Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1977)
- p. r-- -p fir r v r- ;.!kiJU... M . - - U OF ORt E Vi i i ft ? i fi 3 OK y ' Morrow County's award winning newspaper.. ZETTE-T VOL. 94 NO. 10 HEPPNER, OREGON THURSDAY, OCTOBER t, 1977 10 PAGES 15c THE GA MES l';v!' ' n M f' J 1 A Here they come. Council A Heppner City Council decision not to allow the East Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority to operate within the city limits brought an appeal for reconsideration Monday from District Attor ney Dennis Doherty. The council made its de cision at an August 15 meeting after ECORHA Chairman Paul Jones asked the counci by letter, to adopt a resolutio endorsing the association' operation in Heppner. Counci members cited a lack oi information and a reluctance to see subsidized housing in the city as reasons for the denial. Doherty, addressing the council as a private citizen, said he was disappointed in the council's decision, adding that the city was missing a good opportunity to have its housing needs assessed. "I happen to believe person ally there is a housing shortage here and there is a demonstrable need for hous ing subsidies," Doherty said. "Costs are escalating to a point where people can't afford them. There are people living here in rental housing where conditions are shame ful." Pointing out that Morrow County is one of only three counties in the state that does not participate in some form of regional housing authority, Doherty said ECORHA deser ved the study and support of the council. "A regional housing author ity will be formed in the three-county area with or without the council's sup port," Doherty said. "We should examine it it's unfair to oppose renter subsidy per se." Doherty said many parts of the community rely of sub sidies in one form or another. He cited new housing finan cing through FHA or VHA as examples. "I hate to see the city of Heppner pass any opportunity when we know there will be further development in South ern Morrow County," Doherty said. "We are fortunate at this time to have the industry and employment to attract new residents. If we don't provide Oregon Fish & Wildlife officials estimated that some 10,000 hunters came to hunt in the Heppner Unit and surrounding areas last weekend and Heppner's Main Street was packed with campers, pickups, cars, and recreational vehicles of all shapes and sizes. The hunters were about 38 per cent successful, according to Fish & Wildlife man Glen Ward. The inset photo in the lower left corner shows a couple trophy racks atop a pickup as the hunters stopped to toast their good fortune. Although not as heavy, an abundance of traffic is expected again this weekend. housing the housing, we won't continue to attract them." Doherty ended his presen tation by asking the council to support ECORHA through resolution or to take on the responsibility of initiating its !MGEDA broadens Morrow County roads, mov ing the Navy off the Bombing Range and becoming known as a citizen's involvement group are current objectives of the Morrow County Econo mic Development Association (MCEDA). A group of about 50 persons attended MCEDA's member ship meeting last Wednesday evening in lone and the general concensus was one of supporting a group Ilia I cuuiJ speak for the citizens of Morrow County on economic and social development. MCEDA President Tim Tul lis, said after the meeting, "We're off the ground. ..the response here tonight was more than I hoped for." MCEDA is a non-profit organization with officers and a Board of Directors elected from the general member ship. Fees for membership are based on whatever the individual wishes to contri bute with a $1 minimum. Membership fees are tax deductible. Persons wishing to become members of the association are asked to fill out the membership coupon appear ing elsewhere in this paper. "Our goal right now is to enlist more members," said Tullis, "for both their finan cial support and most impor tantly, their thoughts, ideas and help." Tullis said current MCEDA officers are temporary with a general election for the orga nization being planned for later this year. Originally formed with the idea of getting a road through stand questioned own study of housing needs in the community. A letter expounding the points men tioned was submitted to the council and a motion was made to table the issue until the next council meeting, from lone or south Morrow County to the Portland Gener al Electric Boardman Coal Plant, the association has become broader-based in scope and will look into any social or economic develop ment at the desire of the general membership. "Getting a suitable, proper ly maintained road over the shortest possible distance from Southern Morrow County to Northern Morrow County is still our number one objec tive," said Tullis. Included in plans for that road is a spur road that would lead to the Boardman Coal Plant, so workers at the plant can have more choice in , where they would like to live. The association originally wanted to