Circuit court location continued
-Continued from PAGE EIGHT
He continued explain-
ing the implications for the
location of a particular item
that was previously deter-
mined to be set in Heppner
but now appeared to be
moved to Boardman. Tom
voiced his direct appeal to
Commissioner Sykes based
on the potential communi-
ty preference from south
Morrow County regarding
the reconsideration of the
decision. “After the June
5th BOC meeting I pretty
much forgot about it cause
they said its gonna be in the
Heppner area period, and all
of the sudden it comes out
‘oh my gosh its gonna be
in Boardman, that decision
has been made’ well when
was that on the docket-”
Tom noted, expressing his
surprise and concern over
the sudden change in plans.
Kane Sweeney shared
his insights through Zoom,
reflecting on his extensive
experience with the Ore-
gon Judicial Department in
both Morrow and Umatilla
counties.
Sweeney expressed his
deep personal connection to
the issue, underscored by
his family’s involvement
and his own professional
journey, saying, “I’ve had
a personal connection to
this for a while, obviously
my dad has spoken, my
mom has spoken, but I’m
employed by OJD.” He fur-
ther elaborated on the chal-
lenges faced due to limited
space and security concerns
in the existing facilities,
highlighting that “One of
the biggest reasons why we
didn’t have jury trials was,
of course, the issue with the
amount of space, the jury
room is really small.”
He continued by em-
phasizing the security is-
sues that burdened court
staff, explaining, “The big-
gest issue that we felt as
court staff who worked
there, was the issue of secu-
rity. It was near impossible
to have an in-custody de-
fendant there; you needed
deputies, multiple, to come
down.” Sweeney also point-
ed out the logistical hurdles,
including the necessity of
a portable metal detector
each time court convened.
Kane Sweeney ex-
pressed reservations about
the implications of con-
structing the new annex
in Boardman, intended to
only hold civil trials. He
speculated about the po-
tential strain on Heppner’s
judicial operations, stating,
“It’s gonna put Heppner in
a very tough spot if there is
no courthouse—especially
nowadays because even the
judges prefer not to drive
out to Heppner, and they
just take their hearings via
Zoom.”
As he painted a scenar-
io where Heppner might
be sidelined in favor of a
more secure and equipped
facility in Boardman, the
floor was taken from him as
he reached the three-minute
speaking limit.
Local Cam Sweeney
seized the opportunity to
express his views on the
shifting responsibilities
and ownership of recent
local decisions. Addressing
those gathered, Sweeney
earnestly remarked, “It
wasn’t Judge Hill, I mean
I hate that he did that and
it’s a bunch of BS but, it
was our own citizens of
Heppner that has pushed
this to Boardman. We did
it to ourselves; we kept our
mouths shut. A lot of people
didn’t like the location, I
wouldn’t have picked that
location either. I thought it
would be great in here. But
I didn’t go to Facebook, I
didn’t go attacking saying
some of the horrible stuff
that was said to Dave. We
did it to ourselves.”
Reflecting on past com-
munity responses to new
projects like the OHV park
and Community Coun-
seling, Sweeney pointed
out the contradiction in
public reactions, “When
the OHV park was coming,
you should have heard peo-
ple, there was a meeting at
the parish hall, and people
were screaming and yell-
ing. We’ve all been civil
tonight and look at the OHV
park; it’s been great for us.
And then when Community
Counseling came along,
people were talking about
‘they’re gonna be r*ping
people!’ I mean horrible,
disgusting things, and all
these things being said and
guess what, we’ve got it,
and we have all these peo-
ple who are employed.”
In response to a con-
cern raised by another
community member about
how to rectify the inflicted
situations, Sweeney offered
a pointed reflection, “I’m
thinking it’s a little too late.
I just hope we’ve learned.
And you know Dave, I ap-
plaud you, you have done
a great job. But Drago and
those guys, it’s like winning
a football game and then
giving the trophy back.
They didn’t get recalled
- we’re not gonna be the
county seat anymore, and
we’ve done it to ourselves.
And shame on people who
have done it.”
Al Osmin, a member of
the public, raised a concern
about the upcoming elec-
tion, questioning whether
the issue could be revisited
depending on the outcome.
“Roy Drago has a runoff
with Gus Peterson in No-
vember, if Gus Peterson
happens to win, can this be
brought up again?” Osmin
inquired.
