.(m!'.'WN- wtix-tfr pM. W ."'''a"'i Jfc
TZELL
B t 5 3 1 E
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER -1B '
FUGENE OR 97403
me neppner
ETTIS-TIME
Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
VOL. 97, NO. 15
Morrow County Roadmaster "Doc" Sherer and wife Beulah,
center of photo, laugh at a story told on Doc by a former
employee, Heppner Police Chief Dean Gilman. Sherer was
honored Tuesday evening at a dinner attended by more than
170 people, commemorating his retirement after more than
42 years with the county. Judge D.O. Nelson emceed the
Flood plain prompts study of zone
change possibilities in Heppner
In view of Heppner's
housing shortage and the
extensive flood plain covering
a large portion of the town the
Heppner Planning Commis
. sion is studying possible zone
classifications to facilitate
orderly growth.
Meeting Monday, April 9,
with East Central Oregon
Association of Counties
(ECOAC) planner Marie Hall,
the Planning Commission de
cided to inventory the town by
lot size, land use and type of
structure to determine zone
classifications.
An all-day meeting has been
set for Thursday, April 19 at
the West of Willow Restaurant
beginning at 10 a.m. At that
meeting the commission and
Ms. Hall will review the
inventory compiled by
ECOAC and determine pre
liminary zone classifications.
Planning Commission
Chairman Terry M. Hager
asked Ms. Hall to propose an
enlarged urban growth boun
dary for Heppner extending
up Shobe Canyon and Hinton
Creek because the natural
100-year floodway restricts
development in available
areas currently inside the city
limits. Substantial acreage in
both Hinton and Shobe can
yons are not affected by
floodway designations.
The zone classifications and
enlarged urban growth boun
dary will be part of a new .
Heppner Zoning Ordinance
being developed to comply
with the city's comprehensive
plan. Public hearings will be
held at a later date on the
finalized zoning proposal and
affected property owners will
have an opportunity to speak
in favor of or against the plan.
Several residential zones
will be proposed including a
zone for limited residential
construction allowing only
single and- two-family dwel
lings; a zone for residential
construction including the
placement of mobile homes
., ft X. ,-,..:- S" S . ' '3
? rv--" Ir is , H -
After
and apartments; and a zone
with minimal lot size require
ments for areas with lots of
5-7,000 square feet. At present
Heppner has only one resi
dential zone with a minimum
lot size requirement of 7,000
square feet.
Under the current zoning
Dr. Hazen resigns Planning Board;
replacement is sought to fill term
The Heppner Planning Com
mission is seeking a replace
ment for Dr. Lee Ilazcn who
resigned his position at the
Commission's April 9 meet
ing. Hazen, who has served on
the Commission for the past
year-and-a-half, told commis
Smallmon not shoo-in for
District Court judgeship
Hermiston's justice of the
peace traveled to Salem last
week to object to proposed
changes in a bill which would
establish a new district court
serving Umatilla and Morrow
Counties.
If the bill is adopted as
originally written, John
Smallmon, justice of the peace
in Hermiston, would automat-
ically become the new district
court judge.
But amendments proposed
by the bill's sponsors, Sen.
Mike Thorne, D-Pendleton,
and Rep. Jack Duff, R-Adams,
would cut out the guaranteed
position for Smallmon.
After sitting through more
than two hours of testimony on
other issues before the Senate
HEPPNER, OREGON
42 years...
program and Sherer was "toasted and roasted" by former
County Judges Paul Jones and Oscar Peterson, former
commissioner Jack Van Winkle and Commissioner Warren ,
McCoy! The Lexington Grange prepared and served thj V
dinner.
ordinance all construction,
other than single and two
family dwellings, requires a
conditional use permit even
though the structure meets all
zoning requirements. The pro
cess for obtaining a condition
al use permit is an inconven
ience to property owners in
those cases and requires 1-2
sioners that he "cannot fulfill
completely my obligations to
the Heppner Tlanning Com
mission at this time."
The seven-member com
mission meets monthly to act
on planning requests from
individuals and is currently
re-writing the city's zoning,
Judiciary Committee, Small
mon protested the proposed
amendment which he said
could leave him without a law
practice and without a judge's
position.
