BESS t E WETZEUL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER LIB
EUGENE OR &7403
E(SAZETTE-TIMES
VOL. 95 NO. 52
HEPPNER, OREGON
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1977
10 PAGES
15c
Construction set
for Main Street
The Heppner City Council
last week issued a building
permit to Harry and Helen
O'Donnell for construction of a
Main Street office building on
property adjacent to the Bank
of Eastern Oregon:
The permit calls for a 41 x
100 foot single story building
which will house the new
offices of the Morrow County
Abstract and Title Co. along
with additional space to be
leased to another office ten
ant. Sidewalk and curbing has
already been replaced in front
of the property and construc
tion of the footing was
expected to begin this week,
depending on the weather.
Coughran Enterprises of the
Tri-Cities is handling the
Artist
1 ,
1977
... a year of kighs and loivs.
County agriculture took a
beating and left uncertainty
in the farm outlook. An in
flux of new businesses
boosted area commerce
January
City government activity in
Heppner opened the 1977 year
with the swearing in of three
members of the City Council
and the re-election of Mayor
Jerry Sweeney. Cliff Green,
Hubert Wilson and Warren
Plocharsky all took the oath of
office administered by the
mayor.
For the councilmen, it was
merely a formal induction into
the political cauldron, having
already weathered a month
long scrap involving renewal
of the city's franchise agree
ment with Columbia Basin
Electric Cooperative. The re
sult was a continuation of the
previous Jw'peK, cent fee
settlement tutv not before a
case was presented in favd
a three per cent fee.
Also in January, Morrow
construction work.
The O'Donnells recently
purchased the property from
James and Jewell Hager. It is
the former site of Empire
Machinery and was later used
by the Hagers as a building
supply outlet until the building
burned to the ground in the
early 1970's.
Morrow County Abstract
and Title Co. was incorporated
in 1929 and has been in the
O'Donnell family ever since
1930. The O'Donnells last year
opened another office of the
company in Boardman and
recently became licensed to
conduct escrow services.
Due to the weather condi
tions, a completion date for
the new office building has not
been set.
to display paintings of area
i
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- DromfflilU business
County farmers were told that
for the third year in a row,
estimated gross sales from
Oregon's farms and ranches
exceeded the $1 billion mark.
Preliminary figures from the
Oregon State University Ex
tension Service indicated a
total of $1.04 billion which
included $683.5 million from
crop sales and $354.9 million
from livestock and poultry.
Total crop sales were down
six per cent but increases in
grass and legume seed sales,
hay and silage and small
fruits helped to offset a major
drop in grain sales.
Livestock sales were up nine
per cent from the year before,
mainly due to a significant
increase in the value sales of
cattle and calves and a major
jump in sales of dairy pro
Tl:
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Construction in Morrow County is moving along at a rapid pace, escpecially in Boardman. In this
photo, a bulldozer works on a new office building site in Heppner, next to the Bank of Eastern
Oregon. The office will be occupied by Morrow County Abstract and Title Company. Owner Harry
O'Donnell said the new building will have space for one additional office. Please see
accompanying stories for details.
1 1. 1
ducts. Grains were again the
state's leading farm commo
dity with sales of $189.7
million down 20 per cent
from 1975.
The news of the $1 billion
gross did little to bolster
county farmers who experi
enced a seven per cent drop in
gross farm income from
agricultural products. With
the prospect of a damaging
drought looming over their
heads, Morrow County wheat
farmers say their crop in
come estimate sink to $4
million even though 30,000
additional acres of wheat was
harvested in the county.
Potatoes were the leading
crop again but sales were off
$2.5 million.
It was in January that
Heppnerites attended the
grand opening of West of
Willow restaurant and tavern.
More than 200 persons turned
out to help kick things off.
Proprietor Jim Rogers and
Master of Ceremonies D.O.
Nelson decked out in tuxedos
for the evening estravaganza.
A portent of things to come
was seen in the countys
school system in January.
A.C. Houghton Elementary in
Irrigon and Riverside High
i
Movin 9 things around
An exhibit of paintings by
professional artist Robert
Thomas of Richland, Wash
ington, will be on display at
the Bank of Eastern Oregon in
Heppner from Wednesday,
Jan. 4 to Jan. 20. The Morrow
County Creative Arts Associa
tion will serve coffee and
cookies at the bank on Jan. 4
from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
artist will also be present
during that time.
