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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2024)
7HQ+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQWednesday, May 22, 2024 WRANGLERS 5/19/24 County holds town hall meetings about circuit court site Di Salvo to the project cost. tion rather than practicality. Doherty added that, while PLAYDAY RESULTS By Andrea The Morrow County :KLOHSXWWLQJLQDVHZ- “I also want a Cor- WKH\KDGGLVFXVVHG¿QDQFHV Board of Commissioners held two town hall meetings regarding the planned new circuit court building last week. The public meetings in Heppner and Irrigon on May 15 were a step toward IXO¿OOLQJ DQ HDUOLHU SURP- ise the BOC had made to engage Morrow County citizens more in the project. The site selected last year, near the Mor- row County Fairgrounds and Heppner Elementary School, has proven con- troversial. However, the county has stood by the site selection, saying it inter- preted the Oregon Revised Statute to require that the court building be inside the Heppner City Limits. The fairgrounds site, com- PLVVLRQHUV DQG VWD൵ VDLG was the best site within that limitation. However, public out- reach resulted in a letter from Judicial District 6 Presiding Judge Daniel Hill several weeks ago, which allowed the county to look outside the city limits for a suitable courthouse site. Following that letter, the board of commissioners again expanded its search, which has since narrowed to three sites—the fair- grounds site, the old Kinzua Mill site outside of Hep- pner, on land owned by the Port of Morrow, and a 2.85-acre site at Columbia $YH1:DQG2OVRQ5GLQ Boardman. Morrow County Ad- ministrator Matthew Jen- sen told the gathered cit- izens that the search for the courthouse needed to meet several criteria. First and foremost, it needs to meet the Oregon Judicial Department’s standards for ³UHDVRQDEOHDQGVX൶FLHQW´ 177 N. Main Broker court facilities. P.O. Box 337 The site also needs to Chris Sykes Heppner, OR 97836 avoid potential hazards Chris@sykesrealestate.net 541-215-2274 such as flood zones, be accessible to the public, connect to city-provided utilities, and be a minimum of two acres of buildable land for a 24,000-square- foot building and 123 park- ing stalls. Two of those sites seem WR ¿W WKH ELOO 7KH .LQ]XD Mill site, though, raises some concerns about water, sewer, and related costs. Jensen said the Port of Mor- A beautifully remodeled 2-story home in Heppner. URZ KDV R൵HUHG WR GRQDWH This spacious residence boasts approx 2,400 square the acres and has talked feet of space, featuring 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. about doing some of the This house has undergone extensive renovations, with groundwork to get the site almost everything being brand new. New dry wall, ready. SDLQWÀRRULQJEDWKURRPVNLWFKHQZDWHUKHDWHU Neither the Port nor ZLQGRZV60DLQ6W+HSSQHU0/6 the City of Heppner have FRPPLWWHGWRDQ\¿QDQFLDO contribution toward infra- structure. “But there’s expenses,” said Jensen. “If we were to go to that site, there’s really got to be some conversa- WLRQV RI µ:H¶UH JRLQJ WR take this and move it for- ward and be a key compo- nent on getting everything taken care of.’” The biggest expense seems to be water—or the Secluded mountain property! Don’t miss out lack of it. Both the fairgrounds on this incredible opportunity to own your own and Boardman sites have PRXQWDLQSURSHUW\:KHWKHU\RX¶UHORRNLQJ for a hunting retreat or a permanent residence, city utilities, so the cost of water and sewer would WKLVSURSHUW\KDVLWDOO:LWKDSSUR[LPDWHO\ 9.09 acres of land and a private pond you can fit within the project’s budget. The mill site embrace the beauty of nature and create a life base has no water or sewer, so of serenity in the mountains you’ve always would add an additional GHVLUHG0/6 $1,945,000 to $2,910,000 STICK-HORSE RACE Price Hines 58.701 3 & Under Pierce Miller 60.878 Sheldon Milligan /LO:UDQJOHUV ±<HDU Sawyer Ham olds Maverick Rhea Karter Jo Hines 26.993 $\GDQ:DOWRQ EllieGene Fenner 27.037 4 & 5 Yr. Olds Pearl Miller 36.349 Rune Armstrong Lydia Knowles 38.149 Oakley Bergstrom - X Q L R U : U D Q J O H U V Iris Armstrong 12–15-Year-olds Blaney Jo Milligan .