Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1990)
Ji Differences arise as to responsibility Time running out for city dump VOL 108 NO. 38 Wednesday, September 19, 1990 Heppner 25*______ 8 Pages County has State Fair booth The City of Heppner’s landfill is full and will be forced to close by the end of September. However, so far city and county officials can’t seem to agree on details for the future dumping of city garbage. The county has deeded a piece of property between Heppner and Lex ington for use as a transfer station, but the city and county are in disagreement over how the transfer station should be operated. According to Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson, Finley Buttes Landfill, (the large-scale landfill now in operation on Bombing Range road near Boardman) would own the property and construct the transfer station, and then, if it chooses, deed or lease the station to a private in dividual for operation. The purpose of the transfer station is to receive garbage from the city of Heppner and private individuals, prioer to transport to the Finley But tes landfill. Carlson says the county will regulate operation of the station and also the dumping rates but city of ficials are concerned about long-term committment. Heppner Mayor Cara Costa estimates that the city garbage dump will close by the end of September, but so far no transfer station in which to dump the garbage has been built. “ The only thing I’m concerned about is our residents, and making sure that our garbage is disposed of,” said Costa. “ I want a long term committment that our rates would re main stable.” Carlson says, however, “ we have no guarantee that’s just private enter prise. The county has said that we’ll provide the land for the transfer sta tion, the road work into it and we’ll see to it that it’s built and Tidewater (now Finley Buttes Landfill Com pany” has said they will contribute $25,000 to the project,” said Carlson. “ My question is, what contribu tion is the city of Heppner making. The city of Heppner has said they will offer money for fencing.” According to Carlson, Guy Patter son of Heppner has indicated an in terest in operating the transfer sta tion. But city officials worry that a private operator may choose to close the transfer station if it proves un profitable or may raise rates to the extent that the city or private in dividual may not be able to afford to dump there. Heppner garbage is presently col lected by Heppner Disposal, owned by Cliff Green of Heppner, and operated in a franchise agreement with the city. Green said that when the city dump closes, he will haul city gar bage to Finley Buttes on a temporary basis, but doesn’t know how long he will be able to continue doing so. “ At some point I’ll have to look at what it’s costing me, maybe looking at a bigger truck.. .I’m willing to do what I can to keep things going. For the good of the community there needs to be a transfer station.” Green said that Finley Buttes is too far for people to haul their garbage and voiced a concern that rates would go so high that people would never be able to afford it. “ Iam sure the transfer station will never be cost effective.” He went on to say that if rates at the transfer station go too high he would be forced to go out of business or buy a bigger truck and bypass the transfer station entirely. He added that he cannot operate the transfer station because he is unable to find an insurance company to underwrite the liability required for a private in dividual to operate a solid waste disposal site. Carlson said that the county would not be involved in the issue " if it weren’t for the benefit of the rural people.” “ Who’s responsible for operating it? That’s a good question. Maybe it’s the county, maybe it’s those who use it the m ost...I'm saying that 80 to 90 percent (of the garbage) going through that transfer station is from Heppner and I’ms saying that maybe 80 to 90 percent should be financed by Heppner,” he said. City officials, however, point out a county ordinance, which they maintain states that it is the county responsibility “ to provide a coor dinated program of collection and disposal of waste and solid waste; to provide a licensing franchise system, and recycling program. It is declared to be the public policy of Morrow County to regulate the col lection, transportation, and disposal of solid waste and the creation and operation of one or more disposal sites...” Ann Spicer, Heppner attorney and member of the Heppner Economic Development Corporation, said, that HEDC is concerned because if Finley Buttes sells to a private in dividual, “ The buyer is not restricted to keeping it as a transfer station.” Currently a Hermiston disposal service is suppling garbage service for the cities of lone, Boardman and irrigon. Hartmann enjoys Heppner experience Maybe it’s his Harvard degree in international relations, maybe it’s his experience living abroad, or maybe it’s just his optimistic outlook. Whatever, Will Hartmann just seems to fit in in Eastern Oregon. Hartmann, 22, spent the summer working as a volunteer for the Hepp ner Ranger District. "I wanted to come to a place total ly different than the East Coast,” said Hartmann, who was born in West Berlin and has lived in Zurich, Switzerland, Frankfurt, Germany, Los A ngeles and W eston, Massachusetts, which he now calls home. Hartmann's father was in in ternational banking and was transfer red several times in Hartmann’s youth. “ The pace of life is slower here. People are not as uptight.” said Hartmann. “ It's just nicer out here- -definitely dry. And the driving distance is definitely a big thing.” Shaun M cKinney, fisheries biologist for the U S. Forest Service, and Hartmann’s supervisor, said, “ He (Hartmann) was nothing but a real positive addition. He far exceed ed any expectations I had. Hopeful ly he also had a good time.” “ My impression,” continued Morrow County booth at State Fair. The Morrow County exhibit at the Oregon State Fair, Aug. 23 through Sept. 3. received a plate entitled “ The Big One, 125th Oregon State Fair.” for participating in the fair. The booth was sponsored by the Tourism Committee of which Hepp ner Police Chief Doug Rathbun, is chairman. Rathbun said that the booth was representative of Morrow County and that they received good positive responses from people visiting the exhibit. He also said that quite a few people, both currently from Morrow County and people in the area who lived in Morrow County previous