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Hospital levy wins big margin on third try,
t
"It's a relief." "We're
happy to have the budget
passed." "Terrific, I couldn't
be happier." "I was impres
sed with the turnout."
Those were the reactions of
Hospital Board Members and
County Court officials after
seeing the results of Thurs
day's hospital levy election.
The third hospital levy elect
ion received overwhelming
support from voters with 854
yes and 459 no votes, a margin
of almost 2-1 and surprising
after the loss of the second
levy by a margin of five votes
June 26.
Hospital Board Member Ed
Dick said he was impressed by
the voting turnout in Heppner
whose tally of 528 yes votes
exceeded the total no votes
cast in the entire county or 459
no's. Only 103 no votes were
collected in Heppner.
North end voters were still
heavily against support of
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
based 45 miles away. In
Boardman, the $506,474 levy
outside the 6 percent limita
tion drew 33 yes votes com
pared to 148 no's and in
Irrigon, the vote was 13 yes
and 180 no. Besides providing
for the support of Pioneer
Memorial Hospital, the levy
asked over $157,000 for the
North Morrow Clinic in Board
man. In the south end, voters in
Heppner polled 528 yes and 103
no, in Lexington, 129 yes and
11 no and voters in lone cast
151 yes and 17 no.
Looking at the election
results, Morrow County Judge
D.O. Nelson said the third levy
vote "gives us time to work on
the problems." Dick agreed
and said by this time next
year, the hospital levy and
budget may be included back
into the county budget or a
The Heppner
11 I
II
Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
VOL. 97, NO. 33
HEPPNER, OREGON
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1979
12 PAGES
20 cents
w
ind generation site at Boardman faces
delay by Department of Energy
Location of the Mod-2 Wind
Turbine System in the Board
man area has been tempora
rily delayed by the considera
tion of other sites by the
federal Department of Energy
in Washington D.C., according
to a spokesman from the Boe
ing Company which is building
the "largest windmill in
history" under a contract with
the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
, The spokesman said NASA
had considered locating the
windpower generation system
in the Boardman area but the
Department of Energy asked
for a delay to "look at other
sites." It was estimated that
the delay in locating the
system may only be about two
months.
The Morrow County Plan
ning Commission was in
formed about DOE's change
of plans before issuing public
notices for a meeting to be
held on August 27. That
meeting has been cancelled.
Boeing's Mod-2 wind turbine
system will be the largest
wind turbine ever built and
was started in August 1977
under a three year contract
with the Department of Ener-'
gy. The turbine will be a two
bladed horizontal axis ma
chine with a diameter of 300
feet and located on top of a 200
ft. tall shell tower and the
blades will clear the ground by
50 feet.
It will be designed to
operate at a mean wind speed
of 14 m.p.h. and operational at
wind speeds of 11 miles-per
hour and will "feather" or
stop and stand still by
changing the pitch of the blade
tips at wind velocities greater
than 45 m.p.h. When located, it
will generate 2500 kilowatts of
electrical power at a rated
wind speed of 27.5 m.p.h,
enough for about 750 homes.
The ultimate goal of., the
contract is to determine the
feasibility in terms of costs for
commercialization of large
wind turbine systems.
Boeing's Engineering and
Construction Company is cur
rently constructing the Mod-2
in its Seattle plants and had
planned to locate the turbine
in the Boardman area, pre
sumably at the test site.
Ironically, a press release
sent to the Gazette-Times
office this week and dated
August 9, provided details on
the future wind power turbine
but noted "that the location fo
for the system is yet to be
selected by the Department of
Energy."
However, company officials
Cont. on page 9
...
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v., f- w - j.-r..
feitwiKi 'i i' ajj'-y, .,1' $miO W . k,!i tA.
Wind
power
The Boardman area could be the site of Mod-2 wind
turbines, the largest turbines in the world being built by the
Boeing Engineering and Construction Co., but the
Department of Energy is looking at other sites though
company sources felt up until this week that the Morrow
County site would be the best. According to one official, the
federal DOE caught officials by surprise with the
announcement that it was looking at other locations.
70,223 cut in tax levy asked by schools
separate hospital district
formed.
Voters turned out in droves
at the Heppner precinct, there
was heavy traffic around the
polls and a truck with a
loudspeaker, sponsored by the
Heppner Chamber of Com
merce and Lions Club urged
people to vote.
