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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2025)
Three Mustangs selected for nine-man all-star game 50¢ VOL. 145 NO.18 10 Pages Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Courthouse update shows rising costs County seeks options to lower price tag for circuit court By Andrea Di Salvo At its April 16 meet- ing in Irrigon, the Morrow County Board of Commis- sioners again received some bad news about the cost of the planned new circuit court building in Heppner. The project design team, including represen- tatives from DLR Group, Bouton Construction, and Alliance Management, told the BOC that cost estimates had risen above the proj- ect’s $35 million cap during the schematic design phase. However, they also assured the commission- ers that this is common in large-scale construc- tion and requested input from the board on potential cost-saving options moving forward. The schematic design phase is the initial stage of the architectural design process in which the overall concept, layout and scope of a project are established through preliminary sketch- es and plans. Right now, the Morrow County Circuit Court is undergoing value engineering to get costs lower before it enters the final design phases. According to prelimi- nary designs, the public will enter the Heppner court- house from the south via a bridge over Hinton Creek. The site is divided into pub- lic and staff parking areas and includes flexible space for rodeo trailer parking during events. The building is oriented to the south to maximize daylight and community connection, while circula- tion has been designed to separate public, staff and in-custody individuals. The sloped terrain is being used to eliminate the need for an expensive holding elevator, allowing for staff and in-custody access on the north (second floor) and public entry on the south (first floor). The building is dived i n t o t w o p r i m a r y g a- ble-roofed masses—one for courtrooms and the other for support functions — joined by a central “bridge” housing a prominent stair- case and lobby. The design aims to blend civic presence with a residential scale to suit the surrounding neigh- borhood. The layout supports complex courthouse circu- lation needs, with separate entrances for judges, staff, jurors, the public, and in- mates. “Having all those peo- ple enter the courtroom from their own special doors quite tricky when you’re also giving them spaces in the building too that they need to get access to,” said DLR Group Proj- ect Architect Kelli Stewart. The designs are impres- sive, but it was during the financial part of the discus- sion that problems arose. The team presented a detailed breakdown of the $35 million project budget, dividing it into soft costs (estimated at 30 percent, or $10.5 million) and hard construction costs (the remaining 70 percent, or $24.5 million). Soft costs include items like design fees, permits, inspections, and project contingency. Two separate hard cost estimates were conducted—one internal and one by a third-party estimator—with results differing by about six to seven percent, though both parties agreed on the overall project scope. Cost escalation factors such as inflation, tariffs and labor premiums were discussed, especially due to the remote site and chal- lenging terrain, including the need to excavate basalt and build retaining walls. To reduce cost over- runs, the team identified several value engineering options, including switch- ing from concrete to asphalt in parking areas, reducing square footage and simpli- fying finishes. These chang- es could potentially reduce the overage from around $5.1 million to roughly $2.5 million. Commissioners ex- pressed concerns about more potential cost increas- es due to the national eco- nomic climate, with dis- cussions about the realistic possibility of the project reaching $40–44 million. “Let’s say we bite the bullet and we’ll just take a couple of things off and we’ll probably be over bud- get,” said Morrow County Commissioner Gus Peter- son, “and given the nature of the national environ- ment, let’s say we ended up with something that was closer to 40 million—and then tariffs, trade wars, whatever, bump costs up another 10 percent, then we’re looking at 44 million. “And we went from where we had a meeting where 50 million was some- thing that this board consid- ered to be an unacceptably high number to 35 million and then all of a sudden we’re at 44,” he added. Peterson said he recog- nized that no one involved in the project could control national levels but that he wanted to know how to move forward realistically. “How can we move forward with this in a way that makes us feel at least somewhat confident that we’re not going to just skyrocket this number? Or -Continued to PAGE SIX Candidates forum showcases plans for the Health District L-R Scott Ezell, Annetta Spicer, Russ Nichols, Molly Rhea, Janet Greenup, Donna Rietmann, Laura Torres, Jason Hanna and Raymond Seastone. - Contributed Photo By Chris Sykes On April 23, the Gil- liam Bisbee Building in Heppner became a focal point for frustrations and future plans as nine candi- dates for the Morrow Coun- ty Health District board addressed more than 30 in-person Morrow County residents and many online viewers. Hosted by the Heppner Chamber of Commerce and moderated by Erin Heide- man, a Gilliam County res- ident with deep local ties, the two-hour forum fea- tured Raymond Seastone, Jason Hanna, Laura Torres, Donna Rietmann, Janet Greenup, Molly Rhea, Russ Nichols, Annetta Spicer and Scott Ezell. Each can- didate delivered a detailed introduction, answered four key questions, responded to audience queries via note- cards, and offered closing remarks, with Madison Rosenbaum timing respons- es and Dale Bates running the tech. Wi t h t h e M a y 2 0 election approaching, the event showed the district’s challenges—leadership