney, Bob Blackmore had
presented the board with
council on both the letter
request and the ordinance.
“In the last month, the
commission has taken ac-
tion by engaging outside
legal council to guide us in
our understanding of our
legal obligations and re-
sponsibilities of the county
board of commissioners as
we move forward in this
process,” said Sykes.
At a board of commis-
sioners meeting Feb. 22,
Hughes had requested a
repeal of county ordinance
MC-C-4-98, which reg-
ulates ambulance service
providers in the county.
Sykes said Blackmore had
advised them not to repeal
the 1998 ASA ordinance,
but to instead move for-
ward with preparing a new
ASA plan to address and
resolve many of the issues
in the dispute. He also said
counsel had advised them
the 2021 ASA plan was not
legally effective, as it was
never legally approved by
Morrow County.
“Counsel suggested
a new ASA plan would
include many of the pro-
visions of that plan and
mentioned that it would
be a good starting point,”
Sykes said.
He added that, if the
commissioners decided to
move forward with a new
ASA, county staff members
would work on the ASA
plan. Those county staff
members would include
Morrow County Interim
Administrator Roberta Van-
derwall, Morrow County
Emergency Manager Paul
Gray and Morrow County
Counsel Justin Nelson,
along with Blackmore, with
others added to assist in
plan development as need-
ed.
“The goal in moving
this forward would be to
give everyone certainty,
define ambulance service
providers and territory and,
in that process, create the
best ambulance service plan
for everyone in the county,”
said Sykes.
He added that par-
ticipation by MCHD and
BFRD as essential partners
would be beneficial moving
forward.
“If this road map is
approved, we could then
instruct legal counsel and
staff to begin work on a
new ASA plan as quickly
as possible,” he said.
Sykes said develop-
ment of the new plan would
include “appropriate” in-
volvement from MCHD
and BFRD and others inter-
ested in ambulance services
in Morrow County, and that
the county would expect
ambulance services to con-
tinue as is in the interim.
During the following
discussion, Morrow County
Commissioner Jeff Wen-
holz said that because legal
counsel indicated that the
current ASA isn’t legal,
it seemed clear that the
county needed to move
forward and develop a new
ASA. Morrow County
Commissioner Roy Drago,
Jr. agreed, and the board
voted unanimously to move
forward with a new ASA
plan with Vanderwall, Nel-
son and Gray taking the
lead with counsel from
Blackmore.
The board of commis-
sioners showed less of a
to the request for a letter
in support of ambulance
licensing from Boardman
Fire. Hughes had appeared
before the board March 15
to request a letter in support
of Boardman ambulance
licensing from the board of
commissioners.
Sykes said Blackmore
had advised them that, until
the new ASA plan was cre-
ated, certifying additional
ambulance needs would
not mean BFRD would
be licensed as an ambu-
lance service provider in the
county. That is, the attorney
had advised the board that
Boardman Fire would not
be licensed without being
designated an ambulance
service area.
Blackmore further said
that, if BFRD was seeking
to work in Umatilla Coun-
ty as Hughes had previ-
ously stated, they should
seek their letter of support
from Umatilla County, and
Morrow County would not
oppose that.
Drago raised the issue
of BFRD’s proposed work
with a military installation
on the Bombing Range.
“That is in Morrow
County, and the question
there is, even if they were
able to go out onto the
Bombing Range and be
there in case something
happened, that they would
have to transport through
Morrow County at some
point,” said Drago, “which
is not in the ASA. So, as
far as the Bombing Range
question, that was my con-
cern there.”
“Mr. Blackmore did
say that there’s nothing that
precludes us from writing
the letter of support,” said
Wenholz, “Really, he said,
it’s a circular issue in that
OHA (Oregon Health Au-
thority) won’t grant you a
license without having an
area to serve as part of an
ASA, but you can’t have
an area to serve in an ASA
without having a license.”