Heppner's vote gave the
election a record turnout with
1,313 voters deciding on the
fate of Pioneer Memorial
Hospital, compared to 3,463
total registered voters, or a 37
percent turnout a high per
centage considering Thurs
day's vote was a special
election in a non-Presidential
year.
In the second levy vote,
there was a turnout of 1,244
and the first levy election
drew 844 voters. The first levy
election was voted down by
almost a 2-1 margin.
After the second levy loss,
the Hospital Board instituted a
number of changes, reducing
the levy from $549,077 to
$506,474, reducing the entire
hospital budget to $1.6 million,
changing the voting date to
Thursday from Tuesday and
accepting the resignation, of
Hospital Administrator Bob
Byrnes.
While in the north end,
Boardman Mayor Jerry Peck
and City Manager Jim
Thompson called for creation
of north and south end hospital
the hospital and told the
employees there. Nelson said
the workers were "very ex
cited about the results." A
newly-formed medical assoc-
Hospital levy passes
854 Yes
459 No
districts to provide for sep
arate medical facilities in the
county.
Dick told the Gazette-Times
that uncertainties in whether
the budget would be approved
had forced delays in screening
applications for the new
administrator of Pioneer
Memorial Hospital and held
up physician recruitment for
both the hospital and the
North Morrow Clinic. The
hospital has received six
applications for administrator
and several doctors have
expressed an interest in re
locating in Heppner.
When Judge Nelson heard
about the results, he went to
iation of professional em
ployees had recommended
several financial changes in
the budget before submission
of the ballot back to the voters.
Thursday's voting results
ended a summer of levy
failures, long hours by Hos
pital Board members working
on the budget, presenting
talks to the public and concern
by residents that should the
levies fail to come up with the
necessary simple majority,
the hospital might close.
Negotiations between the
hospital and non-professional
employees are expected to
continue.
'CONFIRMATION FOR GOLDSCHMIDT'
Packwood likens cabinet
shake up to 'chaos'
President Carter's cabinet
shakeup was "overblown by
the Eastern Press" , . Sen -Robert
Packwood told the
Gazette-Times in a special
interview Thursday when the
junior U.S. Senator for Oregon
visited Heppner.
Asked what his reactions
were to the recent cabinet
shakeup, Packwood said the
shakeup gave a "single im
pression of chaos in Carter's
Presidency."
He admitted that Congress
is partially to blame for the
energy crisis. "Congress is
perfectly able to pass the
energy program but as an
individual the President can
inspire the public."
Packwood said Carter, who
has tended to campaign
against Congress as the Wash
ington establishment, has be
come himself part of "the
isolated island of Washington,
D C." after two and a half
years in the White House.
:: V !
til T
mm--- i & - -
Sn. Bob Packwood
Packwood says the Senate
will confirm Portland Mayor
Neil Goldschmidt unanimous
ly as the President's choice to
replace Brock Adams as
Secretary of Transportation.
With the three strongest
potential contenders appar
ently bowing out of a 1980 race
with Packwood, Goldschmidt,
Congressman Les Au Coin and
Attorney-General Jim Red
den, the Senator said he has
raised about $300,000 so far for
the coming Senatorial cam
paign from about 11,000 con
tributions. Packwood said the
rush is on for acquiring
Eastern campaign money and
if a strong opponent should
show up, it could cost
$1,000,000 for each candidate
in the 1980 election.
In his 1968 race against
Wayne Morse, Packwood said
each man raised about
$400,000 and with inflation, the
figure would climb. In the next
Senatorial election, Packwood
said the Campaign Limitation
Law, which was declared
unconstitutional, limited
spending to $380,000. The
campaign limitation law is not
in effect this year but there is
a limit to the amount of
Cont. on page 12
LONG DISTANCE FROM WASHINGTON
The Morrow County School
District has asked the County
Assessor's office to approve a
$70,223 reduction in the tax
levy outside the 6 percent
limitation, which was ap
proved by the voters in April.
The total tax levy certified
in July was $3,771,364. The
revised levy is $3,701,'l41 and
changes the amount outside
the 6 percent limitation to
$2,426,924, leaving the amount
' within the limitation un
changed at $55,119.
