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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1979)
BESSIE WETZELL U OF ORE NEWSPAPER EUGENE OR L 1 8 97403 1 . fx PT71 m r i t fc ' I I VOl,. 37 NO. 47 Hi pages The Heppner U E-TTMES Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Happy Thanksgiving THURSDAY. NOVF.MBF1 22, 1!I7!I 20 cents IIKPPNF.R. OKF.GON 4 Medical group agrees with DA about drug study District Attorney Dennis Doherty will be glad to know the Oregon Medical Associa tion has voiced strong opposi tion to the proposal made by Oregon's Controlled Sub stances Committee which would make drugs like heroin, LSD and other "Recrea tional" drugs more accessi ble. The committee has pro posed to re-classify drugs so the penalties for their posses sion, manufacturing and deli very will be lessened. "We should not make these people with a sickness crimi nals," said Glenda Anderson, a member of the committee. But Morrow County DA Doherty and members of the OMA agree that the down classifying of drugs is not the way to handle the problem. The re-scheduling of drugs, as proposed by the Controlled Substance Committee, "re presents a total disregard for public safety," according to Daniel K. Billmeyer, pediatri cian and Oregon delegate to the American Medical Asso ciation. Billmeyer made that statement at the OMA's House of Delegates meeting Nov. 2 in Portland. According to Bob Dernedde, of the Oregon OMA, his group wants to call attention to the problem created by the pro posed changes. Dernedde said the OMA is asking for a hearing to testify to show its concern for what has been proposed. "Our interpretation," Der nedde said, "is that the changes will circumvent the criminal code. Re-classifying street drugs to make their possession less of a crime is not what I believe they (the committee) should do and I don't think its what the legislature wants either." Dernedde said a committee should not be allowed to change the criminal code but that it should be left up to the state legislature and initia tives. "What they propose would put drugs on a mock schedule and a physician could jeapor dize his license when prescri bing drugs," Dernedde said. "To say this is a medical problem and not a legal one about dangerous drugs just does not jive." Glenda Anderson said the Board of Pharmacy has the sole power to accept or reject the Controlled Substances Committee proposals and Der nedde said he expects them to reject it. Dernedde said the OMA is trying to get the legislature to step in and reject it. The scope of the power of the Board of Pharmacy is limited to com plete rejection or acceptance with no modifications but the legislature, being the creator of the committee, could con ceivably exterminate the com mittee entirely, Dernedde said. Tom Katin, of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, said Monday that the board has not officially been presented the findings of - the Controlled Substances Committee. Katin said Anderson has now agreed to have six informational hearings around the state during the next three weeks after which, "She will undoubtedly change her mind because there has been so much human outcry," Katin said. He added that when the I committee finalizes its drug j schedule changes, the Board of Pharmacy will either ac cept or reject it but cannot, by law, modify the committee's 1 findings. Salem pharmacist Henry Specman said. "There are a lot of peopoe upset in Salem and around the state (about the proposed re-scheduling.) "I feel there is no way the Board of Pharmacy will accept it because it is so far fetched," he continued. "I just can't see the state not follow ing the federal standards." Specman said he is not really that worried about the proposed changes because "We (the Board of Pharmacy) think the stricter (federal) law will prevail." , , J -l It j -, iffH Iff j .j ijV. v rLnr ; Tf;1 f ' 'M I'll W'i - ;t , w f i fr-, ?r J -zi ir I;: , fTr " i; A ' -.V, J " ' ' 4 . f "Hf j -m, J , , I litiiiiiiiii ili . ii i i , . Willow Creek dam waiting Army review Ed Struthers, of Columbia Basin Electric, Tom Springer, of Heppner TV and two city employees Mel Schermerhoin and Gere LeDourf were busy putting up Christmas decorations Monday in Heppner. The decorations are owned by the city Chamber of Commerce. Complaints around town have been the decorations are up too early but Randall Peterson, chairman of the Retail Merchants, said they had to be put up when CBEC could do it. Usually they are put up the week after Thanksgiving. Colonel Jerry Thayer of the Army Corps of Engineers spoke at the Heppner Cham ber of Commerce meeting Monday about the Willow Creek Dam. The dam was authorized two years ago when $500,000 was appropriated for the project, Thayer said. The Army Corps of Engineers, he said, does not like to take on a project until the benefit cost ratio is one to one. With the increased build "ing in downtown Heppner that is expected to take place after the dam is built, the cost ratio is 0.7 to one, according to Thayer. The colonel said $3.2 million has been approved this year for the project but it still has not been approved by the chief of the Army Corps of Engi neers. "Each project must go through a strenuous reviewing process." he said. At the Nov. 8 meeting of the corps, verbal approval was given to go ahead with the project, i The Corps of Engineers decided to increase the size of the spillway and the size of the reservoir. They also decided to increase the height of the dam by five-and-one-half-feet. They also decided to have the spillway on the left side of the dam and to enlarge it. The reasons for the change in plans is to add to the safety factor. With the changes, the dam could hold back a maximum amount of water that would be about eo,ual to the low flow of the Columbia River. "The frequency of that occurring is improbable and it might happen every 700 years or so," Thayer said. "It takes into account the maximum flood conceivably possible and a maximum cloud burst." Because of the changes, he said the corps may have to take more land than expected, including some lots on Alfalfa Street. A model study the corps is making will deter mine whether or not that will be necessary. He said with the dam being five-and-one-half feet taller, the dam will back water up another 100 feet. Thayer said the corps is behind its schedule about three months now but that action will begin as soon as the chief gives written