TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 10, 2023 Boardman extends offer for new city manager Shriners honor East team picks -Continued from PAGE ONE we could maybe try to find renewal, and why it’s such affected by limited purchas- ing options as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daughter Cadance Fer- guson added that she is an FFA member, and it would be helpful to her and oth- er members to be able to have chickens on their own properties for FFA projects. She also pointed out that the number of people using the local food pantry has increased, and having fresh eggs would provide another opportunity to give to the food pantry. Lisa Ferguson also mentioned cons such as noise, loose chickens and smell, and said she realized the city would need some kind of rules in place, per- haps similar to Umatilla’s backyard poultry permit. “I think these are things that the city could probably tackle and find a middle ground with the community so that everyone is happy,” she said. Boardman City Man- ager Pro Tem Rick Stokoe mentioned that there were several properties around Boardman with partial or no sidewalks, and that land- owners are responsible for having sidewalks on their property. He proposed that the city use funding avail- able through the American Rescue Plan Act for a city- wide project that would split the cost with property owners to try to get those sidewalks completed. “Just something for you to start thinking about,” he said. “It’s a safety project.” “There might be enough funds to address a lot of those sidewalk is- sues,” he added. “And if it’s successful, funds to complete it, to fund it a different way,” replied Keefer. Stokoe also told the council that Mike Lees with Anderson Perry & Associates did a street in- ventory for the city. Stokoe explained that that the street engineer basically looked at every street in Boardman and determined what it would take to fix it, whether a chip seal, complete re- placement or something in between. He said he hoped to have the results from that inventory in the next couple of months. “I strongly suggest we look at our roads, our in- frastructure,” said Stokoe. “Our roads are starting to deteriorate, some of them worse than others. “If we can save them by doing a chip seal or a top coat,” he added, “we probably ought to do that. At some point we’re going to have to get those streets fixed, and at some point it’s going to cost you more to repair them than to do some maintenance on them early on.” Stokoe also said he and Pettigrew had met with Elaine Howard about form- ing an Urban Renewal Dis- trict on the north side of the freeway. Howard is some- one the city has worked with in the past to form urban renewal districts. He said it would help pay back some of the infrastructure expenditures the city has going forward. They also met with Lees in the last couple of days to prepare a map, and Stokoe hoped to get that to the council soon. “And then, of course, we have to sell the urban a great idea for our commu- nity,” he added. In other business, the council: -Unanimously passed a resolution approving agree- ments between the sponsors of Columbia River Enter- prise Zone III and Amazon Web Services. The CREZ III board met on April 7 and approved five agreements with AWS. The resolution formalized those agree- ments on the city’s behalf. -Heard from Boardman Interim Police Chief Loren Dieter that the officer-in- volved shooting in April was still under investigation by Oregon State Police. The officer in question is still on administrative leave pend- ing that conclusion. -Participated in a round of applause for the public works director, who has announced he is ready to retire. -Observed a moment of silence of Corporal Jospeh Johnson of Nyssa, OR, who was a volunteer police offi- cer killed in the line of duty. “That’s the thing that keeps me up at night, making sure my staff gets home safe,” said Stokoe, who temporar- ily stepped down as police chief to act as city manager. -Learned from Barajas that expenditures from the general fund had been high- er than normal in April, but that $1.2 million of the $1.4 million had been payment into PERS. The next Boardman budget committee meeting is May 16. The next regular council meeting will be Tuesday, June 6, at 7 p.m. at Boardman City Hall. The Tri-County Shriners held a dinner honoring local Shrine Team picks last Sunday. Left to right Gene Orwick, Merlin Hughes, Herman Winters, Bryce Rollins, Tyler Boor, Tucker Ashbeck, Greg Grant, Charles Hoskins and Cody High. Heppner’s picks for the East team were Tucker Ashbeck as offensive lineman and defensive lineman and Tyler Boor as running back and offensive linebacker. Bryce Rollins of Ione was selected as an East team alternate for tight end/receiver and defensive end. The game will be played on July 29, 2023 in Baker City. -Photo by Chris Sykes Willow Creek Water Park Is looking for: Lifeguards: • Must be at least 15 years old. • Training is now available here in Heppner! • Training fee is the responsibility of all new lifeguards, but can be paid over the course of the summer. About $250. Training takes a few days, but lasts a lifetime! • Lifeguard certification is good for 2 years. If you return for a third year the training is free and much shorter in time. • Beginning wage this year: $14.00 per hour. The wage will increase each summer you return to WCWP! Swim Lessons Instructor: • Must be at least 18 years old with experience working with children. • Part time; Hourly wage DOE • Training available! For more information and applications, please contact Bridget Waite at bridaet.waite@amail.com