Page 2. THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR. Thursday. August 5. 1878
Cement company gains
second 2week extension
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I young buck, still in velvet, prances through a green field near Heppner.
(G-T Photo)
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GAZETTE-TIME
Editorial & Viewpoint
A three ring circus
The Heppner Common Council, Monday
found themselves in a precarious predicament.
As one man put it, the whole lot was
"between a rock and a hard place."
The story evolved around a three ring
circus. In one ring, Umatilla Ready Mix was
vying for another two week extension on its
moving deadline; in a second ring, citizens
against the cement company sat like lions, ready
for the kill; and finally in the center ring and the
most influential and best watched, the common
council sat, either waiting to tame or be
devoured by the lions.
The citizens said the first two week
extension was already too much and that the
concrete company should take wings and fly
right down the road.
The Ready Mix company, sighting jobs to
be done and higher taxes, said they were trying
to fly but just couldn't get off the'ground.
The council's view. It either had to side with
the citizens and throw the concrete bird in the
air; or give it two more weeks, long enough to
chip away a little cement and enable it to take to
the air on its own feathers.
The decision, the council said, was a
"compromise". It gave the cement company two
more weeks. It gave the citizens the gratifica
tion of knowing that if the company didn't move
out of town, they'd be shot with a $200 a day
fine.
In a couple weeks for sure, everybody in
this circus will know who's wearing the top hat.
wcp
Correspondence & Comment
Corporate Agriculture
EDITOR:
The Agri-Business Council of Oregon can understand the
Grange; the Farmers' Union; the NFO. and other
organizations' disappointment in their inability to secure the
necessary number of signatures for the Initiative Petition
dealing with corporate agriculture. Although opposed to the
Initiative, Agri-Business Council congratulates these fellow
agricultural organizations' efforts in bringing some of the
State's major agricultural problems to the attention of the
citizens of Oregon.
.The family farm is one of the most important and
prominent segments in our State's and Nation's agriculture.
There is little doubt that the progress of this Nation and this
State can be directly attributed to the achievements of the
agricultural community. The family farm has been, and will
continue to be. the major thrust of a progressive economy.
AH of Oregon's agricultural organizations should look to
opportunities which will bring about progress for this
s;4rtU! iiuiuUry.
TOM IIAUTUNG, President
Agri Business Council of Oregon
Silent majority
Ity Jac k l.rnhardt
, . One Giant leap for Mankind " That was heard on a
Christmas F,ve several years ago as man first set foot on the
moon. Space travel had begun. Rocks ami sand were the
The
Heppner
Gazette
Times
order of the day but the scietslific achievement of safely
transporting a person to another heavenly body was
astounding.
Later, our space probe entered the atmosphere of Venus.
This vehicle had been sent to investigate the conditions
hidden from our telescopes by that ever-present cloud of
atmosphere. Our scientists wee disappointed to find the
Venus temperatures extremely high and the chemicals in the
air so hostile to man.
On July 20 of this year Viking I successfully landed on
Mars. The planning and calculating involved to complete a
mission of this nature so involved and complex as to be
almost incomprehensible. The highly-controlled soft landing
occurred 212 million miles from earth. After the landing,
cameras went into action, sending a panoramic view of Man
to our TV screens. The mechanical arms then began to scoop
soil for analyzing All of these actions are completely
controlled from this 212 million mile distance and it all seema
so unbelievable.
The thing I noticed about the venture was the fact that our
scientists found, like on the moon, nothing but rocks and
sand. There were no trees to be found There was rn green
gravs. There were no rivers and stream, no white clouds
floating in a blue sky and no waves lapping on any seashore.
There were no was
If they had found a lake with a fish, and nothing else, the
world would have been gasping with astonishment. If they
had found a lone pine tree, and nothing else, the scientists
would be planning manned trips to Mars to study that lone
pine. If they had found any mie thing that we sec and take for
granted every day. the buzzing of conversation and
newspaper headlines would seem never to cease. But they
didn't. Of the millions of living things we have on earth, they
didn't find one. and many people still believe all these things
on earth were created by chanc e?
Perhaps the II billion cost of the Viking I exploration was
worth the increased appreciation of our beautiful planet
earth.
Umatilla Ready-Mix got
another reprieve from the
Heppner Common Council
Monday night.
The concrete batch com
pany, who was asked to move
out of town as early as May 6
in a petition, ran up against a
handful of opposition at the
council meeting.
The council read a letter
from Loy Keene, Ready Mix
ouiciai, stating that the com
pany would start to move out
within the next three weeks.
The letter said that a job with
the Heppner High School,
pouring the floor, for the new
shop, has been holding up the
progress of the move.
Dave Eckman, the citizen
spokesman, called the letter a
"snow job." "They had two
months and the time was up
yesterday," Eckman told the
council.
Eckman added that "I don't
think we should have to put up
with that ... not for another
three weeks either. Let's bring
the assessor back in and
appraise our homes for an
industrial zone."
The altercation stems from
a nuisance ordinance almost
three months ago that asked
the concrete company to move
because of noise and dust.
The council gave the com
pany another two weeks
addition and that deadline was
up August 2. A $200 a day fine
was entertained two weeks
ago, if the concrete company
had not moved or made an
attempt to.
