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Court asked to Seliange hospital administration
The Morrow County Court
was asked to consider a
change in administration at
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
during the court's regular
Wednesday meeting July 11 at
the courthouse.
When discussing recom
mendations made by the
hospital's professional assoc
iation about the budget, Hos
pital board member Dan
Sweeney read to the court
their feelings about the ad
ministration as stated in the
first session; then said, "I
think there is a large number
of people who support a
change in administration."
Sweeney told the board the
recommended change might
affect 200 votes cast in the
June 26 election against the
levy in the south end of the
county and reflect favorably
in the third levy election in
August.
"I do think a change in
personnel might affect 200
votes," Sweeney said.
County Judge D.O. Nelson
said after remarks about the
numerical voting pattern in
the last election by board
members Ed Dick and Fred
Martin that "We have had lots
of comments from people.
There is a general concern
over the administration."
Relating the comments of a
man in Heppner who has,,
worked in support of the
hospital levy and said he '
would decline future duties ,
because of his support of the I
hospital administration, Nel-,
son stated, "I think it's a big ;
factor and will be in the next
election."
Pioneer Hospital Admin
istrator Bob Byrnes had "no
comment" Thursday, July 12
on the proposed "change in
administration" when the
Gazette-Times contacted him
at the hospital.
During the July 11 session,
Hospital Board Chairman
Fred Martin responded to the
call for a change by insisting
that the current administrator
had the expertise to follow
through with planning on the
new hospital expansion pro
gram. "Things have been bungled
because of changes of admin
istration," Martin said.
Judge Nelson responded :
"That's another problem" and
noted that it took Wallowa 10
months to get another admin
istrator. "We are mainly concerned
about the budget today,"
Nelson said. County Court and
hospital board members talk
ed about the necessity of
Conf. on page 3
The Heppner
Morrow County's Award
Winning Weekly Newspaper
VOL. 97, NO. 29
HEPPNER, OREGON
THURSDAY, JULY 19. 1979
12 PAGES
20 cents
Byrnes resigns
hospital post
Pioneer Hospital Administrator Bob Byrnes resigned his
position at Tuesday's Hospital Board meeting, effective
October 31, 1979.
Byrnes cited "a complex political situation" and "it
would appear that I am at this time, a political liability" as
reasons for his resignation.
The move came late Tuesday evening after the
Gazette-Time's deadline, however, a full story on Byrne's
resignation appears on page three.
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Waiting for a uinnerl
The Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Court inspected the saddle Monday donated by the Kinzua
Corporation to be given away to the winner of calf roping at the County Rodeo August 24, 25 and
26th. Admiring the saddle on display at Gardner's Men's Wear in Heppner were (left-right)
Princesses Jennifer Wenholz, Irrigon, Lori Edwards, Lexington and Queen Debora Palmer, lone.
The fair and rodeo court was hosted to lunch by the Heppner Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber treated to royal visit,
program on natural resources
Heppner Chamber of Com
merce members were hosted
Monday to a program by the
Morrow County Fair and
Rodeo Court and a Grant
County slide show on the
environment.
Morrow County Fair -and
Rodeo Queen Debora Palmer
introduced herself and her
Princesses, Jennifer Wenholz,
Irrigon and Lori Edwards,
Lexington and told Chamber
members she had just com
pleted two years at Blue
Mountain Community College
and was now working at her
father's ranch in lone, pulling
rye and getting ready for
harvest.
Relating the many grand
entries, parades and rodeos
the court has participated in
this summer, Queen Debora
thanked local banks for the
presentation of belt buckles
and the Edwards family for
the belts. The court, has won
two first places among other
courts, at the Spray parade
andjrt the Condon oarade,. At
Saturday's Crook County Par
ade in Prineville, the court
was second out of 18 courts
and only bested by the Crook
County Court.
They have also received a
gift of necklaces and earrings
from D.O. Nelson and their
pictures will appear in a
special window display at
Gardner's Men's Wear.