In response, DA Justin
Nelson addressed a sep-
arate but related concern
regarding the ongoing en-
vironmental studies at the
Boardman site, suggesting
that the results might im-
pact the feasibility of the
relocation. Nelson clarified,
“I can look back but -for
what the exact wording was
but I recall it was to ‘move
forward’ with that location,
it was not like ‘it shall be
here’ because anything can
happen.”
Further clarification
came when another mem-
ber of the public, Amy Koll-
man, questioned who holds
the authority over interpret-
ing the statutes governing
courthouse locations. She
was informed by Kuhn, that
according to the Oregon
statute, court shall primarily
be held in Milton Freewa-
ter, Pendleton, Hermiston,
and Heppner, with no other
locations mentioned. How-
ever, Kuhn elaborated that
after the Judge Hill contact-
ed the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court regarding
the possibility of relocating
the courthouse, an open
avenue for reevaluation by
county commissioners was
suggested based on statu-
tory allowances granted to
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the chief justice. “I think
Judge Hill interpreted is as
move the main courthouse
to Boardman,” Kuhn elab-
orated.
Sykes revealed the
challenges faced in the ini-
tial plan to place the facility
at the Mill site. He stated,
“We had that thing corralled
in Heppner, and I was trying
to lock that thing down and
get the deal done, and that
site was ready to go. The
Geotech’s were done on it-
the architects had looked it
over, the chief justice came,
and I took her out there, she
said, ‘this’ll work great’ and
then all heck broke loose. I
was accused I was gonna
get kids killed if it was put
there.”
Corey Sweeney added
that the project was almost
finalized before complica-
tions arose due to a letter,
explaining that “we were
right at the finish line, and
then that letter as a last-
ditch effort.” Continuing,
he expressed that alterna-
tives like Hager Park did
not appease Judge Hill, who
rejected all options, “every-
thing we gave out there was
squashed, squashed, and
squashed.”
The letter, according to
Sykes, widened the scope
for relocation beyond city
limits, a move he initially
feared. “And that was my
fear when I talked, ‘don’t
let this thing out of city lim-
its because you don’t know
what’s gonna happen’,”
stated Sykes.
Public attendees also
voiced their concerns.
Sheryll Bates expressed
disappointment over a per-
ceived shift in commitment,
recalling that Drago had
promised to keep the loca-
tion in Heppner during a
candidate’s forum. “A very
big disappointment—when
he made that comment he
made there, it kept his job,”
she added.
Janet Greenup sharply
criticized the behind-the-
scenes decisions, deeming
the “backroom politics”
as “unacceptable for this
community.”
Further action was sug-
gested by Amy Kollman
who inquired if organizing
another meeting with all
commissioners and Judge
Hill might be feasible.
Sweeney responded, advis-
ing that Judge Hill should
not be involved in the next
phase. He proposed, “It
would be nice for them to
hear, not to be attacked but
to work with them, as a
chance to say we’re all on
the same page here, you’re
listening to the wrong per-
son, you have been manip-
ulated by Judge Hill and his
antics-.”
Amy Kollman empha-
sized the need for civil
discourse, stressing coop-
eration with local officials.
“People need to understand,
if they’re here you cannot
attack them, we need to
work with them. We need
to get them on our side
and figure out a way to
work through this,” Koll-
man asserted, highlighting
the importance of working
collaboratively rather than
being confrontational.
Cam Sweeney shared
a recent exchange he had
with Commissioner Drago,
underscoring the disturbing
nature of some criticisms
aimed at public officials.
According to Sweeney, he
had come to Drago say-
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 25, 2024 -- NINE
ing he did not approve of
the court house decision
and Dragos response was,
“You know what I’m not
happy about, one of your
people coming up to me
and saying, ‘hey by getting
this courthouse here you’re
probably gonna get my
grandkid r*ped’-” Swee-
ney recounted Drago’s re-
sponse, with both agreeing
that distancing oneself from
such hostility was a neces-
sary step.
Kollman also spoke
about the personal cost
of standing up for one’s
beliefs, acknowledging the
likelihood of facing oppo-
sition. “When you stand
for what you believe to
be right, you’re generally
gonna be the one to be
attacked. That’s the world
we live in right now, and
it’s really sad but it is what
it is,” Kollman remarked.
She further noted that those
who resort to attacking of-
ficials do not represent the
community’s values, urging
residents to show their true
character through respectful
engagement.
Amidst these discus-
sions, a member of the
public inquired about the
procedure to be included on
the Board of County Com-
missioners (BOC) agenda.
Commissioner Sykes re-
sponded by advising the
individual to send an email
specifying the desired date,
the reason for the request,
and who would be leading
the agenda item.