Monday night, six citizens
opposed to the company,
asked the council to stand on
the August 2 deadline and
start the fine.
But, after some deliberation
and discussion, the council
ok'd another two week stave
for the Ready Mix facility.
Keene told the council that
there was "a lot Involved in
moving a business. We are
making attempts to move
right now."
Keene said the high school
job, if the company had to shut
down and move right now,
would end up costing taxpay
ers that much more for
concrete at a later date.
Keene said he didn't realize
this was "such a pressure
point" and said the company
was "taking a chance to move
because Kinzua lawyers hav
en't got a lease agreement
drawn up yet." The new site is
on Kinzua land, north of
Heppner.
Keene said there was anoth
er spot available In Lexington
private enterprise considera
tion" but, he added, "I can't
see postponing this time after
time."
Warren Plocharsky, the fin
al councilman, agreed with
the extension and the com
promise. In other business, the coun
cil: agreed to burn a city lot
'We haven't been dragging our feet
. . . between a rock and a hard place.
Loy Keene
but with the pressure to move,
he had not had time to look
into that possibility.
Keene said 130 yards of
cement still have to be poured
on the school's shop floor. He
said it is "going to cost more if
the plant has to close down."
"A crash move now and
we'll be sticking out necks out
a mile," Keene said, because
of the lack of a lease agree
ment. Keene said there were no
specification or conditions on
the original permit.
He said, "we haven't been
dragging our feet . . . this has
put us between a rock and a
hard place."
Keene said that "we are not
bowing our backs ... we are
trying to be cooperative."
Despite the citizens asking
for the council to stick to their
August 2 deadline, a tour of
the council table resulted in a
3-2 reprieve.
Larry Mills, councilman
and landowner involved, ask
ed the council for a two week
addition to the already stret
ched out deadline.
Around the table, Ray
Boyce voiced his disapproval
of the lengthening, saying a
"$200 a day fine would make
somebody move. We've set
around long enough."
Bob Jones, councilman, ag
reed with Mills and the two
week extension, adding that
after that, the $200 a day fine
should become effective.
Newly sworn in Cliff Green,
said the council should "give
near Gale Street. The citizens
in the area agreed to keep the
lot up.
heard the Chief of Police
Dean Gilliam report for July.
accepted the resignation
of Frank Ayers, a dump offi
cial. approved a liquor permit
license to Central Market.
agreed to have city attor
ney Bob Abrams review an
agreement between the city
and county to have the county
justice court take over city
traffic offenses.
agreed to have Abrams
draw up an ordinance, licens
ing coin operated amusement
devices in the city. The council
set license fees of $20 a year on
pool tables and shuffle
boards; and $100 a year for
pinball and foos ball mach
ines, per machine.
lone
man
City trys grant
Heppner will try to gain a
federal grant through an
emergency employment bill.
The city now has 12 inch
main lines coming into the city
from the city wells, except for
the last three miles into town.
Those last three miles are In
eight inch line and need to be
replaced.
With eight-inch lines, the
city can pump 850-900 gallons
a minute. With the new 12-inch
line, a 12-1300 gallons a minute
would be possible.
The city is using over a
million gallons a day this
summer.
A new emergency employ
ment bill in the U.S. Govern
ment could make it possible
for the city to gain federal
monies, with the new line
Installation causing employment.
delegate
Stephen Undstrom,
son of the Roy Lind
strom's, lone, will be
attending the Republi
can Convention at Kan
sas City . Steve will go as
an alternate delegate
from the State of Vir
ginia. His mother explains
that he has been very
active politically since
his years at Pacific Lu
theran University. He
worked then as a legis
lative aide to Sen. Falk
of Tacoma. Presently
Steve is an assistant pu
blic administrator for
the North Hampton Sa
nitation District.
Undstrom has been
an active Republican
wherever he has lived
and worked. This year
he was transportation
chairman for the Vir
ginia State Republican
Convention.
Service wants dentist
A public meeting to discuss
the placement of a dentist In
Heppner has been slated by
the Tri County Health Ser
vices for August 10.
Right now, Dr. Harold
Huber is a full time dentist In
town but wants to work only
part time.
The TrKounty Health Ser
vice would like to come away
from the meeting, declared a
critical shortage area for den
tists. The meeting is set for
7:30 p.m. at the court house.
According to Liz Curtis, a
member of the board of direc
tors, the declaration would
insure better possibilities of
obtaining another dentist In
the area.
Attending the meeting will
be the Eastern Oregon Dis
trict Denial Society and a
person from the National
Health Service Corps from
Seattle.
People that can attend the
meeting are urged to do so. If
they cannot, Mrs. Curtis urges
that letters be written and can
be left with Mi k Murray and
Murray's Drug Store in Heppner.
iirrrNEn
GAZETTE-TIMES
The oftlrlul newxpaper of the
( Ity of Heppner and the County
of Morrow.
(i M. It red. PiihlUhrr
Dolores Iteed. Co pulilUhrf
Mil C.Phinney. Kit 'lor
Publihed eery Thurdiiy and entered as a
second r tii m matter si the pint office al llrppnrr,
Oregon, under the art of Msrrh 3. I7S. herond-rla
pottage paid al Heppner, Orr(on.