On July 21-22, they will
attend the Elgin Parade,
August 11, Hermiston Parade,
will do radio taping at KUMA,
Pendleton; on September 8,
they will ride in the Boardman
Harvest Parade, according to
Princess Lori Edwards.
Morrow County's Fair and
Rodeo events will be the high
point of their year of activi
, ties. On July 29 is the County
4-H Horse Show at the
Fairgrounds; on August 18 is
the Fifth Annual Fun Night at
the fairgrounds featuring
Michele Colette, a chicken
dinner, coronation of the
Pioneer King and Queen and
the Colette's show and dance;
county fair week with exhibits
from August 17-22, the parade
on Saturday, August 25 and
rodeo, August 24, 25 and 26.
Mary Ann Palmer, the
court's chaperone and mother
of the Queen also attended the
luncheon meeting.
The court and their guests
were thanked for coming by
Chamber President Ernie
McCabe.
Bill Farrell, a member of
the Blue Mountain Resource
Council and an extension
agent in Grant County for
many years, presented a
special program on resource
planning and showed slides of
Grant County's resource
management.
"It's high time that we pay
more attention to our re
sources," Farrell said, telling
of his county's efforts to
enhance water and wildlife
quality in the John Day area.
The slide show noted that in
1946, Grant County stopped
gold dredge mining to prevent
erosion of stream beds, on the
rangleands, experimental
nursery plots were established
grasses and one of the first
local efforts in the nation
made in Grant County to
affect federal land manage
ment. Rip-rap or large rock
boulders were installed along
river banks to stop bank
erosion and control flooding.
"Our future depends on our
resources," Farrell added.
Farrell was introduced by
Mike Sweeney, a member of
the chamber's watershed
committee.
Grant County has a resource
committee, appointed in 1977
by the County Court to oversee
land management policies.
Next week's chamber pro
gram will feature Rod Aho of
Columbia Basin Co-op with a
special program on the Pio
neer Amtrak system, threat
ened with elimination by
Transportation Secretary
Brock Adams.
Flood repairs underway at lone schools;
school board accepts more resignations
Flood repairs are underway
lone schools and IHS
Principal Chuck Starr told the
Morrow County School Board
Monday night that about
$27,293 in damage remains to
be completed.
Items on the repair schedule
include repairs to the elemen
tary school basement, sand
ing, painting, and refinishing
the gymnasium floor, repair
and resealing the damaged
(parking area (estimated to
cost $8,270 from a $13,300 bid
and $5,030 budgeted) and
replacement of tile in the high '
school halls and cafeteria!
The school system has
already repaired $9,888.75 of
the estimated $41,100 of dam
age from the flood waters last
winter. One hundred and fifty
feet of fencing has been
installed, gravel work has
been replaced around the
shop, thermofax has been
replaced, the physical educa
tion activity file has been
replaced, kindergarten desk
replacement and athletic and
physical equipment replaced.
Also replaced were an auto
harp, box springs, mattress,
blanket, pillow, assorted kin
dergarten testbooks, septic
tank and mud cleanup, miscel
laneous motor repairs, repair
of teacher's room equipment,
teacher's chair for kinder
garten, panel screen for a sick
bed, a host of other expenses
and the $948 expense for
reseeding the damaged foot
ball field.
Starr reported the reseeding
effort has produced a beauti
ful stand of turf on the football
field and should be ready for
the beginning of the football
season.
He was asked what meas
ures have been taken by the
city of lone to prevent future
flood problems. Starr said the
city is still in the process of
obtaining flood control meas
sures and that the state plans
a new bridge which will act as
a dam and straighten out the
creek.
Board member Jim Wishart
urged the flood control work.
"Now is the time to do it when
the creek is down."
Supt. Matt Doherty said
engineers are currently as
sessing the damage and the
new bridge may materialize.
