EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Ione High School Class of 2023
Adam Carson
Bryce Rollins
Carson Eynetich
Fernando Ramirez
Kalvin Rietmann
Kylee Bethel
Lewkus Burright
Madison Orem
Marcus Radcliffe
Sunem Calvin
GRADUATION:
Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m.
Ione School Gymnasium
BACCALAURATE
Wednesday May 31st, 6pm
Ione Community Church
CLASS OF 2023 !
Heppner receives
wildfire risk
reduction grant
Heppner Fire Depart-
ment will receive $27,000
to use toward wildfire risk
reduction, the Oregon State
Fire Marshal (OSFM) an-
nounced earlier this month.
Heppner Fire is one of 106
recipients of the competitive
$18-million Community
Wildfire Risk Reduction
(CWRR) Grant.
The goal for these funds
is to help communities across
Oregon reach their goals of
improving wildfire resil-
iency, using local programs
and solutions. Projects re-
ceiving funding include
community-wide wildfire
defensible space programs,
vegetation removal around
buildings, community chip-
ping programs, community
education related to wildfire
preparedness, equipment for
vegetation removal and staff
to support these local efforts.
“This grant will al-
low communities to create
proactive, local solutions
to lessen the impacts of
wildfire,” Oregon State
Fire Marshal Mariana
Ruiz-Temple said. “We
know that wildfire can hap-
pen anywhere in Oregon.
Investing in communities
in all areas of our state
will bring much-needed
community risk reduction
and resiliency projects and
programs to life.”
The CWRR grant is
funding local governments,
special districts, structural
fire service agencies, and
non-governmental organi-
zations to support wildfire
risk reduction projects,
equipment, and staff. In
total, 161 entities applied
to fund 269 projects totaling
a requested $44.5 million.
Bredfield graduates
from
McPherson College
Zachary Bredfield of
Heppner graduated from
McPherson College in Kan-
sas May 20, the college
announced. Bredfield grad-
uated with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Automo-
tive Restoration: History.
McPherson’s Automo-
tive Restoration program
is the first four-year degree
program of its kind and was
awarded the prestigious in-
dustry supporter of the year
by International Historic
Motoring.
Bredfield is the son of
Robin Canaday of Heppner
and Adam Bredfield.
Commissioners approve
grant for Lexington Airport
-Continued from PAGE ONE lect bids and get the project
they give us.”
(A UAS is an Un-
manned Aerial System,
which refers to both the
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV), or drone, and the
rest of the system required
to fly it, including the per-
son operating it.)
Phase three will extend
fiber cable from Hwy. 207
to the UAS building at an
estimated cost of $116,000.
“I put it in three phases
because, as we were apply-
ing for the grant, I didn’t
know how much money
they were going to have
available,” Pointer ex-
plained. “That way it was
easier for their committee
to work it out.”
As it turns out, all
three phases got funded.
No matching funds are
required from the county.
The funding is in addi-
tion to $223,000 in Airport
Infrastructure Grants from
the U. S. Dept. of Transpor-
tation, which will go to fund
reconstruction of Taxiway
D and reconstruction of the
southeast apron pavement.
The Lexington airport is
also slated to receive an
additional $850,126 for
improvements from the
Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration (FAA).
The fiber project com-
pletion deadline is Sept.
30 of this year. Right now,
engineering firm Century
West Engineering is work-
ing with the county to col-
underway.
“It looks like a heck
of a good project. A lot of
forward thinking going on
here,” said Board of Com-
missioners Chair David
Sykes.
Pointer responded that
the county knew it couldn’t
afford new hangars or other
upgrades.
“The airport barely
hangs in there on its own,”
she said.
So, the county had
done a feasibility study.
“We thought, let’s do
this feasibility to see what
we can (do) in steps and
phases. And projects like
this, if this comes up, I can
do a phase at a time,” said
Pointer. “Maybe next time
it’s building pads for these
little buildings that the
UAS want or maybe we
can lease some ground—a
40- or 60-year lease—to
somebody who wants to
build hangars.”
She also said she would
like to be able to have a me-
chanic or someone skilled
in avionics at the airport to
bring in business that way.
“So this is just the start
of getting something grow-
ing,” she added.
“I think your efforts,
your planning so far, has
paid off,” said Sykes.
“When they give out the
grants, I like to see that
planning.”
“It’s my little diamond
in the rough,” responded
Pointer.
U.S. 730 chip seal
starts Monday
Starting June 5, the Or-
egon Department of Trans-
portation will be chip-seal-
ing sections of U.S. 730
in Morrow County. The
process includes spreading
rock chips onto emulsified
oil, then pressing the rocks
in with rollers. Chip seals
help protect and extend the
life of the existing roadway.
The contractor plans
to begin on U.S. 730 at the
I-84 junction on Monday,
A dd Y our B usiness
to
June 5, and move north
to the Oregon/Washington
state line. Monday’s work
is expected to extend from
the I-84 junction the west
side of Irrigon. Tuesday,
June 6, the work will con-
tinue from the east side
of Irrigon to the Umatilla
River Bridge.
The schedule is subject
to change and may adjust
from day to day.
o ur B usiness d irectorY
$9
per week - 7 week minimum
c ontAct t he h eppner G Azette -t imes
541-676-9228
GrAphics @ rApidserve . net
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