Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1986)
Nonprofit Neighborhood Council forms VOL 104 NO 53 Wednesday. December 24 I986 Heppner, Oregon 25* 10 Pages 1 he H cppncr N eighborhood Center has filed tor status as a non profit corporation «.ailed the Morrow < ounty Neighborhood C ouncil which » ill provide emergency food and other essential serv ices to those who need then) at all locations in the county The Center has vine paid stall member. Director Pat Scott, and eight regular volunteers »ho ad m in iste r governm ent energy assistance, emergenev food, com modus distribution, and various other programs »hich help needy families and the elderly The Blue Mt economic Develop ment Council »hich oversees the Heppner center as » e ll as the lines in Pendleton and H crinislon has an nourved that as ot lanuary d. it » ill no longer be able to fund the centers and. because ol financial problems. M o rro » Counts Commissioner Jerry Peck »h o is also a H M E IX ' board member, said the council had no other choice than to slop the tun ding Ihe three centers have been urged to seek funding from other sources M orro» County already con tributes to its Center. Peck said At o ik lime the BM EDC »anted to close the center in Heppner. but the county ctepp-d in and ollercd to con tribute funds to keep the Heppner Center open I'n u tilla county has not contributed funds lor operation of the centers in Hemuston and Pendleton Concern has already been express ed by many community iiK inbers. Mackey said People have called iik and other Center board members at home and stopped us on ihe street to ask if »e » ill still be open Ihe answer is, yes. »e » ill be open and the programs » ill continue as k>ng as »e can stav open, she con tinued BM E D C cut hack tin dn tor's salary by 20‘3. but the center volunteers have paid that lost portion o f her salary » ith funds 1.1 t t>v volunteer sponsored q u •. :t c ra ft sales, etc It has been necessary, especiallv » ith food drives and preparation of t > baskets, she said As of Tuesdav mori Center had prepi ed ss i baskets, she said IV mat been coming in serv »el! i" The Center has received tKinsol ne» tow . clothu . for the baskets All monev for the baskets stavs m ill she emphasized lo ca l dotut • u used tor local center net emergency medical «.¡i. meone »h o cannot get it .1:0 Continued Page County unity recurring theme at town hall meeting County unity »as a rccumng thenK at a Monday night Town Hall meeting in lone during which various controversial topics were discussed C liff Green. Heppner. drew the oi.ly spontaneous applause o f the evening, specaking as one o f the nearly 50- member audience Hcpp ner has taken Hack lately for not passing the school budget in our area, he said I don't have any one answer why it hasn't passed here The economy has deteriorated with an 18*3 pay cut at K in/ua. nearly one fourth o f crop land taken out o f production with the Conservation Reserve Program, prices o f cattle down, and general uncertainty "Leaner times are ahead and no» is the time to evaluate and vet new priorities on what to do But first, we're going to do the best we can to get the school budget passed this lime And then, we re going to sit down and talk, and get this county back together." he said The meeting, one o f a series ol meetings in the county's cities is an attempt by community civic and business leaders to keep people in formed o f current issues effecting the county and to give them an oppor tunity to comment about and con tribute to the solutions A similar meeting was held last week in Ir ngon and another is scheduled for January 7 in Heppner Three speakers. Assistant Superintendent o f Schools Chuck Starr, Port Manager Bub Miller and Judge-elect I jhiis Carlson presented information and answered questions on the follow ing issues the need for passing a V3bb,73b serial levy on January 13, the history and future o f education in Morrow County , ade quate medical care tor both ends o f the county, new tenants at the Port o f M orrow , the port's relationship to south Morrow County, and the possible sale o f the Heppner Branch o f the Union Pacific rail line to a short line operator School Serial le vy " I f the levy ts not approved, it » ill be a deep blow to education which we w ill not be able to get out ol lor many years. Starr said 1-sen it Ihe levy is approved, the district w ill have to lighten its hell I his scar 's levy (including the not yet approv ed serial levy) is actually SI IV.btkl less than last year s operating levy he said (See chart) School Board Vice Chairman Jerry M cE lllgott said that the boatd did tuit cut Ihe budget following the first levy defeat because "w e were close and we decided to try harder We didn't make il I hen we reduc ed the levy and the yes to no spread was even wider We began to wonder. 