Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1986)
f. /» A .*'# . cr c r> The Heppner Morrow County's Home-Owned Newspaper « l Ku w a zette a A ** \ ✓ 1 imes Heppner rail line up for sale VOL 104 NO 52 Wednesday. December 17, I986 Heppner, Oregon 25< 10 Pages l'nu>n P acific R ailroad has solicited 70 shon line rail operators in the United States lor the pur chase o f the Heppner and Condon branch lines. George Skorney. regional public relations director o f U n ion Pas ills' K a ilro a d said Monday A ll shippers on both lines have been notified that Union Pacific has put the lines up lor sale ''I 'm not saying that U P vs ill file lor aban doninent of the lines it they slo not s e ll.'' he said However, that is always a possibilitv I he company has not filed at this point We prefer to keep the bratish lines in operation through the more economical method ol short line operators. Skorney continued Branch line operation i an be expen sive in relation to the volume ot lr.it f -V 'C . < • i • f branches. Skorney continued, but the two bra n ihes are ottered as a paikagc because it ought be more at tractive to a short line operator A short line operator would pro vide his own locom otive and maintenance equipment. Skorney said fhe operator would be pur chasing the track and "bridge rights on the eight connecting miles ot I P lr.iv k so that the same locomotive and maintenance cars vould be used on both lines, he said fic derived from the line It is our belief that preservation (of the branch linesi can best obtained bv short line operators who have more ways to curtail expenses than a railroad which is bound bv union contracts spec dying the number ol people needed to operate trains and the functions Ihev may perform Short line operators are not bound bv train speed requirements and *.an use slower speeds than U P trains, "he said Heppner branch line, built in IXHX. carries mostly lumber, wheat anil barlev Ihc Condon branch line built in IU05. is mostly wheat anil barley l ash branih is 4S miles long separated by eight miles of lr.n k bet ween Arlington and Heppner Jit Heppner is the stronger o l the two We can't say if a short line operator would reduce rales." he said Ihat would be up to the operator A short line operation would provide more economic stabiliiv lor .■ long term operation ol the I c track is in good con dition now out could eventually re quite uui' . maintenance such as the replacem ent o f tics U P 'x mainienan e costs are high and the company is not able to save money to put toward major maintenance " l P has not sold any lines in this pait o t the country. so I want to emphasi/e that this does not mean the line will K abandoned or that the tia ik w ill fs pulled up We would rather keep all branches in operation through short line operators," he coni luded County/forest service exchange roads M o rro w C ounty C o u rt last Wednesday signed an agreement with the U S Forest Serviie tor the transfer of 27'^ miles ot counts n<ad to the Forest Scrv n r and the transfer ot 25 miles o f Forest Service Road to the county Ihc county w ill benefit by the transfer. Judge I km M cFlllgott said beiause both parties w ill be better able to maintain and administer their roads In addition, the f orest Serv ve has agreed to improve roads which were scheduled for improvement although ihev are now m county hands I he countv w ill be allowed, with a special permit, to use forest servisi- rock pits lor improvement ot roads ami the f orest Service has said they w ill do everything thev can to get Willow ( reek Road down Coalmine H ill on the Forest Hiehwav program, he sani Pie roads which the counts trail cd awav were unimproved "wagon tr.nk roads, he continued, and could have cost the contiti in maintenance it logging in the lores! required the counts io t : \ ih „ A final benefit to the . ludgr said, is that you can dm ( li Vnson W right Park t. I. ( utstorth Park all ot r, , Counts roads traili d t. r> > Sers tee ' ' miles ot M ip IO I miles ol Ritter R o a d of Brown Prairie and 6 Xrbuckle Driveway Forest Sei s ne roads r . county I ' miles ol lupp. * f inger I unger. 