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The Heppner
JK ' '
VOL.
Locals meet with 2nd District rep about dam project
Sen. Mark Hatfield is the
one to nee about the Willow
Creek dam. Representative
Denny Smith told a gathering
of Heppner resident!) at a
breakfast meeting in Hermis
ton Saturday.
Opponent of construction of
the dam showed up at the
meeting in an attempt to
convince Smith to Intervene
and stop construction of the
water control project.
However, Smith didn't give
them much hope. Being a
freshman congressman he
said there wasn't much he
could do. "I'm a new guy in
Congress," he told the gather
ed crowd of around 25. "The
senior senator is the one to
see."
Smith said he has heard
unhappiness about the dam
project, but added "If he
(Hatfield) wants it to go
through it's going to go
through.no matter what I do."
Supporters of the dam were
also in attendance of the
meeting.
Neb. woman charged
A Iwenty-two-year-old Scot
tshltiff. Neb., woman faces a
possible charge of negligent
homicide and a charge of
driving under the influence of
intoxicants in connection with
the death of her four-year-old
son. according to Morrow
County District Attorney Ann
Jipicer.
The boy, Jason D. Johnson
was a passenger in a 14 van
Controversy arises
At least two families now
living at the Heppner RV park
will be left without a place to
stay after this weekend.
' the Heppner City Council
Monday night voted to inform
the owners of the park that
they were in "violation of a
conditional use permit restric
ting continuous stay at the
park to 21 consecutive days."
Lorraine and Dale Timmons
and Anna and Don Shaife who
have been staying at the park
while the men are working
temporarily at the Kin7.ua
Mill, are bewildered by the
ruling.
"We were told we have to
. get out by this weekend. It's a
service to the community
(work on the mill). It's to the
city's advantage that we stay,
said Mrs. Timmons. "What
difference does it make
whether its our trailer or
someone else's?" "I think
they (the city council) should
extend it ( the time limit) for
people like us."
"An ordinance like that
should not have been allowed
in the first place," she
continued.
When contacted about the
ordinance, one owner of the
park, Ann Skow, who said she
was consulting her attorney,
commented "There are a lot
of ordinances in this town that
are not enforced. They are
asking people to leave. I want
to ask if there's an ordinance
that the drive-in can only
serve people for 21 days..."
"It does seem that the city is
Is going to ask our patrons to
leave," said Ann Skow.'The
ordinance is one of the
decisions that we have protes
ted and protested. We don't
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Morrow County's Home-Owned
M, NO. IS
THURSDAY. APRIL . !Mi
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Heppner Mayor Cliff Green (right) confers
with Rep. Denny Smith during a breakfast
eastbound on Interstate 84
driven hy his mother, Mary L.
Johnson
The van left the highway a
few miles within Morrow
County (about four miles west
of the Umatilla Arny Depot)
spun three times and flipped
onto its top. The van caught
fire with the boy trapped
inside.
A passing Pendleton ambul
ance stopped at the scene and
understand this regulation.
There must be a need for a
park because there's such a
heavy use of it."
"The people staying there
are buying in the restaurants
and doing their shopping here,
and contributing to the com
munity. We keep it quiet and
clean," continued Mrs. Skow.
"We're hoping we can work
it out with the city. We're
hoping we can negotiate. We
hope they (the city) will look
at it again."
Meanwhile, the Timmons
and the Shaifes don't know
what they are going to do.
"Our husbands say they'll go
on home," concluded Mrs.
Timmons.
At Monday night's city
council meeting the council
was approached by a repre
sentative of Kinzua Corp., who
asked if there would be a way
to allow the approzimately 10
City water system eompletion expected
even if voters say no on dam advisory vote
Even if voters say no to
construction of the Willow
Creek Dam, the city will
probably get its new water
system, the Heppner council
was told Monday night.
Concerned by an advisory
vote on the dam scheduled for
May 19, the council asked city
engineer Scott Kvandall if the
new water line, storage tank
and other water improve
ments Included in the dam '
project which are already,
underway could affected.
"I don't know the politics
behind all this," Kvandall
said, "but it would be very
12 PAGES
"A.
meeting at Frasu's Restaurant in Hermiston
Saturday.
in death of son
the boy was pulled from the
burning vehicle by fire depart
ment Lt. Ranald Campbell.