But by the time he got to
testify, only two members of
the committee were left in the
room to listen, and he got little
comfort from them.
"In my area there was a JP
who supported the new district
court," said Sen. Vern Cook,
committee chairman.
"Like a fool he resigned and
then the governor appointed
somebody else," he added and
then laughed.
"Before you resign, if you
want the judge position you'd
better get a committment
i
months for completion creat
ing other problems in its
wake, according to Hager.
The Planning Commission
must complete new zoning,
subdivision and mobile home
subdivision ordinances to be
included in Heppner's com
prehensive plan by July of this
year.
subdivision and mobile home
park ordinances. Serving on
the Commission are Terry
Hager, chairman; Ed Tar
nasky, Mike Gray, John Shaw,
Dave Hanna and Lenna Smith.
Persons interested in
serving on the Commission
should call Hager at 676-9228
or City Hall at 676-9618.
from Governor Atiyeh," ad
vised Cook.
Smallmon knows what his
alternatives are. If he does not
resign his JF post by state law
he will continue to draw his
pay for the duration of his six
year term.
That's the main reason the
original bill was drafted to
make Smallmon the new
district court judge, according
to Thorne. But Thorne decided
he did not want to appear to be
legislating a job for a parti
cular individual and proposed
an amendment dropping the
provision along with one to
allow Heppner to keep its
justice court.
Cont. on page 3
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1979
Funding for
Dam is uncertain durin
1979 -
Rep. Al Ullman announced
last week that he would not
include the Willow Creek Dam
in funding requests for the
President's 1980 water devel
opment budget for the Pacific
Northwest.
The Second District Con
gressman cited "local con
cern" over the proposed dam
and "the need for a revised
cost-benefit ratio" as reasons
for not seeking construction
funding during the coming
fiscal year.
However, Ullman did seek
some $325,000 in funding to
perform studies on the feasi
bility of removing Three Mile
Dam on the Umatilla River,
developing an agricultural
drainage canal near Klamath
Falls, and to see if it was
possible to restore anadro
mous fish habitat to the Grand
Ronde River.
Despite the deletion of the
Willow Creek Dam from the
) coming year's budget, Ull
man's staff emphasized this
week that the Congressman is
still interested in seeing the
dam reach completion.
When Ullman appeared be
fore the Appropriations Sub
committee on Energy and
Water Development to an
nounce that he was not
seeking funding in FY 1979-80
for the dam, the results of
Heppner's citywide vote on
the project were not known, an
aide to the Congressman said.
In addition, the aide said, the
Army Corps of Engineers
"didn't indicate its capabil
ity" of proceeding with the
dam during the coming year,
due largely to an incomplete
cost-to-benefit study, sought
by the federal Office of
Management and Budget.
NEWS BRIEFS NEWS BRIEFS NEWS BRIEFS
Plans underway for annual lone Barbecue & Auction
Plans for the 16th annual
Barbecue and Auction at lone
are under way.
Members of the lone United
Church of Christ are busy
creating homemade items and
refinishing antiques for the
auction, which begins at 10
a.m. at the Willows Grange
Hall in lone on June 2.
More than 400 pounds of
prime round roasts of beef
have been ordered for the pit
barbecued dinner to be served
at noon. The Remembrance
Quilt is all put together and
the women of the community
are beginning to quilt the king
sized spread.
Beverly Wilson, general
chairman, announced her
committees this past week.
Those who will be in charge of
various sections are: country
store, Judy Rea and Lorene
Griffith; merchandise, Bill
Rietmann; antiques. Laurel
lone sets April 21-28 for town clean-up
A week of spring cleanup
activities has been scheduled
for lone between Saturday,
April 21. and Saturday, April
28.
Trucks will be available on
TWO
80 fiscal year
"There's no weakening of
support (for the dam) at all,"
said Ullman aide Anne War
ner, indicating that if the
cost-to-benefit hassle for the
project can be ironed out, "we
may come back ( to include the
dam) in the supplemental
budget. We know we have the
community's support, now."