Thomas' exhibit consists of
paintings that depict familiar
scenes in Eastern Oregon and
Washington, including many
from Morrow County. His
representation of sagebrush
desert and old weathered
Richland artist Robert Thomas will have some of his
paintings on display at the Bank of Eastern Oregon in
Heppner.
School in Boardman both saw
their student enrollments in
crease. School district offi
cials were expecting the rise
and Supt. Matt Doherty said
the school system was pre
pared for the new students.
February
Opening the second month
of 1977 was the announcement
that Dick and Lynnea Sargent
had purchased the landmark
Gilliam-Bisbee building at
Heppner's Main and May
Streets and planned to move
their Coast-to-Coast store to
the new location.
With new tenants in the G-B
building, the Neighborhood
Center found a new home at
the old Howell Market location
on W. Willow Street. Pat
Brindle, director of the center,
said kitchen locating costs
would be about $2,500 and
community response was
coming in to help with the
move.
Another move was only
being talked about and some
people thought it wasn't being
talked about fast enough.
Rupert Kennedy, commission
chairman of the Port of
Morrow, told the Heppner
Morrow County Chamber of
4
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buildings is characterized by a
loose, free style complemen
ted by simple details carried
over from his former occupa
tion as a technical illustrator.
During a recent painting
workshop in Lexington,
Thomas became interested in
capturing on canvas some of
the nostalgia present in the
area.
Local artist Ardith Hunt
made arrangements for Tho
mas' exhibit and visit and
encourages all art lovers in
the Heppner area to meet
Thomas and view his unique
collection at the Bank of E.O.
The paintings in the exhibit
will be for sale.
Comerce that citizens should
"immediately seek action
from Congressional delegates
to move the Navy" from its
50,000 acre bombing range in
the county.
"The Navy is holding it up,"
Kennedy said, adding that
action was needed before
water to develop the bombing
range was lost to other
concerns.
Meanwhile, the Morrow
County School Board and
teachers' organization missed
their Jan. 31 deadline for
concluding contract negotia
tions for the 1977-78 school
year. Both parties planned to
get down to "serious salary
discussions" shortly. A week
later, Marshall Hesla, chair
man of the Morrow County
teachers' negotiating team,
called a School Board salary
proposal "not agreeable to
us," and asked that a media
tor intervene. The teachers
and the Board were still
several percentage points
apart in their offers with the
teachers coming down from a
12 per cent to a 10 per cent pay
hike and the Board sticking
with its four per cent increase.
Heppner moved a step
closer to gaining a new dentist
New businesses
for Boardman area
It looks like it's going to be
13,000 square feet of food and
sporting goods for Boardman
soon. Irrigon C & H grocery
store owner Rodney Collins
has announced plans to lease a
building of that size at the
Boardman South project.
Collins is also making plans
to construct a 9,400 square
foot grocery and sporting
goods store at Irrigon on a
new site just west of the
Irrigon city limits. "I hope to
get a start on that store in
January but I've been plan
ning this for the last two
years," Collins said.
The Boardman store will be
located at the corner of Main
and W. Kinkaid streets. It will
be constructed by Cal-Am
Fuhrman Development Co.
A 10,000 square foot retail
building is also proposed at
the 40-acre town center de
velopment south of I-80N.
"Those will be individual
stores, they will not be
connected," explained on-site
coordinator Joanne McCaul
ey. "The walkways will be
covered and the construction
will have a western theme,"
she said. "Of course, the
buildings will not all be
identical."
The western styling is
required to complement each
building. "It's really starting
Merchants wrap up
Heppner area merchants
concluded their Christmas
Bonanza this past week ,
having distributed $500 in cash
certificates to winners.
Dan James of Heppner took
the top prize of $50 this last
week. Vernon Teeter of Fossil
and Kirk Couey of Heppner
each won $25.
Winners in the $10 category
are hi
when the Planning Commis
sion granted a conditional use
permit to Dr. Lee Kazen for
construction of a new dental
clinic in Valley View Estates.
Mother Nature was up to her
tricks again when Orville
Cutsforth told the Chamber of
Commerce that Morrow Coun
ty stood a 95 per cent chance of
losing every lodgepole pine in
the county to pine beetles. The
prediction was made by Herb
Rudolph, head of the Umatilla
National Forest Service Office
in Pendleton.
