Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1977)
U OF ORE NEWSPAPER LIB . E U 2 T. r. E OR 9 7 4 0 3 Boardman Harvest Festival this weekenc Boardman Lions will host the 6th annual Harvest Festival this Saturday and Sunday ! Sept. 10 and 11. From the Cowboy Breakfast I to the boat races and watermelon pitching contest, the celebration ; is expected to attract more than 1,000 people. - Originally the event ' was called Spud Days s when Jim Havnaer, I publisher of the Board- man Beacon, began ad ' vertising the upcoming event. "No one really knew ' about it," said Earl I Trudeau, Boardman 1 Lion. When Trudeau '-, realized that the city j wasn't going to do any 1 thing to organize the : festival, he and three VVKATHF.lt High Low Wed., Aug. 31 67 48 Thu.,Sept.l 76 45 Fri.,Sept.2 81 48 Sat., Sept. 3 79 56 Sun., Sept. 4 88 61 Mon.,Sept.5 73 57 Tue.,Sept.6 79 45 peMiiey -out as city By Jim Summers With the unanimous consent of the five council members present, Mayor Jerry Swe eney Tuesday night dismissed City Foreman Don Penney from his city duties. The decision was reached after more than 45 minutes of discussion on Penney's per formance and medical rec ords. The council agreed that the maintenance deterioration in the city of Heppner had reached an emergency sit uation and called immediately for a working city foreman capable of heavy labor. Penney has been unable to work for the past month due to a back injury. Tuesday after noon he told Councilman Hubert Wilson he could pos sibly return for light work and supervisory tasks but not for heavy labor. Doctors reports, which in cluded mylogram and brain scan test results, indicated Penney could return to work within two or three weeks. The reports said an initial brain scan performed on Penney showed no damage from the injury or treatment. The reports further showed that Penney refused to appear for the second part of the test. A workman's compensation claim filed by Penney on July " 25 stated the injury occurred May 16 while moving city equipment. After hearing the doctors information, Councilman Jim Rogers suggested, "We better look very seriously at a replacement". Sweeney replied that he planned to dismiss Penney at the session, "if I get the consent of the council" as required by city statute. The mayor began the dis cussion by stating his decision had "absolutely nothing to do" with Penney's injury. Penney was in the fourth month of an initial six month probationary period. "The minutes are replete. There are pages and pages...," Sweeney said, re ferring in part to the com plaints received from res idents regarding city water service and general mainten ance. The council was split from the start with Warren Plo charsky stating that Penney should not be fired because his "past performance has been satisfactory". Other councilmen were caught in the middle with Cliff Green saying, "As far as his other people took over the project. "The city was really committed, so my wife (Lucy), Alice Tatone and Kay Trumbull put together a barbeque, parade and paid for a dance band out of our own pockets," Trudeau recalls. The Lions CLub took over organization of the event the following year and has handled it ever since. Zearl Gillespie, Boardman resident since 1926, was picked as grand marshal! of the parade. Due to illness, he doubts whether he'll be able to serve in the honorary capacity. He was chosen by the Lions ioremmi work goes, I can't go along with. iring ,him,.,Bjit. we. do., need a working foreman". According to Sweeney, Pen ney's handling of city projects and his subsequent injury had affected other city depart ments as well as his own. "The morale of his depart ment is zero and the problem has spilled over into the police department and to the city office," Sweeney said. Vacationing Police Chief Dean Gilman was unavailable Serial levy set for Morgan Street bridge The choice of replacing or abandoning the Morgan Street bridge across Willow Creek was shifted to city voters Tuesday night when the city council agreed to place an $18,000, five-year serial levy for a new bridge on the ballot. According to the county assessor's office the levy, if passed, would amount to approximately 30 cents per $1,000 valuation. The estimate is based on projected city valuation increases at an eight per cent interest rate. The $18,000 would be added to the $103,000 available in federal and state grant funds for the new bridge. The council opted for a "no frills" version of the bridge rather than the originally designed plan which would have pushed the city's payment portion up to $30,000. . Council opinion on the Morgan Street bridge was split almost as badly as the rotting beams supporting the present structure. The vote for the levy was 3-2 in favor. Councilman Cliff Green op posed the move, saying,' "$140,000 is a ridiculous figure