Communications project up in the air in Umatilla

This story was published Fri, Apr 18, 2003

By Mary Hopkin
Herald staff writer

HERMISTON -- Either do the job yourself, or leave us alone and let us finish.

That was the message Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty gave Oregon and Morrow County officials yesterday concerning an $8.9 million project for a new tactical communications system in Morrow and Umatilla counties.

In a letter given to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Plan's governing board, Doherty announced Umatilla County wanted to give up control of the project.

"Umatilla County neither sought nor wanted the responsibility for this project," Doherty's letter stated. "We foresaw the type of personality, agenda, political and other problems we've had to deal with. We thought we had sufficient protocols in place to contain and control them.

"We were wrong."

In August 2001, Doherty reluctantly agreed to have Umatilla County take control of the project -- designing, building and testing a reliable tactical communications system to be used by the emergency agencies in Morrow and Umatilla counties in the event of a leak at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Since then, the system, which includes 12 microwave tower sites, has been designed. Equipment has been purchased, and some negotiations for property rights are complete. Bid proposals to build the project are due at 10 a.m. today.

Doherty won't give specifics about the problems, but the original proposal provided for administrative fees of 12 percent, which the county has not received.

As a contractor of the project, the county is entitled to the fees, according to the notice of intent to relinquish leadership of the project given to the board by Doherty.

"(Umatilla County) is asking for (the fees) pursuant to the contract," the notice said.

Although Doherty said Umatilla County's position has nothing to do with finances, the letter clearly states that if no administrative fee can be negotiated, Umatilla County doesn't want the responsibility of the project.

During an emergency meeting via teleconference Thursday, the board unanimously agreed to talk about Doherty's issues and come up with a resolution so Umatilla County could remain in control of the project through completion.

But the board won't be hammering it out in a public forum.

Bob Flournoy, the board's representative for the public, didn't like the idea.

"I don't see why it has to be private," Flournoy said. "It disturbs me. I would like to see it be a wide open meeting where we all will have our say."

Doherty, Hermiston Fire Chief Jim Stearns and Morrow County Commissioner John Wenholz will meet April 25 to talk about the issue.

 

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