TV newt hits Penland Lake Corp.
Hint' f 'wrong-doin
9
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tngg
Gov. Tom McCall's office
ha authorized two separate
agencies to invetitigate the
affairs of Penland Prairie
Lake Corpora ion; and,
County Judge Paul Jones
has refused an "invitation" by
the governor's office to allow
his name to be withdrawn as a
member of a staie-wide com
mittee because of a KGWTV,
Portland, news broadcast
Monday night that hinted at
corruption at a local level in
the Penland Lake Corpora
tion. The news commentary that
triggered the call from Gov.
McCall's administrative as
sistants hinted at possible
collusion, graft and illegal
procedures in the formation,
construction and administra
tion of Penland Lake. Judge
Jones, along with 24 other
local businessmen, were 'he
original backers and builders
of the Man-made lake that
attracted the attention of the
television newsmen.
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Jess Cooper, 10, Hermiston, one of the youngest
fiddlers in the area, won a round of applause from the
audience in the Old Time Fiddlers Contest held
Saturday at the Heppner Elementary School.
Cay Lombardo be ba t.
the -sweetest mask this
He prove his point to
Fiddlers Contest
Wednesday. Oct. 24. as a
member of the Land Conser
vation and Development
Commission LCDO. com
posed of seven statewide
members appointed by the
governor Jones is the only
representative east of the
Cascades, he said.
The call from McCall's
office came Tuesday morning.
The governor's representa
tives, whom Jones did not
identify, asked his permission
to withdraw his appointment
in the light of the KGW TV
commentary on his possible
involvement in the Lake
Penland affair.
Jones refused
"1 will not withdraw under
fire because of the irrespon
sibility of KGWTV repor
ters," he declared, "and I will
not quit as long as my name,
and the names of my associ
ates in Penland Lake are
under a shadow. The governor
can fire me if he wants to, but
there will be no quitting under
i I
but Clay Cla.ghto. caa play
side of beavea" oo his fiddle.
listeners attending the Old
this cloud of innuendo and
suspicion."
Jones said he had given
similar statement to KL'MA
Radio in Pendleton, but he had
not contacted KGWTV nor
had he been contacted by that
television station.
Later Tuesday afternoon,
Jones was again contacted by
spokesmen for Gov. McCall.
"I told them exactly what I
told them this morning,"
Jones told the Gazette-Times,
"and that was that I insist
upon the investigation men
tioned in the television broad
cast, be completed, and that I
would not agree to have my
name withdrawn as a member
of LCDC."
Jones said that the gover
nor's spokesmen promised
two investigations of Penland
Lake Corporation from his
office, one by the State Real
Estate Board and the other by
the Local Governments Division.
No 'road monoy'
until 70-Corps
There won't be any tax
money released to the Corps of
Engineers for relocation of the -Willow
Creek Dam road until
the spring of 1974, Col. Nelson
Conover, District Engineer,
Corps of Engineers, told a
small gathering at the court
house today.
"The reason the alternate
road is being considered," he
said, "is that it is a soundly
engineered road, and was
offered to us by the people of
the community. However,
there is a trade-off involved
and Ifte ..aiternate route,, is
more expensive because it
involves more roadwork. But
it will be considered," he said.
He said he would recom
mend Alternate Plan B, the
one most recently approved
by local governmental agen
cies. Col. Conover spoke briefly
on the construction of the
Shakespearean
group to appear
A professional troupe of
Ashland Shakespearean per
formers will appear here on
Friday, Nov. 2, it was learned
this week.
This traveling educational
group from the regular com
pany of The Ashland Shake
spearean Festival will be at
Heppner High School most of
the day and evening.
The evening performance at
7:30 o'clock in the high school
cafetorium is open to the
public.
CALIFORNIANS
VISIT HEPPNER
Loren Frigault, Northern
California banker, was a
visitor in Heppner for four
days last week.
Here this week, also from
the same area, will be Richard
S. Hogan, civil engineer and
surveyor. On Nov. 1, Hugh B.
Codding, Santa Rosa, Ca.,
land developer, will spend
several days in the area.
Inadequate water
City
The City of Heppner, upon
recommendation of the Health
Division, Department of Hu
man Resources, has placed a
temporary freeze on all build
ing permits within the city,
effective Oct. 10.