cross lands leased from the State of Oregon by Boeing Agri-Industrial Com pany, but development of circle irrigation, the location of future power generating facilities and Boeing's jet-engine test facility, have put a damper on going through Boeing land with a road. "We still have to get a professional opinion on the feasibility of going through Boeing land, but we are studying other options that may be more feasible and accomplish more in the long run," said Tullis. One of the group's options includes working toward get ting the Navy to release the Bombing Range and either putting in a new road leading north-south or using the exist ing Bombing Range Road and coming into PGE's power giving council members a chance to study Doherty's letter. A motion was also made to contact local ECORHA repre sentatives and ask them to appear before the council to explain their program. block with a road from the east. "By getting the Navy to release the Bombing Range we would have almost direct access to, the power plant site and the 50,000 acres of Bombing Range land could be put to agricultural use," said Tullis. Included in the plans to Hughes ivins contest It was a close race in last week's Gazette-Times Foot ball Contest with the first and second place winners going to the tie breaker for the money. Tom Hughes of Fossil mis sed by only five total points on the Kansas-Oklahoma tie breaker, putting Robb Rush of Heppner in second place. Both Heppner planning hearing Tuesday The Heppner City Council and Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing to obtain comments on the Draft Goals and Objectives for Heppner's Comprehensive Plan on Tuesday, Oct. 11, in City Hall. The hearing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Similar meetings will be conducted in other Morrow County cities the following week, according to Marie Hall of ECOAC, who will work with city officials and citizens in formulating the Comprehen sive Plans to meet LCDC guidelines. An lone public Day care appeal Iieard At Fair Board meeting Monday- To dramatize their plight after the Heppner Child Devel opment Center closed last weekend, nine mothers with 12 children in tow filled Judge D.O. Nelson's chambers Mon day morning to personally ask his help. Holding a small child on his lap, Nelson listened to difficul ties encountered in finding suitable day care for the children. One mother planned to take her year-old boy to work with her, while another had enlisted Grandpa to watch her two children while she works. One two-year-old girl was sent to Portland with her grandparents until a babysit ter could be found. The Child Development Cen ter was forced to close because the Seventh Day Adventist Church needed the use of its gymnasium which housed the center for three years and much effort had failed to yield a suitable location. The mothers repeated a request made last Tuesday by center advocates that the judge use his influence to persuade the Fair Board to "again listen to an appeal by day care representatives for temporary use of the 4-H annex building at the fair groundsan appeal turned down once already. Later on Monday, Judge Nelson contacted Fair Board chairman Paul Hisler who scope move the Navy, MCEDA will hire an economic analyist to provide the group with facts and figures with which they can approach county, state and federal officials. Tullis said the next general membership meeting of MCEDA will be held this month in Heppner. Time and place will be announced later. men picked nine winners. Following the winners were a host of prognosticators with 8-2 records. Hughes and Rush can pick up their checks at the Gazette Times. First place gets $10 and $5 is awarded to the second place finisher. hearing is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 17, and will be followed by meetings in Lex ington, Oct. 18 and Irrigon Oct. 20. A brief presentation will be made on the information collected during the planning process and the urban growth boundary will be discussed. The Draft Goals and Objec tives were developed by the Planning Commission based on the Community Attitude Survey completed in October last year and on Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals. said center advocates could make their presentation again before the Fair Board at the next meeting, scheduled for Monday, October 10, at 8 p.m. at the fairgrounds. Dawn Stuchell, chairman of the Heppner Child Develop Formation of library district encounters snag A discussion of the best and most direct approach to use in their attempt to form a library district consumed most of the Heppner Library Board meet ing on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The library has no perma nent funding source since the city cut support after last spring's budget defeats. It is presently operating, with short hours and volunteer help, on a donation made by Amanda Duvall, who also erected the building in which the library and museum are located. The Library Board has done much research on the legal complexities