Opinion
A4
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
OUR VIEW
Donating time
to lend a hand
A
rea residents will secure an oppor-
tunity to give back to the commu-
nity and help make a difference this
weekend during Idaho Power’s annual Hells
Canyon Clean Up event.
Volunteers are asked to convene at the Oxbow
School before 9 a.m. Saturday and then journey
out to pick up trash along the Snake River, roads
and campgrounds.
As an added plus, there will be a free barbecue
for volunteers at Idaho Power’s Copperfi eld Park
at the end of the day.
No doubt the event is in a secluded spot but
that shouldn’t deter people who want to help.
The Hells Canyon Clean Up event is one that is
needed, and it is a good way for locals who care
about our great landscapes to help out.
We’d all like to believe such programs are
unnecessary but, unfortunately they are not.
While we often take for granted the towering
vistas and beautiful country we are so fortunate
to see every day, we also all have some respon-
sibility to ensure those cherished panoramas
remain pristine.
Volunteers are a crucial part of the overall
health of a community. We need people to step
up and give their time when they can. Volunteer
work can be one of the most rewarding actions
we can do, and it pays off in a variety of unseen
ways over a long period of time.
We are all busy. Our schedules are fi lled
with jobs and families, and it can appear that
squeezing a few hours or a day to help out to be
an impossible task.
Yet just donating a few hours as a volunteer
can make a real diff erence. The list of venues
that need volunteers is long — from food banks
to cleanup projects — and the need never fades.
That is why it is so important for those of us who
can to donate some time.
An eff ort like the Hells Canyon Clean Up is an
excellent method to help the community and the
region while ensuring the landscape we all value
remains vibrant.
If you can, lend a hand.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
GOVERNOR
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
STATE
REPRESENTATIVES
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE
STATE SENATOR
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford offi ce: 541-776-4646
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
YOUR VIEWS
Jump on the wagon —
school bond May vote is
culmination of 2-year process
Thank you, Phil Myer, for speaking
up and letting us know, as bond sup-
porters, where we are falling short of
our eff orts to educate all voters on the
details of bond measure 31-105 (The
Observer, letters to the editor, April
12). We would be the fi rst to admit this
bond package is a bit hard to believe,
perhaps generating a feeling of “too
good to be true.” With that said, please
know that this measure will not extend
the term of the original bond passed by
voters in 2014. The bonds will still pay
off in 2035 as initially intended and the
2021/2022 tax rate of $1.93 per $1,000
of assessed value will not be exceeded
during the life of the bonds.
If approved, the $4.845 million
will be used as the required match
for an Oregon school facility grant of
$4 million, bringing the total invest-
ment in facilities to $8.845 million.
Hard to believe? Yes, it is, but it is
absolutely true.
Perhaps voters would also be inter-
ested in knowing the May 17 vote is
the culmination of a two-year process.
Once the La Grande School District
board members realized the poten-
tial savings from the refi nance of the
existing bonds in early 2020, they
set their sights on Oregon’s matching
grant. LGSD was ranked number 75
on the state’s “need list”, but many
districts with better rankings had
already passed bonds and received the
grant (including Union, Imbler, North
Powder, Enterprise, Wallowa and
Baker), so there was hope even though
funds are limited.
To determine if the district could
qualify, an outside fi rm was hired to
help complete the required facilities
assessment and long-range plan, with
other grants covering the cost of this
work. The process was completed
in November 2021 and the school
board learned in December 2021
its eff orts were successful. Passage
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of The
Observer editorial board. Other columns, let-
ters and cartoons on this page express the opin-
ions of the authors and not necessarily that of The
Observer.
LETTERS
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of bond measure 31-105 is the fi nal
requirement.
This could easily be a once in a life-
time opportunity, so please “jump on
the wagon,” as suggested by Phil. Let’s
all vote yes on Measure 31-105 and con-
tinue investing in LGSD facilities, at no
additional cost to taxpayers. To learn
more, visit www.citizensforschool-
renovations.com.
Chris Panike
La Grande
School district bond won’t
impact household budgets
There are always reasons to oppose
any request for approval of bond mea-
sures that may have a fi nancial impact
on our current family budgets. I
encourage our community to look for
the many reasons to support the cur-
rent request for the bond measure to
replace the aged middle school annex.
Our school board and the school
district’s budget committee have for-
mulated a proposed plan to replace a
crumbling facility for which repair is
no longer a prudent option. The pro-
posal recognizes the sensitive issue
of fi nancial impact on our household
budgets by redoing the district’s cur-
rent bond measures so that the con-
struction of this needed building
results in little to no increase in our
current school district tax rate.
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This is not an extravagant pro-
posal. Our community not just our
schoolchildren will make productive
use this facility.
Monk Kalemba
La Grande
McQuisten may be just the
candidate for you
We are supporting Kerry McQuisten
for governor. We have known Kerry
since she was in grade school at Burnt
River/Unity.
Kerry is a seventh-generation Ore-
gonian. She grew up on a cattle ranch in
Eastern Oregon, so she understands the
rural part of Oregon. She had the oppor-
tunity to live and work overseas before
returning stateside to complete her edu-
cation at Willamette University. She has
had a chance to experience both city and
rural living and is now back in Baker
City, where she owns her own pub-
lishing company, is mayor of Baker City
and is raising her two daughters.
Kerry has campaigned in all 36 coun-
ties in Oregon to listen to the concerns of
all Oregonians. She cares.
If you want someone who has good
common sense with conservative values,
and someone who will stand up and
fi ght to get our Oregon back, then Kerry
McQuisten is just the candidate for you.
Patty Trost
Unity
STAFF
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