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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2025)
Cavan-Harris becomes first girls’ district champion 50¢ VOL. 145 NO.8 8 Pages Wednesday, February 19, 2025 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Morrow County Clean Water Consortium holds first two meetings, prepares for challenges ahead MORROW COUN- TY, OR — Morrow Coun- ty has taken a significant step toward securing ac- cess to clean drinking wa- ter through the launch of the Morrow County Clean Water Consortium (MC- CWC). The first official meeting of the consortium was held on February 4, 2025, marking the begin- ning of a countywide effort to address high nitrate con- tamination in drinking wa- ter, particularly in the West Glen area. The initiative, led by Morrow County Board of Commissioners (BOC) Chair David Sykes, is a partnership between Mor- row County and the Port of Morrow. The consortium was established to devel- op, fund, and build wa- ter infrastructure projects aimed at providing safe drinking water to unincor- porated areas affected by contamination. The MCCWC is over- seen by a four-member Board of Directors, in- cluding Port of Morrow CEO Lisa Mittelsdorf, Port Commissioner Kelly Doherty, BOC Chair David Sykes, and Morrow Coun- ty Planning Director Tamra Mabbott. Morrow County Administrator Matthew Jensen was appointed as the managing director, re- sponsible for overseeing daily operations and proj- ect implementation. Establishing Priori- ties and Governance At its first meeting, the consortium’s board focused on foundational issues, including elect- ing leadership positions. David Sykes was named Contributed image Chair, Kelly Doherty was selected as Vice Chair, and Tamra Mabbott was ap- pointed Secretary. While the long-term goal of the consortium is to build sustainable water infrastructure, Sykes and Jensen emphasized the im- portance of first securing funding before initiating construction. Jensen not- ed that grant writing and planning would be the con- sortium’s immediate prior- ities, stating, “We’re not looking to pull the trigger on projects yet, but grant writers, some other things like that.” Debate Over Adviso- ry Board Representation A key point of discus- sion during the first meet- ing was the selection of advisory board members. These non-voting mem- bers will provide strategic guidance to the board. Jensen proposed in- cluding representatives from the cities of Board- man and Irrigon, since some water projects—such as the West Glen initia- tive—might require mu- nicipal water system con- nections. While the board was open to the idea, Kelly Doherty stressed that rural residents in unincorpo- rated areas must also be represented. She pointed out that the consortium’s primary focus is delivering clean water to rural com- munities, not just urban areas, stating, “We’re not delivering clean water to the city. We’re delivering clean water to the unincor- porated areas, and those people need to be repre- sented.” Sykes ultimately de- cided not to allocate advi- sory positions to specific groups but instead asked board members to bring recommendations for po- tential advisory members to the next meeting. The board did agree, however, to appoint Justin B. Green, Executive Director of Wa- ter for Eastern Oregon (H2OEO), as an advisory member. Funding Strategy and Financial Consider- ations The board recognized that the primary source of funding for clean water projects would be grants. Concerns were raised about potential federal budget cuts, but Morrow County grant writer Nick Ducote reassured the board that infrastructure funding remains a priority and is unlikely to be affected. To fund initial opera- tions, the board approved a $25,000 spending limit for the managing director to begin hiring grant writers and consultants. Morrow County will serve as the fiscal agent for the con- sortium, ensuring financial oversight. Planning and Feasi- bility Studies Begin The consortium has already begun identifying priority projects with the help of GSI Water Solu- tions, a consulting firm specializing in water infra- structure. GSI Chief Oper- ating Officer Ronan Iglo- ria joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss the firm’s preliminary feasibility as- sessments. Jensen underscored the consortium’s commitment to action, explaining that previous reports on water contamination would final- ly lead to real-world solu- tions. “We are boots on the ground. That’s our prior- ity. We’re finally going to bring all these reports off the shelf and actually start making it available to our residents.” Sykes stressed that the consortium’s approach would extend far beyond West Glen, creating a structured, long-term plan for clean water infrastruc- ture across the county. “To have success in building future infrastructure for clean water, we need a sus- tainable, long-term struc- Cleaning up the mud. -Photo by Steve Freeland Heppner residents faced a muddy mess Mon- day afternoon after a com- bination of warm tempera- tures and steady rainfall led to flooding across the area. The sudden snowmelt, combined with heavy rain, sent water rushing through neighborhoods, leaving muddy driveways, carports, and even some basements submerged. Despite the potential for significant damage, quick action from local agencies and community members helped prevent the situation from wors- ening. Responders worked swiftly to divert water and mud away from homes, us- ing trenches and sandbags to create barriers. Their ef- forts helped keep Heppner’s roads and properties from experiencing even more severe flooding. The emergency re- sponse was a true team effort, with the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, Public Works, Heppner Fire Department, Colum- bia Basin Electric crews, and the City of Heppner all stepping in to assist. Local volunteers also played a crucial role, coming togeth- er to protect their neighbors and keep the flooding under control. While the cleanup effort continues, the teamwork and dedication shown by Heppner’s first responders and residents highlight the strength of the community. Heppner Girls Wrestling- Journey Ca- van-Harris became our first district champion, qualifying herself for the state tournament. Kee- ley Nairns finished 4th clenching her ticket to state as well, both girls being the first in Heppner’s history to do so. Emillia Cavan-Harris also placed 6th. The team finished 9th out of 29 teams as Heppner is competing 1A-4A. Damaged, missing road signs are headache for crews, cost for county Contributed image Damaged and missing road signs continue to be a problem throughout the county, according to Mor- row County Public Works Director Eric Imes. Imes told the Morrow County Board of Commis- sioners at its last regular meeting that he wanted the public to be aware of the problem. More than that, -Continued to PAGE SIX he also asks members of the public to speak up if they see something. Imes said, for instance, that road crews had recently seen indications that people were attaching chains to the Heppner community bands together to tackle flooding and mudslide threat Pictured (L-R): Dennis Wall, Stacy Lauritsen, Eric Chick, Adam Bergstrom, Babette Wall, John Doherty, Chad Doherty, Tylor Schlaht, Charlie Ferguson, Doug Johnson, Trevor Rhea and MCSO Deputy Brandon Royal. -Photo by Steve Freeland (L-R)Emillia Cavan-Harris, Journey Cavan-Harris, Keeley Nairns and Coach Tyler Robinson. -Contributed Photo signposts and using pickups to pull them down. They then simply unbolt the signs and take them. Not only is the issue of road signs a nuisance for road crews, but it also racks up costs for the county. Imes said he had just re- ceived a sign order totaling about $15,000, and there would be another order for about the same coming up. “And I just want the public to know how expen- sive this is and the time that it takes,” said Imes. “Are the same signs being stolen repeatedly? Is it a geographic area?” asked Morrow County Commis- sioner Gus Peterson. Imes replied that there are places where the same signs get stolen repeatedly, and the county had done some work to mitigate those instances. “I don’t want to say -Continued to PAGE EIGHT Morrow County officials discuss legal accuracy, AI use for meeting minutes Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been all the buzz lately, and it seems Morrow County may be dipping a toe into the waters of this new technology. Feb. 5, Morrow County Board of Commissioners David Sykes asked the other commissioners for their thoughts on using ar- tificial intelligence (AI) to take minutes at BOC meet- ings. The Morrow County Broadband Consortium had apparently used an AI program to type minutes at a recent meeting. “Not that Valerie’s not doing a great job,” Sykes added, referring to execu- tive assistant Valerie Bal- lard. “It’d be a tool that would help her be more efficient and free her up.” Morrow County Ad- ministrator Matt Jensen said he had never used AI to take minutes but knew -Continued to PAGE THREE CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
