Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1978)
BESSIE WETZELL U OF ORE NEWSPAPER LIB EUGENE OR 97403 IIEPPNER MERCHANTS THURSDAY, FRIDAY SATURDAY, FEB. 16,17,18 (tfr 1 .Ann ni- i nil 1 " f II If- I A. r' j - .; 2!. i , . I - 7 . , Sunshine Blue Bird Sandy Turner rates i' big hug from Grandma Nora Turner for the handmade Valentine she gave her during a soroptomist-Blue Bird party held for Pioneer Memorial Hospital nursing home residents Tuesday. Blue Birds 9 Soroptomists treat PMH residents on Valentines Day BMCC considering spring term classes Blue Mountain Community College Evening Division has arranged a slate of local spring term classes, based on interest expressed here, that offers something for almost every potential student in south Morrow County. Classes being considered for spring include tennis, draw ing, expectant parent class, history of World War II, basic spoken Spanish, intermediate tole painting, multi-media art, guitar, upholstery, micro wave cooking, golf, hunt seat ' riding, and botany. Specific information on any of, the listed classes can be obtained from Nancy Brown field, coordinator for BMCC evening classes, 676-5039. The final schedule will be printed in the Gazette-Times on March 9 with pre-registra-tion forms. Everyone will be encouraged to fill out me forms and mail them in as ...kiss and a hugl Heppner Soroptomists and the Sunshine Blue Birds combined forces Tuesday to treat residents in the Pioneer Memorial Hospital nursing home to a Valentine's party that included goodies, music and, of course, lace-trimmed paper hearts. Thirteen first-grade Blue Birds, under the leadership of Irene Plocharsky made and distributed the hearts, to each senior citizen. They also sang appropriate Valentine's songs, including, "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old". A table loaded with cookies, jelly rolls, coffee and punch was provided by the Soroptomists for the occasion, who also donated small bottles of hand lotion passed out by the Blue Birds. Marlene Gray, chairman of the service objectives committee, was in charge of the Valentine's project. Piano music by Ola Mae Groshens and her music student Jojean Stevens, provided a backdrop for the afternoon's festivities. soon as possible since many of the classes have limited enrollment. Lumberjack show planned in April The First Annual Heppner Spring Lumberjack Show will be held Saturday, April 15 at the Morrow County Fair grounds. The Morrow County Fair Board is sponsoring the Lum berjack Show in conjunction with the 1978 Fair & Rodeo. Gary Grieb and Jim Launer are co-chairmen for the show and plans for the event are now being discussed. Tech nical assistance is being offered by members of the Northwest Loggers Associa Any suggestions for addi tional classes should be direc ted to Mrs. Brownfield. tion. Full details will be announced at a later date. Weather HI 52 48 38 38 39 40 41 Lo Pre 36 32 28 28 21 29 24 .01 Wed, Feb. 8 Thurs, Feb. 9 Fri,Feb. 10 Sat, Feb. 11 Sun, Feb. 12 Mon, Feb. 13 Tues, Feb. 14 THE fl VOL. 96 NO. 7 pecial Chamber committee look at A special committee to study Heppner 's flood plain and the related effects it will have on community growth and economic stability has been formed by the Heppner Morrow County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Don Cole said this week that because of the apparently adverse implications posed by Heppner's flood plain which encompasses all of the com mercial sector and much of the residential area Cham ber officials felt the necessary and correct information should be brought before the people. The City of Heppner is currently under the gun to pass an ordinance for compli ance with the federally funded flood insurance program. If the city does not adopt the ordinance then flood insur ance would not be available locally and consequently, a person could not finance a business or home through any of the commercial lending institutions unless the require ments of the ordinance were met. The ordinance would basic Council greases skids for new apartment complex The Heppner City Council last week greased the skids for a new apartment complex on Elder Street by assuring a Gresham builder that his building permit application is one step away from final approval. At the Feb. 7 council meeting, Mayor Jerry Swee ney told Kenneth Hardy of Cason and Hardy Construction Co., the permit would proba bly be issued later this month pending final endorsement by the city engineer. Sweeney made the statement after receiving the unanimous sup port of the four councilmen present. Councilmen Jim Rogers, Hubert Wilson, Bob Jones and Cliff Green all indicated they were in favor of granting the permit as a means of stimula ting growth in the city. Last fall, the proposed 24-unit apartment complex had gen erated heated opposition from neighboring residents who were concerned over the increased traffic load the apartments would bring to the area. As a result of the citizen complaints, the Heppner Plan ning Commission had denied Cason and Hardy's conditional use application but the deci sion was later overturned by the Council. Hardy returned to the Feb. 11 meeting to ask the Council for a clearer picture on the ability of the city water system to service the project area. "In previous conversations with the Planning Commission AZETTE-TIM HEPPNER, OREGON Heppner flood plain ally restrict all building in the flood plain including exten sive remodeling unless the building was flood-proofed to a level of five feet above the street. Flood-proofing a building means water-tight. Hatches would have to be installed that could easily be pulled over doors and windows, for in stance. "No one seems to know exactly what effect the ordi nance would have on future construction," said Cole, "and what we plan to do is answer those questions and explore the alternatives. Among the alternatives that could solve the flood plain problem for Heppner is con struction of the Willow Creek Dam. Interest in the dam has been resurrected in recent weeks with the announcement by Senator Mark Hatfield's office that funding for the dam has a good chance of being obtained. A meeting held last week 'tplease see story in this issue) at the courthouse concerning the dam saw about 60 citizens turn out. A show of hands vote showed that 30 people were in and City Council, I've heard the water line could be inadequate" Hardy said. "I need to know if there is a problem with the water line." Hardy said if there were no problem, or if the city was prepared to upgrade