Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2024)
Mustang Softball team gets new shades 50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 13 8 Pages Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Circuit court presence in Heppner may be in doubt By Andrea Di Salvo South Morrow resi- dents want the new circuit court building to stay in Heppner, according to con- sensus at a recent public hearing held by the Hep- pner City Council. How- ever, citizens seemed to overwhelmingly prefer a site by the old Kinzua mill rather than the proposed site by the Morrow County fairgrounds. The Heppner City Council has been consis- tent in its desire to see the circuit court building stay in the Heppner zip code, if not in the city limits. Hep- pner Mayor Corey Swee- ney opened the March 11 hearing with some somber words for the members of the public in attendance. “Boardman and Irrigon have a lot of potential, and they’re going to flourish and do well in the future. +HSSQHU FDQQRW D൵RUG WR lose anything, including our courthouse,” Swee- ney said. “And the circuit courthouse is the county seat. That’s what keeps our Heppner identity. This is what we want, what we ¿JKWIRU´ Sweeney admitted that the fairgrounds site—a source of a lot of conten- Possible location for the new Circuit Court building, looking towards the Heppner. - Photo by Annalynn Balck Aerial Google view of the north side of the old mill site - Contributed Image tion in Morrow County re- cently—was not a popular choice. However, after a letter from District 6 Pre- siding Judge Daniel Hill opened the door to sites outside of the city limits, Sweeney told residents they need to unify or risk losing the courthouse altogether. He also said a long-standing vision, which predates the current coun- cil, is for Heppner to get its own circuit court judge and for Gilliam and Wheeler counties to redistrict with Heppner. Sweeney also ad- dressed the possible park- ing solution that the county failed to reach for the pro- posed fairgrounds site. He said it was his opinion the deal had been very close but that the landowner had been ³LQÀXHQFHG´QRWWRVHOO While there has been much support for the mill site, Sweeney said the council is worried that the site will fall through, open- ing up options beyond Hep- pner. Of special concern is the lack of infrastructure such as water and sewer at the mill site. “We want to keep it in Heppner no matter what, at all costs,” said Sweeney. With that in mind, Sweeney said he wanted WRVHHDFROODERUDWLYHH൵RUW among the city, fair and rodeo and other entities to get behind a Heppner site and make it happen. “Saying, ‘This is where we’re willing to go. This is what we’ll be willing to support 100 percent,’” he said. “And get behind it in- stead of what a lot of people have been seeing on social media as back and forth and a lot of disinformation.” Sweeney and Heppner Manager John Doherty both pointed to examples of county seats that had lost their courthouse and, with it, their identity. Members of the public in attendance ranged from rodeo board members to business owners, as well as concerned citizens. After a lengthy discussion, the crowd present reached the Take me out to the ball game, watch the Heppner High School 0XVWDQJ6RIWEDOOWHDPUXQQLQJWRWKH¿HOGLQVW\OHZHDULQJ their new Blue Shades donated by Stanley and Pam Cutsforth. Team Leapold, go, go Mustangs! Catching up on the St. Patrick’s Parade Game Winners Plank race winners, team ‘The Lucky Bastards.’ Lane Bailey, Shane Lazinka, Brandon Seitz, and Wacy Coil. - Contributed Photo -Continued to PAGE EIGHT Bed race winners, team ‘Who’s your Patty.’ - Contributed Photo Unveiling the Roadmap: Interim Ambulance Service and Transition Strategy During the March 20th BOC meeting a Timeline of ASA interim service was presented. March 4th: Boardman Fire and Rescue Depart- ment (BFRD) assumed coverage of North ASA. March 7th: BFRD leased an AMR ambu- lance and delivered it for $500 per month. The lease agreement is between the county and Boardman Fire. March 12th: Morrow County Health District (MCHD) ceased providing ambulance service to the remaining areas. BFRD took over coverage, with Irrigon being covered by MCGC during the day and dispatched from Board- man at night. Heppner coverage was based at the RV location at the County Fairgrounds. March 15th: The Or- egon Health Authority (OHA) released the ap- SURYHG ¿QDO FRS\ RI WKH ASA plan. Minor updates were suggested, and legal counsel is preparing a pol- ished document for publi- cation. March 16th: BFRD provided full coverage during the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Heppner, including the bull riding event. They had two am- EXODQFHV VWD൵HG IRU WKLV purpose. March 22nd: BFRD moved into a coverage base in Irrigon, providing 24/7 coverage, seven days a week. Jensen reiterated the reason for providing an in- terim service. The Morrow County Health District had discontinued its services. Jensen mentioned that both the Irrigon Fire District and the Heppner Fire Dis- trict were fully supportive The EMS base of operations is located in an RV at the Mor- row County Fair