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BULLETIN
CBEC worker killed
Grant Weatherford of Heppner was killed
Wednesday morning when he came in contact
with a live power line while making repairs
near the Columbia Basin Electric Co-op
building. Weatherford and other workers were
attempting to repair a power outage when the
accident occurred.
BESSIE WET2ELL
U OF ORE ' i
NEWSPAPER LIB
EUGENE OR 97403
The Hcppner
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Jorrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
VOL. 96 NO. 30
HEPPNER, OREG'
THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1978
10 PACKS 2oc
rf"Ma mi w yawn"
The bltl
master
Water pipe break leaves
Heppner residents dry
Temperatures were high, tem
pers were short, and water
was virtually nonexistent in
Heppner last week.
The trouble began Tuesday
afternoon, when a 12-inch
mainline developed a crack at
a location along Balm Fork
Road, before the water supply
reaches the city.
City workers first diagnosed
the trouble as a defective
valve. "Water had been leak
ing from the top of the valve
prior-ta. Tuesday," said City
Foreman Randy Krueger.
Since the valve cover reaches
above the surface of a road
leading to an apartment
building, city workers initially
theorized that a vehicle might
have struck the cover, damag
ing the valve enough to cause
the massive leak.
However, after the area
around the leak was exca
vated, it was discoverec' that
water was coming from a p:pe
insert connected to the valve.
Noting the worn condition of
the valve, and taking into
account the proximity of the
pipe leak to the valve itself, "I
thought the valve was
ruined," said Krueger. "It's
one of those guesses you have
to make."
In retrospect, Krueger ac
knowledged that repairs
"could have been done faster
if we had just gone in and
patched the pipe.. .but we
probably would only have
saved six to eight hours the
difference between improvis
ing with an old piece of pipe or
using a new one."
Adding to the lag in making
the repairs was the fact that
the city has no mobile power
source for lighting that would
have allowed pipe sealing and
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Retired City Foreman Vic Groshens Sr., pours
molten lead around repaired pipe. Groshens
offered his services to the city last week when the
water shortage became critical. City Foreman
Randy Krueger looks on.
packing work to continue
through the night. Such work
includes the spreading of
molten lead on pipe jointing
a chore Krueger said he would
not want to perform using
flashlights.
Former city water superin
tendent Vic Groshens aided
city workers in repairing the
line. He received a cut
requiring 14 stitches to close in
the process. In a special
council meeting last Friday,
the council voted to give the
retired watermaster $100 in
appreciation for his services.
"I really appreciated his
help," said Kreuger. "If
anyone knows the Heppner
water system, Vic Groshens
does."
Once repairs were made,
many city households re
mained without water
throughout much of the day
Thursday, waiting for water
pressure to build in the
various holding reservoirs.
Adding to the problem was the
fact that a number of Heppner
residents ignored police re
quests to refrain from non-essential
uses of water, such as
irrigating lawns and washing
cars.
Residents of the Rasmussen
and Lott subdivision were
without water until nearly
midnight Thursday.
The water loss had a
monetary effect on a number
of Heppner businesses. Car
washes, the laundromat,
beauty salons, and restau
rants were all forced to close
temporarily. Central Market,
which utilizes coolers requir
ing water, had to remove a
large quantity of perishable
goods from display coolers.
Food losses were minimal, but
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the items cold not be sold
during the time they were
relocated in refrigerators in
accessible to shoppers.
Krueger left Wednesday
afternoon for Portland to pick
up a replacement valve,
returning with the equipment
Thursday. The pipe had been
cut open to accommodate the
new valve by city workers on
Wednesday. Krueger said the
city had attempted unseccess
fully to contact area pilots and
air freight companies to fly
the part back to Heppner on
Wednesday.
Wilson
resigns
Misunderstanding
given as reason
Heppner City Councilman
Hubert Wilson told the Gazette-Times
Wednesday that
he was tendering his resigna
tion as councilman because of
an apparent misunderstand
ing concerning comments he
made at a special council
meeting Friday, July 21.
At that meeting, called for
other business, Wilson said he
wanted to make sure that
retired city foreman Vic
Groshens Sr., was paid for
work he did on repairing a
broken water line last Thurs
day. Cont. page 3
Hospital
nieetin
An overflow crowd of nearly
150 persons jammed into the
circuit court room in the
Morrow County Courthouse
Monday night to attend a town
hall meeting on the county's
health care crisis.
