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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2019)
NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, November 27, 2019 A7 Ellen Morris Bishop The new all-weather walkway, constructed with funds bequeathed to Wallowa Memorial Hospital by Mary and Kirk Hayes, will connect the hospital with the clinics to the west. It is scheduled for completion this summer. Hospital: Pro-rated health care in January Continued from Page A1 Bill Bradshaw Bill Bradshaw Bill Bradshaw Savanna Rynearson, 10, won fi rst place in the Wallowa County Chieftain’s Halloween costume contest with her portrayal of a “tired mom.” Joseph Birkmaier, 8, won second place in the Chieftain’s Halloween costume contest with his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin as “The Tramp.” Rhilynn Compton, 5, won third place in the Chieftain’s Halloween costume contest with her portrayal of Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz.” ‘Tired Mom,’ ‘Charlie,’ ‘Dorothy’ win costume contest Chieftain- sponsored Halloween contest drew 17 entrants By Bill Bradshaw Wallowa County Chieftain A “Tired Mom,” “Charlie Chaplin” and “Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz” were the top winners in the Wallowa County Chieftain’s annual Halloween costume contest for kids. Of the 17 kids who entered the contest, Savanna Rynear- son, 10, won fi rst place with 103 votes. She said she and her mom went on the inter- net to fi nd a funny costume and that’s what they came up with. Savanna went the whole route, complete with eye makeup, a cup of coffee, holding one “baby” (a doll) and another “child” wrapped around her ankle. Savanna said she didn’t pattern the costume after her own mother, but got some interesting comments. “One of the gals at Trunk or Treat (in downtown Enter- prise) said it was a good cos- tume and since she has a lot of kids, next year she’ll go as a tired mom and just be her- self,” Savanna said. Savanna received a check for $20 for fi rst place. Ever the gracious winner, she complimented all the kids who took part. “I’m happy for all the kids who competed,” she said. “They all had really cute costumes.” She also thanked the Chieftain for holding the contest. Savanna already has an idea for next year. “I’m going to be ‘Octo- mom’,” she said. She plans to have a skirt with eight ten- tacles and a doll at the end of each. Joseph Birkmaier, 8, received 60 votes to win sec- ond place with his costume as Charlie Chaplin’s “The Tramp” character. His cos- tume – and getting into char- acter – makes one wonder if the boy is an afi cionado of the silent fi lm era. “I just kind of got the idea,” he said, admitting he’d never seen a Chaplin fi lm. “Originally, I was just going to be a businessman from the 1880s. Then I started trick- or-treating and everyone said I looked like Charlie Chap- lin so I changed at the last minute.” Joseph received a check for $15 for second place. Next year, Joseph plans to dress like someone who died in the 1890s and rose from the dead. “That way I’ll still be dressed old fashioned and have a skeleton costume underneath,” he said. Rhilynn Compton, 5, danced down the yellow-brick road in ruby slippers as Dor- othy from the “Wizard of Oz” to win third place with 43 votes. Rhilynn received a check for $10 for third place. Her favorite part of dress- ing as Dorothy was getting to “carry a dog in a basket.” In addition to her “Toto,” she had a blue-checked dress and pigtails like Judy Garland wore. The Enterprise kindergar- tener said she has seen the movie from which she took her costume but had no idea it was 80 years old. Last year’s second-place winner, next year, Rhilynn plans to be the title character in the Disney fi lm “Malefi - cent,” complete with horns. The hospital’s longer term plans include build- ing a health care clinic in Joseph. Davy said that the Wallowa County Health Care District owns prop- erty on Daggett and Main Street in Joseph. WCHCD will soon accept bids for the project and expects to have bids in hand and a recommendation to con- sider by its January board meeting. Davy estimated 10 months for the building construction. Weather per- mitting an April start, com- pletion could take place in early 2021, Davy said. Part of the building will be utilized for community health education, with a built in kitchen for cooking classes. For the fi scally minded, the hospital, including the medical offi ce building and Wallowa Valley Senior Liv- ing, is leaping forward in fi scal management. In 2014, mortgage debt stood at $ 19.5 million. Today, debt has leveled to $7.5 million. “We’ve paid off a lot, and our goal is to have that paid off in the next four to fi ve years,” Davy said. He added that WVSL, once a virtual fi nancial