BESSIE WETZELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER LI3
EUGENE OR 97403
Alternative raroraosed for
ow Creek JLPam
Will
A proposal for building a
series of three small dams on
Hinton, Willow and Shobe
creeks and constructing a
concrete flood channel
through Heppner, rather than
building the proposed $25.8
million Willow Creek Dam,
will be discussed during a
Tuesday night meeting of
Heppner City Council.
The alternative plan to
VOL. 97,
PM1
seek health planning
Pioneer Memorial Hospi
tal's board of trustees is
asking the Morrow County
Court for permission to hire a
health care planning consult
ant in order to develop specific
programs aimed at curing the
ailing medical facility's ills.
In a workshop and business
meeting in Boardman Thurs
, day, the hospital board unani
mously passed a resolution
seeking the health planning
consultant. The resolution also
guardedly criticized recom
mendations recently unveiled
in Northwest Medical Founda
tion's report on Pioneer Mem
orial. According to the work
ing of the resolution, "a
conflict of interests" may
have' tainted Northwest's
recommendations, since
Northwest was actively seek
ing to obtain a hospital
management contract from
the county while making
recommendations in the hos
pital study regarding Pio
neer's management.
The resolution also stated
that many of the hospital's
shortcomings outlined in the
Northwest report had already
been identified by the hospital
board and reported to the
County Court. In the resolu
tion, the hospital board noted
that although the Northwest
report made recommenda
tions, no plan of action was
made for implementing them.
During discussions preceed
ing the unanimous vote on the
resolution, Pioneer trustee
John Maas said that he was
"skeptical of an organization
doing a study on the manage
ment of a hospital, when
they're in the business of
managing that hospital."
"How do you respond to a
document that is so slanted in
its recommendations," com
mented Administrator Bob
Byrnes. .."They're saying
'we're the savior of your
hospital if you buy our
program.' I don't think the
people will buy it."
Board Chairman Fred Mar
tin stated that he wished the
study had been performed by
an "independent" consulting
firm that had no special
interest in bidding for a
management contract.
"I'd hate to see the County
Court pressured into acting on
this- thing right away," com
mented board member Ed
Dick.
While criticizing many
aspects of the study's recom
mendations, the board mem
bers indicated that they con
curred with many of North
west's findings regarding the
hospital's problems.
The report was "factually
correct in terms of our
facilities," said Martin. "They
came to many of the conclu
sions that we hnd already
reached.'"
"But basically, we just got a
building the massive earth
filled dam is being considered
by the value engineering team
of the Army Corps of Engi
neers' Walla Walla office.
Members of the team will
make a presentation of their
findings during Tuesday's
council meeting.
Ferd Swensen, chief of the
value engineering team, said
Wednesday that when mem
NO. 5
I board claims report biased;
re-statement of the prob
lems," Byrnes said.
Trustee John Maas, a Luth
eran minister,' criticized
Northwest's ties to a regional
Seventh Day Adventist "evan
gelical outreach" program
"we shouldn't find ourselves
supporting with tax dollars an
organization that is evangeli
cal in nature. I know the
clergy in Heppner would
object to it not to mention the
agnostics," he said.- - :
In other developments at
Thursday's meeting, the hos
pital board voted uTask the
County Court for permission
to enter into a contract with
Don Scott, or another suitable
labor negotiator, to handle
negotiations with hospital
employees represented by the
municipal and county
employees union. Earlier this
month, the union announced
that it was seeking a contract
for the 25 Pioneer Memorial
non-professional workers
Additional staff, less revenue
increase school district budget
A proposed county school
budget expected to raise the
tax rate for Morrow County
public schools from the cur
rent level of $9.59 per $l,005 of
assessed valuation to about
$10 has been approved by the
school district's budget com
mittee. The new budget expected
to come to a vote on April
3 will be the central topic of a
Morrow County School Dist
rict public meeting set for 7:30
p.m. at Heppner Elementary
on Feb. 19.
The budget would require
going $2.64 million outside the
six per cent limitation, com
pared with $2.07 million that
was required to balance the
budget during the current
fiscal year.
At the center of the cause for
1 the budget increase is the need
for additional money tn hire
staffs for the new Irrigon
junior high and Boardman
elementary schools, expected
to open midway during the
coming year. School officials
are also expecting a whopping
40 per cent increase in the
district's electrical bill during
the coming year, as well as
increases in supply costs from
vendors, expected to climb
about 10 per cent.
The document approved by
the budget committee on
Monday shows a significant
increase over the draft budget
submitted by Superintendent
Matt Doherty earlier this
month.
