Gilliam County Road Department: Project updates

It's been another busy year for the Gilliam County Road Department. Road Master Dewey Kennedy appeared before the Gilliam County Court last Wednesday and provided information on recent projects and events.

Kennedy said that the road crew had finished 2.5 miles on Ferry Canyon, outside of Condon, where they rebuilt the road, installed culverts, did mud drainage. The road is ready to pave by May or June of 2025, Kennedy said.

The Baseline East project, which runs on Baseline Road to the Morrow County line, is done. The project was a substantial one, with a new road being built in some sections. The last work to be done was to pave and shoulder the road, and to paint lines. Sight posts are to be installed on the road to help with foggy conditions.

Kennedy also discussed work on the Avangrid Solar Project site at Shutler Flat. After hundreds of construction workers vacated the site, the Gilliam Co. Road Department rebuilt roads, installed new culverts, paved, and striped the road. Shouldering the road could not be completed before the weather cooled, and that will be completed in the spring.

Kennedy said that the Cedar Springs Road got some minor improvements that should keep it in good shape for the next five years while the Gilliam County Court makes a decision on how to best improve it.

Kennedy said that two firms had responded to the request for proposal (RFP) to design new plans for the Cedar Springs Road – which is heavily traveled by Waste Management personnel and cargo. The two firms who put in for the bid were Anderson Perry & Associates from La Grande, and Tenneson Engineering out of The Dalles.

In terms of staffing, Kennedy said that he is still looking for someone to run the rock crusher and that when that hire is made, Vincent Lantis will move from the crusher to the road crew. Recruitment for the rock crusher position is ongoing.

The only hiccup that Kennedy spoke about was with the department's accounting software. The IRIS software that the Gilliam Co. Road Department has used for several years is not working correctly, Kennedy said. Road Dept. Office Manager Joely Patnode is working to resolve this issue.