Mustang Softball team
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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-
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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-
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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
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with single-digit minutes
instead of extended drive
times. Starting from Fri-
day, full coverage will be
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man, and Heppner. The
ambulance will be fully
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ambulance will be avail-
able if necessary.
The County’s pro-
posed schedule of the
ASA:
- March 25th: Posting
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- March 27th: Pub-
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ordinance in the Heppner
Gazette
- April 3rd: Public
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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.
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determined to be an emer-
gency.
Commissioner Sykes
emphasized that the coun-
ty’s adherence to Oregon
law requires them to follow
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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-
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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
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ity of the provider will be
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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
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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-
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ton MainStreet Cowboys
deservedly claimed the
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visual delight, showcasing
individuality and creative
expression.
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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-
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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-
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-Continued to PAGE FIVE honor went to the Currin -Continued to PAGE EIGHT
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
for more
information