approval. Already surveyors are look ing over the dam site. By January, Thayer hopes to bo buying some land and getting out bids on the project. He plans to have real estate agents appraise the land and negotiate with the land owners so land can be acquired. Balm Fork Road is going to have to be re-located and he hopes to have that project started by May. Willow Creek Road also has to be moved from the one side of the valley to the other side and Thayer hopes to begin that project in September of 19H0. Thayer said if the acquisi tion of the land H"'s fast, the projects may begin earlier but if some of the landowners are not willing, the condemnation process can take some time. The corps will not do any cleaning out of the creek in the town. Thayer said. The dam will be 170 feet high and l.KOfi feet long. Because it is so gigantic. Thayer said the coprs is trying to think of some way of "prettying up the face of the dam." He told of the possibility of putting plants on the wall. Dug Dugger, public affairs officer for the corps, said the dam should be completed in about three years. Dagger said the cost of the project could be around million but he could be olf as much as $5 million because of more designing that has to be done. In the summer, the dam will hrfve iibout L'.ooii acres of water that will lie made ink) a 1 1 a .'.Uio.iar area. The water w ill be (i() feet deep at the base of the dam. The dam will form Willow Creek Lake for about two-and-one-half miles up the valley. When the dam is finished, a full time tender will be hired. Thayer said an added fea ture has been given to the dam. An irrigation system (Continued on page 3) School board accepts bid on grounds leveling The Morrow County School Board met for about six hours Monday night in a regular meeting at Riverside High School. School Superintendant Matt Doherty said all the items on the agenda were discussed at length. The board received one bid. from Bill Flatt of the Mid-Columbia Bus Co. in Condon, for $211. BOO to operate 11 buses in northern Morrow County. The school district currently oper ates the buses and they are searching for someone else to take it over. The board decided not to take any action until a special meeting Dec. 6 in Lexington. The school board did accept a bid from Ray D. Kalal of Fires blaze in Heppner Trr 7m ti ' : ...?tr:m2Ls ...........k t... iionnnor fir.f iirMorc nUnn nwv t ibp burning house at 340 S. Main. A fire alarm blast Thursday morning at 9:20 a.m. brought seven volunteer Heppner fire men to the rescue nf a two-story house at 340 S. Main. The house is owned by Betty Curnutt, who works at Pioneer Memorial Hospital. Ray Curnutt. her son. rents the home and he was asleep upstairs when the fire started. He awoke to the smell of smoke and he called the EMERGENCY number at 911 . The fire crew was there in minutes to save the house. "You were lucky you caught it so soon." volunteer Jerry Samples said to Curnutt. "We wouldn't have had much to save if it took much longer." Curnutt said someone in the house must have started a fire in the fireplace and then left. The fire started near his bedroom when smoke seeped into the walls behind the chimney. A faulty motor was blamed as the cause of the fire. The damage was estimated at about $2,000. Another fire occurred the next night in Heppner, this one at 590 Elder Street. An estimated $8,000 to $10,000 damage was done to the Paul Fortenberry house. Heppner Fire Chief Forrest Burkenbine said the house, which was being rented by Bill Wehrli. is now unliveable. bv noon Heppner firefighters worked from 11 :20p.m. to 2:15 a m . on the blaze. The cause of the fire was a defective flue on the wood stove. Lexington has a fire too The home of Danny and Carmen Wilson was gutted out fire Tuesday at about The home is located across the street from the Lexington schoolhouse build ing. Extensive damage occurred to the living room and the kitchen of the new modular one-story home. The cause of the fire had not been determined at press time. The Lexington Fire Depart ment, led by chief Ed Baker, answered the call. Carmen Wilson had been across the street cleaning her elk when she saw fire coming out the roof of the house. The family was not able to save any of the furnishings. The five-vear-old son, Sta cy, was in the house with his three younger brothers when the fire started. He rounded up his brothers and took them out to safetv. Hermiston to level the school property at the Sam Board man Elementary school. The bid was for $12,000. According to Doherty. the board also decided to use $20,994 of $28,708 that has been made in interest money for some projects. The Sam Boardman school leveling was one project, $0,000 was appropriated for similar leveling at Columbia Junior High in Irrigon. money was set for television facilities at both schools at $990 each, and money was set for electrical additions at CJH. "The board decided to take immediate action because it is easier to do the work while the schools are under construction and if the work is not done, the opening of the schools could be delayed." Doherty said. The school board accepted a bid from the Dickson Brothers of Hermiston for $3,440 to complete a water loop at the elementary school in Board man. The fire hydrant and water system is required by the Boardman city code. For the budget next year, the school board condidered field trip requests, staffing requests mostly for the two new schools in north Morrow County, and a new computer service to keep track of pay roll and fiscal district bill paying. The school board also con sidered some capital projects to be funded in next year's budget. They established pri orities of roof repair, fencing, paving and painting of school facilities. All roofing and painting requests were considered but requests for paving were given priorities and Doherty said this new criteria will be used to decide what paving will be done. "The first criteria is to maintain what the district already has." Doherty said. "The second is to pave playgrounds which eflect the children directly. The third is loading areas, the fourth is shop areas, the fifth is bus parking and the sixth is employee parkways." The school board did plan to take some kind of action because of the late tax collection that is taking plai-e (Continued on page 3. 1 "Ira z - ,iV f iTv :. -".' ,. ..it. ' v.; . ; ,i Ray Curnutt hoses down the outside while the Heppner Fire Department searches inside.