Another possible method of
re-introducing the dam for
funding could occur if the
Public Works hearings "drag
on like they did last year," Ms.
Warner said.
But the rub still lies in the
results of the revised cost-to-benefit
study, which Ullman's
staff does not expect to see
completed by the Corps until
June. Under federal guide
lines for public works projects
such as the dam, construction
All faiths to join in Easter
Sunrise Worship at HHS
The sun rises over the
hillside. Voices are raised in
thanks to God for raising
Jesus from a hillside tomb.
The scene, repeated world
wide for almost 2,000 years,
will be repeated this year in
Heppner.
Easter Sunrise Worship will
be held in the lower parking
lot of Heppner High School at
5:45 a.m. on Easter Sunday,
April 15. Sponsored by the
Southern Morrow County Min
isterial Association, the ser
vice will have a wide repre
Cannon and Marilyn Riet
mann; dinner, Helen Craw
ford; dining room, Dot Hal
vorsen; pit, Fred Nelson;
meat cutting, Roy W. Lind-
Morrow School Board to meet Monday
The April meeting of the
Morrow County School Dist
rict Board is scheduled for
April 16, 1979 at 9 p.m. at the
A.C. Houghton Elementary
School in Irrigon.
Prior to the meeting, Board
Harghman to
Morrow County Assessor
Everett Harshman has in
formed the Morrow County
Court that he will retire,
effective July 1. at the end of
April 27 and 28 to haul away
articles not normally carried
by the town's garbage service,
presenting an ideal opportun
ity for lonians wishing to clear
SECTIONS - 16 PAGES
Willow
costs must at least equal the
value of benefits to be
received after completion. In
the case of the Willow Creek
Dam, the benefits would be
measured in terms of property
that would be saved from
potential flooding. As the rules
now stand, the value of human
lives that could be saved
through building the dam may
not be included in the benefit
value.
Therefore, the Corps is
faced with the problem of
trying to scale down the
project enough to meet the
cost-to-benefit ratio, or at
tempting to get the rules
changed to allow human lives
to be considered a part of the
benefits of building the dam.
Without the inclusion of
human lives into the cost-
sentation of Christian lay
people and ministers.
Special music will be pro
vided by the Marquardts of
Lexington. Pastor James King
of the Nazarene Congregation
al will deliver the sermonette.
"It will be a short message,"
said Pastor King, "so that
others will also be able to
witness what their Easter
experiences are."
In case of poor weather, the
service will be moved inside
the high school.
strom; clerking and finance,
Kenneth Smouse; snack bar,
Chuck and Lisa Nelson; guest
book and name tags, Frances
Smouse; arrangements, Mil
members will tour the sites of
the new buildings under con
struction. In other regular business,
the Board will consider advi
sory committee representa
retire as Assessor in July
the current fiscal year.
Harshman cited health
problems as the reason for his
retirement. He suffered an
eye injury last year, which he
out garages and other "stor
age" areas. Residents are
asked to place such articles
near the street or at their
usual trash pick-up sites.
20 cents
Creek
benefit ratio, prospects for
meeting guidelines are less
than bright.
Corps of Engineers officials
contacted last week said they
were investigating the possi
bility of reducing the size of
the proposed dam's reservoir
in order to meet the cost
benefit ratio. In addition, "we
need to get a revised design
memo in" for review by the
subcommittee, project head
Jerry Eyestone said.
"I don't think the project is
jeopardized," said Eyestone.
Ullman's decision not to
include the dam during the
recent Appropriations Sub
committee hearings might
mean, however, "that no
construction would start this
year," Eyestone said. "It
might set us back a year."
ton Morgan; fish pond, Debbie
Morgan; roving tickets, Helen
Martin; parking, Brian Riet
mann; and publicity, Jean
Nelson and Dode Krebs.
tion, the district alcohol and
drug policy, the district policy
on dispensing medication, the
negotiated agreement with
certificated employees and
other items pertaining to
personnel.
said continues to cause prob
lems and make his job
difficult.
Harshman was first elected
assessor in 1974. and was
re-elected last vear.
s
is