Enterprise, Oregon 135th Year, No. 18 Wallowa.com Wednesday, August 14, 2019 $1.50 Legislature provides a $2.5M boost for integrated health care New Wallowa County facility wins critical funding from HB 5030 By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain Ellen Morris Bishop Hope Mansfi eld, 3, takes fi rm control of her sheep in the PeeWee Showmanship event , while Maddy McDowell (right) makes sure things go smoothly. 111111=111111 THE WALLOWA COUNTY FAIR 111111=111111 Another successful year By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain The Wallowa County Fair is a celebra- tion of summer, children, hard work, and families. This year saw an extraordinary exhibit of quilts, a new roping contest for youngsters, and the continuation of many long and revered traditions, from the 4-H dog show and 4-H horse show, through Saturday’s peewee showmanship, culmi- nating in the livestock auction’s bitter- sweet ending. Not even the thunderstorms that rolled through the fairgrounds could dampen spirits. One of them would have wiped out the newly-planned talent show late Friday afternoon, but no one actually entered, suggesting that either fair partic- ipants were already booked solid, or per- haps they were better long-term weather forecasters than the adults. See County Fair, Page A16 Photos by Ellen Morris Bishop CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Wilbert, a Duroc-cross pig owned by Evan Torres, takes it easy before the Saturday night auction. Wilbert weighed in at 297 pounds, and took a reserve champion ribbon.  Celeste Bauck was recognized as Homemaker of the Year, following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Ida Hillock, who won the fi rst such award ever given in 1979.  Sophie Moeller walks her 1500-pound Grand Champion FFA Angus steer around the auction arena fl oor Saturday night. See Fair results an d more photo s on pages A15–17 The new integrated health care facility planned jointly by Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness and Winding Waters Clinic, a non-profi t Community Health Center, is $2.5 million dollars closer to reality. Just before their adjournment, the Oregon legislature passed HB 5030, which con- tained the $2.5 million dollar appropria- tion dedicated to the new facility. The bill was sponsored by Senator Bill Hansell and Representative Greg Barreto, and signed by Governor Kate Brown on Fri- day. No date for construction has been set, but the $2.5 million appropriation brings the project within striking distance of its $7.1 million dollar goal. “None of this would be possible with- out the community,” said Winding Waters Community Health Center board pres- ident Russell Peterson. “When the need arises, the community stands up. We are all together. We are all part of this.” Fund- raising in Wallowa County has contrib- uted more than $584,000 from two Hearts for Health events and other sources, which helped inspire the legislation. In the new center, all services will be fully integrated under the same roof, so that people with a dental appointment would be using the same waiting area and same hallways as those seeing a medi- cal doctor, a counselor, or other health professional. The new center is designed to expand, not replace, existing primary medical care in Wallowa County. It will add fi ve addi- tional medical exam rooms, four addi- tional dental operatories, 22 additional counseling rooms, and include space for educational activities and events. “With veterans comprising more than 15% of Wallowa County’s population, the center is also looking to expand care spe- cifi cally for veterans,” Winding Waters CEO Nic Powers said. Importantly, the new center will include facilities for health education, including space for group visits and a teaching kitchen where community groups can host nutritional classes for the full span of ages and skill levels. In addi- tion, a separate meeting/classroom area will accommodate exercise classes, fi rst aid training, meetings, and more. The new facility will also allow expansion of partnerships with west-side primary care programs. Presently, Wind- ing Waters works with the OHSU Fam- ily Medicine Residency Program and schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Den- tistry, and the OSU School of Pharmacy, to bring future practitioners to Wallowa County. The Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness has entered into an agreement to be an internship site for George Fox See Healthcare, Page A6 Highway crews cut Minam curve down to size Project slated for late October completion By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain Ellen Morris Bishop Assistant project manager Josh McCullough takes a look at the plans for the new roadway. In the August sun, the 10 minute wait for traffi c, going and coming on the Minam grade can seem intermina- ble. But rest assured that con- struction crews are working double shifts to completely meet the late October dead- line on a new road cut with a kinder, gentler curve. The $6.3 million project, (4.3 million for construction and the remainder for per- mits, inspection, adminis- tration, and other expenses) began in August 2018, and was put on hold through the winter. Construction crews are now carving a new, 1500-foot-long roadway through solid-and not-so- solid rock, eliminating the sharp hairpin turn at mile- post 30.84, midway up the grade from the Minam River to Cricket Flat. The new curve will post a 40 mph speed limit rather than the 25 mph speed of the present alignment. Jess Fitzhugh, owner of John Day-based Tidewater Construction said that his 22-person crews were work- ing double shifts to ensure project completion on time. Fitzhugh, who lives in Los- tine, has hired some of his crew for this project locally. The new roadway will sport a 160-foot high road- cut on the west side, and a 15-foot high berm on the east side which will protect traf- fi c from the abrupt 500-foot plunge toward the Minam River below. A sturdy steel mesh barrier will extend down the entire 160-foot west-side road cut, protect- ing vehicles from any rocks that fall from the near-verti- cal embankment. The paved highway will be standard width, with wider shoulders. See Minam curve, Page A6