In a nutshell, it was looking
like Morrow County was in for
a dismal financial year agri
culturally, but the county was
not going to be alone. State
wide, Gov. Bob Straub antici
pated a loss of nearly 5,000
jobs in agriculture and forest
products industries. Crop los
ses in February were pegged
at $100 million for Oregon and
were anticipated to reach $400
million without more rainfall.
March
March, the month said to
come in like a lion, came in
with big dollar signs in 1977.
The Heppner City Council
presented voters with a bud
to happen here," Mrs. McCau
ley said. "I've been with this
project since the first shovel
full of dirt. I live here and it's
important to me what is
happening."
Collins anticipates begin
ning construction on the new
store after the first of the
year.
McCauley also added that
Les Coughran Enterprises, a
Tri-Cities firm, which was one
of the first to begin construc
tion housing in the new
Boardman development, has
also purchased a site behind
the proposed C & H store.
The land will be used for
the construction of two large
commercialretail buildings
which will measure about
5,100 square feet each. Once
the final plans are approved
by the state, Coughran hopes
to begin construction some
time in January, according to
construction supervisor Roy
Plant, Boardman.
"We're just building to
lease," explained Plant.
"There is a need for retail
stores in Boardman."
"The beginning date of
construction is yet uncertain
due to some problems getting
the property lined up and the
plans.' ok'd from the state,"
Plant noted.
A third building is also
tentatively planned for con
included Lil Boyce, Glena
Rollis, Joy Krein and Mrs.
Winn Crist, all of Heppner;
Vera Rietman and Barbara
Peterson of lone; Carolyn
Howard, Donna Papineau and
Ann Higgens of Lexington;
and Rupe Kennedy of Board
man. Winners can pick up their
get package $46,445'in excess
of the six per cent limitation.
Still, it was a trimmed version
of an initial projected budget
some $50,000 higher.
The Morrow County School
Board finished its budget
deliberations and came up
with an appropriation of
$3,120,453 including a tax levy
of $1,711,803 outside the six per
cent limitation. The amount
did represent an increase over
the previous year but it was
one of the smallest jumps in
recent memory.
Representatives of the com
munities of Boardman and
Irrigon, along with doctors
and the Morrow County Court,
reached a working agreement
to preoceed with plans for a
medical clinic in Boardman.
Portland General Electric
announced it had awarded two
contracts totaling more than
$8 million for foundation and
concrete work at the utility's
Cary coal-fired generating
plant.
The month actually kept in
line with the other half of the
saying, as both the Mustangs
and the Cardinals quietly
folded up the remains of
respective 2-18 and 1-20 sea
sons on the basketball court
ghlightts
planned
struction on the site. "We're
just purchasing property from
Cal-AmFurhman Develop
ment as we go," Plant added.
The third building is proposed
for 7,800 square feet. The
supervisor is presently not at
liberty to disclose who the
potential tenants might be.
Plant feels no threat to his
company's facility being built
adjacent to other retail stores.
"We're trying to work togeth
er and get something for
Boardman," Plant said. "We
feel that we're part of this
community and our reason for
bringing in retail is to provide
some more businesses here."
On the north side of the
I-80N freeway another new
construction project is being
planned. Boardman business
man Earl Trudeau is taking
steps to begin construction of
a 5,000 square foot drug store
by mid-January.
Trudeau owns Imperial
Hardware and Electric Inc., at
Boardman. That business will
occupy about half of the new
building which will be con
structed on a site just north of
the present location at First
Street.
The other 2,000 square feet
will be leased by Ray Mich
aels, a Portland pharmacist.
He plans to open a complete
McKesson-Robbins Drug
Store there by April.
Bonanza
cash certificates al the Gaz
ette Times.
Weather
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Sat., Dec. 24 30
Sun., Dec. 25 28
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and headed outside for spring.
April
April was a tough month for
budgets.
The Heppner City Council
wondered which way to turn
when two slashed budget
proposals were shot down. The
Morrow County School Dis
trict budget got kicked back to
the School Board after voters
turned it down.
Tradegy was felt in the
county when the rampage of
Michael Olds included the
death of Mary Lindsay of lone
and a Washington man before
Olds was apprehended in
Pittsburgh after a five-day :
cross country chase.
Jim Wishart, John Edmund- :
son and Dave Harrison jogged
for the camera to publicize the
Heppner Lions Club's efforts
to provide a first class track at s
the high school. Time and
equipment were contributed
by various area businesses
and citizens.
Six Eastern Oregon counties
were already being consi
dered for disaster area status
from the drought. Extension
Continued on page 2 .