2 5 miles o f Ci Mine Hill and ' v Shaw Creek lo I our ( Commissioner Jerry Peck (left). U S Forest Service Regional Director I Stminoe, Judge Don McElligott and Commissioner Irv Rau< h sign u.. change agreement County signs lease for more office space M o rro w C o u n ty C o u rt last Wednesday signed a lease option with the Pioneer Memorial Hospital Foundation tor the clinic building on the hill behind Pioneet Memorial Hospital and next to the doctors' office I he foundation paid $10,000 down and has been making payments on the former dental clinic which has been unoccupied lor several years. I arry M ills , president o f (he Hospital Foundation told the Court Ihc f ound.ition w ill give up its equi tv in the building it the county decules to assume their contract, he said Ihe Foundation w ill allow the counts immediate access to the building In nuke some minor in terior repairs to prepare the building tor o iiu p a iM January I Grain cars load from Union Pacific siding at Jor dan Elevator Following an executive session. the Court announced that it w ill begin negotiations tor purchasing the portion o f the North M orrow Medical Clinic Building which is not currently owned by the county In other business, the Court approved claims heard a report on progress of Ihc W illow Creek Park District from Ken Turner appointed 1 aura B urnside Mcl lligott to replace Rene Stininoc whose term on the Pioneer Memorial Hospital Board has expired approved a contract with Dr Steve Zielinski ol the North Morrow Medical Clinic us recommended by the clinic hoard ol directors heard that it is too cold to pout concrete lor the footings of the bridge over Hinton Creek at the Morrow < ounty I aitgrounds rcallinncd their decision to pur chase a letter quality laser printer tor the Clerk s office on the main Moor of the Courthouse approved purchase oI a computer terminal tor the Assessor's office heard a re p iit troni County '\r cintec i Boh Smith on the progress at the North Moi row \nncx building addition I In ( oull advised Smith ol teaks in Hie t I»uithi in draIts around some ot the ilows wlm h M i< orm i, » i must tix betöre pay tu» nt approved a three s c a r with IV>hv ns Pest Control t. ing of roadside weeds heard rccom meml.ito possible changes m the retirement plan troni com su rance agent Jim Allen New fish hatchery will he located next to existing Irrigon facility Morrow Count v s choic e of site tor a proposed Bonneville Power Association tish hatchery at Im gon adjacent to the renting fish hatchery there has been accepted Countv Planner Ik-.uie Seegcr told the Coun tv Court last Wcdncsdav BPA has proposed a hatchery t.»r stcclhcud hoping to plain them in Ihe Umatilla River, a promise which goes back historically to .in carle In diati treaty when dams were first huilt on the Columbia River which destroved nunv lish Die Northwest Power Planning Council discovered that the I S ( ongress also established their responsibility to the tish and w ild ltlc along the river as well as the power produced from it Die Court, the Planner Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob P.ukwood the Port of Morrow k itv ot Im gon jriil fast Central < begun Assm uitiofi of Counties have been working lor some time tor relocation of the pro [»»sed hatchery to a site acceptable to the county Ihe site originally proposed hi UP V directly east of the Morrow ( 'nunii ( train ( ¡rowers Barge lucility is one ol the last natural deep water sites on the < Jregon side of the river It's also a pristine area tor sturgeon fishing Seegcr sun! It is essential to the longrange economic needs of the counts Historically. i( is a proven site tor mdustrs but can be eompati ble with reacreational uses rhe county, he said, would like to maintain Patterson Ferry Road lor industrial use and reserve F.ighth St West lor tourist and homeowners jlk rru tiQ e V -fc . tll Possible facility layout l traffic The county has scheduled improvements on the road Dre Planning Commission was a lv i concerned about the impact of a large well for the hatchery which would have been at the same level as IbV existing private wells School Supt. hospitalized Morrow Countv School Sup! Doyle M iC js lin was admitted to Good Shepherd C om m unity Hospital in Hermiston on Monday with chest pains, a spokesperson lor Ihc hospital said Tuesday his condition was (air and he was still under observation Assistant Supt Chuck Starr said dial McCuslin is expected to undergo more test and observation before he is released Iro n the hospital G-T will publish Dec. 24 Next week's Ga/ctte Times w ill he published and mailed on Wedncs day. Dec 24 We w ill observe regular deadlines for news items and »» advertising News items and letters to the editor need to be at the office VS by 5 p m Monday, classified adver living deadline is I p m Tuesday, and display advertising w ill he ac c opted until 7 p m Tuesday The newspaper office w ill he clos ed Christmas Day, Dec 25 and Fri l W day. Dec 26 I 4 This frosty fellow has greeted passersby on Quaid in Heppner for the past week. Do you still want w trr temperatures?
