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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
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Nor
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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
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