Grounds. - Photo by Annalynn Black of MCHD. However, they were unwilling to share facilities for the interim services. Consequently, the county did not have access to equivalent hous- ing options as MCHD, re- sulting in the inability to provide 24/7 coverage in Irrigon. On the other hand, Heppner was adequately covered as their base of operations was set up in an RV at the Morrow County Fair Grounds. According to Jensen, this arrangement was well received by the public. Jensen mentioned that the need for EMTs to have a place to sleep and show- er has prompted them to search for options for full- time ambulance services in Irrigon. They were pre- viously trying to secure an RV spot but that plan fell through. However, the BFRD has managed to se- cure a two-bedroom house in Irrigon on a month-to- month basis. This arrange- ment started on Friday, March 22nd, ensuring 24/7 coverage. As a result, re- sponse time is expected WR GHFUHDVH VLJQL¿FDQWO\ with single-digit minutes instead of extended drive times. Starting from Fri- day, full coverage will be LQH൵HFWLQ,UULJRQ%RDUG- man, and Heppner. The ambulance will be fully VWD൵HG DQG DQ DGGLWLRQDO ambulance will be avail- able if necessary. The County’s pro- posed schedule of the ASA: - March 25th: Posting RIQRWL¿FDWLRQRIRUGLQDQFH - March 27th: Pub- OLVKLQJ RI QRWL¿FDWLRQ RI ordinance in the Heppner Gazette - April 3rd: Public KHDULQJDQG¿UVWUHDGLQJRI ordinance - April 17th: Second reading of ordinance - After April 17th: Commission has the option to adopt - July 16th: 90 day ef- fective date for ordinance. 7KH GD\ H൵HFWLYH GDWH PD\ EH PRGL¿HG LI LW¶V determined to be an emer- gency. Commissioner Sykes emphasized that the coun- ty’s adherence to Oregon law requires them to follow D VSHFL¿F SURFHVV IRU DP- bulance service proposals. They are not implement- ing this process arbitrarily and are committed to ini- tiating it promptly. Com- missioner Drago echoed Jensen’s recommendation, stating that April 18th is a feasible date to commence accepting proposals. Jen- VHQ IXUWKHU FODUL¿HG WKDW D QRWL¿FDWLRQ SHULRG RI WZR to three weeks would be observed, and invitations would be extended to es- tablished providers. Jensen also mentioned consult- ing with the county’s le- gal counsel regarding this matter. The initial providers: The new ASA plan outlines the selection of initial providers. Accord- ing to the ordinance, the application process will in- volve giving notice to po- tential providers. Once the applications are received, the Board may appoint an advisory committee to evaluate and recommend providers for each ASA. The Board may also have discussions with both ap- plicants and advisors to explore service options. Once fully informed, the Board will appoint the ini- tial providers. In the case of a single applicant, the Board may independently consider their application, whereas if there are mul- tiple applicants, the Board may opt for an advisory committee. According to the coun- ty, there may be 3 ASA and there are certain things that need to be considered: 1. Show the level of service that will be provid- ed for pre-hospital emer- gency medical care. 2. Show that the call YROXPH DQG ¿QDQFLDO DELO- ity of the provider will be VX൶FLHQWWRSURYLGH¿QDQ- Road Bowling Winners team ‘ Team never Quit.’ (L-R) Danielle Ludwig, Brent Eck- man, Wyatt Hedman, and Jared Hedman - Contributed Photo Family. As Grand Marshals of the parade, the Currin Family had the privilege of WKHLUYHU\RZQÀRDW,WZDV a heartwarming sight, as the whole family embraced the opportunity to showcase their unity. In the category of best vehicles, the Blue Mountain A’s reigned supreme. Their impressive line-up of vehi- cles left a lasting impres- sion on the parade-goers. The Blue Mountain A’s exemplified the perfect blend of classic charm and St. Patrick’s Day spirit. When it came to indi- YLGXDO ÀRDWV WKH 3HQGOH- ton MainStreet Cowboys deservedly claimed the WRSVSRW7KHLUÀRDWZDVD visual delight, showcasing individuality and creative expression. %H\RQG WKH ÀRDWV WKH St. Patrick’s Parade also featured an array of exciting games and competitions, providing an opportunity for participants to showcase their skills and test their luck. In the highly antici- pated Welly Toss, individ- uals and teams gave it their all to achieve the greatest distance. Jennifer Wilson displayed exceptional skill, tossing her welly an impres- sive 55 feet. Kevin Murray surpassed all expectations The St. Patrick’s Pa- rade, held annually in Hep- pner, was a resounding success this year, with par- ticipants embracing the Irish theme and engaging in various games and com- petitions. Among the pleth- RUD RI ÀRDWV DQG HQWUDQWV a few winners stood out, showcasing their creativity, skills, and enthusiasm. In the category of Irish- themed floats, the Mor- row County Health District emerged victorious, captur- ing the hearts of onlookers with their vibrant display. The float was tastefully adorned with a rainbow made entirely of balloons. For the best non- WKHPHGÀRDWWKHHVWHHPHG -Continued to PAGE FIVE honor went to the Currin -Continued to PAGE EIGHT CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