According to , Supt. Matt
Doherty, the new total tax is
$3,701,141.
Doherty said the tax savings on flood damage because of tax statements. He said the
Asphalt plant set up
for highway project
Peter Kiewit Sons' Com
pany of Vancouver is setting
up equipment and an asphalt
plant about a mile and a half
south of Lexington on land
owned by the State Highway
Division for the start of
resurfacing work of 12.26
miles of Highway 207 between
Lexington and Hermiston.
Harry Bosler, construction
supervisor for the project,
said one lane would be kept
open at all times and flagmen
and signs will be out directing
motorists.
The low bidder for the
highway project hopes to have
the project completed before
the winter snows and is
working on a 270 day contract.
Initially, construction crews
will rip up the current
pavement damaged by last
winter's freezing tempera
tures, widening the road to 12
ft. and installing four ft.
shoulders with asphalt. The
project ends at the Boardman
turnoff.
The south end's last resur
facing operation was about
three or four years ago on the
Heppner-Lexington highway.
is caused by the district's
receipt of $38,000 more in
basic school support from the
State as a "direct result of the
county's growth and savings
more reasonable purchases
than anticipated."
The superintendent said the
reduction was unusual and
will be reflected on this year's
district could have used the
financial benefits to offset
taxes next year but decided to
apply the reduction to this
year's levy.
Special section marks 1979
County Fair and Rodeo
In today's Gazette-Times, is
a 16 page special Morrow
County Fair and Rodeo Edi
tiona guide to the upcoming
events of fair and rodeo week
in Heppner.
The special edition was
compiled from the overall
efforts of the Gazette-Tjmes
staff as well as contributions
from the Rodeo and Fair
Committee, and the County
Extension Office.
Area merchants provided
the financial backing to make
the edition possible.
The Gazette-Times would
like to welcome you to attend
the 1979 Morrow County Fair
and Rodeo. We feel you will
find it an enjoyable experi
ence and a chance to meet
with friends and neighbors.
Thanks to the Morrow
County Court of Judge D.O.
Nelson, Commissioners Doro
thy Krebs and Warren McCoy,
the Fair Committee of Harold
Peck, Cliff Williams, Marvin
Clarkson, Gary Grieb, Ruth
McCabe, Mildred Rauch,
Phyllis, Piper, Virginia Peck
Delpha Jones (chairman) and
Bill Helphenstine and the Fair
Board of Virginia Grieb,
Lexington, Paul Hisler, Hepp
ner, Pete Richards, Irrigon
Ron Currin, Heppner, Floyd
Jones, Heppner, chairman
and Nancy Bruch, secretary-
treasurer for making the
dreams of a fair, "Down A
Country Lane" become pos
sible.
Ullman chats with local
audience on telephone
Congressman Al Ullman-D,
couldn't attend a special
luncheon meeting Friday at
the West of Willow Restaurant
in Heppner but he still carried
on a conversation via a phone
link-up from his hospital room
in Washington, D.C.
Using a conference line
attached to a microphone,
those who attended the lunch
eon talked briefly with the
Chairman of the House Ap
propriations Committee. Ad
ministrative aides who were
transporting the equipment at
the Congressman's planned
stopovers said the scheduled
conferences were drawing
small groups because of the
fact that Ullman was forced to
cancel the trip because of an
injured leg and lack of
publicity about the conference
phone sessions.
"I feel badly I can't be there
in person," Ullman said,
noting that he had many
friends here and would have
liked to see them.
County Judge D.O. Nelson,
who acted as the emcee, said,
"We appreciated setting up
the meeting. It's a small but
enthusiastic group."
Ullman said the Willow
Creek Dam appropriation will
probably come up before a
vote of the House and Senate
early in September after the
Congressional recess.
"It looks like there's a green
light for the project."
When he testified before the
House Appropriations Com
mittee, Ullman said the Army
Corps of Engineers had not
completed its feasibility study
on the proposed dam on the
outskirts of Heppner.
Concentrating mainly on the
economic and energy issues,
Ullman said he was working
on development of geothermal
resources, funding to sink a
well at Ontario, working on
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9
'
Rep. Al Ullman
projects around Mt. Hood and
development of gasohol from
waste materials.
Noting that in 1972, the
nation peaked in domestic oil
production and' wlrf never
Cont. on page 12