&$QGHUVRQ 6- & 7-Year-olds Brooklyn Hendricks Lotus Armstrong 27.395 Barrels Catherine Lindsay 28.931 Lead-line Ashlee Knutz 34.657 Trell Knowles 39.311 6HQLRU:UDQJOHUV Maverick Rhea 43.198 Saige Jensen 27.174 Rune Armstrong 50.419 Scurry Race 2OLYLD:RRG Lead-Line 3HHZHH:UDQJOHUV Blaney Jo Milligan Pierce Miller 57.357 34.594 /LO :UDQJOHUV ± <U Lotus Armstrong 37.513 Olds Maverick Rhea 38.255 Lydia Knowles 22.312 Iris Armstrong 39.195 Karter Jo Hines 23.297 3HHZHH:UDQJOHUV EllieGene Fennern 24.842 Price Hines 27.483 Morgan Milligan 26.771 Pierce Miller 35.128 -XQLRU :UDQJOHUV ± /LO :UDQJOHUV ±\HDU 15-Year-olds olds KC Anderson 20.073 Morgan Milligan B r o o k l y n H e n d r i c k s 18.188 22.789 Karter Jo Hines 18.534 Ashlee Knutz 23.204 EllieGene Fennern 29.284 Catherine Lindsay 23.467 Pearl Miller 29.646 6HQLRU:UDQJOHUV - X Q L R U : U D Q J O H U V Saige Jensen 21.050 12–15-year-olds Poles Brooklyn Hendricks Lead-line 16.420 Trell Knowles 52.413 Catherine Lindsay 19.653 Maverick Rhea 60.592 KC Anderson 20.401 Rune Armstrong 66.047 Ashlee Knutz 24.194 Lotus Armstrong 71.397 6HQLRU:UDQJOHUV Peewee Saige Jensen 42.435 Sɲɟɪɦɱ1ɢɴɰ$ɡɳɢɯɱɦɰɦɫɤ $ɫɫɬɲɫɠɢɪɢɫɱɰ /ɢɱɱɢɯɰ7ɬ7ɥɢ(ɡɦɱɬɯ6ɢɫɡ8ɰ3ɥɬɱɬɰ 6ɱɞɯɱ$1ɢɴ6ɲɟɰɠɯɦɭɱɦɬɫ $239,000 Reduced price er and water system for the courthouse is an option, Jensen said he didn’t think it was the best option, since it did nothing to promote further development at the mill site. The other option is to lay more than a mile of pipes and connect to Hep- pner City water. That will cost about $100 per foot, or between $895,000 and $1,165,000. That doesn’t address the sewer, which would cost even more with the need for lift stations or pressure systems. According to the coun- ty’s consultant, that could be a 12-month project on its own, and Morrow County Board of Commissioners Chair David Sykes remind- ed those present that “time is money” for the taxpayers. “The longer this takes, the longer it drags out, the more the cost,” said Sykes. On top of that, the county put forth the possi- bility of “unknown” costs for each of the sites. Such costs could result from environmental surveys and geotechnical exploration, among others. As for the Boardman site, Jensen said it was still an option because of the court caseload in Morrow County. About 80 percent of the caseload is located in the north end of the county, KHVDLGUHÀHFWLQJWKHGHQV- er population in the Board- man and Irrigon areas. Jensen said that, while there was great historical value in having the court- house tied to Heppner, it GLGFUHDWHGL൶FXOWLHVZKHQ it came to tasks like putting together juries. Morrow County Com- missioner Roy Drago said he wants to see the court- house remain in Heppner, but also said it was a pref- erence partly based on emo- vette,” Drago said. “There’s a lot more to it than where I want it to be and what I want. ³:H KDYH XQNQRZQV with the Kinzua Mill site. I think it would be a great place for it, but I’m scared,” Drago added. “I don’t want to have this thing start and then realize we got our- selves in way over our heads.” Despite the drawbacks, however, the mill site seems to be the most popular with many Morrow County vot- HUV :KLOH VRPH UHVLGHQWV at the Irrigon meeting urged FDUHIXO¿VFDOUHVSRQVLELOLW\ several who spoke seemed in favor of pushing forward with the Heppner industrial site. Irrigon resident Stuart Dick, who is spearheading D UHFDOO H൵RUW DJDLQVW WKH three commissioners, told the board that the mill site R൵HUV D ³SULFHOHVV RSSRU- tunity.” “It’s a hundred acres of the only industrial land on the south end,” said Dick. “Either it gets done now, or it’s never going to get done. “There’s an opportuni- ty for it right now, there’s money for it right now, there’s an opportunity for partnership right now,” Dick added. “This could be one of the greatest moves that Morrow County has ever made, and it has to happen now.” Dick also added that more industrial opportuni- ty on the south end could change the 80-20 popula- tion split Jensen had men- tioned earlier. ³:KDW EHWWHU WLPH IRU you guys to be the heroes and champion this project?” added Jodi Ferguson of Lexington. Port of Morrow Com- missioner and Board- man-area resident Kelly and unknowns, no one had discussed the economic val- ue of putting the courthouse at the mill site. “There’s got to be a great economic value to keeping that courthouse in Heppner,” Doherty said. “An economic value to the Port of Morrow to develop that site. I think those are considerations that we need to look at, as well.” Sykes asked if Doherty thought the rest of the coun- ty would support the added cost of the mill site. “Do you think the rest of the citizens of Morrow County are willing to spend county dollars to make that happen in Heppner at the mill site?” he asked. Doherty pointed out that people currently have to drive to Heppner for court, and that taking the courthouse out of Heppner would be an economic blow to the city. “You’re going to have a wash. You’re going to take away from them and give to another,” she said. “Consider the economic gain that the Port of Mor- row could have.” An Irrigon resident seemed to disagree. “Kelly [Doherty] says she’s concerned with the economic wellbeing of +HSSQHU :HOO ,¶P FRQ- cerned with the economic well-being of the whole county, and I ask that you guys be concerned the same,” the man said. At the same time, an- other Irrigon man said he didn’t want the courthouse in Irrigon, saying the small town has already grown too much. “Heppner sounds like DWHUUL¿FDUHDDQGWKHPLOO site sounds even better,” he said. “I’m just speaking as a county member, give it to the mill site.” Put the Brothers to work for you • Office and Business Printing • Signs, Banners, and much more Chris Sykes Andrew Sykes Reduced price $350,000 9.09 ACRES ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: $185,000 Vinyl Banners High-Quality Custom Vinyl Banners Signs made: All sizes and Colors Graphic Design Services Available Customer Service at Sykes Brothers Printing Broker Chris Sykes 541-215-2274 24x24 in 16x16 in Order your family canvas prints today! 177 N. Main P.O. Box 337 Heppner, OR 97836 Chris@sykesrealestate.net Modern comfort in a peaceful, scenic setting. Plus, ZLWK:LOORZ&UHHNQHDUE\\RXU¿VKLQJDGYHQWXUHV are just moments away. This home also comes with all appliances, ensuring a seamless move-in process. The EDWKURRPNLWFKHQSDLQWÀRRULQJOLJKW¿[WXUHVDQG windows have all been tastefully updated and modern- ized. New landscaping. This property also has great SRWHQWLDODVDQLQYHVWPHQW0/6 Custom Canvas Print - Make Great Gifts! 20x16 in 24x36 in 18x24 in MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. WWW.HEPPNER.NET Sɲɟɪɦɱ1ɢɴɰ$ɡɳɢɯɱɦɰɦɫɤ $ɫɫɬɲɫɠɢɪɢɫɱɰ /ɢɱɱɢɯɰ7ɬ7ɥɢ(ɡɦɱɬɯ 6ɢɫɡ8ɰ3ɥɬɱɬɰ 6ɱɞɯɱ$1ɢɴ6ɲɟɰɠɯɦɭɱɦɬɫ 541-676-9228 541-276-2152 chris@rapidserve.net Text and cell: 541-215-2274 Two locations to serve you: 177 N. Main St Heppner 25 SW Emigrant Pendleton Call the Brothers & Discuss Your Next Project