surrounding the formation of a service district, which requires a state ap pointed Boundary Commis sion to set district boundaries, an entity non-existent in Morrow County. While the County Court is empowered to create a Boundary Commis sion, it recommended the Library Board petition for its creation to show support for the idea. The Library Board feels that petitioning for a Bounda ry Commission is a very round-about way of getting their objective, which is to form a library district. At the Sept. 28 meeting it was decided that more research was required to find a more direct line to their goal. In other action by the Board, Myrna Johnson was elected chairman and Mary Pat Lande vice-chairman of the group. Chairman Johnson explain ed the decision to try to form a Disaster payments allotted Morrow County farmers have received $1,165,000 in Federal Farm Program dis aster low yield payments with another $200,000 expected to come into the county before the end of the year, according to David McLeod of the county ASCS office. The payments have been distributed to 185 farms throughout the county. In addition, McLeod said, an estimated $225,000 in defic iency payments should be available to county farmers by late November. Deficiency payments are made to farm ers when the national average market price falls below the target price established by Congress. This year's target price for wheat was set at $2 90 per bushel. ment Board of Directors, said that several options have opened to them in the last week. The use of both a double wide mobile home and a house slated to be moved have been offered, but either Vould require a large lot. Als6 the library district: "The Library Board is convinced of the importance of the public library in the community. Not only the beginnings of the library, but the indications of support we are currently getting from the community, show us a present as well as a traditional need in this com munity. This conviction has led us on a search for long-term permanent financ ing, the result of which has been our effort to form a library district. The district format was chosen after much State reconsiders welfare move The state offices of Adult and Children's Services and the Public Welfare Division will not be moving from Heppner at least for the time being. Last week the Gazette Times ran a story concerning the move of those state offices from Heppner to Boardman and local opposition to the proposed move. Late last week state officials reconsidered their decision to move the offices from Hepp Rainfall farmers A total of 1.36 inches of rain were recorded in Heppner for the month of September en ough for many county farmers to begin seeding for next year's crops. "Southern Morrow County has adequate moisture for seeding although some farm ers might have to wait a few days to get equipment into the fields,". County Extension Agent Harold Kerr said. "Many will be seeding this week while others will be weeding for cheatgrass and rye before seeding." Kerr said marginal mois ture in the Northern Morrow dryland areas may force some farmers to wait for the emergence of weeds before proceeding with weeding and seeding. He added that some Inside Mustangs win! The Mustangs fired up last Friday to shut out the Weston-McEwen Tiger-Scots. Page 4. Cash contest fun Readers that take a shine to football can enter their own "cash prize" contest. It's fun. ..look to Page 4. digging of a well and complet ion of much work to meet certification requirements. She said the 4-H annex would be a temporary sol ution, necessary only until new alternatives can be ex plored and a more permanent center is found. v research because it seems to offer the best way out of those available to us. It would allow us to continue to serve those we have served in the past and on a more equitable basis. It would also allow the people to determine the level of service they want. In that atmosphere we feel that the library would continue to grow and flour ish." Mrs. Johnson indicated that information on the direction the Library Board takes will be available after the confus ing legal issues are resolved. ner and the local offices were notified that a move would not take place. Tony Williams, area super visor for Children's Services in Hermiston, said, "At this time the original decision to move has been reconsidered and we're not moving." Margaret Elliott, area su pervisor for Welfare in Her miston, said she received the same message from that division's regional office. sends to fields fertilizing will be going on this week. "The rain was badly needed and has provided enough moisture in many areas of the county," Kerr . said. "But unless we have an abnormal winter, we're not looking at an average crop next year for most of the county because of the lack of deep moisture." Wed., Sept. 28 51 47 .46 Thurs., Sept. 29 63 41 .02 Fri .Sept. 30 61 45 Sat., Oct. 1 63 38 Sun., Oct. 2 61 36 Mon.,Oct.3 60 33 Tues.,Oct.4 58 31 Sept. Precip. 1.36 Normal for Month .23 Sept. 1976 .27 -- -W. . --