, For more than four hours,
citizens probed hospital board
members and hospital admini
strator Bob Byrnes for an
swers to questions ranging
from hospital staff morale to
future plans for the hospital's
use. At times, the questioning
was heated.
Hospital officials acknow
ledged that morale was poor
among employes. "To have
employes as uptight as they
are at the moment does not
help anything," commented
Byrnes. The hospital admini
strator said he believed "the
conflict has come to a crisis as
we attempt to solve the salary
adjustment problem." The
hospital board is currently
working on a salary schedule
with an eye towards narrow
ing the gap between the higher
paid employes, and workers at
the lower end of the pay
scale some of whom are near
the minimum wage level.
PR question
But Byrnes shouldered at
least some of the responsibi
lity for hospital staff tensions.
"Perhaps I haven't made the
time to get out on the floor
with the employes and talk
about their problems," he
said. "I'll try to spend less
time at my desk and more
time with the employes."
Byrnes also stated that he
would make rounds with the
nursing supervisor to visit
patients. He acknowledged
that hospital public relations
"is an area which needs a lot
of work done on it."
Several persons attending
the meeting accused the
hospital administration of
reprimanding employes for
speaking against hospital poli
cies. "Why did some employes
feel their jobs would be
jeopardized by attending this
meeting?" asked Arlene Pe
terson. "I'm surprised at the ques
tion," responded Byrnes,
adding that it is not hospital
policy to stifle dissent. At least
a half dozen hospital workers
were at the Monday meeting,
with several speaking out on
hospital issues. Director of
nursing Karmon Bjella said he
encouraged his staff to attend
the meeting, a statement
verified by several nurses in
the audience.
Vic Groshens suggested that
the hospital board set up a
grievance panel to handle
complaints from staff mem
bers on a confidential basis, a
suggestion that hospital board
members appeared ready to
adopt.
Another suggestion was
made that an advisory panel
of medical staff members be
established to work with the
board, to provide input on
employe problems and techni
cal matters facing the board.
The board members indicated
they would consider creating
such a panel.
Bjella was criticized by
several in the audience for
spending little time on floor
duty, directly involving him
self with patients. The nursing
director responded that when
he applied for his position, he
made it clear that his primary
focus would be on administra
tive duties. He noted, and
other nuses confirmed, that he
does spend time on the floor
and in the emergency room
when a staffing problem
8
occurs. A nurse in the audi
ence noted that past nursing
directors were not required to
spend the majority of their
time in direct patient care.
Hospital board members
stated that any employe with
criticism of hospital policies,
or having a disagreement with
the administrator, would be
welcome to address the board
in private during executive
sessions. But board president
- Fred Martin cautioned that
, "we are interested in docu
mented evidence, not hear
say." The hospital board was
asked why its members were
appointed and not elected,
since county-raised money
was used in financing the
hospital. Judge D.O. Nelson
answered that since the hospi
tal is one of the few remaining
county-run facilities in the
state, Oregon law states that
its board members be appoin
ted by the county court.
Board member Larry Mills
noted that one of the reasons
the hospital is going its own on
( a levy request this year is to
i allow for the formation of a
countywide health district,
seperate from county court
jurisdiction. In such a health
service district, board mem
bers would be elected rather
than appointed.
WhydidMD's
Aleave Heppner?
The board was also ques
tioned on the reasons for the
departure of doctors Joseph
Gifford, Richard Carpenter
and Joseph Diehl.
"All we know is what they
told us," said Mills. "Gifford
left to take a residency in the
southwest, to become a" spe
cialist. Dr. Carpenter has not
really said why he is leaving,
but he plans to go into a
residency. Diehl feels he
cannot stay by himself, and
doesn't want to work seven
days a week and I can't
blame him. He has a practice
he can return to in Pendleton,
from what I understand."
Judge Nelson said Diehl,
who was unable to attend
Monday's meeting since he is
suffering from hepatitis,
asked him to convey to the
public that his departure had
nothing to do with the hospital
or its administration.
Budget questions are
answered
A number of questions
centered around the hospital's
$146,000 operating budget, to
be voted on during an Aug. 8
election.
Roughly $50,000 of the
money being sought would be
used to replace worn or
outdated equipment items
like typewriters, laundry
hampers, light medical instru
ments, and a walk-in cooler.
Nearly half of the $50,000
would be used to replace and
equip an outdated ambulance.
Copies of the budget were
passed through the crowd,
with major items explained by
Mills and other board mem
bers. Several persons questioned
including a $20,000 item on the
hospital operating levy to pay
for locating new physicians in
the county.