'A rc people telling us where we were was closer ’ Should we have added to the budget' Another vote approved the S ' I m illion one year operating lew Cutting the budgci by the serial levy amount was ihe only way to go ." he said "T h e hoard had to make a decision and every one knows it wav not unanimous The votes were split on the manner the levy was cut not the fact that it was cut Starr continued that the cost per pupil est mutes prepared by the Oregon State Dept ol Iducation for I *»85 8b show tfu t eastern Oregon districts vary with Morrow County nctghcr the highest or lowest Ih e highest cost per pupil he cited was the Condon district which spends Sb.545 per pupil and the lowest was Hemuston which spends 5 2 .^ 7 per pupil The cost per pupil in Morrow County is V4.2M The district provides quality education, he said The signs o f a quality pmgrant arc what happens to students after they graduate Our students go on to become dextors. la w ye rs, engineers, farm ers, teachers, self-em ployed cn trcprcncurs. and quality workers The small class si/e the district en joyes makes it hard lor students to slip through the system without their needs being met. he emphasized Another cs idem e o f the quality o f the system is students high test scores compared with nationwide samples "W e arc improving and expect to continue to try to improve, we won't |ust quit with what we have now ' ’ Health Care Traveling in Irrigon and Board man during the campaign and visiting there for I I years as a Port o f Morrow Commissioner, it is oh vious that with j freeway and two large food processing plants, there could be problems with medical care. Judge elect Units Carlson said Two petitions concerning health care have been presented to the County Court The first came from North Morrow County asking lor changes and more money to upgrade their health care, it asked that two districts be lormcd in the county T he second came trom South Mor row County asking lor formation of one. county wide district Both peti tions lacked some o f the re quirements for a legal petition to the Court However, the Court reacted to each as it it were a letter signed by over 7(8) people asking the Court to take action Dr Steve Ziclinski of Hoaidmun's North Morrow Medical C linic said that the reason the petition was presented in the way it was. was to give the county court "an opportum ty to find a volution without tying their hands The Court began listening to public comment at a December *» hearing in Boarduun which w ill con tinue January b. I ‘J87 The Court also appointed an ad hoc committee composed of two members from both Boardman and Heppner, and one member cavh from Irrigon. le x ington. and lone " I 'm convinced these arc good, honest citizens," Carlson said "T h e y 're probably somewhat biased, bill I'm convtne ed that if they see a truth, they w ill recognize it. and they w ill com promise and arrive at a solution “ Everyone on the committee is biased," member C lift Green said, "y e t I ’ m sure we were vhosen because we arc open minded enough to look at the situation and come up with a solution We must further solve the health «.are problem in a wav » h u h both ends ol the county can approve, and which in» reaves understanding between both ends It wc u n i do that, both sides w ill he losers." Stuart Dick, a pastor who grew up in and has lived in various parts ot M o rro w C o u n ty , emphasized "Boardman got the taw end ol tax dollars, but to entertain the possibili ty ot splitting o il into a separate district w ill undermine the lounda lion ot the county ( hue a precedent is established, any problem whether with agriculture or the schools w ill be solved by pulling out o f the coun ty " Zielinski asked Carlson if the county would want to put additional lunds toward the inequities in the North county health care which would increase taxes or cut hack tunds spent at Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Heppner " M y concern is thai whoever loses w ill have hard feelings." /le lin s k i continued "W hatever decision is niade. taking S'bO.