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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2024)
50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 42 8 Pages Wednesday, October 23, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Lexington airport work sees setback due Ione FFA Chicken to new cultural study requirements Coop Build By Andrea Di Salvo Needed work at Lex- ington Airport will be de- layed a little due to a new requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration. Morrow County Pub- lic Works Administration Manager Sandra Pointer told the board of commis- sioners of the new require- ment at its regular meeting Oct. 16 in Irrigon. Pointer said the requirement came to light when planning much-needed replacement of the airport’s Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights. Pointer said the Federal Aviation Admin conducted a PAPI light test at the air- port in 2022. They found that the path indicators no longer met clearance requirements. They were also outdated and could not be adjusted to the required angle. The county plans to replace the PAPI lights through Critical Investment Planning (CIP) funding coming to the county in the 2025-26 fiscal year. The county contracted with Bend firm Centurywest Engineering for the work, at a total project cost of $50,000. However, the FAA threw a wrench in the works. Mark Hagedorn of Centurywest told the Mor- row County Board of Com- missioners that a recent change requires an Oregon State Historic Preservation Office environmental study for any off-pavement work. “So I’ve worked with Sandi to quickly get this en- vironmental scope together so we can stay on track with our typical CIP projects at the airport,” Hagedorn said. Pointer said the county had a cultural study done at the airport 10 years ago, but the FAA requires a new one. Also, the studies are only good for the specific area studied. Aside from added expense, Pointer said the study will add eight months to a year to the airport’s work timeline. That also delays the funding needed for the work. “The issue with these new environmental scopes that we have to do whenever we’re breaking new ground is that has to be done before we can complete our de- sign, and we can’t get the grants until we complete our design,” Hagedorn told the commissioners. So, while Hagedorn said the work would be 95 percent reimbursable through the FAA, the coun- ty will have to carry the environmental costs for six to nine months until that grant is issued. Morrow County Fi- nance Director Kevin Ince said he was concerned that there was no room in the airport budget to carry those costs, even with a budget adjustment. Pointer said she hoped to use the remaining funds from a Business Or- egon grant. At the same time, that grant is slated for pouring new pads at the airport— another process that will require a new archaeolog- ical study. However, Hagedorn said Centurywest realized it was a last-minute hiccup and could delay invoicing until January. The board of commis- sioners voted unanimously to accept the work from Centurywest in anticipation of the 2025 design grant. Also at the meeting, the board of commission- ers moved forward with an intent to award the contract for a new Enterprise Re- source Planning (ERP) sys- tem. The ERP is intended to make county operations such as budgeting, payroll and human resources more efficient. The expected cost for implementation and the first year of the contract is $697,740 to $801,520, with an estimated $145,512 in recurring annual costs. The county intends to contract with Univerus and Euna for the platform and software needed. Contract negotiations will begin after a week unless the intent to award is contested. The BOC also voted to accept consultant firm BerryDunn’s proposal for implementation project management assistance. Tammie Warren, se- nior consultant and project manager with BerryDunn, said the project came to light based on existing chal- lenges the county had with outdated software. “So the approach was to really come in and do a good current state analysis, see where the county was, what existing softwares were being used, what business processes were being impacted, and then what was the path forward through this process,” she said. The project kicked off in January and has been 10 months in the making. Warren said BerryDunn started with assessments and activities to learn more about the county and then reached out to vendors to see what was available. “Then we sat down with the team and we went through a deep dive into what do those functional technical requirements look like for a future system, what is needed in a new system?” she said. Warren said they issued a request for proposals, as well as contacting 50 companies directly. They received eight responses, five for full ERP suites and three for specialized software solutions. They made final evaluations and selections in September. One of the finalists was Univerus, which proposed three software solutions in its suite. BerryDunn also proffered Euna Solutions as a budget solution to in- tegrate with Univerus. Depending on contract negotiations and availabil- ity, it could be nine to 12 months before the system is operational. Morrow County BOC Chair David Sykes asked how the new software might apply directly to board of commissioners work such as capital planning. Ince said there wasn’t a direct link, but there would cer- tainly be areas in which it would help the BOC func- tion more smoothly. “There’s functional- ity that currently is just on paper and exists on somebody’s desk that’s going to be more auto- mated and convert it to a process and a system,” said Ince. “There’ll certainly be updates and information provided to, not just the board, but all the county employees that it’s going to ultimately affect.” Ince also said the tim- ing is good regarding the new risk and procurement manager the county is look- ing to hire. “The processes used to execute procurements for -Continued to PAGE EIGHT Heppner council gives update on city park remodel and