Judge Nelson responded
that he, too, was uncertain
whether the item should have
been placed on the hospital
levy or on the county excess
levy. But the important thing,
he said, was to collect the
money from any source, since
it will be needed immediately,
in light of the Aug. 1
r
Public questions board on personel
administration and doctors
By Rick Steelhammer
physicians' pullout date.
If medical services are to
continue uninterrupted at the
hospital, the $20,000 will be
needed for cash outlay to
doctors who contract on a
temporary basis. Hiring the
temporary physicians would
give the county-appointed
Doctors Search Committee
time needed to locate a
permanent team of physicians.
Public 'executive session'
scheduled for hospital
The Pioneer Memorial Hos
pital Board of Directors has
called a public meeting that
will be conducted under "exe
cutive session" for Thursday,
August 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the
Courthouse.
The purpose of the meeting
is to offer hospital employees
and the public the opportunity
to discuss with the board and
administration specific prob
lems that are personal in
nature.
Oregon law provides public
Heppner couple is arrested on
Marijuana charges
A rural Heppner couple was
arrested Tuesday on charges
of delivering marijuana to a
minor and manufacturing a
controlled substance, follow
ing an investigation that led to
the seizure of a large quantity
of marijuana at their Willow
Creek area home.
Ronne Cleo Lawrence and
his wife, Phyllis Ann, were
arraigned on the drug charges
in Morrow County Justice
Court Tuesday afternoon.
Lawrence was lodged in jail in
lieu of $10,000 bond, and his
wife was released on her own
recognizance. Both are 28
years old.
Two juvenile boys, both 16,
also face juvenile court action
on marijuana charges in
connection with the same
case.
State police officers Tom
Dixon and Vic Groshens and
Morrow County Sheriff Larry
Fetsch, executing a search
warrant for the Lawrence
place, located about three
miles up Willow Creek from
Heppner, discovered a quan
tity of cut marijuana drying in
an attic, according to police
reports. A total of 48 large
plants, up to four feet in
height, were seized, along
with about 40 smaller plants,
plus several paper envelopes
containing processed mari
juana and bags containing
stems and twigs from the
plants, police said.
District Attorney Dennis
Doherty said the Lawrence
couple will be the first
defendants to be tried under
new Oregon drug laws that
took effect July 1 . The new law
breaks down illegal drugs into
five categories of controlled
substances, and provides for
more severe maximum penal
ties for a number of drug
offenses, including cultivation
and sales to minors.
Under the new law, delivery
of a controlled substance to a
minor constitutes a Class A
felony, punishable by up to 20
years imprisonment and a
Martin noted that money
spent on finding a doctor
would be returned, since
studies show that each doctor
"is worth about a quarter
million dollars in revenue to
the hospital annually." With
out doctors, he added, "we
lose the staff and everything
goes to pieces."
"It may take four to six
months, if we're lucky, to find
permanent doctors," said
kkk
bodies with the right to go
behind closed doors for a
variety of reasons including
"...consideration of matters
pertaining to the function of
the medical staff of a public
hospital. ..including the dis
missal or disciplining of, or to
hear complaints or charges
brought against a public
officer, employee or staff
members."
"We feel the employees and
public wanted us to hold an
executive session for this
$2,500 fine. The sentence may
be levied regardless of the
quantity of drug involved. A
marijuana cultivation, or
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Green grass of home
Sheriff Larry Fetsch displays part of the
contraband collected when a Heppner couple was
arrested Tuesday on marijuana charges. The
couple allegedly grew the substance and were
allegedly involved in marketing the product.
Weather
by Don Gilliam
Kent Goodyear of the search
committee. "The timing is
such that recent, medical
school graduates have already
found work elsewhere. If we
attract someone who already
has established practice, it
will take time for him to close
the practice to come here."
Goodyear added that the
committee is trying to raise
Conf. on page 3
purpose and an executive
session is the proper place to
handle personnel matters,"
said Board Member Dick
Sargent.
The hospital board is also
setting up grievance proce
dures for hospital employees.
The meeting next Thursday
is open to anyone wishing to
make comment before the
board and individuals will be
interviewed one at a time
during the executive session.
manufacturing, charge also
constitutes a Class A felony
with stiffer maximum penal
ties.
Hi Low
Wed., July 19 83 50
Thurs., July 20 85 49
Fri.,July21 93 55
Sat., July 22 98 56
Sun., July 23 100 6?
Mon.,July24 95 58
Tues.,July25 102 59
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