for a bridge on Morgan Street over Willow Creek". Councilman Warren Plo charsky also voted against the levy because he thought the present bridge could be ad equately repaired for a frac tion of the cost. The condition of the sagging bridge necessitated some kind of council action either a committment to repair or a decision to abandon the span. Club earlier this sum mer. No one had been named to replace Gill espie's place at press time. Because of a lack of teams, the unique Northwest Watermelon Pitching and Loading Championship may not be held. Rupert Kenne dy, event organizer, at tributed the shortage of contestants to the time of year. Most of the students have gone back to school and many of the growers' crews have been released. "So far we just haven't had any luck," Kennedy added. "But we're still hoping." The melon eating con test for the children is ff IP A VOL. 94 NO. 36 for comment on police morale ... but City Recorder Marshall Lovgren said he had received more complaints since Pen ney's arrival "than any fore man we've ever had". The city crew was cut in half last week when two CETA summer employes left the crew. With Penney unable to work, city operations have been left entirely to Jim Dile and Chris Healy. Sweeney said the city is already four months behind in general "If the city wants to play it safe, the bridge should be abandoned," Mayor Jerry Sweeney said. "We're just holding our breath." Those voting for the levy pointed to the inconvenience School enrollment jumps to 1,607 Enrollment in the Morrow County School District showed an increase of nearly 100 students over last year as each of the schools except lone added to their pupil rosters. According to the district office, the 1,607 students attending Tuesday's first day of classes was "about what was expected" and more student arrivals are anticipa ted throughout the first week. Last spring, the district shools closed the year with 1,511 students. Riverside Jr. Sr. High School recorded the biggest Millie Yocom buys Jerrys Barber Shop Three months after setting up practice there, Millie Yocom last week purchased Jerry's Barber Shop on Hep pner's Main Street. Former proprietor Jerry Holloman will be shifting emphasis from head to toe as he returns to the Shoe Box farther up the street. About the biggest change Millie has in mind for the shop still on. So is the seed spitting contest if the wind doesn't blow. "Last year, if you spit in one direction, the seeds went clear to Irrigon, and the other way they all came back in your face," Kennedy laugh ed. This year's parade court is composed of Boardman and Irrigon girls who competed in a talent contest held this spring. Debbie Denton, Irrigon, a senior at Riverside High School, is the reigning Harvest Festival queen. She is the daughter of Carl and Alice Denton. Jill Murphy and Julie Hug, both of Boardman, are attending princess es. They are the daugh- ters of Bob and Mary Ann Murphy and Del mer and Bobbie Hug. Jill was a senior at Riverside last year and Julie is a senior this year. Last year's festival attracted . more than 1,000 spectators. All events will be held at the Boardman Marina Park. This year's Main Street parade will in clude floats from the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Heppner. It will also feature the Walla Walla drum and bugle corp. Local churches, the Tillicum Club and the Lions will have conces sion booths at the mar ina park. The Lions will Morrow County's award winning newspaper... f! It (l HEPPNER, OREGON maintenance, adding that it would be unfair to the 'res--idents to get any further behind. Following Penney's dismis sal, Wilson suggested the council look for both a working foreman and another crew member. Sweeney said he had a couple names in mind for the foreman position and he would further check with the in dividuals as well as any other applicants. the restricted bridge is caus ing for school operations as well as the safety and welfare of those residents at the west end of Morgan Street. A date for the serial levy has not been set. ' jump as 321 students were present Tuesday compared to last spring's closing enrol lment of 276. Second on the increase list was Heppner Elementary where enrollment . rose from 432 to 462. A.C. Houghton broke the 400 mark as 403 students were present after the Irrigon school closed the 1976-77 year , with 382. Heppner High School ex perienced an 11 student in crease over last year's 214. At lone schools, enrollment dropped to 196 students after counting 207 last spring. is a new name destined to become Millie's Barber Shop. Millie said she would also be doing more hair styling for both men and women. Of course, kids are welcome and the magazines aren't bad either. Millie came to Heppner in" June after graduating from Moler Barber College in Portland. also be selling Harvest Festival T-shirts. An afghan, crocheted by Rose Marie Seiger, Ir rigon, will be one of the donated items for a public auction from 12 to 1 p.m. Saturday. Most of the auction items are farm pro ducts. All proceeds go back to the Lions' fund for the blind. Boardman's answer to the Tri-Cities' Gold Cup hydroplane races will fill Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Be ginning at 1 p.m., rac ers, including contes tants from that July competition, will com mence chewing up the water at the Boardman Marina. 