Lexington Board Member
Irvin Rauch ran into opposi
tion from a member of the
Morrow County Teachers As
sociation, Marshall Hesla,
when he proposed a motion
accepting two teachers' res
ignations with the stipulation
that they reimburse the dist
rict if there was any inconven
ience in obtaining replace
ments for their positions.
Under the annual contract
language, teachers in the state
are required to give 60 days
notice of their intention not to
': seek the position for the
coming school year. Two
, teachers, Louise Schmidt and
' Ken Lemley tendered their
resignations from Heppner
Elementary School after the
July 1 cutoff date.
Hesla said the board should
5 abide by the contract lan-
guage if it felt the two
teachers' late notice was
based on "unreasonable"
motives. Under the contract,
i,failure to announce their
.. intentions on time could result
in a year's suspension under
the TSP (Teachers Standards
and Practices.)
Said Rauch: "I don't want to
get into a hassle with the
Morrow County Teachers As
sociation." Although concurring with
Hesla's argument that the
board abide by the teaching
contracts, Supt. Doherty said
the district would probably be
able to fill the positions.
Outgoing School Board Chair-
"If
man Pauline Winter disagreed
with the motion because she
felt it was singling out the two
teachers from the rest who
tendered resignations.
Rauch's motion carried.
The board accepted an
easement request from Cliff
ord Peck of Boardman Cable
T.V. to install a coaxial cable
on Boardman Avenue on high
school property in order to
reach a subdivision. In ex
change, the district received
Peck's promise to link the
school with his cable televi
sion system.
Doherty said he would check
with the architect and deter
mine whether the new high
school and elementary schools
in the area have television
hookups in the classroom in
response to questioning by
Peck.
The superintendent was op
posed to an alternative for the
cable television line running
across the high school's foot
ball field, noting that the
district might experience
problems if it had future
construction in mind.
A debate ensued when the
board discussed action on
bid-letting for a new car for
the District Superintendent.
Wishart urged the board in a
motion to accept the bid from
Farley Motor Company of
Heppner for purchase of a
Pontiac Catalina for $6,987
because the dealer pays taxes
in Morrow County and ser
vicing would be available
locally.
Wright Chevrolet of Fossil
submitted a lower bid with the
same specifications at $6,800
but board members Wishart
and John Matthews felt the
cost of transporting the car to
Fossil would nullify the lower
initial costs. Rauch was con
cerned about what taxpayers
would feel if the board
accepted a bid other than the
lowest submitted.
Supt. Doherty said new laws
specify that if the low bid is
not accepted, justification is
required such as will it result
in a cost-savings to district?
The board accepted the bid
from Farley, accepted a tire
bid from Hermiston Tire
Center, fuel oil bid from
McCall Oil, gasoline bid from
an Arlington Chevron distri
butor and received no bids for
antifreeze. Supt. Doherty
plans to purchase the anti
freeze at the lowest cost
possible.
Ken Broadbent is recuper
ating from an injury to several
ribs when a tree limb struck
him in the back but despite his
absence from Monday's ses
sion, board members elected
him School Board Chairman
and John Matthews as Vice
Chairman, designated Bob
Abrams as district attorney,
retained the firm of Whether
all, Morrison and Fife as the
school auditor, designated
Alice Vance as District Clerk
and budget officer, adopted
the Gazette-Times as the
newspaper of general circula
tion for legal publications and
authorized the Deputy Clerk to
borrow funds.
ESEA Title I and Title IV
applications were approved.
The District's meeting
schedule was approved with
Cont. on page 3
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Willow Creek
cleanup
Members of the Lions Club worked most of the day Saturday cleaning up the Willow Creek
Channel to provide a straight channel in times of high water. Using chainsaws, manpower and
trucks, Club members removed about 10 truckloads of natural materials from the stream banks.
This is the first year a club had done the work and the Lions hope to continue it in the future.
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