tiny homes project By Annalynn Black During the October 14 th Heppner city council meet- ing, a significant portion of the agenda was dedicated to the discussion of ongoing developmental projects, including enhancements to the local park and an exciting housing initiative involving tiny homes. The city manager, John Doherty, provided an update on the Heppner city park project, which has been gaining traction thanks to the acquisition of three different grants total- ing $270,000. His goal is to make the city park inclusive for all users, adding ADA accessible structures and additions. Additional fund- ing is still being pursued through pending grant ap- plications. A focal point of the park’s development was the potential installation of a shade structure, crucial to making the park more accessible and comfortable during peak sunny hours. Initially, the city considered a large conventional shade structure; however, esti- mates revealed that such an installation could cost about $100,000. An alternative, more innovative “sail-type” structure modeled after sailboat technology is being considered, that will cost around $50,000, according to John. Given the high costs, alternative methods of in- creasing visibility and sup- port for the project were discussed. Ideas included hosting a community event focusing on the park’s ben- efits, collaborating with Sykes Brothers Printing for a promotional vinyl banner, and engaging local elementary school students through informative pre- sentations. The target goal for this project stands at $500,000 to cover all nec- essary developments and installations. An essential compo- nent of the park enhance- ments highlighted during the meeting was the con- sideration of accessibility. Council member Cody High emphasized the project’s in- clusive design, ensuring it accommodates individuals with disabilities. Despite the relatively small size of Heppner’s community, the council is committed to ad- dressing the needs of every resident, reinforcing the importance of accessible public spaces. “We have a smaller community and a smaller need but the one individual that meets that need makes it worthwhile.” John says. Furthermore, the coun- cil discussed progress on the development of the Chase Street property, which is set to be transformed into a community of tiny homes. Spearheading this project is Kim Cutsforth, who is working with the Willow Creek development group. Preparations are underway for the financial aspects of the property transaction, with groundbreaking antici- pated around the beginning of 2025. These homes, pro- jected to be around 1,000 square feet, according to John, aim to provide in- novative, compact living solutions and are expected to be under construction by Spring 2025. Cutsforth says these homes will be mainly for the elderly in the community looking to sell/ downsize their current homes. Tiny homes are generally defined as dwell- ings that are 400 square feet or less in total living area. Despite their small size, these homes are meticu- lously designed to be both functional and comfortable. Additionally, tiny homes are often more energy-effi- cient and environmentally friendly compared to tradi- tional housing due to their small footprint and lesser material requirements. The trend of tiny home living also encourages a mini- malist lifestyle, promoting the idea of living with less material possessions and greater financial freedom due to reduced housing costs. The Ione FFA group with their chicken coup. -Photo from Ione FFA Facebook page. We have officially fin- ished building the chicken coop! Our 16 chickens are now producing eggs for our School Based Enterprise. Soon, we’ll have an egg hutch where community members can pick up egg packs on a first-come, first- serve basis, with donations appreciated. The kids are working hard to prepare the coop for winter and for chicks next spring. If anyone in the com- munity would like to sup- port us with unused chicken gear or materials, we are currently looking for 3 straw bales, pine shavings, chicken feed bags, empty feed bags (to sew into carry- ing bags), chicken feeders, chicken waterers, a heat lamp, and old stock tanks for housing chicks. Please drop off items inside the garden fence, and notify Ms. Castle of your donation along with your address so the Chapter can send you a thank you and a holiday card! Heppner Booster Club Dinner raises nearly $50,000 in a night of fun and giving The annual Heppner Booster Club Dinner and Auction took place on Sat- urday, October 19th, at the Gilliam Bisbee building in Heppner, Oregon. The atmosphere was lively and filled with laughter, thanks in part to Ken Grieb, who served as both MC and auctioneer, skillfully enter- taining the crowd with his jokes and keeping the event running smoothly. Attendees enjoyed a delicious steak dinner, com- plete with baked potatoes and salad. The event was a success, with an estimated total of nearly $50,000 raised for the booster club. A notable highlight of the evening was when Steve Rhea took the microphone to announce an $8,000 do- nation from Mulligans, accumulated over the years from past alumni golf tour- naments. The story behind this donation began years ago with $3,000 that Dave Alstott had saved from Mulligan donations, kept in his sock drawer. Steve and Dave decided to invest the money in the bank, which eventually grew to $8,000. Steve humorously remarked that Dave must not have changed his socks often. The night featured a variety of exciting auction items, including: Black- stone grills, Fishing trips, Cornhole games, Baseball tickets, Oregon Ducks- themed baskets, Blazer tick- ets, A load of gravel, Gift certificates to Les Schwab Some of the standout auction sales included: A handmade purse by Amelia Haguewood, selling for $4,500 A shrimp boil dinner, donated by Troy & Autumn Morgan, fetching $3,000 A weekend stay at the Marcus Whitman Hotel, do- nated by Mark Huddleston of Crown Paper, selling for $2,050 The 2025 VIP Table, which sold for $5,500 CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