Among reasons for the
bers of his group began
examining the proposed dam
project, "the first thing we
noticed was that the dam
doesn't do the job" in terms of
eliminating Heppner's flood
plain. A check of flood plain
maps resulted in "very little
difference for the lower end of
town, even with the dam,"
Swensen said. "As we see
these maps, the question
XkMfr JL Wj f...gff y.Xmm J 1 JLL j,...L
Morrow
HEPPNER, OREGON
covered by the union. The
employees voted in favor of
union representation last fall.
Don Scott serves as Morrow
County's intermediary in
labor negotiations with per
sonnel in the county's sheriff
and road departments.
Martin noted that in talks
with County Court officials,
the county appeared to be
favorable to hiring a negotia
tor for the hospital's labor
dealings. - ' r - -
With budget proceedings
expected to add an additional
burden to the hospital board's
work load, board members
indicated that they felt hiring
a negotiator was crucial.
Pioneer Memorial appears
likely to succeed in receiving a
$201,175 grant from the De
partment of Health Education
and Welfare's Health Re
sources Administration.
Byrnes presented copies ot a
letter from the acting chief of
HEW's Health Facilities Im
increase is the fact that the
committee lowered the esti
mated amount of revenues
expected to be received in
state basic school support
funds, choosing a figure "we
know we won't get less than,"
according to Doherty. Just
how much the county vill
receive in basic school support
funds remains a question to be
answered by the Oregon
Legislature. If the amount
ends up being higher than
expected, the school district
would adjust the budget ac
cordingly, thus lowering the
tax rate.
Also preventing the pro
posed school tax rate from
District-teachers reach
tentative agreement
The Morrow County School District and its teachers and
other classified employees have reached tentative
agreement on a new contract.
The proposed three-year pact would reportedly adhere to
the Carter Administration's seven per cent, anti-inflationary,
wage increase guideline, but add two additional "longevity"
pay steps to teachers currently at the top end of the county's
wage scale.
The contract would also contain "opener" clauses, which
would allow the pact to be re-opened for negotiation in the
event of significant changes in the trend of the economy.
Action is expected to be taken on the proposal by the
Morrow County School Board during its Feb. 19 meeting.
Teachers are expected to vote on whether or not to approve
the pact prior to that time.
becomes obvious: Why build a
project that doesn't solve the
problem?
A system of small dams,
coupled with a concrete lined,
high velocity flood channel
has demonstrated its effect
iveness in other western
cities, such as Wala Walla and
Pocatello, Swensen noted.
Since Swensen's team is
charged with challenging
The Heppner
County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
consultant
provement Branch stating
that "we are pleased at this
time to announce that funds
promised have been released
by the Office of Management
and Budget and are available
for our use. ..After architect
ural plans have been reviewed
and approved, you will be
authorized to bid the project
on the competitive market..."
The grant would provide the
hospital with $105,800 for new
X-ray -equipment, - pay - for V
remodeling and an addition to
create a 1.008-square foot new
emergency room and waiting
room separate from the exist
Martin re-elected to
PMH board presidency
Fred Martin of lone was
unanimously re-elected presi
dent of Pioneer Memorial
Hospital's board of trustees
during a business meeting last
being hard and fast at this
point is the fact that the
county's taxable property
value for the 1979-80 fiscal
year has yet to be computed.
The new budget does reflect
the terms of a tentative
agreement recently reached
by the school district with its
teachers and other classified
Surprise awaited budget
committee members
Morrow County School Dist
rict officials attending Mon
day's budget committee meet-
Corps construction project
proposals with an eye for
"doing the same job for less
money," the three dams
fload channel concept came
under examination.
"We can't replace a Cadil
lac with a Volkswagen."
Swensen noted, but the prop
osed Willow Creek Dam, he
said, "...is a two-wheeled
Cadillac."
11
THURSDAY, FEB. 1, 1979
ing X-ray room. Also funded
would be such items as a fire
detection system, a new
incinerator, exit ramps, and
new doors, and installation
costs.
Pioneer appears to be only
one of two hospitals in Oregon
to receive funding under the
grant. The bid was applied for
by the County Court in
January of 1977.
Ironically, Byrnes noted, it
-appears in retrospect that had
the county applied for funds to
build an entirely new facility,
such a grant would have been
approved.
Thursday in Boardman.
Ed Dick of Heppner was
elected vice president, and
Alice Bartlett of Boardman
was elected secretary.
personnel. A new three year
contract expected to be acted
on by the board and by
teachers prior to the end of
next month essentially calls
for a seven per cent wage
increase, and adds two ad
ditional "longevity" pay raise
steps to teachers now at the
top of the county's wage scale.
ing at the District Office in
Lexington were given a rude
surprise when they returned
to their cars at the end of the
session.