Corey Sweeney ex-
pressed concern over Hep-
pner’s progressive decline
and its impact on the local
community. “Heppner is
shrinking, and it has been
shrinking for over 20 years.
We cannot afford to lose
anything. And those com-
missioners, no matter how
much you like them or dis-
like them, they do have the
county’s best interest; they
do care about south county
people -and I do believe
they will listen and support
us and the county and not
support Judge Hill,” Swee-
ney asserted, emphasizing
the importance of local
representation.
In response to a query
from a member of the pub-
lic about the adaptability of
the meeting agenda, Com-
missioner Sykes clarified
that the commission’s re-
sponse would hinge on the
specificity of the request.
He suggested stating in the
email exactly what they
wanted to discuss.
Jerry Gentry, a local
resident, also spoke up,
indicating other potential
developmental projects that
could be viable for the fair-
ground’s location despite
the looming judicial deci-
sions stating that even if
the circuit court doesn’t go
to the fairgrounds there are
still other projects potential
that can be placed there.
The discussion culmi-
nated with plans to pres-
ent their concerns at the
Board of Commissioners
(BOC) meeting scheduled
for October 2nd, with hopes
of rallying public support
through letters and a unit-
ed stance. Commissioner
Sykes received gratitude
from Sweeney for his ad-
vocacy of Heppner, while
Cody High praised Mayor
Sweeney’s continuous ef-
forts in championing Hep-
pner’s needs since assum-
ing office.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Commission sets 2025
Big Game Hunting
Regulations
THE DALLES,
Ore.— September 13, 2024
The Fish and Wildlife Com-
mission adopted 2025 Big
Game Hunting Regulations
today at their meeting in
The Dalles.
The Commission first
heard staff testimony re-
garding the population
status of Oregon’s game
mammals, most of which
are stable to increasing.
No major changes were
proposed or made to 2025
big game regulations be-
yond season date changes
reflecting calendar date
shifts and minor changes
to tag numbers. Beginning
in 2025, it will be more
convenient to visit ODFW
wildlife areas as visitors
will be able to display their
ODFW ID number in the
window of their vehicle as
proof of permit, rather than
needing to print the permit.
Much of the public
comment and testimo-
ny about the regulations
focused on spring bear
hunting, with thousands
of emailed comments re-
ceived and about 30 people
testifying for and against.
The Commission did not
make any major changes to
spring bear hunt structure,
approving the staff proposal
for a small increase in tags
(2 percent) and a new bear
hunt for youth hunters.
Oregon’s current bear pop-
ulation is estimated to be
approximately 44,000 bears
of all age classes.
The Commission also
took the following actions
today:
Commercial Dunge-
ness Crab Regula -
tions: Adopted line color
and marking requirements
to help identify gear
involved in marine life
entanglements, which are
part of ODFW and the
industry›s progress toward
developing a Conservation
Plan and Incidental Take
Permit application to address
marine life entanglements.
The Commission adopted
staff recommendations
but modified the proposed
rules to delay the line
marking requirements for
surface gear by one year
(until Dec. 1, 2026). The
rules adopted today also
revised the Tri-State pre-
season testing protocol and
modified rules related to
the removal of derelict crab
pots by contracted vessels
and electronic monitoring
requirements for crab
vessels to transit closed
areas.
Access & Habi -
tat Project Funding:
Approved funding to open
private land to hunting by
renewing several access
areas and increasing
acreage in the Jackson
Travel Management Area.
The Commission dele-
gated authority to ODFW’s
Director to issue proposed
orders authorized under
Oregon’s fish passage laws
that are codified in ORS
509.585 through ORS
509.910.
Finally, the Commis-
sion heard an update on
progress implementing the
3-Year Action Plan for Bea-
ver Modified Landscapes,
complimenting ODFW staff
on progress to date. The
Plan seeks to accelerate
the restoration of American
beaver habitat and bea-
ver-modified habitat at the
landscape-scale in Oregon.
ATTENTION
HUNTERS!!
The Heppner Gazette-Times
wants pictures
of your trophy
animals!
Stop by
177 N MAIN ST
in Heppner,
email - editor@rapidserve.net
upload at heppner.net
or text photos to 541-215-2274
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Sold
For sale: Prime commercial lot on Main Street,
Heppner, Oregon. Property presents a golden
opportunity to establish your presence in a vibrant
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chance to make your mark in Heppner, Oregon. Act
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177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
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