the system with no additional cost to his company, Cason and Hardy was willing to pay the full $539 building permit fee. The total estimated cost for the project is $268,000. The one-bedroom units will rent for approximately $200 per month. Although the water supply situation is still under study, a representative of the city engineer's office said he thought the present four inch water line serving the neigh borhood would have to be replaced with a six inch line. Green noted the fire chief would probably request an PNB franchise gets city OK After a battle of attrition lasting several months, the Heppner City Council last week reached middle ground with Pacific Northwest Bell and agreed to accept a new 20-year franchise agreement with the utility company. Under the advisement of the City Attorney's office, the Council had held off amending the previous agreement which expired last October until the section covering relocation of utility equipment THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1978 favor of constructing the dam while 17 were opposed to construction. Fifteen of those present did not show a preference. A straw ballot conducted over the past two weeks by the Gazette-Times shows that 41 people favored the dam while 48 opposed the dam. (Please see separate story in this issue.) Cole said Terry M. Hager, managing editor of The Gazette-Times has been ap pointed to chair the commit tee. The remainder of the committee will be comprised of downtown business people, water control district repre sentatives and the general populace. Cole said committee appointments were expected by the end of this week. The committee has tenta tively set a public meeting for the last week of February at which time resource people from the Flood Insurance Administration, Corp of Engi neers, and local government will be on hand to fully explain the flood plain and the Willow Creek Dam. A fact sheet and analysis of the information compiled will other hydrant in the area. "After considering the fire main and the number of users on the water line (six present users plus the proposed 24 additional), this is not an adequate water supply," said Bob Richardson of Val Tor onto and Associates. It was estimated that 600 feet of line would have to be replaced to bring the water and fire coverage up to standards. Hardy said the job could be done on a bid basis for approximately $5-6 per linear foot, part of which would be recovered from the $300 per unit water hook-up fee. Sweeney said it would not be the responsibility of Cason and Hardy to upgrade the water system, adding, "If the city grants the building permit, it's up to the city to make sure there is sufficient water". was clarified. Bill Kuhn of the City Attorney's office said the proposal, as presented by Pacific Northwest Bell, could limit the city in the number of incidents it could request the phone company to move poles, wires or other fixtures from city streets or public ease ments. An alternate proposal, sub mitted by Kuhn on behalf of the city and calling for the Continued on page 3 also be made public by the committee at that time. "We hope that by providing clear, concise information to the people affected by the flood plain, they can make their comments and indicate to their elected officials what they would like to have done. ..whether it be nothing, passage of the ordinance or News Monday is holiday for many, not all Calendars differ, but whether it's called President's Day or Washington's Day, Monday, Feb. 20, is a legal holiday which will be observed by federal, state, county and city offices including the Post Office. Local banks also plan to observe the holiday. Generally, county residents can look forward to business as usual, however. All Morrow County schools will be open and Kinzua Corp. will maintain normal operation. Most area merchants and businesses, including the Gazette-Times, will remain open Monday. . Special council session set Tuesday The Heppner City Council has scheduled a special council meeting for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. Included on the agenda will be a public hearing on the city's Comprehensive Plan. Members of the Heppner Planning Commission will attend the hearing. The Council will also consider several city building permit applications including that of Cason and Hardy Construction Co, of Gresham. The company is seeking to build a 24-unit apartment complex on Elder Street. Recording star to be here for Fair Jeris Ross, recording star from Nashville, Tennessee, will be the featured performer on Family Fun Night, scheduled Saturday, Aug. 19, during the 1978 Morrow County Fair and Rodeo, the Fair Committee announced this week. Ms. Ross has recorded "A Brand-new Key" and "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and will sing both country-western and popular songs during her Heppner performance. The Fair Committee expects Ms. Ross, accompanied by a four-piece band, to be a much enjoyed feature of this year's Fun Night. Planning Commission member resigns Irene Anhorn, a member of the Heppner Planning Commission, last week submitted her resignation from the Commission, citing lack of concern on the part of the City Council concerning the actions of the Library Board of Trustees. In her letter of resignation, Mrs. Anhorn said, "I could not continue working for a group that could do the 'snow job on a delegation to the Council, that the library volunteers were given (at last week's City Council meeting)." Mrs. Anhorn said she was not satisfied with the Council's response to contentions by the library volunteers that the Board of Trustees was overstepping its authority regarding book selection procedures. School budget set for Monday hearing The February meeting of the Morrow County School Board will be held at Heppner Elementary School on Monday, Feb. 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will open with . public hearing on the proposed budget for the Fiscal Year 1978-79, and the regular business session will follow. Scheduled for discussion during the business portion will be; review of probationary contracts for all Certificated Personel, sale of school bus and other district property and preliminary discussion of the school calendar for next year. 14 PAGES 15c to construction of the Willow Creek Dam," said Hager. "The Chamber committee will act in a completely unbiased manner in present ing the information," said Hager, "but a recommenda tion will be made to the general membership of the Chamber at its Feb. 27 meeting." Briefs
