NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11
City of Hermiston
Morrow County breaks ground on
new government building in Irrigon receives award for
innovation
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
By ANTONIO SIERRA
STAFF WRITER
Construction on the
North Morrow County Gov-
ernment Center in Irrigon is
offi cially underway.
Morrow County and Irri-
gon offi cials gathered for a
groundbreaking ceremony
on Friday, Oct. 16, for the
new building, located at the
corner of Second and Main
streets in Irrigon.
County
Administra-
tor Darrell Green said it
was exciting to fi nally
have the project under-
way. The approximately
13,000-square-foot building
will bring together a num-
ber of offi ces and services
that were previously spread
through several buildings in
Boardman and Irrigon.
“They’ve been kind of
scattered all over north
county,” he said.
Some of those services
include the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Offi ce, the assis-
tant district attorney, vet-
erans services, the justice
court, transportation and
Lori Roach Photography/Contributed Photo
Morrow County offi cials break ground on the new county government building in Irrigon on
Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.
planning. While the county
seat in Heppner will serve as
the main offi ces for offi cials,
such as the county commis-
sioners, they will also be
able to meet with residents
in the northern part of the
county at the new building.
Green said the “substan-
tial completion” date for
the building is currently
expected to be Aug. 27,
2021, after which inspec-
tions, landscaping, parking,
furnishing and other fi nish-
ing touches are expected
to wrap up about Nov. 24,
2021.
Board of Commission-
ers Chairwoman Melissa
Lindsey said she was
excited for the benefi ts not
only to the county, but also
to Irrigon.
“It will be a beauti-
ful project for their Main
Street,” she said.
Dorran arrest to be reviewed by Sherman County
By ALEX CASTLE
STAFF WRITER
Due to a potential confl ict
of interest, Umatilla County
District Attorney Dan Pri-
mus has passed along the
arrest fi le for
Dan Dorran,
a candidate
for county
commis-
sioner who
was arrested
Dorran
Sept. 26 on
an accusa-
tion of driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants, to
the Sherman County Dis-
trict Attorney’s Offi ce.
“Considering he was in
the midst of an election and
potentially could become
a county commissioner, I
have actually asked another
district attorney’s offi ce
to review this fi le for us to
make charges,” Primus said.
Primus has the author-
ity to deputize individuals
to prosecute cases on behalf
of Umatilla County, which
he has done in this case with
Sherman County District
Attorney Wade McLeod.
“A lot of times in East-
ern Oregon we do this for
each other, we kind of step
in and assist when there are
confl ict-type cases,” Primus
said.
McLeod and the Sher-
man County District Attor-
ney’s Offi ce declined to
comment when contacted
by the East Oregonian on
Thursday, Oct. 15.
Law enforcement and
offi cials have been mum on
details about the arrest.
The Umatilla Police
Department
cited
and
released Dorran on Sept. 26
after he was involved in a
two-vehicle collision at the
intersection of Highway 730
and 395.
Umatilla police didn’t
publicly release any infor-
mation about the arrest until
the Walla Walla Union-Bul-
letin reported a story on
Oct. 1, and referred ques-
tions regarding details of
the arrest from the East Ore-
gonian to the district attor-
ney’s offi ce.
Dorran released a state-
ment taking responsibility
for the incident that called
his actions following a golf
outing “foolish,” but he
declined to answer further
questions. A public post on
the Facebook page for Big
River Golf Course in Uma-
tilla indicated that Dorran
was a participant in a golf
tournament hosted at the
course Sept. 26.
Dorran has stayed in the
race for Umatilla County
commissioner despite the
arrest. Voters can choose
between him and local
Three Percenter HollyJo
Beers on their ballots on
Nov. 3. Pat Maier, who fi n-
ished third in the May pri-
mary for county commis-
sioner, has also launched a
write-in campaign.
2020
HIGHLANDER
HYBRID
Both Hermiston and
Pendleton were recog-
nized by the League of
Oregon Cities for innova-
tion at its annual confer-
ence on Oct. 14.
Hermiston won the
league’s Good Gover-
nance Award for its Cap-
ital Improvement Plan
website. The city turned
its plan into a web-
site that provides real-
time updates on infra-
structure projects going
on throughout the city,
including costs.
“By turning the 200-
page document into a
user-friendly
website,
residents can learn about
the unseen work of utility
upgrades, expected time-
lines of major projects,
and upcoming work that
may close roads or affect
utilities,” a league press
release states. “The site
also acts as a library of
past projects as new work
is planned.”
The site can be found
at hermistonprojects.com.
Pendleton was also rec-
ognized, for its work on
the Pendleton Unmanned
Aerial Systems Range
by receiving the league’s
Award for Excellence.
The League of Oregon
Cities is an organization
that offers the state’s 241
incorporated cities legis-
lative services and train-
ing, among other services.
Hermiston City Manager
Byron Smith was elected
to the board of directors
during the league’s annual
conference on Oct. 15,
held virtually this year.
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