Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1979)
T J " V -W" Bjh 'V' U?- A,'- i- - O i - u or ore: i: z a c ry a r :: l l 3 The Heppner Weather Hi Low Tues.,June5 72 55 Wed.. June 6 64 46 Thur., June 7 69 35 Fri.,June8 78 40 Sat., June 9 88 47 Sun., June 10 90 55 Mon.,Juhell 90 54 B-TIME Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper On Thursday, June 7, l'i" of precipitation fell. 20 cents VOL. 97, NO. 24 HKPPNKR, OREGON THURSDAY. JUNE 14. 1979 12 PAGES GAZEUTI ? Farmers in the Butter Creek and Sandhollow areas of Morrow County got a reprieve from the Oregon Court of Appeals Monday when a State Department of Water Resources order shutting down several irrigation wells was reversed by the court. The farmers grouped together as the Oregon Groundwater Association have been fighting the tate court of axes ground-water The State Court of Appeals, reversed Monday, for the second time, an order of the Oregon Department of Water Resources which had declared the Buttercreek Area a criti cal ground water area. The Department's order severely curtailed the amount of ground water which could be used and entirely deprived some farms of irrigation water. The farmers resisted the order for the second time and for the, second time successfully challenged the lawfulness of the order. William Schroeder of Vale and Michael Sweeney of Heppner, attorneys for the .mul or ' 5 M Nor , fit J 7 -Vr- -bJ)v-' I w Liquid farmers, said today they hoped the Department would more carefully examine the evidence before cutting off the water in the future. Large amounts of money were spent by the farmers to collect and provide evidence to the department. Schroeder said further efforts by the department to shut down valuable farming production should not occur because of the "terrible expense upon the farmers created by the department in pressing this kind of extreme action." It was reported that various legislators previously were told by the Director of the orrow tour sees laiesi cou gold order which was issued by the Dept. of Water Resources after hearings in Hermiston last year, on several points including a lack of specific data about water depths in wells throughout the Butter. Creek and Sandhollow areas. The order, had the Court of Appeals not reversed it, would have meant financial ruin for several independent farmers. appeals ban department that this order "stood, and was valid" and had refused to defer or soften its effect. "Now that he has been proven wrong again for the first of many reasons claimed by the farmers, it is up to him to look at his department's Council to consider land use changes The Heppner City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 18, 1979 at 8 p.m. at City Hall to consider changes in the City of Hep pner's Comprehensive Plan work again," Sweeney said. Paul Taylor of Lexington, the chairman of the farmers group said he hoped the department would "stop har assing these farmers for the use of the water from beneath their own soil." Monday and approval of zoning, sub division and mobile home park ordinances that will comply with the adopted Comprehensive Plan. ''if. I , " i i i St r Should levy fail M artin says without PMH might not operate Pioneer Memorial Hospital Board Chairman Fred Martin strongly supports the latest tax levy proposal of $549,077 on the ballot June 26, a $45,000 reduction from the first levy defeated May 22. Martin said this week that "without some infusion of funds, it would be a serious question whether we could operate. If there is anything . deleted, some services will ; have to go." The board chairman feels "there's no fat in the budget" and is hopeful of passage. "I : would recommend passage of this budget as it now stands. I feel the hospital is a business and it takes an infusion of capital to support and make it ; profitable." ; Martin says $80,000 is in , eluded in the budget for re-equipping the hospital and providing an up-to-date emer ; gency room, promoting an active recruitment program for physicians and mainte nance of facilities at the North Morrow Clinic. The hospital needs new equipment, said Martin, because of obsolete etitiipment such as an old 0,B table. "We need to build an emergency room, provide new X-ray equipment and remodel the X-ray room." The lack of physicians, the chairman said, has meant a decline in patient days in the hospital. From January to April this year, there were 1,560 patients compared to 2,445 at the same time last year. He sees recruitment of physicians as the means to increase the hospital's use by county residents. "The budget is designed to provide the funds to make an attempt to rebuild the hospi tal." When voters go to the polls June 26, they will be asked, "shall Morrow County be authorized to levy and collect taxes in the sum of $549,077 outside the limitation imposed i f a second time by Article 9, Section 11 of the Oregon Constitution for the fiscal year of July 1, 1979 ending June 30, 1980, these said funds to be used to balance the 1979-1980 budget for the county-owned Pioneer Memorial Hospital and North Morrow County Clinic and Ambulance Service." The levy would require $1.22 per $1,000 in assessed valua tion and "projected as the minimum necessary to main tain satisfactory in-patient, emergency, physician, nur sing home care services and North Morrow County Clinic and Ambulance," according to the ballot explanation. The new levy amount is $45,000 lower than the original levy asked May 22. The budgeted item for physician services was trimmed by the board last week by $20,000 because of the anticipation of that much more in hospital revenue generated by phys icians. Also cut was $25,000 from the $50,000 planning and development requirement. Martin says the planning monies are important to the future of the hospital-because of a need to expand the acute care (regular patient) and intermediate care (nursing home) facilities. The levy reflects a decrease in property taxes, $.10 per $1,000 in assessed valuation than would have been gener ated in the former