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VOL. 144
NO. 14 8 Pages
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Wheatridge East is looking to expand
By Chirs Sykes
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Board of Commissioners
has approved a comprehen-
sive letter to Wheatridge
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the proposed amendment
for the expansion of its
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amendment seeks approval
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ing the expansion of the site
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the construction of up to
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an increase in generating
capacity to 300 megawatts
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several key developments:
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cro-siting ^1 corridor to
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lection system to include
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of underground line.
Increase in battery en-
ergy storage capacity to 30
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Realignment of pro-
posed transmission lines
and addition of new access
roads.
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ect substation and addition
of a new temporary con-
struction yard.
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struction completion dead-
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the need for a new Condi-
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cate holder to obtain zoning
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facilitating better project
component identification
by the county.
Specific concerns
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letter calls for clearer im-
plementation strategies for
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that Nextera funds a full-
time county employee for
weed abatement to ensure
compliance with the estab-
lished plan.
Road Impacts: Noting
inconsistencies in the doc-
umentation regarding new
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have requested a condition
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to be signed and approved
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Works before construction
begins.
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be reviewed and approved
by local fire protection
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resources are provided to
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development site.
Visual Impacts: In re-
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concerns were raised about
the visual impact of new
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prompting a request to lim-
it tower construction to
preserve the viewshed and
ensure no interference with
existing communication
towers used for emergency
response.
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sioner Wenholz abstaining
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a unit of power that rep-
resents one million watts.
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consider the following:
1 watt (W) is about the
amount of power used by a
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smartphone charger when
it’s charging a phone.
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usage of a small home ap-
pliance like a microwave or
a hairdryer.
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the power consumption
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ovens.
In terms of electricity
generation and consump-
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stantial amount of power.
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farm can generate enough
electricity to supply around
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an average consumption of
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per home and continuous
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which varies based on lo-
cation and other factors).
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monly used to describe the
capacity of large power
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electricity required by large
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ing in wind energy devel-
opment refers to optimizing
turbine placement within
a wind farm to maximize
energy output and mini-
mize environmental and so-
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entails a comprehensive
analysis of several factors:
Wind Resource Assess-
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-Continued to PAGE TWO
County approves GSI Water Solutions contract
By Chirs Sykes
GSI Water Solutions
Inc. was selected after a
procurement process in-
cluding a Notice of Intent
to Award authorized by
Board of Commissioners
for which no protest was
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Counties entered into an
intergovernmental agree-
ment for the project and
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sented a project overview.
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of Work for Stage 1 of the
project. A detailed Scope of
Work will be developed for
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(GSI) had outlined a
comprehensive scope of
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8PDWLOOD &RXQWLHV 'ULQN-
ing Water Investigation
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is structured to unfold over
a two-and-a-half-year peri-
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entails a series of stages
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and develop strategies for
enhancing drinking water
quality across the two coun-
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with each stage carrying
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and deliverables aimed at
systematically addressing
the counties’ drinking water
challenges. Here’s a break-
down of each stage and the
associated costs:
Stage 1: Baseline As-
sessment and Prioritization
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drinking water alternatives
and priorities for data col-
lection and analysis by
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setting the stage for sub-
sequent actions. Key Ac-
tivities:
Review existing water
quality and hydrogeologic
data.
Assess Public Water
Systems (PWS).
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Assurance Project Plan
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sampling locations.
Conduct workshops
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water alternatives.
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sampling areas. Budget:
Stage 1 is part of the initial
budget allocation within the
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1 costs detailed in the pro-
posal but not isolated here
for clarity.
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Public Water System Con-
nection
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the feasibility of extending
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from Stage 1. Key Activ-
ities:
Conduct targeted well
sampling.
Analyze feasibility of
PWS connection.
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findings and preliminary
recommendations.
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dations. Budget: Reserved
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ject to authorization based
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of Alternate Water Supply
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drinking water options with
additional sampling and
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PWS alternatives. Key Ac-
tivities:
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sampling.
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uations for PWS connec-
tions and alternate options.
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feasibility evaluations
and recommendations for
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authorization for use.
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prehensive analysis and
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implementation plans for
both PWS connections and
alternate solutions. Key
Activities:
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Solicitation of feed-
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implementation roadmap.
Budget: Included in the
budget reserve for Stages
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scope.
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ed cost for the project is
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Compliance and Report-
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unforeseen tasks. Stage 1
will proceed with an initial
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maining budget for Stages
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ing authorization based on
the outcomes of the initial
stage.
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its stakeholders to adapt the
investigation based on ini-
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resources are allocated ef-
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and structured budgeting
reflect a comprehensive
strategy to address drinking
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TKHUHFHQWUHQRYDWLRQVRIWKH++6J\PÀRRU– Picture from
Heppner Jr/Sr HS Facebook.
By Annalynn Black
Heppner High School
is currently undergoing a
much-needed renovation to
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a viable option due to the
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would expose the sparse
wood and the nails holding
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damage and potential safe-
ty hazards.
When asked by the
Gazette Principal Ryan
Gerry revealed that dis-
cussions about renovating
-Continued to PAGE TWO
Updates on ASA and
Circuit Court building
By Chri Sykes
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Jensen provided an up-
date.
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moving forward with the
selection of an ASA ad-
visory committee. It was
explained by Bob Black-
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does not require an advisory
committee before the initial
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establish one if desired. As
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assigned Jensen with the
task of initiating the advi-
sory committee.
Jensen mentioned that
the county will form an ad
hoc committee consisting
of representatives from the
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firmed their participation
and are in the process of
selecting their represen-
tatives. Jensen has sent
invitations to Ione and Lex-
ington and will follow up
with them regarding their
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ulation given to the cities is
that their chosen represen-
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connection with Boardman
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Another topic dis-
cussed was the circuit court
building. Jensen informed
the commissioners that a
preliminary site report for
several potential locations
is almost complete. Howev-
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ments have been conducted
yet. Jensen mentioned the
possibility of environmen-
tal issues at some of the
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-Continued to PAGE SEVEN
The last day to register
to vote April 30th
County Clerk Bob-
bi Childers presented her
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each precinct is as follows:
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three recall petitions have
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four candidates running
for County Commissioner.
Childers will travel to Bend
on April 11th for the load-
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ballots are currently be-
ing processed and will be
mailed out this week. Reg-
ular ballots will be mailed
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register to vote or change
party affiliation is April
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non-Republican voters will
not be able to participate
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partisan state races due to
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lots will include the County
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is nonpartisan.
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
for more
information