BESSIE WETZELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER
EUGENE OR
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97403
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I VOl,. 37 NO. 47 Hi pages
The Heppner
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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."
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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
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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
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Ray Curnutt hoses down the outside while the Heppner Fire Department searches
inside.