levy. Martin said $60,000 has been inserted in the budget to match monies from a $205,000 grant for expanding and updating the hospital con structing a new emergency room and remodeling the X-ray room. There are also funds in the budget to take care of those patients who are unable to pay for their medical care, about $49,000 Besides Pioneer Hospital, the budget covers expenses for the North Morrow Clinic and Ambulance Service pro viding medical service in the tv developments Two busloads of county residents and visitors attend ing a 4-H convention in Heppner saw Morrow County's latest industrial and agricultural additions Friday in the annual North Morrow County Tour, sponsored by the Oregon State University Ex tension Service, The Board man Commercial Club and the Heppner Morrow County Chamber of Commerce. The group first toured the Simtag potato farm and second on the itinerary was a visit to the Carty Coal-Fired North county tour People attending this week's North Morrow ' County Tour received an explanation of the irrigation pumping station located on Port of Morrow property between Boardman and Irrigon on the Columbia Hiver. OSl' Kxtension Agent Harold Kerr was pointing out the liitest features of the system which serves water to aurictiltui :il concerns. The slop n.is line ni many sites giwn those who attended. north end. The clinic is presently without a physician but board members are work ing towards recruitment of a doctor with a private search agency, Hospital Manage ment, Inc. Inflation has been relflected in this year's budget with board members and hospital officials pointing to excalating costs for supplies, materials, equipment and personnel. "Our budget has, been pre dicated upon a 10.6 percent increase in supplies," Martin said, noting that an obstretics table climbed in price three years ago from $2,600 to $6,000. The hospital board is also in the middle of salary negotia tions with hospital employees, but according to Martin, the talks haven't been held for some time because the em Mrs. Kyd applies for Port of Morrow job Applications are being ac cepted for the Port of Morrow commissioner's position left vacant by the death of Sabre Farms founder, Charles Kyd, according to Chairman Leroy Gardner, Heppner. Mrs. Charles Kyd, wife of the deceased commissioner, Dan Kreamer, member of the county's budget committee and Mark Docken have al ready applied for the position. The applications for the position will be considered at the regular meeting of the port, 1 p.m. Thursday at Nelson Square in Boardman with a budget hearing slated for 3 p.m. Also listed on the agenda are establishment of a Charles Kyd Memorial Scholarship Fund, selection of a new board secretary among the five member board, a request by Gourmet Foods to apply for Plant on Tower Rd. near Boardman. The visitors weren't allowed off the buses because of construction activ ity on the plant's facilities, but they were given the opportun ity of quizzing the tour guides about the work force, future employment forecast and whether the 1,400 acre reser voir constructed by PGE would be open to the public. One of the tour guides, Tom Myers, training and safety supervisor, told the group that the Coal-Fired plant is at the peak of its employment with 1,150 men involved in con struction activities. When the plant becomes operational in June, 1980, the permanent work force will be about 125. Myers said Portland Gas and Electric has concluded an agreement with coal pro ducers in Gillette, Wyoming to start sending coal to the plant in January. During the tour, he pointed out the sheds in which the rail link will bring in the black fule and because of the anticipated freeze of the material shipped over the Rockies this winter will be warmed up by infra-red heat. The coal will be moved from funds ployees' bargaining unit doesn't have a negotiator. Martin said the proposed budget asks for a seven and a half percent increase in salaries, the same as granted county employees by the court this year. There are about 60 people employed at the county hospital, the chair man said. Asked if people have for warded their reasons to him why they voted against - the hospital budget, Martin said very few have but he did remember the comment from an lone resident, "We've got to keep that hospital going." Martin remembers that last year when the board trimmed the budget to keep it open, it was approved. He is hopeful that more people vote on the issue June 26 and make a more decisive determination for the board to follow. bonds to remodel existing plant facilities, a Union Pacific Railroad report, re port on the port's effluent system, a report on Portland's plans to barge sludge to Boardman, Arnold Braat's easment request, a pending Miracle Potatoe Land Lease and a proposed hookup to the city sewer system. Postmaster sustains injuries Heppner Postmaster Hubert Wilson sustained a fractured vertabrae when he slipped and fell off the roof of the Heppner City Hall while tarring the structure about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Cont. on page 12 the rail link to the boilers by conveyor belts. When fully completed, the plant's coal yards will have piles 40 feet high. PGE is also making ar rangements to sell the fly-ash or byproduct of the coal-burning boilers for use on snow covered roads. According to Myers, there will be little noticeable discharge in the air from the plant's 31 story stack which is the highest structure in the county. While PGE owns 80 percent of the plant, one of about 30 across the country, other companies such as Idaho Power, own the remainder. Unable to gain approval of a similar project in Idaho, Idaho Power gave the consortium some of the equipment at the Boardman plant. Myers said the Carty plant is similar to the other coal-fire generating plants but will have a unique identity. Asked by one man if fishing would be allowed on the 1,400 acre reservoir constructed by the plant to utilize water in the daily operations, Myers said the company has considered Cont. on page 12 -0 -