albatross for the hospital district, has broken even since the mid- dle of last year. The hospital and its clinics and Winding Waters clinic have committed to ensuring that no one in the county gets turned away from seeking medical care at either the hospital or its clinics. Previously, the hospital offered free care to anyone at 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Starting in January, pro- rated health care will be offered to those up to 400 percent of poverty level income. In 2019, a family of four with an income of $25,750 is at the poverty level. “This will help more people that possibly have insurance with huge deductibles,” Davy said. “That will raise the $1.5 million community ben- efi t. It may be a chal- lenge to the hospital, but it should make sure peo- ple aren’t foregoing health care based on their ability to pay.” Curb Project: Will effect traffi c and pedestrians Continued from Page A1 neither required installa- tion of pedestrian warn- ing crosswalks, and partly because both communities needed a variety of ramp styles. The fact that neither have big-city traffi c loads would also help with plan- ning traffi c and pedestrian controls, noted Howard Postovit, ODOT Region 5 project leader. The Enterprise proj- ect is estimated to cost between $1.5 to 1.7 mil- lion. It is slated to begin in May or early June, and be completed by the end of summer, Postovit said. It will require construct- ing or modifying 373 curb ramps on W. North St., River St., and N. First St., all of which are state high- ways. “We will not be doing all the ramps at the same time,” Postovit said. “We’ll plan to work on one intersection at a time, and make sure we allow for pedestrian and vehi- cle traffi c to fl ow pretty regularly.” He added that there may be some places with lane restrictions and fl aggers. Plans are available from ODOT, and will also be available on the Chieftain’s website. 802 NW 1st St. Enterprise 541-426-3139 ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING SUPPLIES Ellen Morris Bishop ODOT technicians Grant Sharp (left) and Travis Coff elt survey the clubs along North Street in Enterprise in preparation for an ODOT project this summer that will construct or replace 373 curb ramps along North St, River St. and First St. in Enterprise. ELECTRICAL & WATER SYSTEM CONTRACTOR PUMPS • IRRIGATION HARDWARE• APPLIANCE PARTS Winterfest: City of Enterprise steps in to run festival Continued from Page A1 Santa leaves the OK The- atre, the cocoa and cook- ies move to Warde Park as a winter wonderland-type setting. At 6 p.m. will be the mayor’s Christmas drawing for Buckskin Bucks and the announcement of the fudge contest winner. The annual holiday fes- tivity is being run this year by the city of Enterprise. In previous years, the Greater Enterprise Main Street group has run the event. But city offi cials noted at the Nov. 18 city council meeting that GEMS would not be running it this year so the city felt the need to take over. Wendy Stewart, board president of GEMS, said GEMS had to turn it over to the city because too many members – most of whom are business owners – were too busy with other commitments. “We hope it’s just for this year,” McQuead said at the time. Stewart said she doesn’t know if GEMS will pick it Introducing Pediatric Occupational Therapist Adaline Boden, MS, OTR/L up again next year. “We just really appreciate that the city is taking it on,” she said. “They went above and beyond.” 208 S. RIVER ST. • ENTERPRISE, OR www.jbbane.com • 541-426-3344 You’re Invited 60th Annual Holiday SOUP & PIE LUNCHEON Thursday, December 5, 2019 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Featuring Enterprise High School Choir Performing Holiday Favorites at 12 Noon Prelude Music by Gail Swart • Does your child struggle to complete daily self- care tasks such as feeding, dressing, or bathing? • Is your child not meeting developmental mile- stones (sitting up, crawling, walking, appropriate play, handwriting, etc.) or struggling to keep up with peers or classmates? • Does your child have a hard time staying organized at school, following directions, gets frustrated easily, or is having a hard time making friends? Delicious Homemade lunch for just $6.00 Clam Chowder & Chicken Noodle Soup Vicqui’s famous rolls. Assorted pies by amazing bakers, coffee, tea & water. Ask your Primary Care Provider for a referral today! We treat you like family 601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org Wallowa Memorial Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Proceeds go to the Enterprise High School Choir & Community Connection Fuel & Senior Meal programs! At the Enterprise Community Congregational Church “The Big Brown Church with the Open Door” 301 NE First Street, Enterprise