The action was announced
late Tuesday.
In a letter to Mayor Jerry
Sweeney dated Oct. 10, Leo G.
Farr Jr., Director of Public
Health Engineering for the
agency, said his department
cannot approve additional
demand on the City of
Heppner water system until it
receives engineering plans
and design data showing bow
The investigations will be
conducted independently but
simultaneously, and should be
completed within 10 days.
Jones, while declining to
have his appointment with
drawn, did agree to be sworn
in only after the Investigations
are completed.
"And it may be a lot longer
than that." the judge stated.
"I doubt I want to serve on a
commission where a member
can be all but convicted in
advance on unfounded
charges."
The Monday night broad
cast contained vague allega
tions, but skirted any definite
charges of wrong-doing in the
Penland Lake deal. The two
reporters who came to Hepp
ner to film and tape inter
views, some of which were
heavily edited, according to
L.E. Dick, asked questions
which led few of their inter
viewees to doubt they were on
(continued on page 2)
dam, and emphasized that
money will have to be appro
priated prior to construction.
As for the relocation of
existing water lines and a new
reservoir to serve residents of
Heppner, Col. Conover said
the "Corps will help the city in
every way possible."
In view of the ban on water
connections and building
permits within the city be
cause of an inadequate sys
tem, the city will be pressing
for all the help H can get.
There was a detectable
, ..concern ; yoa-Uhe "; part--of;
Heppner officials as to when
the road relocation work
might start, and how much
"cooperation" might be ex
pected from the Corps. The
climate was in marked con
trast to previous meetings
where the sentiment was torn
between "we don't want the
dam" and public apathy.
Mrs. Jane Rawlins, high
school English department
head, has made arrangements
for this appearance. The
troupe is able to include
Heppner in its itinerary be
tween performances in Fossil
and at Pilot Rock. This will be
the first showing of this
well-known theater group
here, and presents a rare
opportunity for many to see it.
The players will give three
classroom showings during
the day and do an all-school
assembly entitled "Poet and
Players." lone High School
students will be bussed here
for the assembly.
Mrs. Rawlins is not certain
what the evening performance
will include, but understands
that the actors are bringing a
collection of properties and
costumes and will present an
array of Shakespearean char
acters and scenes.
Each summer a group of
Morrow County students and
adults has gone to Ashland to
enjoy the offering of five plays
in five days.
system
freezes all
the water system will be
altered to supply city needs.
"We believe the amount of(
water that the present water
sytera can safely deliver is
less than the present user
demands," the letter read.
The letter continued:
"We urge you to have this
information submitted as soon
as possible in order to take
advantage of the early part of
the 1974 construction season.
We have about two to three
months backlog of plans
awaiting review at this time.
The maximum water demand
period for your city is July. If
your engineer's report does
Km?-
THE
Vol. 90. No. 36
GAS
Boardmao.
in housing
By MARY LEE MARLOW
The Boardman City Council
was told by a spokesman for
Desert Magic at their meeting
Tuesday of last week that
there will be a need for
housing for its hundreds of
employees during the next two
years. There is already a
pressing need for homes in the
Boardman and Irrigon area.
Cecil Cooley of Hermiston, a
housing developer associated
with Howard Kartchner, Des
ert Magic president, says
farms and allied industries in
Annual co-op nuGGfing is Mo v. 1
The annual Membership
Meeting of Columbia Basin
Electric Co-op will be held .
Nov. 1 at the Gilliam County
Fairgrounds in Condon.
Registration is scheduled to
begin at 11 a.m. with lunch at
12:30 p.m. A swiss steak
dinner will be provided by the
Co-op, served by the Condon
Eastern Star.
The meeting will begin
promptly at 1:15 p.m.
President of Columbia
Basin's board is Walter Jae
ger, who. has served on the
board for 22 years.
Columbia Basin was incor
not show how the city can
adequately serve this maxium
demand in 1974, we will not be
able to approve additional
users.
"We further caution you
against forcing water through
old, leaky mains because this
may result in further deple
tion of your system 's capacity.
Our rules limit the maximum
velocity in pipelines to five
feet per second.
