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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
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