Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
Wallowa County Chieftain News wallowa.com August 30, 2017 HONORED HOUSING Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 the Upper Imnaha as a man who was willing to help any- one in any way he could. “He and Debi are involved in many county groups and activities that benefi t both youth and adults,” she said. Debi works as the OSU county extension agent in charge of Home Economics and 4-H. Stockgrowers Past Pres- ident Rod Childers took the microphone next and sur- prised Cynthia and Dan and Shari and Joe as he completed the “trifecta” of awards. He teased Cynthia and Dan, the youngest of the War- nock boys, by recounting how they met (through Enterprise rancher Mark Dawson). “Then,” Childers said, “Cynthia went down to Madras and was feeding for an outfi t for a winter and got her head banged up pretty good and came back and mar- ried Dan. We’re not real sure what happened there.” The duo made a go of ranching in the Imnaha Can- yon on leased land after that, built their herd with addi- tional purchases of cattle from Lyman Goucher, and now have a nice set-up. Both are frequent support- ers and volunteers in events that support 4-H, FFA and their community. In addition to all of her volunteer positions, Cyn- thia works for the Wallowa County Soil and Water Con- servation District. Stockgrowers Past Pres- ident Phillip Ketscher (cur- rent president of the Wallowa County Ag. Resource Foun- dation) then took the stage and praised Shari and Joe, the eldest of the Warnock boys, for their lifelong work in cat- tle. Joe Warnock took over the family ranch in 1984 after his father, Grant, had a heart attack. “Joe was just in his early 20s,” Ketscher said, empha- sizing the responsibility Joe shouldered at an early age. Joe married Shari in 1988 and they have two children (Bodine 1991 and B.J. 1994) and are now awaiting their fi rst grandchild. Ketscher’s daughter Emily is married to B.J. Warnock. “In addition to raising great cattle they raised two excellent kids they can be ing units that accept those vouchers. Cities and coun- ties thought they had plenty of housing for individuals using vouchers, but the situation has changed since any compre- hensive housing assessments — or similar studies — were completed. Some apartment complexes that accept those vouchers include Leisure Way and Lei- sure Way Too in Wallowa; Park Street and Mountain Crest in Enterprise; and Pineview Apart- ments in Joseph. Community Connection has applications for multiple assistance programs for those qualifying. However, individuals who qualify may wait up to two years to get into a voucher pro- gram in Wallowa County, be it HUD or another program, Hib- bert said. “The majority of what I see are people coming in on pro- grams through the state or on Social Security,” she said. “Most of the people I see in pro- grams are going through what I call generational poverty. It’s a lifestyle, it’s what they’ve grown up in. “Less than half of our appli- cants are working half-time or more. If they take an entry-level position, it will put them over the amount allowed for them to have subsidy or food stamps. They will actually go backward, fi nancially, if they take a full- time job. So, making changes to support themselves and their families — there are just so many barriers.” Individuals who qualify may also use HUD vouchers for sin- gle-family homes, but often housing in the county rents for more than HUD will pay, and if the rent is cheap enough, it is likely the home doesn’t meet HUD housing standards. “If a family with three chil- dren looks to move in, an affordable subsidize apartment Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain The Warnock family was honored at the Stockgrowers Banquet on Aug. 19 as Cattlemen of the Year. From left are mother Barbara Warnock, Charlie and Debi, Shari and Joe, and Dan and Cynthia. Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain A humble John Williams accepted Honorary Membership in the Wallowa County Stockgrowers at the Aug. 19, 2017 Stockgrowers Awards Banquet. Left to right: Stockgrow- er’s President Jill McLaren, Eileen and John Williams. proud of,” proud father-in-law Ketscher said. “Joe is a very good opera- tor,” Ketscher said, “not only because he raises good cattle and takes very good care of his resource, but he’s smart enough to have married a teacher (at Imnaha School), and that’s real important in agriculture.” The Stockgrowers sur- prised their Honorary Mem- ber this year as well, bringing Eileen and John Williams up for the award. Rod Childers made the award, telling the tale of shooting John Williams the fi rst time they met (with a toy dart gun). “This guy and his wife have just been phenomenal in this county,” Childers said. “He’s been a great friend.” Williams is Oregon State University Extension Agent for Wallowa County. He trained in animal and rangeland science but he’s worked extensively in natural resource issues