"We understand your en
gineer contemplates submis
sion of engineering data
within' 90 days. We shall
review his material as quickly
as our work load permit, ft
Related story, p. 3
ETTIE-TIME
Heppner. Ore., Thursday, October 25. 1973
the area will be employing
upward of 650 people in the
next two years, and housing is
not available.
The great need is adequate
water and sewer facilities.
Boarman is trying to work
with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers on a new lagoon
site for the sewer program,
but consulting engineer Stan
ley Wallulis told the council he
has called the Corps in
Portland many times in recent
weeks, but all he has gotten
from them is delay.
Kartchner has said several
porated Sept. 18, 1940. The
first electric service was
provided nine years later at
the Ralph Potter Farm, Con
don, on Oct. 14, 1949.
The present Board of Di
rectors is Jaeger, Condon;
Dick Krebs, Cecil; Paul Tews,
lone; Kenneth Smouse, lone;
Van Rietmann, Condon; Herb
Wright, Fossil; Walter
Wright, Hardman; Elmer
Palmer, Heppner; Dick Wil
kinson, Heppner; Randall
Peterson, Heppner; Floyd
Palmer, Olex; and Paul
Jaeger, Condon. Kenneth
Smouse is to be honored at the
building permits
would also appreciate receiv
ing information concerning
the manner in which the
required work will be fi
nanced." Contacted by telephone
Monday at his office in
Portland, Farr told the Gazette-Times
that the state had
not placed a ban on water
connections. He said be had
newspaper clippings in his
files to show that the City of
Heppner invoked the ban on
new connections, and that he
concurred in that decision.
"We have the authority to
stop new water connections."
Farr said, "but we have not
Peaceful Penland Lake, a quiet and beautiful spot
where private landowners and the public share fishing
and recreational facilities, will be better known over
the state from now on.
crisis
times this year that he has the
financing available for hous
ing, if he could get the water
and sewer plans from Board
man or Irrigon to accommo
date the housing. Both towns
are working on the problem.
For water, Boardman is
trying to get about $9,000 of a
$30,000 federal Economic
Development Administration
grant to have a study done on
its water expansion program.
The balance of the grant
would go to Hermiston.
Cooley told the council that
meeting for a quarter-century
of service. Columbia Basin
serves 3,100 customer ac
counts over 2,850 square miles
of service area.
The annual report of the
local utility shows annual
income exceeding one million
for the first time in the past
fiscal year, $1,075,261.97. As
sets of the corporation are
$5,215,136.99, based on depre
ciated values.
No guest speaker is sched
uled for the meeting this year.
President Jaeger will briefly
report concerning the energy
crisis.
done so."
Asked by the Gazette-Times
if his office would take action
if the city went ahead and
connected "one or four new
homes" to the water system,
Farr would not give a definite
answer.
"We would recommend a
gainst it," he said.
The water ban was imposed
Tuesday-by the city, on
recommendation of the state
agency.
D J Hebard, associate sani
tary engineer, was in Heppner
for a meeting with city
officials Tuesday, and shortly
afterward the announcement
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15 cents
Desert Magic and other farm
organizations have recently
talked about a farm labor
camp, but that farm workers
m Northern Morrow County
will be employed most of the
year and need housing better
than a labor camp. He also
said a child day center would
make it possible for families
to expand their incomes with
the mothers working in jobs
related to agriculture. He said
the average farm worker will
be grossing $8,000 annually.
Secretary - Treasurer Paul
Tews will discuss the audit
and fiscal financial report.
Manager David Harrison
will show colored slides on the
operation.
Entertainment will be by
Lisa Ward, Swiss yodeler
from Portland, There will be
many door prizes presented.
Four districts are electing
directors at the meeting.
The annual report shows
that the employees have 157
years of service to Columbu
Basin and 261 years of total
utility experience.
was made.
"We will not stop water
service to anyone who has his
home near completion," He
bard said, "However, we hope
the mayor will not issue any
further building permits until
the entire system can be
reviewed."
Mayor Sweeney said that at
the last meeting of the council
Friday, Oct. 19, a building
permit for a new $40,000 home
was not refused, but the
permit was tabled.
City Engineer Steve An
derson has plans ready to
submit to Mate officials.