The boy. suffering head
injuries and second and third
degree bums over most of his
body was initially taken to
Good Shepherd Hospital in
Hermiston and then airlifted
to a hospital burn center in
Portland. He died around 2
a.m. March 29. around eight
hours after the one-vehicle
in RV park 21-day
workers to stay in the trailer
park longer than the allowed
21 days.
La Vera Van Marter said the
workmen were part of a crew
hired to Install the mill's new
small log mill, and that if the
men were told to leave the RV
park they may be forced to
drive from Hermiston to work
each day.'
He said if this happened it
was possible the mill might
lose some of the workers
before the job was completed,
which he estimated to be
another three to four weeks.
The council agreed that the
ordinance had already been
passed restricting stays at the
park to 21 days, and that they
should enforce the ordinance
at this time to avoid setting a
precedence.
"This (ordinance) was pas
sed so that park wouldn't
difficult to stop work in which
bids are already let." "We're
pretty well on the road." He
said even if for some reason
the dam were stopped the city
"would have your water
system and bridges."
Kvandall told the council
bids for construction of a
storage tank on Cemetery
Hill and a 12-inch water line
from Chase street to Cannon
street would be let in about
two weeks. He also said that
bids for extension of the water
transmission line from Chase
and Hill to the Courthouse
area would be let around May
first.
- 11 miic
Weekly Newspaper
20 CENTS
accident.
An "information of felony"
has been filed in the case by
Spicer and Mrs. Johnson was
arraigned in Irrigon Justice
Court.
Spicer said that the Grand
Jury is not expected to hold a
hearing on the case before the
, end of the month.
Johnson was released on her
own recognizance, according
to Spicer.
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Lorraine Timmons (left) and Anna Shaife
become a labor camp," coun
cilman Warren Plocharsky
said in explaining the 21-day
limit at the park. He said the
planning commission and the
council intended to have the
park remain for recreation
use only.
The council was told that
for some trailers the 21-day
Kvandall told the council the
Corps of Engineers wants to
close Chase street to all
vehicles from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
during placement of the water
Advisory committee to meet
The Heppner-Lexington Ad
visory Committee will meet in
the Heppner High School
Library on Thursday, April 9,
at 8 p.m.
Included on the agenda is
preliminary discussion on re
hiring of classified personnel
HEPPXER. OREGON
Heppner Mayor Cliff Green
told Smith that although many
people (including himself)
were not in favor of the dam
construction, it was the best
and probably the only way the
city's downtown area could be
removed from a flood plain
which has blocked construc
tion and inhibited vitalization
of the downtown area.
"It is strangling the town
commercially," Green said.
"In forty to fifty years you will
lose your core area, and lose
your town."
Bob Harris, vice president
of the Heppner Morrow
County Chamber of Com
merce, was also in" attendance
at the meeting and he told
Smith that the group is also
behind construction ' of the
dam.
Terry Thompsonof Heppner
presented Smith with a packet
of material explaining main
opposition to the dam project;
and asked Smith Jto abide by
the wishes of an advisory
ballot to be voted on May 19.
The ballot will ask voters in
" the Heppner Water control
District, "Do you favor
construction of the . Willow
Creek Dam?" (see story this
page.)
Thompson presented evid
ence he said would show that
alternatives are available to
.the $40 million-plus dam
Solar heat
A proposal to convert heat
ing of the Heppner Swimming
pool from oil to solar
limit had already been ex
ceeded, and that the city
police make a morning check
of all trailers in the park to
mark their length of stay.
The city attorney stated that
violation of the 21-day limit
could result in a $1,000 per day
fine to the RV park owner.
line.
He said he did not know
when the work there would
begin.
and on extra duty contracts
for certified personnel. Rec
ommendations will be made
for a replacement on the
advisory committee because
of the resignation of Judy
Buschke.
HEPPNER MERCHANT'S
MOONLIGHT SALE
THIS FRIDAY NIGHT
project.
Smaller dams, water diver
sion work already done and
other factors would control
flooding better than the Wil
low Creek project, Thompson
says.
In an interview with the
Gazette-Times following the
meeting, Smith said, "I'm not
going to get in the way of this
(dam project). We're Just
checking into it."
Smith said he would talk to
Sen. Hatfield about it, and also
to the Federal Emergency
Management Commission
about the possibility of alter
ing Heppner 's flood plain.
On other subjects of a
national matter. Smith said he
has not changed his stand
whatsoever on gun control in
the wake of President Reag
. an's assassination attempt. "I
don't see any need for gun
control. What we need is to
control the criminal, not the
gun." He said the mood in
Washington DC following the
attempt on Reagan's life was
one of "relief that he was
OK."
