SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Board of Commissioners meeting Heppner
-Continued from PAGE ONE quite receptive to engaging leads people to the wrong
done an excellent job; he’s
jumped in with both feet.”
Grogan further explained
the reason they are asking
for this retroactively and
not proactively is due to us
not receiving the letter of
resignation until after the
deadline of the last BOC
meeting.
The commission ex-
pressed their gratitude to
Keely for his dedication and
the motion to grant him the
temporary assignment pay.
An update on the Great-
er-Idaho Movement was
given by GIM executive di-
rector Matt McCaw. Justin
Nelson provided context for
this discussion, mentioning
that the citizens of Morrow
County had previously vot-
ed for the Board of Com-
missioners to revisit this
topic a few times a year.
McCaw explains that
over the past four years,
thirteen Oregon counties
have participated in votes
expressing interest in mov-
ing the border to join Idaho
if both state legislatures
consent. McCaw mentioned
an upcoming legislative
session in 2025 that will
specifically address this
topic.
Although the 2024
election did not result in
any new votes support-
ing the cause, momentum
remains strong. McCaw
relayed a positive sentiment
from both sides, stating,
“There is a lot of momen-
tum among the people of
Oregon to see this move
forward, and there is a lot
of interest from the people
of Idaho to see this move
forward.” Additionally,
he confirmed that Idaho’s
Governor, Brad Little, is
in discussions about the
border.
McCaw highlighted the
importance of continuing to
engage with legislators to
maintain progress in discus-
sions and potentially move
the border between Oregon
and Idaho.
County Administrator
Matthew Jensen provided
an update on the Circuit
Court Annex Project. He
reported that the Geotech
test results are still pend-
ing and that the design
team is considering a one
or two-story building de-
pending on the site’s re-
quirements for parking. He
mentioned that moving the
Justice Court to Boardman
to be part of the annex is
under consideration, which
would consolidate work
operations and reduce secu-
rity needs, though it would
increase costs due to ex-
panded space.
Jensen stated that the
design team would present
a comprehensive update on
December 4th, including
revised budgetary estimates
and a layout of the proj-
ect process. He sought the
commissioners’ input on the
possibility of relocating the
Justice Court to the annex.
Commissioner Sykes
expressed his preference for
keeping the Justice Court
in Irrigon, stating, “We
fixed this as a circuit court
annex building, we didn’t
say anything about expand-
ing it into counties deal or
adding other things. This is
what we told the public it
was going to be. I think it’s
kinda disingenuous now-”
Commissioner Wen-
holz pointed out that con-
fusion between justice and
circuit court hearings often
courthouse, which supports
the idea of consolidation.
Commissioner Drago noted
that relocating the Justice
Court to Boardman would
free up space at the Irrigon
courthouse.
While acknowledging
the advantages Sykes re-
mained concerned about
the public’s expectations,
emphasizing, “it’s a sensi-
tive time moving the county
offices around even if it is
from Irrigon.”
Wenholz added, “As
we’ve discussed before this
is at least a 50-year building
– as the county continues
to grow, we add positions,
providing services where
the population is I see it as
a benefit.”
Jensen explained the
implications of the deci-
sion, noting, “if they don’t
move forward with moving
the Justice court it could be
seen as a cost-cutting mea-
sure, and if they do move it
can be looked at as planning
forward.” Sykes countered,
stating that maintaining the
original plan would not be
perceived as cost-cutting
but rather adhering to the
initial budget and plan.
Commissioner Drago,
recalling his deciding vote
on the circuit court, reiterat-
ed, “I will make the motion
to direct staff to look at the
annex building in Board-
man with the addition of the
Justice court.”
Wenholz seconded the
motion, and the motion was
carried, indicating that the
Board favored exploring
the inclusion of the Justice
Court in the Circuit Court
Annex Project in Board-
man.
addition to our community
underscores the commit-
ment to fostering a skilled
workforce and promoting
lifelong learning opportu-
nities for all residents.
