EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Christmas Business Page Continued
Heppner Auto Parts
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Merry Christmas
and
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Year!
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parts, tools and equipment and
many other items.
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Happy Holidays to our loyal customers!
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New Year
Open December 23rd all day and open until noon on the
24th. We will be closed the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and
the 29th. We will open at 7:00 am on the 30th with regular
hours the 30th and 31st. Closed the 1st of January.
541-676-5009
186 E May Street, Heppner
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458-318-8675
Hours: Saturday 11 am to 6 pm
Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm Monday
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177 N Main St.
Heppner, Or 97836
O: 541-676-9228
E:sykeschris@hotmail.com
Heppner, Oregon
Heppner council hears update from WCVEDG
Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group’s work includes funding to help revi-
talize the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. That support has spurred developments like
Market 87 on Heppner’s Main Street, which now houses more than 30 vendors. -Photo by
Brooke Christy
-Continued from PAGE ONE
totaling $373,000.
WCVEDG also offers
incentives for lot develop-
ment, abatement and new
housing, as well as working
on construction projects of
its own.
The group has already
built three townhouse du-
plexes, and Coil said they
are planning something a
little bit “different” next.
WCVEDG has bought lots
in Heppner and plans to
build two 1,000-square-
foot, single-level homes.
The housing is targeted at
seniors looking to downsize
into something smaller and
more manageable.
“So, if you’re in a
four-bedroom, two-bath-
room home, several floors,
you would move into this
home that’s smaller, lower
maintenance,” said Coil.
The small homes also
have low-maintenance
landscaping and will be
within easy walking dis-
tance of downtown Hep-
pner.
WCVEDG plans to
begin that project within
the next few weeks. Coil
also said that WCVEDG
hopes those homes will
open the way for building
family-sized homes in the
future.
They are also consid-
ering gathering resources
and professionals to help
those who want to build
new homes for themselves.
“There’s a lot of things
to know about it, and maybe
we would do that so people
could just get their foot in
the door and figure out what
it takes to get a construction
project going,” she said.
WCVEDG is also
brainstorming other ways
to promote new and reha-
bilitated housing in South
Morrow, including flood
plain management—a huge
concern in Heppner.
“That impacts every
project we look at, every
project anybody looks at,”
she said.
While housing is a hot
topic, that doesn’t mean
WCVEDG hasn’t been
busy in other areas. Coil
said they also invested
$129,000 in new and ex-
isting businesses last year.
They have also pro-
vided technical assistance
catered to entrepreneurs
and small businesses. One
project she said they are
excited about is a collabora-
tion with Heppner Chamber
of Commerce, Reinventing
Rural and Business Oregon
to provide small business
startup training classes, as
well as grants and financial
assistance.
“So that’s been a great
program,” she said.
Last year, WCVEDG
also gave $15,000 to South
Morrow County Seniors
Matter, which she says that
organization then leveraged
into more than $150,000
dollars in grants.
“And they’re serving
nearly 70 people every
week at that meal site,” Coil
said. South Morrow Seniors
Matter has also added vet-
erans’ lunches, exercise
classes and social outings.
“We’re really proud of what
they have done. It’s just
incredible,” she said.
WCVEDG also helped
with the roof at Willow
Creek Terrace and a heat-
ing and cooling system at
St. Patrick’s Senior Apart-
ments.
As far as childcare,
Coil said they put $250,000
toward a new South Mor-
row childcare facility this
year.
“The day care took
that seed money and has
successfully raised over
$900,000 to date,” she said.
“That’s what we’re
trying to do,” she added.
“Take our money and do
something with it.”
WCVEDG also pro-
vides community enhance-
ment grants every spring.
In 2024, WCVEDG granted
more than $260,000 for 12
community projects. Those
projects ended up having
a total value of more than
$850,000, she said.
Coil said WCVEDG re-
ceives administrative fund-
ing from the county, which
the group has passed on to
the Heppner Chamber of
Commerce to revitalize that
organization.
“And this revitalization
of the chamber is having
an exciting and significant
impact for the chamber and
their members,” she said.
One such impact is the
new Market 87 on Hep-
pner’s Main Street, which
now has more than 30 ven-
dors. To date, they’ve sold
more than $9,500 worth of
merchandise, with $4,000
in local sales in the first
month.
“It’s a really neat little
store,” she added.
Also at the meeting was
Morrow County Commis-
sioner-elect Gus Peterson.
He spoke briefly and said
that, though he couldn’t get
to every single meeting in
the county, he wanted to be
at a lot of them.
“I want to be somebody
that people feel like is in-
volved and active, and that
you know where you can
find me and talk to me if
you want to,” Peterson said.
The council also passed
a resolution accepting the
results of the recent elec-
tion. Corey Sweeney will
return as mayor for another
two-year term, and Ralph
Klock and Ian Murray will
also keep their seats for
another four years each.
Joseph Armato has been
elected to replace Cody
High in council position 3.
In other business, the
council heard from Hep-
pner City Manager John
Doherty that Portland State
University had released
its population estimates
for the year. Once again,
both Heppner and Morrow
County as a whole have had
their population estimates
lowered. They also revised
and lowered the population
retroactively back to 2020.
Doherty said he
couldn’t see how the uni-
versity had gotten their
figures, and leadership in
Morrow County and other
counties had been discuss-
ing how to address it.
Lower population
numbers also reduce the
county’s per-capita funds
distribution from the state.
The Heppner City
Council also scheduled a
goal-setting meeting for
Jan. 10.
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
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WWW.HEPPNER.NET
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