turnover, staff shortages, financial opacity, and a North-South divide—while showcasing plans to ad- dress these issues. Every candidate brought unique insights. The Morrow Coun- ty Health District, which oversees Pioneer Memo- rial Hospital, clinics in Heppner, Ione, Irrigon and Boardman, and services like home health and hospice, is facing serious hurdles. Candidates described a district unsettled by a CEO resignation, accusations of widespread staff losses that have curtailed services, declining patient numbers, and budgets lacking trans- parency. A divide between the industrial North, centered in Boardman, and the farming South, rooted in Heppner, has sparked tensions over resource equity, with north- ern tax contributions fuel- ing perceptions of imbal- ance. Each candidate pre- sented their vision, paired with pointed critiques and specific actions to rebuild the health district. Raymond Seastone, a banker for the Bank of Eastern Oregon in Morrow County since 2017, envi- sions a financially stable district anchored by strong leadership. To fix the dis- trict, he proposes hiring a CEO who embraces rural Oregon’s unique needs, boosting employee morale through recognition and support, recruiting addi- tional providers to increase revenue and expand ser- vices, rehiring local staff to restore community ties, promoting transparent fi- nancial reporting by sharing audits publicly, and uniting the county through com- munity outreach like health fairs to rebuild trust and re- duce North-South tensions. He disputes claims of MCHD collapse but ac- knowledges the district is “stuck in the past,” citing outdated board practices that erode confidence and fuel rumors. “First hire a CEO… somebody that’s going to love rural Oregon… make the employees up there hap- py… we need providers,” he said. “People are saying it’s the Titanic. It’s not. I had a meeting three weeks ago with Nicole. It’s not.” He urged, “Don’t be- lieve everything you hear out in the public… look at the end of the year audit.” Seastone also said, “You got to praise those people… they’re our local heroes.” He added, “The hate in the community, that needs to stop.” In his closing, he emphasized, “I find it a pleasure to… live here… me wanting to give back.” His fixes, grounded in a recent meeting with the MCHD CFO, offer a prac- tical, community-focused approach to reform, em- phasizing financial clarity and unity. Jason Hanna, a lifelong resident and former volun- teer firefighter and EMT, draws on his mother’s 40- year career at Pioneer Me- morial. To fix the district, he proposes a 90-180-day evaluation of interim CEO Burke to ensure competent leadership, rehiring local staff to rebuild capacity, implementing transparent practices like open board responses to public ques- tions, balancing resources to address North-South tensions by ensuring north- ern tax contributions are visibly utilized, engaging the community through town halls, and reviewing past leadership decisions to prevent repeat failures. L-R: Zac Brown, Jaime Cavan and Nick Wenberg have all been selected for the first nine-man all-star football game to be played in La Grande in June. -Contributed photo The Heppner Mustangs will be well represented at the first annual nine-man all-star football game to be played in La Grande, OR on June 20. Nick Wenberg, Zac Brown and Jaime Cavan have all been selected to play in the game. Seniors from the nine- man football schools in the state have been selected to East and West teams of 20 players. The nine-man game will be held in con- junction with the existing eight- and six-man football all-star games. “This is an awesome thing for small school foot- ball,” stated past coach Greg Grant. “I actually coached in the first eight- man game in 1990; it is great that they have added a nine-man game.” Each player will be seeking sponsorship to cov- er the cost of the game. The players will train in La Grande June 16-20. The exact date and time of the nine-man game has yet to be determined. Lexington to host fifth annual May Day Celebration this weekend The Town of Lexing- ton is gearing up for a full weekend of community fun with its fifth annual May Day Celebration, set for Friday and Saturday, May 2–3. This year’s event features a new addition: a Friday Night Kickoff Party and benefit dinner to sup- port local fire departments. The Friday evening event will include a catered dinner by Broken Spoke, live music and a no-host bar. The evening will take place at the Lexington Fire Hall and event area, begin- ning with cocktail hour at 5 p.m. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m., with live music from 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $40 per per- son, with proceeds benefit- ing the Lexington, Heppner and Ione fire departments. Saturday’s festivities are centered around family fun and kids’ activities. The day kicks off with the tradi- tional May Day Parade at 11 a.m., followed by crowd favorites like the soapbox derby, axe throwing trailer, laser tag, bouncy houses, and more. All Saturday activities are free, thanks to generous support from the Morrow County Unified Recreation District (MCURD) foun- dation. For more information on any of these events, con- tact Lexington Town Hall at 541-989-8515. Heppner Youth Baseball home schedule April 30: Coach Pitch (John Britt Logging) 6 p.m. at Hisler Field. Minor soft- ball, 6 p.m. at Bob Kilken- ny Field. Major baseball (Gray) 6 p.m. at Waterland Field. May 2: Coach Pitch (John Britt Logging vs Yellow). May 3: Major baseball, 10 a.m./11:30 a.m./1 p.m. -Continued to PAGE FIVE at Waterland Field. Majors softball, DH 11 a.m. at Bob Kilkenny Field. May 5: Minor soft- ball, 6 p.m. Bob Kilkenny Field. Coach Pitch (John Britt Logging) 6 p.m., His- ler Field. May 7: Minor softball, 6 p.m. Bob Kilkenny Field. May 8: Majors baseball (Gray) 6 p.m., Waterland Field. CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