since coming to work in Wallowa County. “John came when we were doing the habitat salmon plan, and he was a big involvement there, we formed the Natural Resource Advisory Committee for the county commissioners and he played a big part in that,” Childers said. “Any issue we’ve had in the natural resource area if you went in there and said ‘John, this is what I need,’ if he didn’t have it, he found it for you. With the wolf issue, he’s traveled to Washington with us and gone to Cali- fornia, and the states have asked him to help with the wolf plan revisions. And Eileen is right there beside him, she’s not behind him, she’s right there with him working and helping every day.” Eileen does “about seven different things,” husband John said, later. “At one time, I counted and it was nine dif- ferent things, but she’s cut down a bit.” Among her volunteer work is acting as secretary of the NRAC, secretary of her church and managing the live- stock on the home ranch. A visibly touched Wil- liams humbly accepted the award with his wife. “I appreciate the support I’ve gotten,” he said. “We came here in July 25 years ago and I remember (Past Stockgrowers President and County Commissioner) the late Pat Wortman of Enter- prise asking ‘will he fi t into the community?’ “I’ve always tried to fi t in, and I do feel like it’s a service that we need to be supplying to you and not the other way around,” Williams said. “I thank you for all the 4-H and ag support. If there’s any- way we can make something happen we try to do it.” Your Medicare Options... Call Kathleen TODAY 616 W. North Street, Enterprise 541-426-4208 HOME AG A I N RENOVATIONS Gift Shop Sale in Alley behind m 6p 10am to Depression ~ Anxiety ~ Grief Personal Problems... Just One Visit Can Make a Big Difference! LLC CCB# 214559 50% Off Friday, Sept. 1st – d – 60% Off Saturday, Sept. 2n – 70% Off d Sunday, Sept. 3r 75% Off – h 4t . pt Monday, Se 65? Need Help Navigating and Understanding o ur Alley Cat Sale ! with three or four bedrooms is nonexistent,” said Hibbert. If the family tries to double up in fewer bedrooms, HUD will not issue a voucher because it is considered overcrowding. If the family fi nds a house with enough bedrooms but none of the utilities are included — that may be considered over the fair market value and HUD will not pay. As a result, one attendee attested, in the apartment com- plex where she lives, there are families paying full price for a two-bedroom apartment and crowding in four to fi ve children. Janet Pulsifer, manager of the EM&M building in Enter- prise said that she accepts HUD vouchers from around fi ve rent- ers, but most of the renters in her 25-unit building are work- force people working for low wages and not getting a housing subsidy. The rents at EM&M range $450 to $650 for studio to two-bedroom units. “I am defi nitely not meeting the demand,” Pulsifer said. “I have six people on the waiting list right now and many more have called. Even families with two incomes cannot fi nd an affordable place to rent.” Wandschneider cautioned the group that “this meeting is not going to solve the hous- ing crisis,” but by the end of the meeting, the consensus was that a committee to for- mally look into the issue was needed. As it turns out, there is a committee in formation. Pres- ident of the Wallowa County Chapter of Rotary Interna- tional, Stephen Kleiwer, has begun naming people to a task force to determine where Rotary will plug into the over- all issue of housing. That task force hopes to meet in early September. Wandschnieder plans a future Brown Bag Luncheon to discuss other housing issues and ideas, including allowing tiny houses to be built in Wal- lowa County cities. Are You Turning RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION at F ind Great Bargains A9 Christian Niece 541.398.8104 NEW CONSTRUCTION homeagainwc@gmail.com Licensed • Insured • Bonded REMODELS P.O. Box 219 Wallowa, OR 97885 BUILDING MAINTENANCE Jeff Harman, MA, LPC Professional Counseling In A Private Setting To schedule an appointment call Jeff Harman (541) 426-3067 w w w.j har mancounseling.com Open Daily 10am – 6pm 5 S. Main Street Joseph, Oregon 541.432.0547 madmarys.com ! EE FR The Year According to Bear Experience a year in the life of a bear, from hyperphagia to having cubs while sleeping. Perhaps we would like to relate to bears more than we might think! Thurs, August 31 • 7pm Presented by Gregg Pohl Gregg is a former teacher, and has completed 20 seasons with the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. He is part of the interpretive ranger team and leads guided walks through iwetemlaykin state park. Gregg also hosts "Tea With a Ranger" to promote dialogue between the public and the park. Natural History Discovery Center 508 N. Main • Joseph • 541-263-1663 • wallowology.org Wallowa County Farmers’ Market is a 501(c)(6) organization PO Box 652; Enterprise, OR 97828 wallowacountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com