Wenholz moved to pro-
vide the letter of support for
BFRD and let OHA “sort it
out” and determine wheth-
er they should receive the
license.
Sykes responded that
he thought the county
should create the ASA plan
first.
“I think that’s the back-
bone of the whole thing and
should be done without
anything else coming into
play,” he said.
“Are we able to get the
timing right with an ASA
and, if in that ASA it does
allow an ambulance service
area, is it going to delay the
position of that service area
to get a license?” replied
Drago. “How would we
time that to make it happen
at the same time?”
“I do understand your
point,” Wenholz told Sykes,
“but I do feel it’s a chicken
and egg type of thing. If
through the ASA process
Boardman Fire were to be
granted a service area, in a
sense they can’t get a ser-
vice area without a license,
so this allows them to go
through the process and get
a license.
“I don’t think any-
body’s under the illusion
that they’re going to be
able to do transports in
Morrow County, because
they don’t have a service
area in Morrow County,”
added Wenholz.
The board voted 2-1
to have staff draft a letter
of support for Boardman
Fire to seek ambulance
licensing, with chair Sykes
opposing.
Right-of-Way Con-
struction Permits
Also at the meeting,
the board voted to amend
the process to approve per-
mits for construction in the
county right-of-way. The
existing ordinance required
certain permit requests to
go before the board for
approval.
Wenholz recused him-
voting on the topic due to a
possible or perceived con-
flict, though he did state that
he did not believe he had
real a conflict of interests.
Nelson told the com-
missioners that from 2017
to 2019, all permits for
work in the county right-of-
way could be approved by
the Morrow County Public
Works Director or Assistant
Road Master. Public works
also had the responsibility
to make sure utilities and
other entities working in
the county right-of-way
were meeting permit re-
quirements.
In 2019, commission-
ers amended chapter 8.08 of
the county code to require
board of commissioners
approval for any right-of-
way work that exceeded
200 feet. Last week’s revi-
sion took away the need for
board approval and put per-
mitting back in the hands of
public works.
Nelson said the change
was due to both the changed
meeting schedule for the
board of commissioners,
which now meets every two
weeks, and public works’
anticipation of more large
projects needing permits in
the near future.
“A person can submit
this to public works, they
can review it, sign off on it
fairly quickly,” Nelson said
of the change. “If it goes
before the board, right now
about a two-week period
or more.”
“Again, if a person
has a concern or an issue,
it can still come before
the board,” Nelson added.
“This just lets it be stream-
lined a little more.”
Former Morrow Coun-
ty Commissioner Don Rus-
sell was present to speak
in favor of the proposed
change. Russell also sits
on the board of directors
for Windwave Communica-
tions, a fiber company that
he said does a significant
amount of work in county
rights-of-way throughout
Eastern Oregon.
Russell said that, as
commissioner, he had ini-
tially supported board ap-
proval as a way for com-
missioners to know who
was doing large amounts
of work in the right-of-way.
“As it evolved, it be-
came a way to slow down
the process of allowing
companies that do work in
public right-of-way to get a
permit,” said Russell. “It’s
my opinion that the previ-
ous commissioners picked
the winners and the losers
and they would slow walk
permits for those companies
that they didn’t like.”
Russell added that
Windwave never had a
permit rejected but that
that some of the permits
took a “very long time” to
get approved. He said the
company is currently doing
work in Morrow, Umatilla,
Baker, Harney, Grant and
Wheeler counties, and has
done work in the past in
Wheeler, Sherman, Union,
Wallowa and Malheur
counties.
“And Morrow County
is by far the hardest place
to do business in,” said
Russell. “When I was a
commissioner, again, we
never rejected a permit to
work in the public right-
of-way. It just slowed the
process down substantially,
and I don’t really see any
reason for it.”
He also pointed out the
commissioners could still
be a board of appeals but
said the board had never
overridden a public works
decision in his eight years
as commissioner.
The commission-
ers voted unanimously to
amend the code and remove
the need for board approval.
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