Vandals had slashed tires on
a school district-owned van,
and on Heppner High School
Principal Jim Bier's personal
vehicle, while the meeting was
in progress.
The Morrow County
Sheriff's department is . in
vestigating the incident.
Meeting set on
hospital survey
The Pioneer Memorial Hos
pital Board and County Court
have scheduled a public meet
ing to review the Northwest
Medical Foundation study.
The meeting will be held
Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
in the Courthouse.
The proposed Willow Creek
Dam, he said, would be built to
control 10 times more flood
water than was experienced
during the devestating 1903
Hood, while at the same time,
the dam would not eliminate
Heppner's flood plain.
"I question the huirologv of
the project," thai led to
Heppner's flood plain desig
nations, Swensen added, in
: ' f , J
vn . j 'mm
?V ' " ! ... y
Blast off!
Elementary discipline policy
outlined for Concerned Parents
More than 100 parents and
high school students attended
a Concerned Parents meeting
at the Heppner Elementary
School last Thursday, to hear
Principal' Don Cole outline
features of a new elementary
school discipline code.
The new discipline code
''does not vary from existing
district policy, but it does
condense rules and spell out
penalties in a more readable
and specific form.
Parents would be notified in
the event of the need for any
major discipline. "Our overall
philosophy is that we have put
the responsibility for dealing
with major offenses where it
belongs with the assistance
of the home," said Cole.
Basically, the new discipline
, policy, in effect since the start
of the second semester,
breaks infractions down into
three groups major, minor
and petty. Major offenses
include theft, vandalism, pro
fanity and skipping school.
The use, sale or possession
of alcohol or drugs would
result in a three to five day
suspension for a first-time
offender, and juvenile auth
orities would be called in to
investigate. For a second
offense, expulsion would re
sult .
Suspensions ranging from
dicating that his office plans to
check Corps dates on the locar"
flood situation against infor
mation collected by the Na
tional Weather Service.
A check the Seattle office of
the Flood Insurance Admin
istration revealed that the
alternative plan of three small
dams and a concrete flood
channel would completely
eliminate Heppner's flood
Stan Sporseen and Wedy Toombs examine model of space
shuttle Enterprise during a special space-oriented assembly
this week at Heppner Elementary School. At right, Clarice
Lolich. aerospace education specialist for NASA, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ms. Lolich
brought students up to date on space exploration plans by the
federal agency, and brought along several items of
astronaut's gear, such as a space suit modeled by Principal
Don Cole.
one to five days would result
for a student found guilty of
theft. Juvenile police would
also be called in, and the
offender or his parents would
be required to make restitu
tion. Expulsion would result
from a second offense.
Deliberate vandalism would
be dealt with by a three-day
suspension, with juvenile of
ficers called in to investigate
possible court action. Expul
sion is called for on a second
offense.
For students who are public
ly vulgar or who use profanity
while addressing a staff mem
ber, a one day suspension and
public apology is called for
upon the first offense.
Spanking by the principal or
a designated teacher would
result for a student guilty of
fighting with willful intent to
do bodily harm for the first
time.
Offenses listed in the
"minor" category would gen
erally be handled by a
conference with the student,
his parents, and upon a third
offense with a brief suspen
sion. Minor infractions include
disruptive conduct and cheat
ing. Pretending or "acting like"
being under the influence of
alcohol or drugs is also a
"major" punishable offense.
plain, Swensen said.
The concrete flood channel
proposed to follow the course
of Willow Creek through town
would require right-of-way
purchases from adjacent
property owners, the value
engineering chief noted. "The
people would have to give up
some land," Swensen noted,
"but most of it is unusable. If
Conf. on page 14
20 cents
"It looks good on paper, but
unless you people put some
teeth in it and enforce it, it
isn't worth the paper it's
written on," commented Bob
Mahoney on the new policy.
Assistant Superintendent of
Schools John Edmundson
noted that teachers cannot be
expected to see every infrac
tion of rules, and urged that
"parents should report any
wrongful behavior" by stu
dents that they might notice.
Following the presentation
on the elementary discipline
code, a discussion was held on
discipline procedures at Hep
pner High School. The central
topic of the discussion center
ed around the use of illegal
drugs.
Drug offenses at the high
school are handled in a similar
way as outlined in the new
elementary code.
A number of parents as
well as several high school
students complained that
drug and alcohol rules were
not severe enough.
"Eighty per cent of the kids
are walking down , the halls
stoned," commented senior
Lionel Wood, "It's sickening."
Robb Rush said that a survey
by unnamed high school "
students showed that of the 164
Cont. on page 3