The construction of
the SAGE Event Center is
made possible by signifi-
cant state funding, with the
Oregon Legislature approv-
ing House Bill 5006 during
the 2021 session. The Port
of Morrow has been award-
ed $4.3 million to bring this
vision to life, enhancing
Morrow County’s capacity
to host impactful events and
training sessions.
We would like to invite
Heppner falls to
Salem Academy
Loses State 2A Tournament Title
Hallee Hisler #11 blocking
the Pioneers advances with
Ava Gerry #10. - Photo by
Susan Hisler
In a competitive bout,
Heppner’s Volleyball team
faced off against Salem
Academy, ultimately drop-
ping the match with scores
of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-14.
Isa Payne demonstrated a
strong performance, lead-
ing the team with the high-
est number of kills. Salem
Academy showcased their
prowess and subsequently
clinched the State 2A Tour-
nament title.
Not letting their previ-
ous loss dishearten them,
Heppner continued their
competitive play and faced
Western Christian the fol-
lowing Saturday morning.
Despite a valiant effort,
Heppner fell short, losing
with scores of 25-17, 28-26,
and 25-12. Hallee Hisler
notably contributed with
12 kills, 5 blocks, 9 digs,
and 4 aces, showcasing her
versatile skills on the court.
Ava Gerry also played im-
pressively, tallying 6 kills,
6 digs, and 12 assists in the
match.
you to the dedication cere-
mony that will take place
on November 15th at 5:30
PM at the SAGE Center,
located at 101 Olson Rd NE
Boardman, OR 97818.
Celebrate this mile-
stone with us! The event
will include guest speakers,
facility tours, and network-
ing with local leaders.
To R S V P, p l e a s e
click this link: https://
f o r m . j o t f o r m .
com/242885429372063
For more information,
visit our Facebook event
page, www.visitsage.com,
or call (541) 945-2244.
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Heppner Drama Club
will be performing Dra-
ma Shorts November
13 th and 14 th at Heppner
High School Cafetorium
at 7pm. Admission is by
donation. Refreshments at
intermission. Drama Shorts
is comprised of jokes, short
skits and musical numbers.
SMCSC
Scholarships
Awarded
The South Morrow
County Scholarship Com-
mittee has awarded $15,500 Aidan Wright (R) bagged this nice buck with muzzloader.
in scholarships through
their Secondary/Gradu-
ate scholarship and Trade
WWW.HEPPNER.NET
School scholarship. The
Submit News, Advertising & Announcements
Letters To The Editor
committee awarded 10
Send Us Photos
scholarships at $500 each
Start A New Subscription
to Kason Cimmiyotti, Ca-
sey Fletcher, Hunter Gree-
nup, Cody Fletcher, Kylie
Boor, Madelyn Nichols,
THE
Daralynn Teeman, Me-
gan Doherty, Eva Martin
& Brooklyn Wilson. We
awarded an additional 10
scholarships at $1000 each
to Madison Orem, Paul
BREAKING THE BONDAGE OF ADDICTION
Lindsay, Zachary Orem,
AND FINDING FREEDOM IN CHRIST
Trevor Nichols, Hannah
WE MEET Friday NIGHTS at 7 PM
Finch, Jessica Kempken,
Fellowship Hall at the
Katherine Wilson, Ian
Heppner SDA Church
Murray, Kevin Murray &
ALL WELCOME
Madison Palmer. Hunter
Greenup was awarded $500
for the trade school schol-
arship.
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DEADLINE:
Sage Center dedication
ceremony Nov. 15 th
Dear Guest, The Port
of Morrow is thrilled to
announce the dedication of
the SAGE Event Center,
an exciting expansion of
the SAGE Center, set to
provide 15,000 square feet
of versatile meeting space
designed to foster com-
munity development and
educational initiatives.
The SAGE Event Cen-
ter will serve as a hub for
regional education and in-
dustry partners, offering
a venue for programs and
events that support continu-
ing education, workforce
initiatives, and cultural
youth programs. This vital
drama
presents
Nov. 13 th
& 14 th
~ G-T Trophy Corner ~
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
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Sykes Publishing
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