He says that so far Reagan
has done a good job of
communicating with Con
gress, "especially the Demo
crats," and that Republican
organization in the House
could use some work and is not
as strong as it could be.
proposed
was presented to the city
council at its meeting Monday
night.
Bill Helphinstine and Ron
Forrar have researched the
possibility of using solar
energy to heat the pool, and
told the council with "cur
rent" oil: prices it
would take eight years to pay
off the cost of the solar system
through the savings,
Helphinstine said one solar
system he had been looking
into would require 3,600 feet of
a rubberized paneling and
would cost between $16,000
and $20,000, not including
installation, which he says
could be done with volunteer
help.
He said the solar system
would keep the pool heated at
80 to 85 degrees and would
extend the swimming season
two months from the end of
Moonlight
t
La;
Jeanne and Scott Adkisson of S & J Market
prepare for the Heppner Moonlight Sale
which will be held this Friday, April 10.
Downtown merchants will open their doors
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with many special buys
and sale items for shoppers.
An added attraction for young people's
Dam ballot to face
voters May 19
A second advisory ballot
seeking voter opinion on
construction of the Willow
Creek dam in Heppner will be
put before the voters on the
May 19 election.
"Do you favor construction
of the Willow Creek Dam?"
will be asked of all voters in
the Heppner Water Control
District.
An identical question, asked
only of Heppner city residents
April 3, 1979, received ap
proval, 188 yes to 13S no.
As with the 1979 vote, the
May 19 vote will be strictly
advisory and have mo binding
effect on construction of the
dam, initial phases of which
have already started.
Opponents of the $40 million
plus project have pushed to
put the second advisory ballot
before the people. They claim
complete facts about con
struction of the flood control
dam were not made known to
the public in 1979.
Hamlin, Doherty win
Hazel Hamlin and Gene Ddlterty each won a $25 gift
certificate" for being" the first two entries drawn correctly
identifying the places of business of six local business people
in last week's "Know Your Local Business Person Contest."
For details, where to enter, six new pictures for this week,
and the answers to last week's contest, see page five of this
week's G-T.
for Heppner pool
May into mid-October.
The pool now requires $2,200
to $2,400 a year to heat water
for a shorter swimming
period.
Forrar said Condon has just
recently installed a smaller
solar system for its pool at a
cost of $22,000 installed, how
ever, it has not yet been used
so no information is available
on its effectiveness.
The city council gave the
two permission to continue
investigating the feasibility of
a solar system for the pool,
and also look into ways to
finance the project.
In other business, the coun
cil: - Was told painting of the
pool would begin soon, pos
sibly at the end of this week.
- Voted to hire Scott Mc
Ewen as pool manager for the
coming year.
Approved a garbage rate
hike of 50 cents per month per
sale Friday night
The Morrow County Court
apparently agreed to support
the outcome of the vote and
will adopt a resolution against
the dam if thema jority vote is
no. '
Monday night the Heppner
city council reaffirmed its
support of the dam project at
its regular monthly council
meeting. The council voted to
write letters to Sen. Mark
Hatfield and others involved
in the project stating the city's
support.
At a meeting in Hermiston
Saturday morning, MS. Sec
ond District Denny Smith met
with opponents and supporters
of the dam (see story this
page) and said he would:
investigate the project, but7
added there was little he could
do to stop it.
Adding the Heppner Water
Control District to the advis
ory ballot May 19 will include
about 20 percent more voters
in the dam question, than in
1979.
can for collection service in
Heppner. The last increase
was two years ago.
- Voted to inform the owner
of a recreational vehicle park
in Heppner that he was in
violation of a conditional use
permit restricting continuous
stay at the park to 21
consecutive days.
Voted to enact a flood
insurance ordinance for Hep
pner. - Agreed to write letters to
various officials stating the
city's continued support of the
Willow Creek dam project.
- Agreed to Mayor Cliff
Green's appointment of Ron
McDonald and Guy Van
Arsdale to the Heppner City
Planning Commission.
- Okayed a request by the
Heppner Library board to
apply for a credit card to be
used for out-of-town book
purchases.
entertainment during the sale will be a movie
put on by the Heppner Lion's Club in the old
Kroll's building.
Starting at 7 p.m. and lasting until 9 p.m.
the movie 'Adventures of Bullwip Griffin"
will be shown for the young people. Admission
will be 50 cents, and cotton candy and popcorn
will be sold.