(XX) trom the South and putting it in the North none ot which is spent in lone w ill nuke the South less likely to support any future budget, and w ill mil nuke the North more likely to support it But the North end w ill continue to grow and w h jl w ill hap pen when the das comes that the North end votes down a budget It's not good to talk about county unity and have a situation where (he schisil budget has not passed If the levy docs not pass January 13. the dissen lion w ill only be greater It's not an issue which can be easily solved by mov ing money from one end o f the county to the other The hearings process is not com plete. Carlson said decisions c annul be nude until all the testimony is in and all tacts arc known One option which ituy be determined bv the in pul o f the hearings is an election. Commissioner Jerry Peck added If the ad h«x committee is able to come up with it viable option, which pleases the petitioners, an election may not be necessary. Comniis sloner Peck said A concern. Carlson said, is that if the county is divided on the issue of health care and it the school budget is noi passed, any industry which might be considering Morrow Coun ty w ill see a county ot unrest and decide to I( k j I c elsewhere W ith agriculture depressed now . it is necessary to look to soiixihing else to boost the economy. Carslon continued We have to look al tourism and new industry Port ot Morrow W'tih the signing o f two new tenants at ihe Port ot Morrow Manager Hob M ille r said, some possibilities arc opening up A new product, potato nuggets which is not a prixessed product but sn u ll I '<7 inch diameter raw potatixs with the ckuis still on. has some possibilities Another new tenant. Operating I ngineers I raining School has already set up offices. M ille r said t hey are looking al moving in equip incut and arc preparing to begin a training cycle in tebruary A typical cycle involves 18 25 students lor lour weeks the school drxs not compete with private contractors, he said, hut docs special conununitv protects where no hinds are availahle lo build then) Questions \lx>nt the Serial I>ev\ prepared bv Morrow County School District Il we approve the serial le w w ill my |‘ >Xb 87 property taxes go u p ’ 5rv, 42c j>er 51.mm of Xvvrssrd valuation, or atxiut 521JMt on a 55IUHMI home. Dix-s this mean that ms lo st. !C property taxes lo r schools l.ix x i higher bighe than my 1085 Xb taxes' ¿M» UM1JJ w ill be 42c per S l.txxt No. thr total tax rati- for |UHi* M7 loo tintine the- serial lew will tie 7.1C per 51 JUKI less than l‘*X< Xtc Explanation I‘»88 8b tax Rate M immi tor Operating Budget Total l‘»H8 Xb Tax Rate S1.1M HI tor Operating Budget and Bonded Debt V ‘»4 S8 75 I‘»8b 87 lax Rate M.1MM» tor ( »peratmg Budget • Including Serial le v y ) Total l‘»Kb 87 Tax Rale SUNK) tor Operating Budget and Bonded Debt Ç7 22* 58(»2* •73c le s s than l*»85 8h O K . the tax rate w ill be 7.3c per M .(88) low er than the 1085 Hb tax rate, but aren't you really asking fo r m ore monev this year ’ No. the total operating lew for this vear 1 including the serial levy! will he 5IN/XÌ4 less than what vnu approved last ” From left John Bristow, lone, Port Manager Bob Miller. Larry Lindsay. ington, Judge-elect Louis Carlson, and Assist School Supt Chuck Starr Ihe possihihts exists. Carlson said, that the heavy construction school could do some ol the con struction work al the W illow Creek Darn park, if we talk to them right " Die Port helps the county's pocketbook, M iller continued Six ty percent ot every tax dollar tv paid bv an industry attracted to the coun iv bv the Port The Port has also helped with the tourism project in south county by providing services ol their engineers to draw up the plans The Port has talked with c iiics on .1 project bs project basis, he con tinued When it came to the housing project at the Heppner Hotel, "w e relerred them to another source which helpx-xl them tar more than we c o u ld ." he said Branch Line lip tor Sale A ll lour modes ol air. river, highway, and