ly, manned the Morrow County exhibit. Rathbun and his wife, Georgia and Fred Lundin of Heppner set up the booth. Medical board receives recommendation to hire Wick A Pioneer Memorial Hospital sub committee will recommend that the medical board sign an agreement hir ing Ernest Wick as hospital ad ministrator, according to Morrow County Medical Board Chairman, Jackie Bergstrom. Bergstrom said that Wick, St. An thony employee and PMH ad ministrator since June 1987, has in dicated that he will remain hospital administrator for 60 days, until Nov. 1 when he will announce his deci sion as to whether he will stay on as administrator after St. Anthony pulls out. St. Anthony Hospital has an nounced that it will terminate its con tract to manage Pioneer Memorial Hospital on Dec. 1. Bergstrom said that St. Anthony has indicated that it will continue to provide support services for PMH and is in the pro cess of drafting an affiliation agree ment with the medical board. Bergstrom earlier stressed that “ business will be carried on as usual and said that PMH employees' jobs are 'not in jeopardy.” According to Bergstrom the medical board was informed of St. Anthony's decision on Aug. 20, by telephone. On Tuesday. Aug. 21 the board received a certified letter from St. Anthony’s to that effect. Bergstrom said only that “ St. An thony is in the process of reorganiza tion and will not be able to provide management services any longer.” This is the second time that St. Anthony has announced the termina tion of its administrative contract with PMH. In October of 1988 St Anthony announced that it would terminate its contract with PMH as of Dec 23, 1988 Differences were Doug Rathbun displays plate resolved, however, and St. Anthony remained. Will Hartmann McKinney, “ is that he got up in the mountains and said ‘Wow, it's a long way from anywhere.” How did an East Coast boy end up in Heppner Oregon? Hartmann said that after graduation he wrote to federal agencies volunteering his time. McKinney saw Hartmann’s name on a computer list and then called him. “ Within 48 hours after the first call,” said Hartmann, “ I got five m ore-three from Oregon and two from Wyoming.” While at the Heppner Ranger District Hartmann worked as a biological technician, surveying the physical and biological makeup of streams for fish habitat. The infor mation is entered into a computer and used by the Forest Service in Heppner, the supervisor’s office in Pendleton and the regional office in Portland to determine how to best manage the habitat. M cKinney says that using volunteers such as Hartmann “ is an alternate way to get quality work done and not cost the taxpayers a lot of money. And it gives volunteers experience.” Another volunteer from Boston college spent about a month working for the district and McKinney says he expects four volunteers from the Audubon Socie ty to arrive shortly. McKinney said that Hartmann's experience working for the Massachusetts Department of Environment made him the most qualified for the job. Hartman says that his future plans are “ up in the air," although he does have an application in w ith the Peace Corps. When the job in Heppner ended, he said he planned on slowly traveling acorss the U.S. visiting friends and seeing the country, but “ definitely enjoyed my experience in Heppner. ” Port to develop cogeneration plant The Port of Morrow Commission has signed a letter of intent with an independent energy producer to jointly develop a process steam/elec- trical cogeneration project at the Port of Morrow. The agreement with PowerLink, a subsidiary of Portland General C orporation, is to develop a combined-cycle combustion turbine project that would generate 200 to 300 megawatts of electricity and create heat to be used for process steam, according to Gary Neal, port general manager. Up to 500,000 pounds per hour of process steam would be available for use by cur rent and future food processors at the port’s industrial park, he said The port hopes that construction on the joint venture can begin within a year, Neal said. The port will potentially own 51 percent of the project and PowerLink. 49 percent, he said. “ This project will allow the port to provide process steam to current and future industrial tenants at a very attractive and competitive rate," he said. “ We will be able to offer pro cess steam at about 80 percent of our processors’ current cost of produc ing steam.” In addition, Neal says that at least half of the steam potential will be surplus to the needs of the existing food processors at the port. This ad ditional capacity will help attract other food processing plants to the port’s facilities, he said. "This is a very attractive oppor tunity for new or expanded process ing," he said. “ It represents a poten tial capital investment savings of $6 to $7 million and an annual operating savings of about $750,000.“ Neal estimated that about 1.000 new food processing jobs could be supported by the cogeneration project. “ What's exciting about this pro ject is that the port and Portland General Corp. are working closely together to help achieve this economic development opportunity as well as to satisfy future power needs in the region,” Neal said. John Zanot, president of PowerLink. said PowerLink will develop the gas-fired combustion turbines and the process steam system, which will be available to the port for use by its industrial tenants. Heat from the gas-fired tur bines also will be used to support a steam turbine generator, which will produce additional electricity, he said. “ This is an ideal site for a cogeneration project," Zanot said. “ It is close to an electrical substa tion. transm ission capacity is available, two natural gas piplines are nearby and there is an obvious economic development opportunity for the port and Morrow County." The project w ill be designed to be a Qualified Facility under PURPA. the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act. Market Report Compliments ot the Morrow County Grem Grower» Tuesday, September 18 Soft White *3.13 Sept. *3.14/*3.16 Oct. *3.22 Dec. *3.24 Jan. Bariev *95 Sept. *97*98 Oct. *100 Nov-Jan 98 '/i% Pik 312 ccc A1JTO L O A N S e 're still the low est around. Come see us. Ron Forrar, a teacher at Heppner Middle School, caught a 249-pound blue marlin July 27 while on vacation in Hawaii. The 11-foot marlin was caught on the boat "Lady Jan,” skip pered by Tom Miles. O raoi lone Arlington • Heppner • • lone ' ' Your Independent Home tin n ed Bunk Member F Dl C V