1-14 mm U j THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1977 V" ' ' , L. . - s -iv zj) T'k'J ' - rr ..vi. -r,- , V"- , George Stillman pulls piece of metal banding from "junk pile" D IS7 "3 B m water oarnagea property headache for owner, city By Jim Summers Patience isn't paying off for George Stillman. It's been more than three months since a ruptured city water main ripped a two to eight foot wide gulley through his hillside property below Morgan Street near the high school. And at this point he's farther away from having the damage repaired than he was at the time of the rupture. On May 23, the eight-inch city water line under Morgan Street broke, beginning a 75-minute torrent that came over so close to ruining the newly remodeled basement of a house at the bottom of the hill. Instead, the 150,000 gallons of water stayed on Stillman's property, inundating his barn floor, corral area, strawberry patch and a portion of pasture are under a layer of silt. For most of the summer the Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Sunday v,j M 1 fc :3 12 PAGES 15c - . - . ,.", x a 4 , gulley on the hillside remain ed untouched as city attorneys and the construction firm responsible for laying the pipe maneuvered to determine which party was at fault. The city clamed that im proper procedures used by the Ray Kenny Construction Co., Ontario, was the cause of the break. Attorneys for Kenny answered by pointing out there was a certified city inspector on the job site who gave his approval of the work. The city engineer who design ed the pipe system was also brought into the fray as another possible culprit. Meanwhile, as the legal bartering continues, Stillman . is faced with a non-existent strawberry patch, a useless piece of pasture for this year and possibly next and a deep gulley on his hill. To compound the problem, the city crew last Wednesday dumped into the gulley some 300 yards of "fill" consisting mainly of old lumber, scrap Schedule of Events 8 p.m. Talent Show at Riverside High School, Boardman, $1 adults, 75 cents for students. Six years and under are free. Cowboy Breakfast at Green field Grange Hall. Parade Hydroplane races on Columbia River. 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. 11 a.m. 1 p.m. 2. p.m. Public Auction at river park north of Boardman. Following auction Northwest Watermelon Pitch ing and Loading Championship, seed spitting contest and children's watermelon eating contest. Contestants needed. 9 p.m. to Street dance at river 1 a.m. park. 1 p.m. T 01000 DHAViilG iu """ 1,11111 """l 9?rriy crn" 1 y iron, cable, chicken wire and soil approximating the texture of flour. The loads were taken from a refuse pile accum mulated by Union Pacific track side cleaning recently. Stillman was a little miffed, to say the least, but he still managed to snap a few pictures of the garbagemen in action. He brought the pictures to a city personnel committee meeting the following even ing. Noting that the four committee members were also city councilmen, Stillman asked that they consider the removal of the refuse. "Somebody gave somebody the authority to dump all that refuse on my property and I don't want it," Stillman told the committee. "I've got cable and lumber and boards and concrete and junk dump ed there." Stillman was told his re quest was acknowledged and he should return to the regularly scheduled Tuesday Hydroplane races. 2:33 f3 6 p.'m. ELKS LODGE i r- St "11 v council meeting. Prior to that meeting, Mayor Sweeney ask ed Jim Dile of the city crew if the refuse had been removed. Dile replied that he was not aware that it was supposed to be removed. During the regular session, Dile told Sweeney he could begin the removal the next morning (Wednesday) but that it would probably take about a week to complete. Then the trench will have to be covered with proper fill and anchored with rock. Throughout the entire cir cus, Stillman said he has not been contacted by an in surance adjuster from either the city or the counstruction company, although he was told an agent representing the city did get around to view the damage this week. After ' consulting with his attorney, Stillman was told he should best sit back and wait for further developments... and continue snapping his pictures. I I i i r- t I s .t.4 4 4 4 m iei--m .