rail arc available on at the Port, he wild In addition, the Port's charter w ill allow it to operate a short line railroad "W e re hesitant to jump in to the purchase ol the Heppner Branch line, ' he stated "W e ’ ve not completed investigating the public private entity relationship yet Hut wc would rather, al this point, see .1 private owner o l the line with the Port helping a short line operator pul together lottery pnxccds. govern n x n l programs and other funding sources W’e do have a special in terest in keeping the rail line open, although it is competition to the Port, because we don’t want to see Km zua with highei shipping costs each month " Lex ■ ‘ Kinzua has nd he interested in buvuq 1I1 hr . ('.11 Ison said "W e havi 1 I,a ,•! good people in the county . id il 1 tm x when the economy 1 .- in i.d e depressed. Kinzua is qs iu!itn S3 m illio n to build a stud m ill winch w ill employ an additional 7S ( t lp c pie Chat's good news In,- I- , reason Kinzua is able to vj their 10 year plan I I kv c . iw tin forests as they are today with logs and dead lit Ihey h.o c used t! . latter lor hog tucl .11 tin-ir generation plant and an ahead I 1! plan looking at using whin- In in make eight fool studs. In .ml It’ s important to cmphasi/c t».. positive things in the. ........ ccntratc on turning negatives - positives. Carlson cmplni . ,! Interested citizens listen to speakers presentations at Monday night meetn t County approves purchase of North Clinic The Morrow County Court voted to acquire the North M orrow Medical Clinic at last Wedncsdav's meeting The County owns a hall interest in the building already Ihe other hall o l the building is owned by a land investment company Since there is no agreenx'iM between the owners concerning building repairs, many items needing repair have gone beg gtng Neither owner seemed w illing to repair the halt o f the building which the other owned ,a,nduio.s « iutuutu • building, the ' ^ p ^ u t- o f the needed repairs I he Court also disc ussed the possibility ot renting at a nominal tec or turning the building over to a North County health district should one be fomx*d In other business the Court approves! a request from Assessor Greg Sweck to repair plaster, close tn a file cabinet, and place partitions in his office Sweek also requested his office he painted, and that a cabinet for mapping cquipiiKnt he built The Court took no action on the latter request agreed to pay S I75 for réinstalla don o f an EM wire to the offices in the Courthouse The wire was originally installed at the personal expense o f Courthouse employees During the recent restoration o f the Courthouse exterior, the wire was removed Employees pay the mon thly fees hospital to the f oundation building where the Justice Court. Juvenile Services Commission, and Morrow County Mental Health w ill have ol ticc space Swcek was also directed to check into installing county phones at the building for Justice Court and Juvenile Services Mor row County Mental Health w ill maintain its own phone lines discussed hut took no action con ccming the crowded condition o f the Courthouse Law Library C o m m issio n e r Irv Rauch repeated a suggestion he made earlier this month to transfer the responsibility for handling county parks to a separate hoard or commit tee A Park Hoard responsible for overseeing the parks in lObb was never form ally disbanded. Ad niinsirativc Assistant laiRaync Bowman informed the Court Judge D m M c lllig n lt encouraged further investigation before taking any action agreed to exchange Ihe pickup which the Weed District replaced G - T w ill close w ith a new one tor the ! the fairgrounds approved claims held two exec ut 1 s < regarding property 1 other regarding persi mih Weather Repo December 17 23 Itig li lo w Ram Sum Tues Wed Ihurs F ri Sat Sun Mon 28 28 28 .30 2‘» 42 52 2 3 2b 24 24 24 24 2h 1) 0 02 0 ( 1 1) Market Report Campbrrqarsta of *Tv« M a- » 1 llcsduv. Ib< '» Sull Vk hue V» Ip Dec Jan Feb %2 4M V 'H* '2 ‘»X *3 IK) Barley D ec. 25-26 1 >n Jan Ecb The Heppner Gazette Times office w ill be closed December 25 and 2b and January 1 and 2 The newspaper w ill he published and mailed on Wednesday as usual Regular news and advertising deadline* w ill he observed Corn ' Jain Hard Red W heat Dec PIK Generic certificates *72 *7 3 74 'M *b4
